October 22, 2015

LO C A L

N EWS

October 22-28, 2015 YO U

C A N

INSIDE: Crib to College An Educational Guide to Your Child’s Success

U S E

SPECIAL SECTION VOLUME 10, ISSUE 43

Saddleback College Nears 50 San Clemente’s nearest community college has evolved over time, continues forward momentum EYE ON SC/PAGE 6

One of the most recent of ongoing improvements at Saddleback College is a new sciences building, now under construction.

Photo: Andrea Swayne

Pacific Paddle Games Wrap Up at Doheny State Beach SC SURF/PAGE 37

City Discusses Issues of Tiered Water Rate Penalties EYE ON SC/PAGE 3

www.sanclementetimes.com

Volunteers Requested for Upcoming Marine Events DP LIVING/PAGE 34

YOUR NO. 1 SOURCE FOR LOCAL NEWS, EVENTS, SPORTS AND MORE

SC EYE ON SC San Clemente

LOCAL NEWS & IN-DEPTH REPORTING CUSD to Keep Current 2016-2017 Calendar

What’s Up With...

Five things San Clemente should know this week City Defends Water Rate Structure, Penalties THE LATEST: During a presentation at Tuesday night’s City Council meeting, Sanjay Gaur, vice president of Raftelis Financial Consultants, Inc. provided information regarding the city’s water rate structure—saying the notions of the legality of the rates are justifiable.

Since the city’s new rate structure increase went into effect Aug. 1, many residents have compared the rates to the ones found to be not justifiable in court in San Juan Capistrano, where people who used more water than their allocation were penalized arbitrarily. A District Court of Appeal judge ruled San Juan’s rates were too high to cover the necessarily reasonable costs of rates and therefore the excess collections had to be refunded to the ratepayers.

Under Proposition 218, tiered water rates are not illegal for cities to implement so long as they justify an expense related to the higher rates.

In his presentation, Gaur explained the city’s water revenues across the board pay for water supply, meter maintenance, customer service and fire suppression.

The city also calculates for “hottest days,” or peaking demand, which are expected to draw more water from customers.

Brad Malamud spoke during the oral communication part of the meeting and said despite the justification efforts, this still did not explain the equations for the city’s rates and penalties.

City Attorney Scott Smith commented on the matter after council requested his opinion.

He said Proposition 218 does not make the tiered rates illegal by the way in which the city has collected the funds.

Since August, the city has collected around $750,000 from penalties for over usage.

WHAT’S NEXT: City Council members said no general fund expenses will be used from the funds collected from the uppertiered rates.

City Manager James Makshanoff said the city plans to revisit the current rates after the first of the year.

“The drought study is in the budget, but there will be a request for additional funds to see what the rates have done and to do the new rate study,” Makshanoff said durSan Clemente Times October 22-28, 2015

Sanjay Gaur of Raftelis Financial Consultants, Inc. gives a presentation about the city’s current water rates during Tuesday night’s City Council meeting. Photo: Eric Heinz

ing the meeting.

To wit, no lawsuits have been filed against the city’s structured rates.

questioned whether it should be on the taxpayers to pay for them or the abutting property owners’ responsibility.

FIND OUT MORE: To view the current tiered rates the city imposes, visit www. san-clemente.org under water and sewer rates.—Eric Heinz

WHAT’S NEXT: Councilmembers voted to send the details of the sidewalk repair program for study to the Planning Commission at a later date. Because the meeting swayed from the details of the contract execution to infrastructure payment responsibility, councilmembers wanted more time to look over the proposal.

Sidewalk Issue to be Discussed at Planning Commission THE LATEST: The debate between cost effectiveness and preservation of historic sidewalks continued at Tuesday night’s City Council meeting.

During more than an hour of debate, Councilmembers Bob Baker, Lori Donchak and Kathy Ward discussed the feasibility of sidewalk mandates and whether it should be the onus of the property owner to have to pay for specific sidewalk infrastructure.

The issue derived from the proposal of a contract award for sidewalk repair within certain portions of the city.

Mayor Chris Hamm and Councilman Tim Brown recused themselves and Bob Baker was left to discuss portions of the issue after he was requalified in a random selection—all the men on council live within 500 feet of the proposed project but were allowed to discuss city code regarding the sidewalk program.

Baker said he does not want to require taxpayers to foot the bill for historic tiles because they cost an estimated $30 per square foot, whereas regular white concrete or the “San Clemente red” cost about $10 per square foot.

Ward said she would like to see the preservation of the historic tiles but

FIND OUT MORE: To see which areas are affected by the proposed sidewalk repair proposal, visit www.san-clemente. org under the Government tab and find the City Council agenda under 10-20-15.

The documents are located under the New Business items. —EH

Committee Looks at Enforcing Fees for Commercial Use on Public Land THE LATEST: At a recent Beaches, Parks and Recreation Committee meeting, members discussed the possibility of enforcing policy of permitting public facilities used for commercial purposes. Anyone who charges for a class or instruction or some kind of event on public spaces would have to get a permit or special agreement with the city, which, according to city documents, could increase revenue for the city’s public spaces.

WHATS NEXT: No action was taken on the matter to send the recommendation to council, but it is likely to be discussed at a future committee meeting. The next BP&R Committee meeting is set for 6 p.m. on Nov. 11.

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THE LATEST: To the chagrin of some parents, the Capistrano Unified School District Board of Trustees voted 6-1 on Oct. 14 night to keep the current academic calendar for the 2016-2017 school year with an Aug. 15 start date.

The board discussed three options for 2016-2017—keep the current calendar with an Aug. 15 start date, amend the calendar to mirror this year’s schedule with an Aug. 22 start date and the first semester ending in January, or start the year on Aug. 22 with the first semester ending in December.

Members of the public spoke for more than an hour about the options, with the majority of students and teachers in favor of keeping the calendar as is. A group of students at the meeting said they already start sports and extracurricular activities in mid-August, and the early end date in June aligns well with Saddleback College courses. According to CUSD, about 60 percent of the district’s college-going students attend Saddleback.

The parents who spoke opposing the Aug. 15 start date cited higher temperatures, lack of air conditioning and doubt that the schedule would actually help high school students.

WHAT’S NEXT: While some trustees viewed air conditioning as a separate issue, Superintendent Kirsten Vital noted that the lack of air conditioning in some schools is currently being examined by staff.—Allison Jarrell

School District Unveils Multiyear Technology Plan THE LATEST: School district staff presented a three-year technology plan Oct. 14 at the Capistrano Unified School District’s board meeting.

While the technology guideline for school years 2015-2018 is in constant flux due to changing technologies, staff said the district is currently focused on advancing digital literacy and tools such as Chromebooks, implementing online and blended learning, driving instruction with data and incorporating multimedia and online collaboration between students and teachers.

Staff noted specific examples of pursuing more technology-enhanced curriculum, such as incorporating Microsoft IT Academy—a pilot program that would allow students to earn their Microsoft certification—as well as learning the elements and ideas behind coding beginning in kindergarten.

WHAT’S NEXT: The presentation was an information item only, so no board action was taken.—AJ www.sanclementetimes.com

EYE ON SC

NEWS BITES COMPILED BY ERIC HEINZ

Local Woman Awarded With Grant for Personal Growth and Rejuvenation Lisa Wolter, executive director of Susan G. Komen, Orange County, is a 2015 grant recipient of The Fieldstone Foundation’s Clare Rose Sabbatical Program.

A San Clemente resident, Wolter began her tenure with Komen Orange County in 2005 and has established herself as a recognized philanthropic leader in Orange County by successfully directing the Affiliate through periods of growth, economic uncertainty and an occasional controversy.

This grant, which awards deserving nonprofit leaders in Orange and San Diego counties with opportunities to rest, travel and take personal time for family, growth and renewal, is designed to strengthen the longevity of high-performing leaders and the health of their nonprofits.

Wolter was one of four Southern California nonprofit executive directors, and the only one from Orange County, selected for this prestigious recognition, based on two primary factors: the benefit of the sabbatical to both the organization and executive; the demonstrated ability of the organization to sustain itself during the executive’s absence.

Her significant milestones and accomplishments include: bringing the Susan G. Komen Tissue Bank at the IU Cancer Center to Orange County to encourage 200 diverse women to further breast cancer research; founding the Pink Tie Guys program to engage prominent Orange County businessmen as breast health advocates; creating Unidos Contra el Cancer de Seno, a collaboration of organizations and stakeholders working with Komen Orange County to improve the breast health among the county’s Latino population; and establishing the Komen African American Breast Health Partnership, which works to reduce the disproportionately high death rate due to breast cancer in African Americans.

Under her leadership, Komen Orange County was named the 2014-15 Komen Affiliate of the Year. This recognition is the highest honor given to one outstanding affiliate within a network of 120 worldwide.

During Wolter’s sabbatical, Stacy Davis, director of events and fundraising, will serve as interim executive director of Komen Orange County.

Red Ribbon Week: “Rappin & Clappin” and Combating Drug Abuse The “Rappin’ & Clappin’” workshop meets every Friday in October from 4 p.m.-5 p.m. at the Boys & Girls Club in San Clemente to prepare a brand-new San Clemente Times October 22-28, 2015

Students march in the Red Ribbon Week parade last year down Avenida Del Mar. This year’s parade will take place at 4 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 26 at the top of Del Mar. Photo: File

performing youth troop for the City of San Clemente’s Red Ribbon Week Celebration.

Parents are invited, too.

