Rio Report 2016

RIO REPORT RIO LINDO ADVENTIST ACADEMY • Winter 2016

Front Cover

ELECTIVES: How “Extra” Classes Can Change Education ALUMNI WEEKEND: April 2nd, 2016 Save the Date!

& THEN

NOW

TRACK and FIELD DAY Fighting on to the Finish

A Message From

THE EDITOR

T

ODAY I WENT to the art room

to throw some clay and see what the students were up to.

They were happy; making memories.

Two girls were contemplating and discussing which color to glaze their bowls, while another table of students were laughing and reminiscing about the basketball games the night before.

The whole room was buzzing with energy, conversation and warmth. It reminded me again of how much I love these students and how our mission is exactly this; to reach every student as an individual and lead him or her to God with warmth and kindness.

In this issue we covered a lot of stories, some of which will feel familiar to you as you remember your time at Rio while some stories might sound very different from your Rio experience. In “Track and Field Day,” we interviewed alumni to share

memories and various snapshots of the day. It was so interesting to learn how little that memorable day has changed through the decades.

Another feature I’m excited about in this issue comes from our new and fabulous development director, Julie (Burnham) Hagele from the class of ‘95.

She brings her energy and positivity to this role and I’m thrilled for you to learn about some of her goals and dreams for this year’s development plan. Raising money isn’t always easy, but Julie has envisioned a way for us to build our team and invites you to join in on the plans.

I hope that when you conjure up your memories of Rio, there is that feeling of warmth and camaraderie that I felt today in the art room. If not, maybe you can get a sense of those feelings through this issue of the magazine. We continue to go through

this effort year after year because we care about you and want to keep you close as members of our Rio family.

Rika Meyer

Editor/Marketing & Digital Arts Teacher RMeyer@RioLindo.org

CONTENTS FEATURES

ELECTIVES

Many students are now choosing Rio based on a wide array of electives and qualified teachers.

TRACK + FIELD

After taking a few years off from Track and Field Day, Rio has once again instated this age-old tradition as a fun day for all.

DEVELOPMENT

New Development Director, Julie Hagele (‘95) shares why you should get involved with Rio.

ALUMNI

HOMECOMING

Alumni from graduating classes over the years returned to Rio to celebrate memories and life.

ALUMNI 2016

Read about 2016’s alumni reunion with class organizers and featured speaker Mike Mesnard.

CONTRIBUTORS

EDITOR Rika Meyer | Marketing and Communication

NEWS

ASSISTANT EDITOR Brad Benson | Alumni Director NEWS + UPDATES

Many students are now choosing Rio based on our plethora of electives and committed professors.

STUDENT MENTOR PROGRAM

Students are helping students through Rio’s new mentor program by meeting weekly and holding each other accountable.

NEWS + NOTES

Read about your classmates news and updates or go online to our website, www.RioLindo.org to see the most recent news from our alumni.

DESIGNERS Monika Bliss Morris Studio | mblissm.com Alex Silva | Alexander Selivanoff | Austin Flemming | Cherie McMearty | Dirk Tao | Eunice Moran | Fan Gao | Hailey Johanson | Haoyu Zhang | Jennifer Lu | Ka Man Chick | Kevin Kim | Mariah Sagehorn | On-ping Lai | Santiago Rivera | Sebastian Anderson | Steven Ermshar | Yi Hsuan lee WRITERS Rika Meyer | Marketing and Communication Brad Benson | Alumni Director Julie Hagele | Director of Development PHOTOGRAPHY Ralph Vieux | vieuxsviews.com PUBLISHER Professional Print Management proprintman@inbox.com | Victor Hill ‘72

On campus

NEWS & UPDATES

Rio Lindo CURRENT EVENTS The Men’s Spartan basketball team placed first in the PUC Invitational Basketball Tournament on Dec. 5, 2015.

CAMPUS UPGRADES

Every summer, Rio updates a part of campus to keep up with the demand for a state-of-the-art campus.

This summer was the summer of bathrooms. Contractors and Rio’s maintenance team renovated the cafeteria bathrooms, music department bathrooms, and boys dormitory bathrooms. In addition, the boys deans re-decorated the interior lobby, adding dimension and a modern flair to the hangout. Dean Cooper used his artist background to create original art for the walls and added greenery, new furniture, lighting pieces, and activities to the lobby.

SWIFTS MIGRATION HIGHEST NUMBER EVER

At the beginning of fall this year, a flock of nearly 40,000 Vaux’s swifts settled into a chimney on Rio’s campus during their annual migration from Canada to Mexico. Aviary enthusiasts from all over the Bay area and Sonoma County sat behind the music building to take in this memorable event, which took over 90 minutes for all birds to enter the chimney. Thousands of birds flew in a tornado-like spiral as dusk approached each evening.

Swifts began using this chimney in 1989, the first year the boiler was not used year round to heat the water on our campus. They have returned every year since. The first small groups appear in mid August with the peak usually between September 10th and 20th. They are generally south of us by the first of October.

