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THE PINE HILL PRESERVE Take a tour of this home to rare and unique plants right in our backyard. ■
IN EL DORADO HILLS
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MAY 11, 2022
READY TO SERVE Thomas Frey Staff writer Jeff Leikauf reported for his first day of work with the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office in 1990, just 21 years old at the time. His first assignment was as a correctional officer at the South Lake Tahoe jail. Leikauf told Village Life he remembers wondering what it would be like to be the sheriff of El Dorado County. “It’s the craziest thing because I did have that thought on my very first day,” he said. Thirty-two years later Leikauf, 53, a husband and father of four, is readying himself for a June 7 election where he is unopposed to serve as sheriff. He said he aims to serve more than one term. “I love serving something that’s bigger than myself,” the Cameron Park resident shared. “It’s my life’s work and I’ve always been a proud member of the Sheriff’s Office. I’ve always been proud to take that car home and park it in my driveway and represent our agency.” In those 32 years his ladder to the top included becoming a deputy sheriff, a school resource officer, a detective, a sergeant and now a lieutenant, where he leads patrol operations. ■
INSIDE, PAGE 3
John Adams Academy set to expand Sel Richard Staff writer More than 1,000 waitlisted students hope to someday attend the John Adams Academy in El Dorado Hills, a tuition-free K-12 public charter school. It is good news for them that the El Dorado County Board of Education recently approved a material revision of the school’s charter to expand its site. The school, opened in 2017 in the El Dorado Hills Business Park, offers an American classical leadership education model and presently serves just fewer than 900 kids. Scholars enjoy a curriculum that includes history, English, math, visual and performing arts, laboratory science and foreign languages, including Latin and Greek, with college-preparatory electives. “Our scholars and families have been very patient and resourceful with the limitations of our current space,” said Executive Director Joseph Benson. “We have had to convert utility rooms to classrooms and we’re using the parking lot as a playground.” The revision permits the academy to acquire an adjacent 78,286-square-foot building to house classrooms, a theater, a library as well as refurbish field space that connects the two buildings. Improvements to the existing building are also planned for the secondary program along with a gymnasium. Concerns were raised over questions of charter violations. “There were some folks who wanted to challenge it, saying it was a separate site and in fact it’s the same site; we share a parking lot with it,” explained John Adams Academy representative Carlos Yniguez. Ultimately, EDCOE staff found the revision legally
See LEIKAUF, page 7
Village Life photo by Krysten Kellum
Running unopposed this June, El Dorado County sheriff’s Lt. Jeff Leikauf is poised to be the new sheriff.
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See ACADEMY, page 9
Comedians lighten the mood at Oak Ridge Jana Rossi Staff writer
L
ocal comedian Brad Bonar Jr. started off the show with a handkerchief and a deck of cards — a quick slip of his hand mixed with a bit of magic and out popped a tiny dove. His impressed audience filled with Oak Ridge High School seniors, applauded while Bonar addressed the packed theater room using light-heartedness and humor. “Laughter changes the brain,” he told them, explaining that laughing releases the same chemical as antidepressants. Bonar was at Oak Ridge High School to perform his comedy show, 1 Degree of Separation, A Funny look at Depression and Suicide. The mantra behind the name, “If you don’t suffer, then someone you know does,” is a comedy routine with the sole purpose to create a dialogue and kill the stigma of mental illness. Part of the show is dedicated to give the audience an opportunity to gain a brief insight into each of comedians struggles with depression. Bonar led things off and described his mental health journey that included a 5150, police code for an involuntary psychiatric hold, which eventually led him to form 1 Degree of Separation a year and a half later. Though he said he had never spoken about depression prior, he recalled later in his life finding a suicide note ■
See COMEDY SHOW, page 7
Village Life photo by Jana Rossi
Comedians Aurora Singh, Sydney Stigerts, Sureni Weerasekera and Brad Bonar Jr., left to right, use comedy to highlight mental health struggles. The group recently performed at Oak Ridge High School, sharing the message that those who are depressed are not alone.
INSIDE NEWS VOL. 29
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ISSUE NO. 19
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LOVELY PLACE IN PLACERVILLE
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ITALIAN MASTERS REIMAGINED
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INSIDE, PAGE 9
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