On Monday Oct. 26, 4 p.m., the “For Kids’ Sake” Youth Troop will march in a parade to kick off The Celebration of Red Ribbon Week in San Clemente on Ave Del Mar. At 6 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 6, their final performance occurs at the Boys & Girls Club, 1304 Calle Valle in San Clemente.

The community at large is invited.

This Workshop is a four-phase, multicultural outreach program, dedicated to the survival of today’s youth. Young people are not just told to “say no” but are given experiential knowledge to carry with them at the completion of the workshop.

The workshop includes leadership skills, role playing, alcohol and drug education and musical performance.

The workshop goals are to increase the understanding of respect, cooperation, participation and to increase communication skills by learning about the dangers of drugs and to learn stage performance skills and to send a positive musical message by Rappin & Clappin the “For Kids’ Sake” song.

Keith Stafford, who is directing the program, has been a professional entertainer for 50 years and created the “For Kids’ Sake” song and educational workshop to inspire youth across the country in their decisions to make healthy lifestyle choices.

“My own life was distracted with substance abuse during my teen years through adulthood, and now I’ve been clean and sober for 28 years,” Stafford said.

Additionally, the Red Ribbon Campaign is disseminating information regarding drug abuse among middle school students and high school students. The campaign aims to decrease the incidents among young people.

According to an email from the campaign, organizers continue to look at the issues of alcoholism among teenagers as well as tackling issues such as the increas-

ing legalization of marijuana and the growing popularity of electronic cigarettes, or e-cigs. More information can be found at www.redribbon.org.

San Clemente Local Jacob Yackley Makes the Deans’ List at Azusa Pacific University San Clemente resident and Azusa Pacific University student Jacob Yackley made the academic Deans’ List at APU. Yackley is honored for a spring semester 2015 academic standing of 3.5 or better grade-point average. Yackley is joined by 1,880 other students receiving the same honor, a press release from the school stated.

Azusa Pacific University is an evangelical Christian university with 71 bachelor’s degrees, 47 master’s degrees 18 certificates, 14 credentials, 8 doctoral programs, and 3 associate’s degrees, the university offers more than 10,700 students a quality education on campus, online, and at six regional centers throughout Southern California.

Charter School Effort Withdrawn by Local Organization A group of parents and local supporters, mostly from the Talega area, has decided to withdraw its application for a charter school. The organization met in July to explore the possibilities during a meeting at the Talega Swim and Athletic Club.

“We are informing you that we, the lead petitioners and founding families for the proposed Orange County Classics Academy, C.S. Lewis charter school, have withdrawn our support from the charter petition,” a letter from the organization stated.

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“We have notified both OCCA (the charter management organization we were working with) and the CUSD Board of Trustees and Superintendent of our decision to revoke our support for the OCCA charter petition due to missed deadlines and delays in finalizing the charter document.”

The letter said the group was appreciative of the signatures for the petition, which gathered more than 500 when 250 were required.

“This goes to show the demand that exists for school choice,” the letter stated.

“We will keep you posted on our volunteer efforts as we are committed to continuing to volunteer our time to support school choice opportunities for the parents and students in our area.”

The letter was signed by Amy Carter, Amanda Earnest, Andrea Ewell, Candice Hall, Debbie Flowers, Janet Schluntz, Jevin Ferguson, Laura Ferguson, Leigh Apodaca, Ryan Hall, Stacy Reynolds and Susie Hattan.

U.S. Congressman Jason Chaffetz Visits Area Republican Organization U.S. Congressman Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, was in San Clemente on Oct. 11 for a scholarship fundraising dinner event with the San Clemente Area Republican Women Federated.

“It was almost like home for him, since his father was a long-time resident of the area,” a press release from the group stated. “Congressman Chaffetz is Chairman of the House Oversight & Government Reform Committee. He gave a very engaging talk on various subjects and answered questions from the crowd.”

Have something interesting for the community? Send your information to editorial@sanclementetimes.com. www.sanclementetimes.com

EYE ON SC

Saddleback College students pass by the fenced-off construction zone for the new science building on their way to and from classes. Photo: Andrea Swayne

Saddleback College: Higher Education Facility Looks Forward After nearly five decades of change San Clemente’s nearest college continues forward momentum

BY ERIC HEINZ, ALLISON JARRELL AND ANDREA SWAYNE, SAN CLEMENTE TIMES

A

s Saddleback College approaches its 50th anniversary in 2018, the school is looking toward the future with a number of projects in academia and facilities.

In its nearly five decades of service to the community, Saddleback has been a staple for local students, both traditional and non-traditional, and has continually strived to meet the needs of the changes in local population and culture.

Well-known in the tri-city area, as well as across south Orange County, as the local college, Saddleback draws a large number of area high school graduates from San Clemente, Dana Hills and San Juan Hills high schools—many before they’ve finished their senior year.

As the college finishes out its fifth decade of service, we are taking a look at current challenges and new developments on the horizon.

ACADEMICS Kathy Werle, Ph.D, Saddleback College vice president for instruction, said although the college has no plans in the immediate future to offer four-year programs, it is possible specialized curricula could develop.

In January, 15 community colleges were selected to offer pilot four-year programs, but Saddleback was not among that group, as California community college officials deemed the school was better suited as a two-year college.

“The (California Community College)

San Clemente Times October 22-28, 2015

Chancellor’s Office was really looking at offering high-unit programs that exceed the number we can allow students to transfer with and competed with programs four-year California universities offer,” Werle said. “Our project was … seen as too close to what the four-year universities were doing.”

The community colleges selected to receive four-year programs were given bachelor’s degree offerings in dental hygiene and mortuary science—programs that Saddleback wanted but did not get. Had Saddleback been given these four-year programs, Werle said, it would have put them in direct competition with current four-year schools the community college currently sends its two-year transfer students to.

Although not selected for four-year programs, at least this time around, Saddleback’s overall mission as an institution has continually changed over time in many other ways, Werle added.

“Historically, Saddleback had a heavy concentration of career technical education programs,” she said. “I think people in the community see us more as a transfer institution now. And Capistrano Unified School District, as well as Saddleback Valley (district), are working to strengthen adult education and we got funding to increase the number of classes are offered.”

From adult education programs for non-traditional students furthering their education, to concurrent and dual enrollment for students wishing to take college courses before they graduate high school, Saddleback officials work to keep pace

with community needs and demands.

Werle said some of the classes offered are especially beneficial because high school Advanced Placement class credit can be fickle—some universities require a top score on the test in order to receive credit, and if that doesn’t happen, the class doesn’t fulfill its intended purpose.

Advancement Via Individual Determination is also offered at Saddleback, which helps students acclimate to the college environment. Werle said Saddleback is the only community college that offers AVID—a national high school program— in California.

A big part of the college’s role is to ensure credit transfers are guaranteed in order to facilitate students to larger universities to complete their bachelor’s degrees and beyond, Werle said.

The number of students transferring to specific colleges changes every year, Saddleback public information officer Jennie McCue said, but UC Berkley, UC San Diego and San Diego State are historically among the top universities.

“We have a number of programs specifically aligned with the university programs,” Werle said.

The Freshman Advantage program offered by the college engages new students with help in planning their academic schedule throughout their studies. Next fall, Werle said, the college will work on a cohort-based schedule that would give students more time to take general education courses while they decide on a major.

The college is also looking to implement a June 20 start date for summer classes, after the high schools are out for the year.

And early registration will now take place March 15.

Saddleback currently enrolls about 25,000 students.

HIGH SCHOOL PERSPECTIVES Local high school officials have taken note of the statewide push for community colleges to offer more four-year degrees, and they’re eagerly waiting for those opportunities to come to South Orange County. Of the 60 percent of CUSD’s college-bound seniors who attend Saddleback College, a significant number of students come from Dana Point, San Clemente and San Juan Capistrano.

Maureen Scherf, head academic advisor at San Juan Hills High School, said that although Saddleback College is not yet part of the statewide pilot program, she’s looking forward to future opportunities at the school for students to get their bachelor’s degree in career technical education fields.

Scherf said the technical training that community colleges are beginning to offer students is invaluable in today’s job market and makes students much more employable. She added that this is particularly true in Orange County, which she said is “saturated” in bachelor’s degrees.

“The most important thing is just focusing on career technical education—industry sectors that traditionally in the past 10

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years haven’t hired a lot of kids because they aren’t trained” Scherf said. “Community colleges are looking to train those kids.”

Brad Baker, assistant principal of guidance at San Clemente High School, said he’s also pleased with the potential for local high-level, affordable courses.

“The bottom line is that it’s important to bridge high school and junior college relationships, providing multiple pathways for students to choose from wherever they see themselves in the future,” Baker said.

“Supporting that choice … that’s our job.”

FACILITIES IMPROVEMENTS The college is currently constructing a new sciences building, an 81,381-squarefoot building with 26 science laboratories, four classrooms and staff offices, according to the annual state of the college report given by Saddleback President Tod Burnett, Ph.D, in August.

The building, expected to be complete in fall 2016, is the most visual sign of progress on campus currently—one that will not only be an improvement for the school’s science programs, but is also leading to a need for the addition of other new facilities.

Tony Lipold, athletic director and dean of kinesiology and athletics, said the new science building has created a parking issue, which in turn will result in the 2018 addition of a new stadium and practice fields.

“In order to provide more parking closer to the new science building, our east practice fields for football and soccer— that now surround the baseball field—will have to be relocated,” Lipold said. “A new stadium has been on the radar, since the school opened. The current stadium has always been regarded as temporary, the only permanent features in it being the lights and the home bleachers. It has worked but it hasn’t been ideal.”