Typically the peak will have 6,000 to 10,000 birds in an evening.

To track the swift’s arrival to Rio, please visit our website in late August or early September.

RIO TRIBUTE

By Jathan Pfeifle, ’94 In northern California There is a school we love Beside the Russian River It’s blessed by God above.

We come from many places To study, work and play, We make new friends forever with each new passing day.

The school years fly by quickly, And soon it’s time to part, The mem’ries made a Rio Stay deep within our hearts.

-CHORUSOh Rio, Rio Lindo, We never will forget, the teachers here at Rio, And all the friends we’ve met.

STUDENTS HELP AFTER FIRE

On Sunday September 27, the student body participated in a school-wide community service event.

Students signed up ahead of time to serve in our local community in several different projects, while others rode two hours to the areas damaged by the recent Valley Fire that devastated the towns of Middletown, Cobb, Anderson Springs and Hidden Valley Lake. Another group of students sorted clothes and shoes at a community

service center run by the Lakeport SDA Church. Students such as Isabel Alejandre enjoyed making a game out of organizing thousands of clothing items.“I was in charge of shoes and enjoyed playing basketball by tossing the shoes into boxes. It was fun to hang out with my friends and make a difference in this community.” Several other groups cleaned up the community by picking up trash and beautifying local parks, creeks, and the Clearlake SDA School campus.

PIANO WITH LANG LANG

On October 4, 2015, two of our piano students had the opportunity to attend and participate in a piano workshop and performed in a 51-piano ensemble with world-renowned pianist, Lang Lang at Sonoma State University. Miles Kim and Neesa Richards played two songs that they had practiced for months before and joined 100 other students from all over northern California in this life-changing event. Piano teacher, Esther Judson attended the event with Rio students as well as her other students from the area.

“It was an important educational experience for me,” said Miles. “I usually play the piano alone, and if I make a mistake, I can start it back on my own pace. But playing with 100 other pianists, you have to keep up with them.”

Education

AT RIO

The Elective ADVANTAGE IN

Rio was founded as a school that offered a quality education for the mind, body, and soul.

by Rika Meyer, Marketing and Communication

THE EARLY 60S, new students were able

to take a wide array of classes outside of the required core classes of the time. Rio’s state of the art auto and wood shops gave students the opportunity to learn basic life skills to help prepare them for life beyond high school.

Today’s emphasis on a well-rounded education is no different. Although some electives have been added for modern relevancy, the meaning behind these classes is still the same.

One of the reasons sophomore Jonathan Mallan chose Rio was for its metals and industrial technology program.

“I love working with metals and can now fix things around my house when they break,” says Mallan.

He works with a team of four other students in his metals class to rebuild an old donated landscaping trailer. The class will put about $1000 of work into the trailer and sell it for double that when the project is done. The profits will go directly into shop projects for the future.

Students build every piece on the trailer, from welding the frame, to re-installing the tires, to painting the whole ensemble. Jonathan works carefully to position the v-frame correctly before he puts on his safety mask and begins to torch the metal together.

This trailer is the third profitable project that this class will finish since last school year.

Other students in the class like senior Tiffany Nababan prefer the artistic approach to metals. She welds together a collection of screws, bolts, and metal

EXAMPLES OF ELECTIVES

Rio is one of the few Adventist schools to offer this many, diverse electives.”

FINE ARTS:

Creative Art Sonare Handbells Drama

Anatomy & Physiology

Leathercraft Organ Music Appreciation

SCIENCE:

General Science

COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY:

Graphic Design Office Practice Photoshop Shorthand

Web Design Typewriting LIFE SKILLS & INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY:

Home Arts Auto Body Auto Mechanics General Shop Welding & Metal Wood Shop

Stitchery/Tailoring Aero Space Education also offered in 1976 also offered in 1976 also offered in 1976 also offered in 1976

plates to create a tiny chair sculpture. Tiffany learned how to use the foundry to create aluminum castings in sand, using molds to create designs.

Upstairs in the shop, the woodshop class works with teacher and Rio alum Ryan Renslow, ’06, to bring their ideas and creativity to life. In recent years, students have created skateboards, coffee tables, chairs, bookshelves, shields, and chessboards. Renslow’s skills as a craftsman and philosophy of student empowerment give students the chance to make almost anything they think of.

Over the years as school budgets have tightened and enrollment decreased, many schools, both private and public, have chosen cut back or eliminate many electives especially in the realm of arts and music. Very few Adventist high schools still offer a full industrial arts program and almost none still have a home arts program. Rio’s administration refused to cut these programs, even during times in history when money was scarce.

Registrar Judy Yingling who counsels students on choosing their high school classes believes that electives are still relevant and valuable to an individual’s education.

“We still see value in these classes because every student deserves to discover an area that they can excel in. Many electives are hands-on and practical, enabling students to learn skills that could lead to a job someday,” says Mrs. Yingling.

