W e e k l y COLTON COURIER Features, Lifestyle & News You Can Use!
Vol 144, NO. 1
THIS WEEK Gloria’s Corner & Words To Think About
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December 24, 2015
Colton first to adopt S.B. county educational vision
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Happy Holidays
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PHOTO/CJUSD
Left to right: Superintendent Jerry Almendarez; Barbara Alejandre, Chief Intergovernmental Relations Officer with San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools; Jordan Wright, Field Representative for County Supervisor Josie Gonzales; Pastors Tim Isom, Peter Tasaka, Eric Strutz, Patricia and Dante Marruffo.
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By Anthony Victoria
olton became the first city to formally recognize San Bernardino County’s Cradle to Career Roadmap vision
during the council meeting on Dec. 15. Council members unanimously voted to approve a resolution that aligns educational goals with future career attainment through business, faith-based, government, and labor partner-
ships. Educational and city leaders say they recognize the importance of collaborative projects, such as the roadmap, in making an impact on youth.
“We will work together with our community and the Colton Joint Unified School District to ensure a better future for Colton,” said Mayor Richard De La Rosa. “It is very important that we bring city, law enforcement, clergy, and community leaders together in one roadmap to benefit the youth.” Back in October 2013 the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors adopted the Cradle to Career Roadmap. The collective impact approach model aims to prepare students for higher education and future employment by laying out foundational goals such as, reading at class level by the third grade, passing a college/career measurement exam by eleventh grade, and sustaining a career and becoming a productive citizen by the age of 22. “Instead of everyone trying to independently improve different areas, everyone is pulling their resources together to focus on the different components of the College to Career Roadmap,” Colton Joint superintendent Jerry Roadmap cont. on next page
Holiday event provides kids with bikes, safety tips
San Bernardino McGee sisters find Las Vegas Success A10
INSIDE ONE SECTION, 16 PAGES
Calendar Classifieds Legal Notices Opinion Service Dir.
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PHOTO/ANTHONY VICTORIA
Brock Anderson of Southern California Honda Dealers teaches Jayson Gaona how to constuct a bicycle during the Seeds of Hope bike building event at the VFW Post 6476 on Dec. 15.
By Anthony Victoria
esident Gloria Gaona is all about planting seeds of hope into the lives of community residents. She devotes
a large portion of her time helping others in need. “Everything I do is for the community,” she said. “I try to get everyone involved. They are always instrumental in what they do.” Colton Joint Unified School
District enrollment center specialist Patricia “Patty” Carrasco concurs with Gaona. Carrasco’s livelihood revolves around helping others--primarily the lives of students and their families. “When I got this job I prayed that the Lord could
give me a job where I can help the community,” explained Carrasco. “We have found a lot of families that are living in their cars or in hotels.” In a collaborative effort between several local agencies and nonprofit organizations, dozens of at-risk teenagers and children were given the chance to build bicycles and keep them as gifts during the Seeds of Hope bike building event at VFW Post 6476 on Dec. 15. Several representatives from Southern California Honda Dealers and Colton Police Department officers gave the youth instructions on bike building and riding safety tips. Gaona, who remarked that this was the first time the city had held a bike-building event, said she was referred to Southern California Honda by local philanthropist and San Bernardino resident Tracylyn Sharrit. It was then that the automobile dealership chose to help Seeds of Hope as part of their annual Honda #HelpfulHolidays event. Gaona Seeds cont. on next page