With funding finally in place, a new 8,000-seat, state-of-the-art facility is slated for construction in 2018 at the site of the current stadium, he said. The project will also include nine track lanes and a field also suited for soccer, football, lacrosse and concert events inside, and outside, new fields for soccer, football and area for track and field throwing events.

“The new stadium is long overdue,” Lipold said. “Probably the thing its construction will have the most impact on is the fact that it’s going to be a stadium for use by all south county high school teams that have historically had to play CIF championship games at places like Orange Coast College and Cal State Fullerton, the closest suitable stadium being about 30 miles away.”

Lipold also said he sees the new stadium as creating a new gateway to Saddleback, both physically—due to its location as people enter campus off of Avery Parkway—and with regard to recruiting, by hosting both high profile high school and college events. SC www.sanclementetimes.com

EYE ON SC

Community SC Sheriff’s Blotter Meetings

Sunday, October 18 SUSPICIOUS PERSON/CIRCUMSTANCES Buena Vista, 1500 Block (9:48 a.m.) A caller reported someone was throwing objects at a glass patio from the beach area.

COMPILED BY ERIC HEINZ

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23

Dark Friday—City Offices Closed

All information below is obtained from the Orange County Sheriff’s Department website. The calls represent what was told to the deputy in the field by the radio dispatcher. The true nature of an incident often differs from what is initially reported. No assumption of criminal guilt or affiliation should be drawn from the content of the information provided. An arrest doesn’t represent guilt. The items below are just a sampling of the entries listed on the OCSD website.

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 25

San Clemente Farmers Market

9 a.m.-1 p.m. Bundles of flowers, fresh produce and much more every Sunday.

Avenida Del Mar. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 27

Sunrise Rotary

7:15 a.m. San Clemente Sunrise Rotary meets every Tuesday at Talega Golf Course Signature Grille. 990 Avenida Talega, www.scsunriserotary.com.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28

Introduction to Windows 10

1 p.m.-4 p.m. at the Dorothy Visser Senior Center, 100 Avenida Victoria, www.friendsofsanclemente.org

San Clemente Rotary

Noon. The San Clemente Rotary Club meets every Wednesday at the Wedgewood Restaurant at the San Clemente Municipal Golf Course. 150 E. Avenida Magdalena. 949.233.7981. www.sanclementerotary.org.

San Clemente Kiwanis

Noon. The San Clemente Kiwanis meet most Wednesdays for lunch at Tommy’s Restaurant. 1409 S. El Camino Real, 949.366.5423, www. sanclementekiwanis.com.

Legislative & Transportation Council

Noon-1 p.m. The meeting provides guidance and counsel, and makes recommendations on city, county, state and federal legislation, keeping members informed on legislative issues. Saddleback Memorial Medical Center, 654 Camino De Los Mares, 949.492.1131, www.scchamber.com.

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3

City Council Meeting

6 p.m. City Hall, Council Chamber, 100 Avenida Presidio, San Clemente, 949.361.8200, www.san-clemente.org.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4

Planning Commission Meeting

7 p.m. City Hall, Council Chamber, 100 Avenida Presidio, San Clemente, 949.361.8200, www.san-clemente.org.

San Clemente Times October 22-28, 2015

PROPERTY FOR DESTRUCTION Avenida Del mar, 600 Block (1:24 p.m.) A person turned in a magazine clip for a gun they found on the beach.

Tuesday, October 20 SUSPICIOUS PERSON/CICRUMSTANCES Avenida Cristal, 0 Block (3:33 a.m.) A man called and was concerned about his sister because he said someone was continuously threatening her.

PETTY THEFT REPORT Calle Mayo, 4000 Block (12:23 p.m) A 21-year-old man was arrested for stealing a palm tree from someone’s yard. As of Monday the man was in custody on a $15,000 bond and was scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday.

DISTURBANCE Camino De Los Mares, 600 Block (2:01 a.m.) A man was seen running around and screaming at himself.

SUSPICIOUS PERSON/CIRCUMSTANCES Avenida Victoria, 600 Block (12:16 a.m.)

A person was found with a methamphetamine pipe and a small glass jar containing methamphetamine.

SUSPICIOUS PERSON/CIRCUMSTANCES N La Esperanza/Avenida De La Paz (12:06 a.m.) A man appeared to be either biting or kissing a woman.

DISTURBANCE Calle Frontera/Avenida Vista Hermosa (1:17 p.m.) A 48-year-old woman was arrested after standing in the middle of traffic and throwing rocks at cars. On Monday the woman was in custody on a $30,000 bond and was scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday.

SUSPICIOUS PERSON El Camino Real, 2900 Block (6:57 a.m.) A caller reported man in his 40s or 50s was driving a white Jeep and “going through everyone’s trash.”

Monday, October 19 ASSIST OUTSIDE AGENCY Calle Bienvenido, 4000 Block (1:32 p.m.) A 40-year-old woman was having “paranoid delusions” and acting irrationally, as she was going through drug detoxification. She was acting “aggressive” toward other patients, so Orange County Sheriffs arrived to assist in the matter.

SUSPICIOUS PERSON/CIRCUMSTANCES Buena Vista, 1100 Block (11:26 p.m.) A bottomfloor apartment had a bright light on over the patio and a screen door was found on the ground.

CITIZEN ASSIST Calle Del Cerro, 1000 Block (9:34 a.m.) A man called and asked for a deputy to come talk to his 5-year-old son about making “bad life choices.”

DISTURBANCE-MECHANICAL Via Sabinas/Via Sedona (7:38 a.m.) An “irate” man called about his neighbor’s gardeners starting work too early, which he said was a violation of city code. The man wanted deputies to look at pictures he took of the incident.

VANDALISM REPORT Camino Mira Costa/ Calle Guaymas (6:48 a.m.) Three locations were tagged the previous night at the Mira Costa Park on an electrical box and two other locations at the Mira Costa Plaza.

ASSIST OUTSIDE AGENCY Avenida Del Presidente, 3300 Block (4:02 p.m.) Orange County Fire Authority officials said a psychiatric nurse from a hospital reported a 45-year-old man took 20 narcotics and other pills.

CITIZEN ASSIST El Camino Real, 200 Block (3:01 a.m.) Police were called to the Red Fox Lounge to assist a drunken woman who locked herself in the bathroom.

Saturday, October 17 SUSPICIOUS PERSON/CIRCUMSTANCES Vista De Olmo, 5200 Block (11:11 p.m.) A woman called the sheriff’s department because she heard the dog door at the rear of her house rattle. The woman said she was holding a knife just in case anyone tried to break in. Deputies checked the residence for intruders but found no one.

DISTURBANCE Avenida Victoria, 600 Block (7:48 p.m.) A 22-year-old man was arrested after trying to hit people with his skateboard at the San Clemente Pier. The person who reported the incident said he may have been under the influence of drugs. On Monday the man was in custody on a $50,000 bail and was expected to appear in court on Tuesday.

SUSPICIOUS PERSON/CIRCUMSTANCES Camino Capistrano/ Del Gado Road (3:56 p.m.) A woman reported a man carrying a bow and arrow in a bag and walking behind a church. She said it was a “little odd” and that he “seems mental.”

DISTURBANCE Via Suerte, 800 Block (2:02 p.m.) A man was reportedly yelling about

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the military and at customers.

PATROL CHECK Avenida Victoria, 600 Block (1:41 p.m.) A caller requested police after getting into an argument with a motorist regarding a parking space. The caller said the person told caller “I can key your car” and drove off. The caller was afraid the person would fulfill the threat.

DISTURBANCE Avenida Pico, 700 Block (1:54 p.m.) Police were called to reports of people who were playing sports got into a physical altercation and spectators from both sides were arguing.

SUSPICIOUS PERSON/CIRCUMSTANCES Avenida La Pata, 100 Block (11:35 a.m.)

A caller said they witnessed a man put “something under (the) bushes” on the side of a hill and left in a blue PT Cruiser.

The caller said they checked to see what it was and discovered a bag full of knives.

TRESPASSING Via Alegre, 200 Block (7:25 p.m.) A man called regarding his exgirlfriend trespassing on his property and making obscene phone calls.

BURGLARY IN PROGRESS Avenida Victoria, 200 Block (3:02 a.m.) A caller said someone tried to break into their living room because the back screen door is ripped and there is a man in the backyard.

ASSIST OUTSIDE AGENCY Calle Macho, 400 Block (2:36 a.m.) Orange County Fire Authority officials and sheriffs were called to a perceived sober living facility for a woman who was hallucinating on drugs.

DISTURBANCE Calle Del Cerro, 1100 Block (2:29 a.m.)

A caller said his roommate was drunken and violent, throwing things around the residence. The caller said they were concerned their neighbors were going to complain and said the roommate may be on prescription medication.

Friday, October 16 DISTURBANCE Camino De Estrella, 400 Block (9:37 p.m.) Police were called to a store where juveniles were reportedly playing with construction equipment.

Thursday, October 15 DISTURBANCE Camino De Los Mares, 600 Block (7:01 p.m.) A group of teenagers were reportedly screaming and throwing bottles.

ILLEGAL PEDDLING Camino De Los Mares, 600 Block (3:08 p.m.) A caller said a man was “sneaking up behind people” and asking for money.

VANDALISM IN PROGRESS El Camino Real, 900 Block (3:16 a.m.) A man was reportedly breaking lamps in a parking lot and kicking cars. www.sanclementetimes.com

SC SOAPBOX San Clemente

VIEWS, OPINIONS AND INSIGHTS

Letters to the Editor

Southern California.”

Beware of the hysteria peddlers of the anti-nuke community whose dedication to their cause far outweighs any adherence to common sense or honesty.