In other elective classes, students are also learning real life applications to newfound skills. For example, instead of learning the art of shorthand, students are now learning computer

applications, web design, and graphic design. Students in these classes create business cards, learn how to create tables in Microsoft Word, and even create their own websites and portfolios. Technology students attend field trips and colleges in the tech fields to help them envision what a career in technology could look like.

“I have always been interested in technology, but Rio is what got me to start learning how it all worked. If it wasn’t for the Web Design class, I never would have discovered how much I love code,” says senior Stephen Ermshar.

Stephen created a personal biography website in Web Design class and was challenged to use html to program and lay out the whole multi-page design. By using code, Stephen was able to effectively customize type, colors, and the layout of his site. Another project that Stephen enjoyed in Photoshop class was a surreal image of him knocking on a large wooden door with ocean waves washing over the adjacent sidewalk.

Stephen says, “Electives have let me focus on things that I’m interested in and have helped me develop skills that are unique to who I am.”

Rio’s ultimate goal in educating students is to help each individual student discover the excitement of learning and know how important he or she is to God.

Art classes include ceramics, creative art, graphic design, Photoshop, and web design.

“

While bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.” — 1 TIMOTHY 4:8

T

HE CROWD SLOWLY assembled onto

the bleachers. The day’s main event was about to begin. A team of four freshmen huddled together, planning how to pass the baton in the relay’s hand-off. The first runners walked up to the line and bent down, waiting anxiously for the start. The shot rang out and the two boys ran fiercely around the dirt track, breathing heavily with each rushed step. The sophomore had the easy initial advantage and sprinted ahead of the freshmen but began to run out of steam at the halfway point. Gradually, the freshman gained ground against the sophomore and leaped across the finish line several strides ahead of his opponent. The freshmen won the 400 for the day; a surprise upset.

Few Rio traditions were more popular than Track and Field day. Students were excused from classes with the best reason possible; to go outside and play. Each grade level fought as a team throughout the day, earning points for their class. In the early 1970s, the P.E. classes trained for Track and Field day, which was held at that time in both fall and spring semesters. The qualifiers from each event competed in a statewide event, held

TRACK

Written by Rika Meyer • Design by Alexander Selivanoff

FIELD DAY

FEATURE

- MENS RECORDS Mile • 4:50.9 • R. Otis, ‘71 800m • 2:07.9 •S. Daily, ‘71

100m • 10.8s • B.G. Stutsmen, ‘68 110m Hurdles • 17.24s • D. Rodriguez, ‘10

High Jump • 6’0 • C. Brody, ‘85 Triple Jump • 35’0 S. Johnson, ‘11

400m • 51.7s • M. Shepherd, ‘72

330m Hurdles • 44.6s • P. Wilson, ‘11

Shot Put • 48’1 • T. Nailor, ‘79

200m • 22.5s • R. Henderson, ‘65

Long Jump • 21’4 • L. Miguel, ‘71

Discus • 134’11 • B. Karr, ‘68

Jim Roy clears the high jump in the early 1970s. Over half of the school’s records were made in the 70s.

One of the favorite events of Track and Field day were the relay races between classes.

at a central California track with other Adventist academies.

According to alumni director Brad Benson and graduate of class of ’72, some students took Track and Field day quite seriously. Kids rallied around their classmates to get everyone involved and to pull the athletic shy students out of their shell to get the most possible participation. The events were similar to the Olympic summer field games with sprints, a 4x400 relay, a high jump, a long jump, and soft ball throw for a javelin throw. (Albert Miller still holds this record for distance.)

There were always upsets and surprises during Track and Field days. Benson recollects that Leon McGill, with minimal training or practice beat devoted athlete Bob Otis in the long jump. Classmate Lanette Thurman, who was a superstar swimmer and runner was rumored to have beaten her then-boyfriend in the 50-meter run, then while running the 600 meter run, she ran with a pack of all males then slowed down near the finish and let most of them pass her so she wouldn’t get teased later.

alongside the brick walls, on the stairs, and at the edge of the pool to cheer on their classmates in the impressive springboard dives and high dive competitions.

Jesse Melendy, ’95, competed in every event possible, and remembers working hard to get his classmates excited and involved in the day’s sports. His class, the class of ’95, had the most participation points of all the classes at the time, in some years involving every member of the class.

Since then, Track and Field day has remained a vague memory of the past until this last school year when athletic director, Kevin Hardesty and Principal Doug Schmidt decided it bring it back to Rio. Last spring, students spent a whole day learning how to long jump, sprint, and jump over hurdles. Every student participated in an event to earn attendance for the day, and many found an event to be even more fun than initially thought. (A drone with video gear captured the event, which is available on our Facebook page.) The day was such a hit that Track and Field day will once again become a memorable Rio tradition.

In those days, several young men ran the mile in under five minutes; Ron Mellor, Steve Daily, and Brian Reiswig, Bob Otis, and Ric Ortner to name a few.

After the competition of the classes in the morning, the classes had competitive flag football games in the fall, and softball games in the spring. Then the whole school would celebrate the day’s festivities with a big picnic across the lawn.

Fast-forward to the early 90s and most aspects of Track and Field day was relatively unchanged. After the summer Olympic games in Barcelona, there was great enthusiasm for field games. Students sported the trend at the time, “British Knights,” which were clunky, heavy high tops outfitted with two colors of shoestrings. Development director, Julie Hagele (’95) remembers running the 400-yard dash in her “BK’s” and tripping over the finish line, finishing in 3rd place.

One new element of Track and Field day in the 90s was the addition of the pool with swimming and diving competitions. Student spectators surrounded the pool, sitting

- WOMENS RECORDS Mile • 5:50 • T. Mitchel, ‘85 800m • 2:41.4 • D. Brown, ‘70

100m • 12.7s • P. Bell, ‘64 110m Hurdles • 21.6s • S. Baker, ‘11

High Jump • 4’8 •J. Jeys, ‘73 Triple Jump • 27’4.5 • R. Williams, ‘15

400m • 1:06.2 • L. Thurman, ‘71

330m Hurdles • 55.7s • L. Schmidt, ‘09

Shot Put • 33’5 • V. Brown, ‘76

200m • 27.5s • J. Kelly, ‘07

Long Jump • 16’1 • B. Moses, ‘73

Discus • 91’10 • P. Burden, ‘75

Getting

INVOLVED

— Rio Starts New —

DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

by Julie (Burnham) Hagele, ‘95, Development Director

Now I get to be on the other side of God’s blessings.

R Development Director, Julie Hagele, ‘95

Students make lasting memories at Fall Festival.

IO WAS WHATEVER I LET IT BE FOR ME. I love Rio! Not

because it was perfect, but rather it was a real opportunity. I had a myriad of chances to make lasting friendships with people and our loving God. Looking back, I made good use of many of those opportunities but missed a lot of them too. I was far from perfect, (still am!), but Rio gave me the footing to become a service-oriented, hard-working person that is confident in my relationship with God. So when Doug Schmidt proposed the idea of working for Rio, my heart sang, my mind questioned, but most importantly, God answered (3 times as I requested). God is so patient with us! It took me a while to figure out that God has been training me for this role for my career thus far: Math Teacher, Teaching Principal, Planned Giving Trust Officer, and Trust Finance CFO Elect. All these experiences create a framework for the development role at Rio, which I began in August. Never before have I seen God’s full plan for my life revealed to such an extent. But that gives me confidence to move forward. Because it is not my plan, it is His! This role I accept with reverent sincerity because now I get to be on the other side of God’s blessings. Helping students get a quality education in an environment that fosters personal growth in knowing God and the importance of perseverance is a passion of mine. Without sponsors, I would never have known Rio. It is humbling to imagine how my life would differ. That knowledge inspires me to continue the legacy of generosity.

Everyday I see our students and joy fills my heart as they show compassion to each other. They share the understanding that leadership is beyond standing up front or leading masses, but that it is through personal involvement and interactions. It justifies the hard work and sacrifices perhaps our generosity will change their lives for the better, as it did my life. Please join us in making opportunities for our young people to be a part of Rio!

Your involvement can impact each student’s journey here at Rio. Join us on our road to excellence!

RIO’S DEVELOPMENT GOALS

1. Better and more frequent communication with Alumni.

2. Reconnect with former classmates of Rio. 3. Support Rio critically needed scholarships for students.

Looking for ways to be a part of this journey?

WAYS TO GIVE BACK

Will your class make Rio possible for one student?

The average amount of aid a family needs is $7,800 per year.

Your support will change a student’s life.

Mark your gift and class year on your payment to contribute to Alumni Makers.

• • • • •

Give a recurring / one-time Credit Card gift.

Use a Rio Lindo donation envelope.

Mail a check.

Alumni Makers.

Visit www.riolindo.org/giving to give online.

GENERATE FUTURE GIFTS

• Visit www.eScrip.com & designate Rio as your charity.

• Name Rio Lindo Adventist Academy in your estate plan.

• Support an endowment

Mail Payments to: Rio Lindo Adventist Academy Attn: Development 3200 Rio Lindo Ave Healdsburg, CA 95448-9495

Contact:

Complete our online survey: surveymonkey.com/r/RioFriendsPoll Visit our website for ways to donate: RioLindo.org/giving

Julie Hagele, Development Director Cell Phone: (5 30) 350-5141 Office: (707) 431-5100 x 105 Email: jhagele@riolindo.org

Annual

EVENTS

M O E H C I OMING N M U L A April 11 th, 2015

W

HAT A GREAT DAY. So many friends and familiar

faces and so many wonderful memories flooded the minds of over 230 Rio Lindo Alumni and former staff members who attended this year’s Homecoming event. For those who were on campus from the class of ’65 to those who graduated in 2014 the feeling was the same. They had returned to the home of their Rio family.