RESPONSE TO ROGER JOHNSON’S SONGS DISINFORMATION

WATER SAVING TIPS FOR THE HOME

DAVID DAVISON, San Clemente

Save a half-gallon per flush of the toilet by placing a filled half-gallon jug in the water closet. Bricks will also work or anything to displace the water. That’s a lot of water per day per person.

Don’t run the water while brushing your teeth. Turn it on and off for rinsing.

While shaving, revert to the old way of placing some hot water in the plugged basin for rinsing the razor, rather than running the water thru the whole shave.

Do you really need to rinse those soda cans before putting them in recycle?

And with the newer dishwashers, do we really need to rinse plates?

If you like, warm the shower up and stop turning it on and walking away. Testing with your hand. Be ready to step in when it does warm up.

Additionally, if you’re really serious, put a bucket in the shower and save the lukewarm water for your plants.

C’mon, we’re in a drought here, you know?!

This is a response to Roger Johnson’s latest disinformation letter in his crusade against nuclear power. As in his previous hysteria pieces, Roger makes a number of false or misleading statements. He claims radiation effects are cumulative, but the Nuclear Regulation Commission says, “For low levels of exposure, the biological effects are so small they may not be detected. The body is able to repair damage from radiation, chemicals and other hazards.” This makes sense because the body repairs itself from other damaging influences and because radiation is all around us, in the rocks, the soil, from cosmic sources, even in the food we eat.

The cancer study Roger disparages (it was not discredited) concluded there was no effect on the incidents of cancer for those living near Nuclear Power Plants, hence his opposition. He is wrong when he claims the nuclear industry blocked the cancer research; that was a decision made by the NRC itself that determined it was a waste of time and resources.

He is also wrong when he claims the NRC only states what permissible doses are and not what are safe limits. There are limits because that is what’s safe.

Roger’s discussion of SONGS’ radioactive effluents is either purposely misleading or he is mistaken. For example, he informs the public that in one 28-hour radioactive discharge, 1.03 billion gallons were released to the ocean. He arrives at this number by the astonishingly naïve and inaccurate method of multiplying the dilution water, which is non-radioactive (it’s sea water) by the duration of the release.

In other words, he simply calculated the amount of non-radioactive water used to dilute the radioactive water, not the amount of radioactive water released. In addition, these releases are not secret. Indeed, simply go to the NRC website where Roger got the figures he misused, type in effluents, the year and what nuclear plant you wish to view. It is all open to the public.

What Roger failed to reveal is found on page 65 of the above report. Here we find the highest dose a member of the public could receive, not just from liquid discharges, but the total of liquid and gas. At .965 mRem, it is more than 30 times less than what the NRC says a citizen receives from just the food they eat. Compare that to the 700 mRem received in a chest x-ray, or 1000 mRem for the full body, yet Roger claims the plant “represents a major threat not only to San Clemente but to all of San Clemente Times October 22-28, 2015

Join the San Clemente Times for Beachside Chat, Friday, Oct. 23 at 8 a.m. at Café Calypso.

Susan Jennrich, general manager of the Outlets at San Clemente, will be this week’s guest. She will speak about the upcoming grand opening and some of the other aspects of the shopping complex.

Beachside Chat is a spirited, town hall forum on community issues, hosted by SC Times editor Eric Heinz every Friday at Café Calypso, 114 Avenida Del Mar. All are welcome.

BOB DOUGHERTY, San Clemente

NUCLEAR WASTE AT SAN ONOFRE TO BE STORED IN CONTAINERS KNOWN TO CRACK GARY HEADRICK, San Clemente

Critical decisions are being made about nuclear waste at San Onofre that put us all at great risk for decades if not centuries.

Most concerning is Edison’s choice of containers which are known to have cracking issues within 17 years of exposure to the marine environment. To put things into proper perspective, just one of the existing 50 dry casks (with 80 more on the way), holds more radiation than was released in the Chernobyl accident which still continues to haunt that part of the world today. Naturally, we all want this deadly waste moved ASAP and dry storage is the first step.

Everyone also seems to agree that leaving it in pools is more dangerous than in dry casks, yet for years Edison has been overcrowding fuel rods under water in “spent fuel pools” avoiding the expense of putting them into dry storage.

That makes the pools hotter and displaces more of the water that keeps them cool.

If there was human error, mechanical failures or natural disasters that stopped the circulation of water, the pools could boil the water away in a matter of hours and burst into highly radioactive flames that could not be extinguished. Now all Edison wants to talk about is getting it out of wet storage into dry storage as quickly

as possible, because of the risk. Edison’s current waste management plan includes a monolithic concrete slab buried into sandstone bluffs just one hundred feet from the shore and only inches above the water table. They intend to remove pools that would be needed for handling damaged casks and will reduce staff to a skeleton crew. It is as if they intend to leave it buried here for someone else to deal with when these casks eventually start leaking.

This plan seems ludicrous, but recently got approved by the California Coastal Commission, mostly because they have no jurisdiction over matters of radiation.

The CEO of the Holtec system, which Edison has now selected, admits that these can eventually crack and are not repairable. Their solution is to place damaged containers into larger containers which will complicate transportation and only buys us a little more time to figure out what to do with them in the long run.

I can’t imagine why Holtec has been selected, when much better alternatives are available. It seems they even have cracks in their reputation. In 2007, Tennessee Valley Authority nuclear power plant operators plead guilty to accepting what amounts to a bribe from Holtec, for which they were disbarred and fined $2 million (as an “administrative” fee) by the TVA. The public needs to demand better long term solutions with technology that already exists. Please help us raise awareness by sharing this information with others. We simply can’t leave things where they stand. We’ll keep you posted with updates and actions to take if you send an email to gary@sanclementegreen.org. Be sure to look up SanOnofreSafety.org for carefully researched and well documented support for all of our claims and concerns.

It is important to be well informed when so much is at stake.

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!

34932 Calle del Sol, Suite B, Capistrano Beach, CA 92624 phone 949.388.7700 fax 949.388.9977 www.sanclementetimes.com

HOW TO REACH US CITY EDITOR Eric Heinz, 949.388.7700, x109 eheinz@sanclementetimes.com ADVERTISING PRINT AND ONLINE

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Tricia Zines, 949.388.7700, x107 tzines@sanclementetimes.com BUSINESS MANAGER Alyssa Garrett, 949.388.7700, x100 agarrett@sanclementetimes.com

PICKET FENCE MEDIA PUBLISHER Norb Garrett

> Susie Lantz (San Clemente)

EDITORIAL

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OPERATIONS

City Editor, The Capistrano Dispatch > Allison Jarrell Sports Editor > Steve Breazeale Special Projects Editor > Andrea Papagianis ART/DESIGN

Finance Director > Mike Reed Business Operations Manager > Alyssa Garrett Accounting & Distribution Manager > Tricia Zines SPECIAL THANKS Robert Miller Jonathan Volzke

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CONTRIBUTORS Megan Bianco Tim Trent

Associate Publisher > Lauralyn Loynes

San Clemente Times, Vol. 10, Issue 43. The SC Times (www. sanclementetimes.com ) is published weekly by Picket Fence Media, publishers of the DP Times (www.danapointtimes. com) and The Capistrano Dispatch (www.thecapistranodispatch.com). Copyright: No articles, illustrations, photographs or other editorial matter or advertisements herein may be reproduced without written permission of the publisher. The publisher assumes no responsibility for return of unsolicited manuscripts, art, photos or negatives. Copyright 2015. All rights reserved. Printed in the USA.

FOLLOW THE SAN CLEMENTE TIMES

To submit a letter to the editor for possible inclusion in the paper, e-mail us at letters@sanclementetimes.com.

San Clemente Times reserves the right to edit readersubmitted letters for length and is not responsible for the claims made or the information written by the writers.

Please limit your letters to 350 words.

Page 10

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SOAPBOX GUEST OPINION: Historical Happenings by Raad Ghantous and Georgette Korsen, San Clemente

The Importance of Legacy: Max Berg and Ole Hanson’s Vision

L

ast Sunday, Oct. 18, I found myself at Max Berg Plaza Park remembering and celebrating the life of the man whose name, the first planned park in San Clemente today is known by. Surrounded by a literal who’s who of our beloved Spanish Village, the Berg family shared their revered patriarch generously and so genuinely with us all. As has been the case for most of Max’s life of service, first in the military, then as a civil servant in San Clemente and later in life helping protect our national forests, the Berg family exemplified through their kind spirit and words the importance of legacy. This was particularly a timely reminder for me as I stood there recalling how I had first met Max a few years ago when he, accompanied by his son Barry, had appeared at a city-organized public meeting/workshop across the street at Las Palmas Elementary School.

“

History as a whole is the benchmark by which we measure our progress as a people and make a course correction if necessary. It’s a crystal ball in which we can see the future by studying the past; It shows us the values and concerns that shaped our social and political environment.

”

The reason for the meeting was to discuss the then-city-planned improvements to the park. Max was there, determined to add his seasoned voice to the discussion to ensure that no historical significance was endangered or lost as a byproduct of the ‘improvements.’ Specifically, he was adamant that the then-buried original sidewalks that once ringed this place, the ones that Ole Hanson himself put in, should be restored to allow future generations to literally walk in the footsteps of the past.

All too often, each generation gets caught up in its own moment; and the then-City Council and Beaches, Parks & Recreation Department were no exception. I have noticed over my time on the Historical Society board, this seems to lead to temporary “blindness,” to a kind of historical amnesia that then leads us to think only of our immediate, transient needs and wants. Forgetting, abandoning quickly, and in some case even purposeSan Clemente Times October 22-28, 2015

fully demolishing and discarding as if it is trash, our local history and heritage. Yet local history provides a wealth of material that helps the young to understand how they are part of something much larger than themselves. Local history isn’t all sentimentalism and nostalgia, by any means. History as a whole is the benchmark by which we measure our progress as a people and make a course correction if necessary. It’s a crystal ball in which we can see the future by studying the past; it shows us the values and concerns that shaped our social and political environment. The historic tiled sidewalks which grace Max Berg Plaza Park are some of the oldest parts of town. They create an integral mirror, a historic reflection of what our founder, Ole Hanson, had envisioned for his Spanish Village by the Sea. They lend a uniqueness to these neighborhoods, be they at the park or elsewhere and are part of the brand that we should be protecting and embracing.

That is why past City Councils recognized the need to have them preserved when possible, or replaced with the like when needed, and were gladly willing to share the costs to make that possible and more practical. The irony in the timing of all of us being there last Sunday and reflecting on all this and the importance of history and legacy is that currently there is an argument taking place on the City Council attempting to do away with our historical paths, our sidewalks.

Originally, we had six glorious miles of these distinctive tiled sidewalks, but many were lost as homes were re-built, or tiles were damaged and removed over the years. However, once the city wisely lent its support to their preservation and replacement, the number of areas in our community that display these valuable Ole Hanson tracers has grown, and they have become a beacon of pride for those neighborhoods. Please, City Council, don’t erase our memories. Stand tall, like Max Berg did, for the history of the town we all love and help enhance and protect our living historical legacy so that future generations too can journey with a sure footing along the path of our shared past towards our common bright future. SC Editor’s note: Due to space constraints, this letter to the editor has been abridged.

The full version of this letter can be seen at www.sanclementetimes.com.

PLEASE NOTE: In an effort to provide our readers with a wide variety of opinions from our community, the SC Times provides Guest Opinion opportunities in which selected columnists’ opinions are shared. The opinions expressed in these columns are entirely those of the columnist alone and do not reflect those of the SC Times or Picket Fence Media. If you would like to respond to this column, please email us at editorial@sanclementetimes.com.

Page 11

SC GETTING OUT San Clemente

YOUR SEVEN-DAY EVENT PLANNER

The List

What’s going on in and around town this week

COMPILED BY STAFF

Thursday | 22 OPEN ARTIST STUDIO 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Enjoy a creative workspace alongside a community of artists. Free.

Ages 16 and up. San Clemente Art Supply, 1531 N. El Camino Real, San Clemente, 949.369.6603, www.scartsupply.com.

Friday | 23 SAN CLEMENTE HIGH HOMECOMING 3 p.m. San Clemente High School will host a parade with a best float competition. A new and improved halftime show will take place during the football game, which starts at 7 p.m., against Laguna Hills. The parade begins at the top of Avenida Del Mar, 949.492.4165, www.sctritons.com.

LAS PALMAS GARDEN OPENING EVENT 4 p.m. During the Fall International Festival at Las Palmas Elementary, an official opening of the Las Palmas Organic Garden will take place with food from the garden. 1101 Calle Puente, San Clemente, 949.234.5333, www.lpes.capousd.ca.schoolloop.com.

Saturday | 24 ST. CLEMENT’S HOLIDAY CRAFT SALE 8 a.m.-3 p.m. St. Clement’s Episcopal

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 24: SAN CLEMENTE MILITARY FAMILY OUTREACH VARIETY SHOW 7 p.m. The annual fundraiser is a variety show to raise money to support San Clemente Military Family Outreach’s efforts to extend a hand and a financial safety net to families at Camp Pendleton. The show, at the San Clemente Community Center, will include performances by impressionist Danny Jacobson, comedian Don McMillan, acoustic guitarist Daniel Vera and Dana Hills High School’s South Orange County School of the Arts students and “Stars of Tomorrow” vocalists Kyla Stone, Jason Rothman and Ashley Patrick. An opportunity drawing and a dessert bar will also be offered. Tickets are $25 and available online; at St. Andrew’s UMC ticket office , 2001 Frontera in San Clemente, or at the door. San Clemente Community Center, 100 N. Calle Seville, 949.388.2812, www.militaryfamilyoutreach.com.

San Clemente Times October 22–28, 2015

Church invites the community to come out to see more than a dozen crafters on site with holiday and everyday handcrafted items. Beautiful handmade pillows, original greeting cards, hats, crosses and other woodworking decor. The women of the church will host a classy garage-type sale of holiday decorations and items suitable for re-gifting or gifting to yourself. 202 Avenida Aragon, San Clemente, 949.492.3401, www.scbythesea.org.

On Stage at the Coach House: Duncan Sheik & Suzanne Vega

BY ALLISON JARRELL, SAN CLEMENTE TIMES

D

uncan Sheik and Suzanne Vega are coming to the Coach House on Sunday, Nov. 8, treating audiences to newly-released music as well as a fresh take on beloved hits from the ’80s and ’90s.

While Sheik is largely known for his 1996 debut single “Barely Breathing,” the singer/songwriter/composer has since been focusing on albums that break away from the conventional pop scene. Released in 2011, Duncan Sheik Covers 80s features his take on the synth-pop era with covers of bands like The Cure, New Order, Tears for Fears and The Smiths. Sheik’s newest album, Legerdemain, was released this month, marking his first production of original non-theatrical music since 2006.

In the world of musical theatre, Sheik has been active as a songwriter and composer in shows such as Broadway’s Spring Awakening, for which he won two Tony Awards and a Grammy. Sheik’s musical adaption of American Psycho is set to premiere on Broadway in 2016.

Singer/songwriter Suzanne Vega is known for her eclectic, folk-inspired hits from the 1980s such as “Luka” and “Tom’s

TALEGA HEALTH AND WELLNESS FAIR 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Talega Day Spa is hosting a Health and Wellness Fair, “A Celebration for Mind, Body and Spirit.” The fair is free to the public. Snacks and beverages will be served. Good Company will perform.

1161 Puerta Del Sol, San Clemente, 949.429.5757, www.talegadayspa.com.

FAREWELL TO THE SWALLOWS BARBECUE 11 a.m.-4 p.m. The Fiesta Association bids farewell to the swallows during its annual barbecue fundraiser at Reata Park, featuring country music performed by the Kelly Boys Band and family-friendly activities.

Tickets are $15 (free for kids under 5) and can be purchased at the event. Reata Park, 28632 Ortega Highway, San Juan Capistrano, www.swallowsparade.com.

Sunday | 25 WOOFSTOCK: PEOPLE AND PAWS FOR OUR STATE PARKS Noon-4 p.m. The San Onofre Parks Foundation, Pet Project Foundation, in partnership with California State Parks, present a family-friendly Halloween-themed fundraising event for the state parks.

Woofstock will include a dog and owner

EDITOR’S PICK

costume contest and parade, photo spot, raffles, animal rescue groups, free face painting, “Ask the Trainer,” demonstrations, pet product vendors, goodie bags, food and live entertainment. Tickets are $20 per family online, or $25 at the door.

San Clemente State Beach Campground, 225 Avenida Califia, San Clemente, www.2015woofstock.eventbrite.com.

Monday | 26 RED RIBBON PARADE 4:15 p.m. The parade begins at the top of Avenida Del Mar celebrating San Clemente saying “no” to drugs. Participants take a pledge to live a healthy and drugfree life with schools and civic groups parading down Del Mar. A pep rally follows at the San Clemente Community Center, 100 N. Calle Seville, San Clemente.

Tuesday | 27

Photo: Courtesy of Robert Crittendon

LIBRARY HALLOWEEN EVENT 3:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m. Volunteers will be at the San Clemente Library handing out spooky goody bags for any kids that come by. Costumes are encouraged. 242 Avenida Del Mar, San Clemente, 949.492.3493, www.ocpl.org/libloc/sc.

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Photo: Courtesy

Diner.” Vega has gone on to produce numerous albums as well as collections of writing and poetry. In 2011, she wrote and performed an original play, Carson McCullers Talks About Love, which features songs she wrote with Sheik.

Sheik and Vega are co-headlining the Nov. 8 show. Doors open at 5 p.m., and the show begins at 7 p.m. Tickets are $35, and dinner reservations with priority seating are also available.

The Coach House is located at 33157 Camino Capistrano in San Juan Capistrano. For tickets and more information, call 949.496.8930 or visit www.thecoachhouse.com. SC

Wednesday | 28 PAINTING AND VINO 6 p.m.-9 p.m. Sip wine while participating in a step-by-step instructed painting class taught by a professional artist. All supplies provided. $45. Register online at www. paintingandvino.com. StillWater Spirits & Sounds, 24701 Del Prado Avenue, Dana Point, 949.661.6003, www.danapointstillwater.com.

UPCOMING: FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30 PLAYSCHOOL PUMPKIN PATCH 10 a.m.-Noon. Join San Clemente Playschool in celebrating the changing of the season with pumpkin painting, carnival booth games, arts and crafts, a scavenger hunt and more. Costumes are encouraged. $15 for children 3 to 5 years old.

Pre-registration is encouraged. For more information, call the city of San Clemente Recreation Division. Tierra Grande Park, 99 Tierra Grande, San Clemente, 949.429.8797, www.san-clemente.org.

For our full calendar, visit the “Event Calendar” at www.sanclementetimes.com.