The class of 1965 was the honored 50 year class. Virginia Weirich Howland did an amazing job contacting and searching for classmates and located nearly everyone who had ever attended Rio with their class. A big thank you also goes to the class organizers who spent hours reaching out to classmates and encouraging them to attend. This included Steve Booska ’70, Marna Lewis Sildve ’75, Cheryl Roper Knight ’80, Marsha Devine Bray ’85, Yemeseratch Girma ’90, Allen Schroeder, Jeremy Zimmerman, and Jesse Melendy ’95, and Becky Renslow ’05.

During the morning service Jared Threatt, of the class of 2016, received the Walter and Gladys Will Memorial scholarship in the amount of $1,600. This scholarship is given to the student with the highest grade in class and work attendance.

Dr. Edward Holm (’65) presented five $1,200 scholarship to returning students Mariah Sagehorn, Andrew Putnum, Patrick Lambeth, Steven Ermshir, and Jaya Sliney in memory of his brother Roger Holm (’69). These are given to students who the faculty believes demonstrate Christ like respect and treatment of their fellow students and the staff along with having excellent attendance to both classes and work.

Pastor Ron Torkelsen, who was a religion teacher and pastor at Rio Lindo from ’85-’88, gave the morning’s inspirational message.

This was followed by lunch, provided by the school, and an afternoon filled with sharing memories and life’s stories. Thanks to all who attended and we’ll be glad to see all of you back April 2, 2016 for our next Homecoming. -Brad Benson, Alumni Director

Learn more about next year’s Homecoming by turning the page.

65

70

75

80

85

95

90

00

10

Annual

EVENTS

G N I K LOO D A E AH T

Alumni Day 2016 All alumni, former students, and staff are invited to the 53rd annual Alumni Homecoming, April 2, 2016.

HIS YEAR THE HONOR CLASSES ARE THOSE ENDING IN 6 AND 1. If you are a member of an honor class,

please use the contact information listed below to let the organizer for your class know if you plan to attend this year. If you are an organizer and would like to have your information listed on this page please email Brad Benson at bbenson@RioLindo.org.

Class Organizers: Alumni Director, Brad Benson is looking for a Class Organizer for the class of 1981. If you would like to volunteer to help this weekend become a success, contact Mr. Benson at (707) 431-5100, ext. 121. »» 1966 – Ray Holm, holmrk@hotmail.com

Facebook: Rio Lindo Academy Class of 1966 »» 1971 – Sondra Truman Horn, sondra.horn@gmail.com »» 1976 – Karen Whiteman Bunch, rio76er@hotmail.com Greg Cater, gcater4@gmail.com Facebook: Rio76ers »» 1981 – Looking for Volunteer to Organize »» 1986 – Mike Mesnard, mmennard@gmail.com »» 1991 – Tia Harris Visiso, 707-294-4030, »» vcasaevents@hotmail.com »» 1996 – Cara Christensen Farrell, madhunluv@yahoo.com, 360-713-7716 Facebook: Cara Christensen Farrell »» 2001 – Katie Chrowl Garibaldi, kacky18@yahoo.com Facebook: Rio Lindo ’01 »» 2006 – Rob Erich, rlerich@hotmail.com »» 2011 – Taehoon Kang, taehoon_kang@hotmail.com

Schedule Preview 9:00 am

04.02.2016

Registration

10:30 am Worship in Music with the Music Department 11:00 am

Church

12:30 pm

Lunch provided by Rio Lindo (gym)

1:45 pm

Class Meetings*

8:15 pm

Basketball Game Rio Girls’ Varsity vs. Rio Alumni

9:45 pm

Basketball Game Rio Boys’ Varsity vs. Rio Alumni

GUEST SPEAKER:

Mike Mesnard, ’86 Mike’s an award-winning songwriter, poet, author, and an Admiral in the Nebraska Navy. He is an associate professor of English at Union College in Lincoln, Neb. Mesnard is also a children’s music recording artist, with more than ten albums, including his new ensemble, “The Mighty Magic Pants.”

Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, Mesnard is happy to be living in Nebraska with his wife of 26 years and his 16-year-old son. He looks forward to speaking at Rio’s alumni reunion and can’t believe so much time has passed since he graduated from Rio in 1986.

STUDENTS

Peer Mentor Program

L

AST YEAR, School Counselor

Mrs. Brassington and Dean of Students Lisa Webb started a peer-mentoring program that has helped improve student grades and has supported a successful transition into Rio school life.

“Ignite” is a voluntary program that has eleven upper class mentors who have been paired with approximately 19 students from the freshman and sophomore class.

Mentees are chosen based on need and agree to join the program voluntarily.

The mentor-mentee pairs meet weekly to discuss a variety of academic and social topics as well as work on homework together. These relationships htelp instill responsibility and awareness in both students.

In the beginning of the school year, the mentors went through a rigorous training to learn how to lead, adapt to others, and what it means to be a positive role model. After attending a few mixers and ice breakers, the mentees wrote down names of mentors that they felt comfortable working with.

Together with Mrs. Brassington and Mrs. Webb, mentors were matched with mentees based on personality, interests, and potential chemistry. All of the students involved in the program kicked off the school year with a grand ice-breaker pool party, where they were paired off and got to know each other, some for the first time.

Now, pairs meet every day or every other day. Mentors talk to mentees about their time management, classes, and relationships. Mentors use SMART Goals, which are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time-bound to grow in whatever area the mentee is hoping to thrive in. For example, if a mentee is shy and wants to grow socially, he or she might set a SMART goal to sit by someone new in the cafeteria that week. Or if a student’s goal is to become more organized, the goal might be to keep a planner and enter in all math assignments for that week. Mentors provide a place of accountability and support for each mentee.

The mentor training didn’t end after the first part of the school year. All mentors meet weekly with Mrs. Brassington and Mrs. Webb for more training and ideas on how to better help their mentees. As paid employees for this job, the mentors are required to log and report their time with their mentees.

Mrs. Brassington is excited about the change that she has seen in all of the students in the program.

“Peer mentoring is good in the long run. We asked ourselves if we can design a program that positively affects our students on a personal level here, and have seen mentees from last year step up into leadership roles as mentors,” Mrs. Brassington said.

Student Perspective

by Mariah Sagehorn, ‘16 When I first began mentoring I wasn’t sure what to talk about in the meetings.

I was afraid of getting someone who didn’t really want to be in the program, and I was afraid of the awkward silences that might occur if were to have nothing more to talk about besides grades. I think I was lucky because once the meetings started, I didn’t have to worry about that anymore. Even from day one, my mentee opened up to me, and I was happy to listen every time.

The day I realized we had actually become friends was a day she approached me outside of a meeting to tell me what had been going on in her life and even ask how I was doing. Soon enough that became fairly normal for us.

Even though I’ll never really know how my listening and advice impacted her, I feel that the relationship I built with her made the experience worth it.

We went from being acquaintances to having sort of a sisterhood. I was always watching out for her, and I believe she was doing the same for me.

Alumni

NEWS NOTES [1960-1969] ‘63 DEEANN LANSING REEDY This year has been stressful for me.

I had an infection early in the year and it took some time to find out what was causing my symptoms. That came at the same time I went to see my son in Colorado who had lymphoma. Then I had surgery on my right shoulder for a torn rotator cuff in May. One month later my son passed away. He was in the army so there were two services for him that I attended.

In Sept. I was still having symptoms of an ailment. I won’t be coming to Rio for the reunion but I hope those who do will have a wonderful time.

‘65 WILLIAM C. MCDANIEL I retired eight years ago with 37 years with the Federal Government, most with the U.S. Forest Service. My wife, Lynn, and I celebrated 43 years of marriage this July. We finally convinced her to retire this summer, although we are both so busy that we are not sure what the term retirement really means. We are still living in the house we bought in 1976 in Alta Sierra, which is located in Grass Valley, CA. We have four sons who all graduated from St. Mary’s College, in Moraga.

One is Vice President of an insurance

company, one owns his own business as an underwriter, one is an engineer, and one is an investment broker and CIO of an investment service company that he co-founded.

We have four daughters-in-law and 10 grandchildren, ages two to fifteen, all living in the area, and we thoroughly enjoy being involved in their busy lives.

I started McDaniel Consulting when I retired and still am on contract with the U.S. Forest Service and with RISKALYZE, our son’s company.

We enjoy traveling when time allows but mostly spend time with family in the South Lake Tahoe area where we have four weeks of timeshares.

‘66 BRENDA BUTKA Doing well, in spite of my house burning to the ground this February. Rebuild is underway. Two daughters married in the back pasture in June--one doing English PhD at Princeton, one finishing med school in Florida. Third daughter is teaching high school-botany and biology in Eugene, Oregon. Our farm community is thriving, and is the subject of a photography MFA thesis by a Syracuse student, and a sustainability thesis by a student from Yale . I’m still taking care of patients at Vanderbilt, and Tom is still (very) retired.

‘66 GARY BUTKA (From Sister Brenda) Practicing medicine in Texas and tending to my 9 year old triplets and 3 year old son, plus a daughter who is studying finance. Wife Mary keeps it all together somehow.

‘66 CURTIS DYBDAHL Currently I’m working as a Bible Worker in Galt, CA. We are also taking on the challenge of starting a Simple Church.

Hope to see my classmates April 2.

‘67 COLEEN SEITZ STANLEY I am looking forward to our class of ‘67 - 50th reunion in one more year. Most of us will be 67 years old! Interesting trivia!

We are finally grandparents with Charlie (age 2) in London, England with a sister due in a couple weeks. We will be there for a whole month to help our daughter (& husband) --- who gets 6 months paid maternity leave as a social worker.

And Ethan, turned 1 recently, in Arroyo Grande, CA where our son is a Major in the Air Force. Husband Richard is planning to retire in about a year from family practice & we plan to move from East TN to the beach in FL. I have been learning to play the violin & took lessons for 5 years. Starting at age 60! It has been a fun challenge. I was the only adult student — with most of my teachers’ students ages ranging from 3 to 16.