Have an event? Send your listing to events@sanclementetimes.com www.sanclementetimes.com

CRIB TO COLLEGE | AN EDUCATIONAL GUIDE TO YOUR CHILD’S SUCCESS

School is in full swing once again—to some that means embarking, for the first time, on a full day of classroom instruction, to others it is the beginning of the end of their young academic careers with SAT tests and college applications on the horizon.

The staff here at Picket Fence Media has scoured the region for experts in health, education, arts, finance and more to give you, the reader, supportive stories, tips and advice to help your students succeed. You’ll hear from Pamela Kahn on the correlation between a student’s health and their academic success and from Christina Altmayer on the kindergarten readiness of Orange County’s youngest pupils. Tom Bottorf and Robert Chavez explore college funding options and Elizabeth Bottiaux, a mother of four, writes on her belief that we should let kids be kids. These local experts have poured their knowledge onto the following pages to help fulfill your child’s unique needs and academic goals throughout the journey from Crib to College.

It’s Story Time!

M

ark your desk, wall and smart phone calendars for free reading events throughout the tri-cities. Be sure to visit the libraries in Dana Point, San Clemente and San Juan Capistrano for these weekly and monthly activities for the entire family. Be sure to call the local branches for updated activity times.

Monday iStock.com/ipekata

Talk! Read! Sing!

Use everyday moments to build lifelong skills

E

arly involvement is key—key to brain development and school success.

Research has show that exposing children at the earliest ages—from birth on—to consistent, language rich experiences like talking, reading and singing helps set children on a learning path of achievement.

Not all children are exposed to the same levels of back-and-forth communication, be it at home, in early learning programs, at school or in being around other children.

Studies have shown that by age 3, children from lower-income families hear about 30 million fewer words than children from more affluent families.

A lack of resources can create a gap—a word gap that is—in the quantity and quality of words children learn. To increase the number and caliber of words children across the nation are exposed to, the U.S. Department of Education and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services partnered with Too Small to Fail in order to create free tip sheets for parents and caregivers to help enrich their child’s experiences.

These tip sheets and other resources can be found online talkingisteaching.org.

Build brain activity by talkTALK! ing to your baby or toddler.

Back-and-forth conversations will help babies make new connections, build understanding and put them on a journey to learn new words and concepts.

• Get on your child’s level and make eye contact.

• Engage in conversations. Reply to baby language. Give your child time to respond.

• Follow your baby’s lead. Identify what they are interested in and jump into nar-

ration.

• Emulate your baby’s tone. If they are happy, smile and use and upbeat tone.

• Comment about and label everything in your child’s environment.

• Introduce new words, also repeat and expand on what your child says.

You don’t have to finish a book with young children.

Instead, take the time to engage your child. Talk through the book.

Explore the pictures, ask questions and connect the story to everyday life.

• Introduce books: How to hold them and turn the page.

• Make reading an interactive experience by asking lots of questions.

• Label objects in the books and relate them to real life.

• Be expressive, use different tones for characters and have fun when reading stories.

• Repetition, repetition, repetition. Babies learn more when the same story is repeated.

READ!

Who doesn’t love music?

There is something about a good beat and catchy lyrics that puts you in a better mood. Did you know, music can nourish a child’s brain? It can also help teach new words and concepts.

• Make up songs to go along with daily routines.

• Act out the meaning of songs and encourage your child to do the same.

• Sing songs and alter lyrics to known tunes to apply to different situations.

Toddler Storytime 10:30 a.m. Children ages 2 to 3 can enjoy stories and activities to help with coordination and color, shape and number recognition at the San Clemente Library.

Parents and siblings are welcome.

Family Storytime 6:30 p.m. Join in the fun each third Monday of the month as the National Charity League Sunshine Readers host an energetic family storytime at the San Juan Capistrano Library.

Pajama Storytime 7 p.m. Wear your pajamas and head down to the Dana Point Library for a night of stories, songs and fun.

All ages are invited to this PJ storytime on the fourth Monday of each month.

Tuesday Toddler and Preschool Storytimes 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. Meet your friends at the Dana Point Library for a fun, and story, filled event.

Enjoy stories, songs, crafts and more. Toddlers at 10 a.m., Preschool at 11 a.m.

Preschool Storytime 10:30 a.m. Help your child prepare for and succeed in school by attending a Preschool Storytime at the San Clemente Library. Storytime aimed at kids ages 3 to 5.

SING!

iStock.com/ipekata

Preschool Storytime 11:15 a.m. Stop by the San Juan Capistrano Library for a morning of fun stories, songs, crafts and other activities for children ages 3 to 6 and their caregivers.

Wednesday Family Storytime 11:30 a.m. The entire family is invited to the San Juan Capistrano Library for stories and rhymes in both English and Spanish. All ages are welcome.

Read to a Dog 3 p.m. Practice reading skills and build confidence by sharing your favorite tales with certified therapy dogs the first Monday of the month at the Dana Point Library.

Thursday Pajama Storytime 7:45 p.m. Come to the San Clemente Library wearing your favorite slippers and jammies as the Sunshine Readers whisk the whole family off to their dreamlands.

LOCAL LIBRARIES DANA POINT LIBRARY 33481 Niguel Road 949.496.5517, ocpl.org/libloc/dana SAN CLEMENTE LIBRARY 242 Avenida Del Mar 949.492.3493, ocpl.org/liblo/sc SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO LIBRARY 31495 El Camino Real 949.493.1752, ocpl.org/libloc/sjc

CRIB TO COLLEGE | AN EDUCATIONAL GUIDE TO YOUR CHILD’S SUCCESS

Are OC Kids Ready for Kindergarten?

OC Children & Families examines school readiness in terms of social, emotional and physical knowledge

By Christina Altmayer, Executive Director of the Children and Families Commission of Orange County

T

he September back to school rush has begun to fade and students throughout Orange County are beginning to settle into another year. What teachers understand, however, is that getting ready for school means more than having a backpack, new lunch box and a ready supply of pencils.

Increasingly, research has demonstrated that “school readiness” means having the social, emotional and physical knowledge that helps a child be best positioned to learn. Kids who enter kindergarten ready to learn are more likely to display above-average social and academic skills that are sustained well into their Christina Altmayer educational careers.

This doesn’t mean every kindergartner needs to know all their numbers and letters on day one, but if we can help equip children with the skills to learn when they begin, they will be better positioned for school success and start on a path of lifelong learning.

About eight years ago, the Children and Families Commission of Orange County launched an initiative to answer the basic

question: How ready are Orange County’s children for school?

Understanding that the readiness of OC’s children is key to achieving its mission, the commission—in partnership with school districts throughout Orange County—began collecting data on children in kindergarten using a tool previously deployed in Australia and Canada. The Early Developmental Index (EDI) measures children’s readiness in five domains: physical health and well-being; social competence; emotional maturity; language and cognitive development; and general knowledge and communication.

We now have comprehensive, valid data on every public school with a kindergarten population in Orange County. So, how ready are Orange County’s children?

Overall, almost half of Orange County’s children are on track in all five areas of readiness. As we dig into the data, there are opportunities to improve how children are doing in terms of communication and knowledge skills. The commission is using the EDI data to educate parents about the importance of reading to their children every day and working with communities to see how they can provide services and environments in which children and parents can learn and play together to foster healthy development.

Additionally, the commission is digging deeper into the data to understand specific

Read Aloud, Read Often

By Tracey Frank Pringle, Owner of Club Literacy

T

here is one key ingredient essential for any good-reader recipe: Motivation. For young readers to progress in the area of reading, they have to develop a love of reading and an appreciation of authors and illustrators. This will give them the natural motivation to want to read.

Becoming an independent, strong and capable reader is like building a house. The most enduring houses we admire are the houses built with the strongest foundation. Research has proven the more you do something the better you become at it–thus, children who read more develop the strongest foundations.

How do we connect and motivate children when it comes to loving books and learning to read?

One of my fondest memories growing up was visiting the public library with my mother. I recall her telling me how she

SUMMARY OF EDI RESULTS – ORANGE COUNTY (2015) Physical Health & Well-being

7%

Social Competence

9%

Emotional Maturity

8%

80%

13%

12%

General Knowledge & Communication

12% 0%

At Risk

67%

21%

72%

17% 20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

On Track

skills that need to be improved. For instance, more than one-third of kindergarteners in the county lack necessary gross and fine motor skills–a possible result of too much iPad swiping and too little crayon-grasping. A full 32 percent of children are behind in their prosocial, or “helping” behavior, and 41 percent were not ready for school based on their communication skills and general knowledge.

It is important to understand this is not a reflection of how the schools are doing. This is a point in time measurement reflecting how ready children are when they enter school. School readiness starts with a child’s first teachers—their parents. Beginning at birth, parents can help provide children with strong early care and learning opportunities. This means reading to them, talking

with them, singing to and cuddling them.

Preschool and transitional kindergarten enrollment can also play a critical role.

By working together, parents, schools and community organizations can determine how to collectively boost children’s school readiness. Already the EDI data is being used creatively throughout the county by educators in preschools, school districts, and community agencies working together to ensure that every Orange County child is ready for school.

“Few children learn to love books by themselves—someone has to lure them into the wonderful world of the written word. Someone has to show them the way.”

your children so important?

It may be hard to believe, but even the manner in which you read a book to your child will begin to model a key component in comprehension. Reading with expression is the strongest indicator of comprehension when we listen to young readers.

Help increase vocabulary, build background knowledge and model the reading process with your child by reading aloud.

If you give a kid a book, he’s gonna want another book. Remember you are inspiring your child to have an interest in books, which means they are going to read more and reading more is going to make him or her a better reader. And remember, books provide the absolute best writing models.

As the wonderful author and professor Lester Laminack says, “Reading aloud to your children is one way of making numerous deposits into an account they will draw from across their lives.”

—Jim Trelease, educator and author loved “Trixie Blenden” and “The Hardy Boys” when she was little. Of course I began checking out and voraciously reading the famous mystery series adding “Nancy Drew” to the mix.

Tracey Frank Pringle Children’s books are a great platform that allows you to share a commonality with your child. Your child can make connections within literature which spark their interest and make them want to read more.

Visit libraries regularly and buy a new book as a special treat. You can also place cloth and board books in your baby’s

77%

14%

Language & Cognitive Development

Vulnerable

80%

13%

playpen and keep books in the car for older children. And don’t forget to utilize wildly available environmental print as a fun game by reading cereal boxes and billboards.

What is the single most important act you can do to spark interest and curiosity in children?

Reading aloud is at the core of motivating your child.

Creating a bond with reading will produce a lifetime of success. Here is one statistic to keep in mind: Kindergarten teachers report that 100 percent of students want to learn to read, research however shows only 54 percent of fourth-graders and 30 percent of eighth-graders read for pleasure.

In a nutshell, why is reading to and with

Christina Altmayer was appointed Executive Director of the Children and Families Commission of Orange County in August 2013. She has worked extensively with government agencies at the state, county and municipal level on strategic planning, performance management and innovating program design.

A reading teacher for more than 20 years, Tracey Frank Pringle has dedicated her life to helping children develop a love for reading and writing. As a mother of a first- and a fourth-grader, she is also in the thick of it, trying to make sure her own children love to read. Learn more about read-alouds, tips on fostering a love of reading and Club Literacy, located in Dana Point, courses at clubliteracy.com or call 949.717.6624.

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Get Active Local nonprofit helps kids make positive changes in physical, mental and emotional health

By Shae Gawlak, Founder of Fit to be Kids

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t’s a fact: Childhood and adolescent obesity has more than tripled and quadrupled, respectively, in the last 30 years, according to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As of 2012, nearly one third of the population, ages 6 to 19, was considered overweight or obese.

The thing is this health epidemic is entirely preventable. With improved diet choices and increased activity, our children can combat and prevent cardiovascular disease, diabetes and poor self esteem. Our students aren’t always presented with the better options. School lunches can fall short of nutritious and school fitness programs might not fulfill the World Health Organization’s 60 minutes of physical activity a day.

Enter Fit to be Kids and Fit ‘n Fun Clubs— free year-round community outreach programs, available throughout Orange County, impacting low-income/at-risk and special needs families. It’s more than just exercise.

These programs incorporate mind-bodyspirit practices that provide children and their parents with life-long coping skills that assist

in their ability to identify health risk factors.

Being a native of Colorado, I have always enjoyed outdoor physical activities. I was fortunate enough to have parents that understood and appreciated health and wellness and exposed our family to various exciting sports even embraced a day at the park playing football or Frisbee.

As a mother, it was important for me to provide the same lifestyle for my own children and educate them in living healthy, active lives. This is where it begins, as a parent. It is our responsibility to set a good example for our children so they follow in our footsteps.

Each week, Fit to be Kids participants take part in varying physical activities from Olympicsstyle field games and arts fitness, to Shae Gawlak martial gymnastics, swimming and even yoga. Classes then provide insight into the fundamental attributes of physical fitness and nutrition—giving students an understanding of how these things affect the structure and function of the human body.

This program, along with individual weekly fitness challenges, offers communities the ability to begin making positive behavioral changes regarding physical, mental and emotional health.

Fit to be Kids founder Shae Gawlak is a certified personal trainer with more than 20 years experience.

She is an active member of the Childhood Obesity Task Force at Mission Hospital. Find our more at fit2bekids.com.

CRIB TO COLLEGE | AN EDUCATIONAL GUIDE TO YOUR CHILD’S SUCCESS concept immediately. So not true. I always preface a new concept by saying, “This is hard and some of you will not understand it right away. You must listen and practice and repeat until you do. Once you understand it, then it will be easy!”

“Practice, practice, practice!” Success comes from hard work and hard work includes practice. If you want to be fast at your multiplication facts then you need to practice.

If you want an ‘A’ on your test, then you need to practice. This means practicing over a period of time, not the night before the test.

“Read with the sunrise.” Instead of trying to read at the end of the day when everyone is exhausted, read before your feet hit the floor. Every teacher wants your child to read for 20 minutes a day. Why not do it first thing each morning and start the day off on the right foot?

1 Teacher + 1 Student = Educational Success One-on-one tutoring supports unique learning needs

By Ginny Horner Villa, Owner of Under Pressure Homework Help

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arents send children to tutors for different reasons.

Some may be struggling in a subject.

Others may have a learning disability, experience test taking issues or comprehension struggles. Children often go to tutors because parents need the help. Both parents may work; they may fight with their child on a daily basis to get homework and reading done or they are simply exhausted by the work load.

The situation is different for each family.

As a tutor, I have been defined as someone

By Elizabeth Bottiaux, Four Kids and a Dog

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obody can dictate the appropriate amount of extra-curricular activities for your child.

But, I can tell you this: If your child has zero free time to be a kid because of their hectic over-scheduled life, it’s highly likely they’ll regret it later.

We live in a demographic that pushes young people to succeed. We drain our bank accounts chasing success, endlessly shuttle kids to and from activities and schedule a multitude of activities hoping it’s the ideal recipe for their success. We want the very best for them. Our kids do well. They’re high achievers. They earn college scholarships, fine tune their chosen sports, excel in academics and set high goals.

Our daughter is a dancer. Dance can be all encompassing for kids at a very early age.

It’s not unusual for kids to start dancing 20 hours a week by the age of six. That’s a part time job. We’ve chosen not to let it seep into

who sits with a child for a period of time to help them with a concept they are struggling with. This is how many people see tutors and many do not consider having a tutor because their child doesn’t struggle in school.

Tutoring is so much more: It focuses on individuals and builds their confidence in both themselves and their schooling.

I truly believe most children can be taught.

What holds many students back from meeting their potential are the external distractions of family life, pressures to succeed, safe classroom environment, confidence, social issues and even learning disabilities.

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Children have too many pressures: pressure to get A’s or to be perfect at sports, music, art and a second language, to name a few. Here are a few of my sayings to help children stay calm and Ginny Horner Villa study on.

“How fast you work has nothing to do with how smart you are.”

Children sense if they do not understand something right away, complete a task in no time at all, are not the first to finish a test or fail to write a paper in one sitting that the class is staring at them. This is not true. Let’s retrain our thinking to understand this little fact: Smart people are usually the last to finish because they are checking their work.

“Everything is hard before it is easy and everything is easy once you know how.”

Children believe they need to understand a

Let Kids be Kids Build forts, watch for shooting stars and just be . . a kid every aspect of our daughter’s life. That’s what is right for our kid. The little dancers love to dance, say the parents. I don’t doubt that. But, will they look back on childhood and wish she had had more time to just be free?

As parents, we pride ourselves on being our children’s biggest motivators. It’s important to show up and show Elizabeth Bottiaux enthusiasm. Be there for that game. Watch practices if you can. Go easy on criticizing their performance. Instead, focus on letting them know you enjoyed watching them play.

Let the coach be a coach.

Of course, we have to push our kids to an extent.

When my 6-year-old son whines about going to practice I push. He’s not allowed to quit. There have been some pretty intense battles between mother and son about heading to practice. He can be insanely stubborn and ornery. There was one particularly tough day when he was pouting and mad about water polo. With my permission, coach picked him up and threw him in the frigid water.

He pouted the entire hour and wouldn’t participate. We have not encountered that much of a power struggle over practice since. He occasionally puts up the fight about going, but fully participates and en-

Ginny Horner Villa is an educator with more than 35 years of experience. The San Juan Capistrano resident has been serving the individual needs of local students out of her home the past two years.

She is a firm believer in listening to, cheering on and supporting her students’ unique educational needs.

Under Pressure Homework Help, 949.283.4646, underpressurehomeworkhelp@gmail.com.

Mrs Villa’s Rules for Test Taking Be the last to turn it in.

When reading the instructions, circle how you are to answer the question.

When reading the question, underline what the teacher wants you to answer.

Do math problems twice. If you get the same answer, move on. If it’s different, do it again.

If you come to a question you do not know, star it and come back to it.

joys it once he’s there. We’re trying to instill strong ethics in our kids. Once we commit it, we stick with it through the season.

As I’m constantly telling my younger daughter who is obsessed with being older than eight, “You only get to be a kid once in your whole life. Don’t rush into being a teenager. You’ll be a grown up for most of your life.”

Let kids be kids. Try to strike a balance.

There’s so much to learn and memories to be made by just being a kid with unstructured time. Let them play dress up, do cartwheels on the grass, climb a tree, ride bikes to the store with friends, wrestle with their buddies, work a lemonade stand or read a good book. It’s important for them to experience normal kid stuff.

Elizabeth Bottiaux is mom to four small humans, ages 4, 6, 8 and 10. She’s a San Clemente resident and has lived in Orange County for the past 16 years.

She publishes a blog, Four Kids and a Dog, about her family, girls nights out and life in the tri-city area.

Visit fourkidsandadog.com to subscribe.

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Artistic Education Builds Confidence, Community

By Michelle Hanson-Carpenter, Owner of The Arts Project Orange County

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s parents, my husband and I are constantly trying to find ways to raise a successful thriving young adult.