‘69 AILEEN SIAW BUTLER

Students have choices on Sabbath to attend different church options once a month including hiking, church, small group worship, or worship music.

I am RETIRED! Retired from the federal government after 41+ years, retiring from the latest stint with FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency). Now I’m “on call” through their Reservist Program. In the meantime, since I retired March 1st of this year, I have: Spent two months in Seattle helping my youngest Michelle with her oldest boy Idris as she gave birth to their second boy Amias, came back home to Sacramento to “recover” and relax, then volunteering on Wednesdays at my church giving out food to the community and Thursdays feeding the homeless in downtown Sacramento, and then having an occasional RN (retirement nap)! I am feeling antsy

Alumni

NEWS NOTES though and am asking God to provide my next step(s). Am thinking of getting a part-time job helping out in a senior assisted living center/home for some extra pocket change for vacations, etc. We’ll see - but LOVING retirement! See you all at our 50th (in 4 more years - 2019!).

[1970-1979] ‘71 SONDRA TRUMAN HORN Enjoying the transition of moving from California to Durham, NC when my husband took at job at Duke 3 years ago.

I will readily admit it was an adjustment for me after 16 years working at Stanford, but I currently work at the Duke Cancer Institute and like having a slower pace of life to ease into retirement some day!

Our children are grown and out of the nest. Robyn is currently teaching English in South Korea and plans to return to the States in February ‘16 after her contract is done. Our son, Ian, moved to Durham with us and has adjusted to life here. If you ever find yourself in the area, let us know. Durham is an exciting area with lots of nature. The one thing I miss is seeing a horizon and watching the sun set in the ocean. It’s a different experience watching the sun come up over the ocean, but it’s beautiful too! Looking forward to Alumni in April ‘16.

‘71 KEITH AND KATHY PRICE (‘72 Knittle - married Kathy Price 1972 on April 5, 2015.) We will be on campus on April 2nd and looking forward to returning to the place where we first met.

‘74 STEVE AND KAREN (Staff ‘98-2008) Nicola - have recently moved to Cloverdale. We love the little town with its friendly neighbors and slower pace of doing life. Steve continues to work in Healdsburg as a commercial truck and trailer salesman. I am working full time as a grief educator. I am certified for grief coaching. In addition, I present weekend workshops to improve the skills of those who no longer wish to feel awkward around grieving people. Both of us are so glad to live near our daughter, Joanna (class of 2002) and her family.

Two granddaughters keep us young at heart and grateful recipients of hugs and squeezes. Anton (class of 2005) is living in Santa Barbara. He stays busy working for the Santa Barbara Roasting Company and savors any extra time on one of the most beautiful beaches in the state. We have so much to be grateful for. Among the list is the time we spent involved at Rio in one capacity or another. Thanks Rio for blessing us, our family and so many, many others.

completely, it only means that I will be more free in my work scheduling and I will have more time to do the 2 part time jobs that I enjoy close to my home in Lake Arrowhead, a hand therapy OT job and selling real estate.

My husband is the Athletic Director at Rim of the World High School and he is helping build mountain biking trails at Skypark at Santa’s Village-set to open sometime next year. We have no kids but recently acquired a foreign exchange student from Japan. She is as sweet as can be and it’s kind of fun to be a sudden “mom” of a teen. So the adventures never stop as God blesses my life and opens the doors to fun new opportunities. Take care. :)

‘76 DEBBI SMICK MUTHERSBAUGH Over the past 40 years my husband Phil and I have lived in many interesting locations around the country including OR, MI, HI, CA, NY, ID and now WA (love those state abbreviations!). During my career as an educator I have taught all grades K-12, and university. After receiving a PhD from University of Idaho we moved to Walla Walla University in College Place, Washington where I am currently an Associate Professor in the School of Education and Psychology. Rio was formative in my journey to become the person I am today. Thank you RLA! Hoping to see you at our reunion this next spring.

‘78 SHEILA SHARP CRAFT After 26 years of working at Kaiser hospital as an OT, I have RETIRED! I’ve commuted 50 minutes each way for 23 years, rain, fog, snow, rock slides, etc. and I am so happy to avoid that drive!! I’m proud to be at an age that allows retirement, so for a change I think that being 55 is great. I don’t get to stop working

‘78 KATHY (BLOWER) EXUM Just wanting to let you know I completed Grad school this summer.

I graduated from the University of Phoenix with my Masters degree in Nursing. I have worked at Sutter Lakeside Hospital in Lakeport CA for 28 years now.

Alumni

NEWS NOTES ‘78 SALLY CROW MCCARTY Greetings from Walla Walla Washington.

We moved our daughter Stephanie’s sophomore year in high school. She went to Wa-Hi that year now she is a junior at Touched High which is about 30 min. west of Walla Walla on Hwy 12. We live in a small RV park called Pierce’s RV. It is a very simple life along the Walla Walla River and hay fields all around. At night there are a large pack of coyotes that sing every night just on the other side of the river. No danger to us, at least for now maybe this winter will be a different story but remains to be seen. This will be our first full winter in this park. The park is located in a valley/ wind tunnel. When a front comes through our trailer rocks. It can be scary but we are use to it since we have been here since last February. The snow and ice will be a challenge getting over 9-mile hill to school. Well if we can’t oh well!!! God Bless you all.

[1990-1999] ‘92 KEVIN GARBI My family and I currently live in Loomis, Ca. I do tree work and substitute teaching. My wife Iryna is a medical translator for Russian speaking patients.

Our delightful children are Katerina and Michael, 6 and 4 years old.

‘95 ALLEN SCHROEDER I recently married, and have 4 stepkids! My wife’s name is Julie Terue Schroeder. I work in adult protective services in Shasta county. I’m still in school, bought a house, and things are great.

[2000-2009] ‘01 MELINDA FLETCHER Still enjoying my job at Foothill Adventist Elementary; teaching grades 1 and 2 this year!

‘05 ASHLEY (GIGI) WILLIAMS I have finally transferred to Sonoma State University as a junior and am majoring in history...whatever you do, don’t ask me what I am going to do with history!

Rio’s home groups give students a place to call home every Wednesday morning for worships. Once a quarter, all students go to faculty houses to eat, socialize, and worship.

I am not a prophetess, only God knows.

All I know is I find history meaningful, I want to finish my formal education, and I want to serve God ( enjoying anytime I have to serve God at the Redwood Gospel Mission), Oh and I am taking care and living with my grandmother.

‘07 CHRISTOPHER (TOFFER) Since I graduated from Rio in 2007; I have graduated with a bachelor of science in International Rescue and Relief from Union College in 2012. I’ve also gotten married and am currently living in Lincoln, NB with my wife Ellen. I’m working for a construction development company that builds commercial infrastructure and maintain the same. In August of this year, my wife and I were able to purchase our own home which we love and are blessed that God has allowed us to make these decisions in our lives. Thank you and God bless.

[2010-2015] ‘10 SARAH PRYOR HILLS Sarah Hills here (formally known as Sarah Pryor). I have been enjoying living in Guam immensely, but this coming January, we will be moving to South Dakota.

From the tropics of eternally summer to the Midwest in the middle of winter! But we’re looking forward to the new adventure. That’s it from me!!

‘12 EMILY LEWIS LEPORT I am now happily married as of August 5, 2014 to my husband John Leport and we just welcomed our first baby a little girl May 14th, 2015. Her name is Calleigh Mae Leport, pronounced Cali, like California. And I am currently enrolled in The Art Institute of Pittsburgh online Division pursuing an A.S. in Digital Photography.

‘09 FAITH JACOBS I got married on 2/15/2015 :) We had a beautiful wedding at our church. Also, I graduated from nursing school in April with my LVN license, on my way to RN school next. It’s good to hear from you, hope to see all my Rio friends soon, maybe on alumni weekend. God bless my Rio family.

Have an update?

Send us an email to be featured!

BBenson@riolindo.org

Alumni

NEWS NOTES

At Rest Here we remember those who have gone before us. Please keep the loved ones of those mentioned in your prayers.

JOLENE WHEELER HARRINGTON, ‘90.. JUNE 10, 2015 Jolene (Wheeler) Harrington, ’90, passed away on June 9, 2015. Jolene went to Rio and had many close friends in her class. After graduating, Jolene attended Sonoma State University, graduating with a bachelors in Liberal Arts. Jolene lived in St. Helena, with her husband, Timothy Harrington and worked for St. Helena Hospital then a local animal clinic as a veterinary assistant. Jolene is survived by her husband, daughters; Miriam and Tabitha, mother Janice Wheeler, father John Wheeler, sister Kristina Hosmer and sister Anne Hansen. If you would like to contribute a donation in Jolene’s name, you can contact the Elmshaven Seventh-day Adventist Church.

TIMOTHY EVANS, ’66...JANUARY 26, 2015 JOHN WEIZ, ’67...APRIL 18, 2015 SUZANNE SLATER LAMP, ‘69...DECEMBER 26, 2014 ALBERT STOCKTON, ‘72...JUNE 7, 2015 GABE PEREIRA, ‘74...JUNE 9, 2015 DEAN MARSHALL, 74...AUGUST 1, 2015 KEN ROSSINI, ‘82...OCTOBER 7, 2015 AMY HOAG HELM, ’90...OCTOBER 28, 2015 GREG DEMOND, ‘09....APRIL 19, 2015

Rio Lindo Adventist Academy 3200 Rio Lindo Ave Healdsburg, CA 95448 Address Service Requested

Mark your Calendar!

- ALUMNI WEEKEND April 2, 2016.

NON-PROFIT ORG U.S. POSTAGE PAID SAN DIEGO, CA PERMIT #2012

For information on lodging, schedules, class organizers and news, visit our website or find us on Facebook.

WWW.RIOLINDO.ORG