We have found that one of the greatest influences on our daughter’s development has been her involvement with the arts. In 2014, we established The Arts Project of Orange County to bring arts education to our community and create a “third place” for our students to belong. We believe that arts education goes beyond the creative and provides a lifetime of positive benefits.

Art has the potential for enabling students to develop important life skills and foster their future success.

Self-Worth: Arts education can build a child’s self-esteem and confidence through group and Michelle Hanson- individual art activities.

When a child engages Carpenter in art classes with their peers, they learn to accept criticism and applause from others—building confidence and self-awareness.

“Since starting to study theatre, I have really noticed that my daughter has a deeper connection with people. Because she is looking them in the eyes, projecting her voice enough for them to hear her and she has a huge glow of happiness that is so much brighter because of being involved with the arts,” said Lauren Marcisz, San Clemente resident and parent.

Acceptance: Arts education allows for empathy and acceptance of others when we train the young artists to look at all things with an open mind and from a different perspective. When we look at a situation or person in this way it is much like viewing a piece of art. It adds a new level of understanding and compassion for others.

“Art has given my daughter such a boost in confidence in herself,” said San Clemente resident Randlyn Clemons. “This has carried over into participating more in school, developing new friendships and just being a

happier girl overall.”

Accomplishment: There is a true sense of accomplishment when a student spends hour after hour learning, rehearsing, creating and cultivating their art.

“When I see a dance student work for weeks on end to learn a specific skill and finally see it through to fruition, it brings them pride from their hard work and dedication,” said Thad Hagwood, an independent dance choreographer.

Self-Expression: Arts education brings us confidence and an ability to express ourselves through feelings, thoughts or ideas without boundaries.

Dance legend Martha Graham once said “… Because there is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and will be lost.”

Community: We all need a “third place,” somewhere between home and work or school to go and feel accepted, encouraged and free from judgment.

“Working together to create something bigger than themselves, creates an immediate bond between the kids. Theatre is a collaborative entity. When we put ourselves out there in front of an audience and trust your fellow actor to go on this journey with you, you create something very special. It bonds you,” said Emily Patterson, theatre director at The Arts Project of Orange County.

Michelle Hanson-Carpenter is wife to her husband, Jeff and mom to the talented Acacia. She is a San Clemente resident and owner of The Arts Project Orange County—an arts educational facility in the Talega Business Park. Michelle has taught dance for 30 years and offers art, voice, music and acting guidance. Visit theartsprojectoc.com for more information.

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Safe Paths Drug, alcohol-free clubs provide safe, pressure-free environments for students

By Alex Paris

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wo south Orange County schools have turned peer pressure into a positive by using it to encourage drug- and alcohol-free activities, whether they’re just for fun or for the benefit of the community.

The Save Our Students Club at San Clemente High School and its counterpart at Dana Hills High School, Dana Point Paths, were started by students, for students, to provide a safe place to have fun.

These student-run organizations are dedicated to promoting community welfare, fostering healthy and beneficial relationships between members and maintaining a pressure-free environment where local youth can socialize without illicit substances.

The clubs achieve this goal, of providing a safe path through high school, by keeping members busy with a balance of work and play. While members regularly attend beach bonfires, bowling and movie nights, they have also contributed more than 2000

hours of community service.

Dana Point Paths is now an integral part of most of the city’s events, said Mike Darnold, intervention support specialist at Dana Hills. From the city’s largest celebration, the Dana Point Festival of Whales, to the Tree Lighting Ceremony, Summer Concerts in the Park, July 4th Extravaganza and Veteran’s Day commemoration, club members are there from beginning to end setting up, taking down and cleaning up.

“I prepare them for college and life by having them apply for jobs, fill out resumes,

teach them communication, responsibility, accountability and also encourage them to apply for all scholarships and grants for senior awards annually,” said Darnold, who has collaborated with the city, sheriff’s department and school faculty since 2009 supporting at-risk students facing drug- and alcohol-related issues.

With the help of Dana Point Paths, young students get to be young for a while longer.

Pressure from the outside to use drugs or alcohol is absent at their events where it’s simply about fun and embracing the teenage

years. Aside from a clean, and pressure-free, environment the program helps provide students with skills that they might otherwise not learn.

“I always said that I would like to do different things, but I never knew how to put them into action until I joined the Dana Point Paths,” said Gissel Salgado, current president of Paths. “I would recommend this club to anyone who just wants to have fun or help others because that is truthfully what we do.”

San Clemente’s S.O.S. Club entered the scene in 2013. Modeled after the Dana Point club, S.O.S has grown steadily in membership ever since. Club members often host dodge ball, ultimate Frisbee, broom ball and pizza parties—where, aside from the pizza, it’s all about health and wellness.

This program helps kids prepare to succeed in school by giving them peer support and opportunities to be a leader, said Susan Parmalee, club advisor and Wellness & Prevention Center director.

“It gives kids an opportunity to reduce stress by participating in fun, healthy activities,” Parmelee said.

Discover more about these studentrun organizations by visiting sosschs.com and danapointpaths.org where you’ll find resources for parents and students on drug and alcohol abuse including links for early intervention and counseling services.

For more information about S.O.S. San Clemente, visit sosschs.com. For further information on Dana Point’s Paths, visit danapointpaths.org.

CRIB TO COLLEGE | AN EDUCATIONAL GUIDE TO YOUR CHILD’S SUCCESS

Healthy Students Learn Better

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ith school back in session—and cold and flu season on the horizon—we reached out to Pamela Kahn, Coordinator of Health and Wellness for the Orange County Department of Education on the affect a student’s overall health can have on their studies. Kahn, also touches on work being done at the county, district and school level to ensure the wellbeing of students and gives a quick overview of Senate Bill 277—signed by Gov. Jerry Brown this summer—that alters the state’s vaccination exemptions.

Picket Fence Media: How can health and wellness impact a student’s academic success?

Pamela Kahn: There is no question that good Pamela Kahn health and the ability to learn are linked. When your child is emotionally and physically healthy they are more likely to attend school regularly and be ready to learn. The opposite is true too. Students with poor health have a higher probability of school failure, grade retention and dropout. Yale University researchers found students with the healthiest habits were 2.2 times more likely to reach target scores. Simply put, healthy students are better students.

What are schools doing to address the health needs of students?

School health programs can reduce the prevalence of health risk behaviors among young people and have a positive effect on academic performance. The Orange County Department of Education, along with local school districts, provides services and programs that help keep kids healthy and in school. OCDE provides resources and education around such issues as risky behaviors like alcohol and tobacco use as well as bullying. We offer programs to encourage more daily physical activity and how to eat healthy. Also, OCDE and school nurses work with families to ensure all students with health conditions receive needed medications and services that allow students to maximize their academic potential.

Any at home recommendations for parents to keep kids in tip-top shape?

Schools work in partnership with parents to ensure children are healthy, happy and emotionally ready for the school day. Parents can ensure a regular bedtime, a healthy breakfast, a calm morning routine, teach the importance of good hand hygiene, provide current emergency contact numbers to the school and make sure they communicate

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any health conditions their child may have (allergies, asthma, diabetes, etc.) to the school nurse so proper accommodations are put into place.

With flu season approaching, is it required that children receive a flu shot?

While schools do not require children to receive the flu vaccine, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends everyone 6 months and older get a seasonal flu vaccine. School aged-children are the group with the highest rates of flu. They also tend to be the ones who spread flu to others. Remember, students aren’t the only ones at school affected by the flu: Teacher absenteeism costs time and money, as well as possibly having a negative effect on your student’s learning. Visit cdc.gov for more information.

What about other vaccinations? Do children have to be vaccinated in order to attend school?

Children in California are required to receive certain immunizations in order to attend public and private elementary and secondary schools. In the past, parents have been able to file a Personal Belief Exemption stating they did not want their children to have any or all of the required immunizations. This will no longer be possible after Jan. 1, 2016. Senate Bill 277 eliminates new personal belief exemptions and mandates that children receive the required vaccines before school entry. The law allows for a child to have a medical exemption when a physician believes the circumstances warrant. Students who had a personal belief exemption prior to Jan. 1, 2016 will be required to be immunized when they enroll in the next grade span. Grade spans are defined as birth to preschool; grades kindergarten to 6; and grades 7 to 12. Visit shotsforschool.org for detailed information.

Pamela Kahn is the Orange County Department of Health’s Coordinator of Health and Wellness. She is a registered nurse and holds a Master of Public Health. For answers to more student and family health related questions, visit ocde.us/health.

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Crowdfunding College Millennials look to strangers for financial help

By Robert A. Chavez

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t’s growing. $1.2 trillion that is—the amount of student loan debt America’s students and graduates currently owe.

Many graduates are living with the financial and emotional burden of being stuck in a debt situation for decades to come. Due to student loan exclusions, even bankruptcy will not relieve these.

What’s a student or parent to do when college tuition rates continue to rise?

A growing number of students and families are turning to crowdfunding websites such as GoFundMe, Kickstarter and Indiegogo to pay for undergraduate and graduate educations. College counselors are even advising college-bound students to explore such financavenues to offset of Robert A. Chavez ing minimize their borrowing needs. In 2014, on GoFundMe.com alone, more than 140,000 educational accounts raised some $17.5 million. Projections for this year see this number rising as educational funds increase in popularity.

What is crowdfunding? A method of raising capital through the collective efforts of friends, family, customers, business associates and people worldwide. This approach

By Jan Kerchner, Certified Educational Planner

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taps into the collective efforts of a large pool of individuals—primarily via social media.

There are several crowdfunding platforms— including ones featuring donation-based projects that ask for contributions to charitable causes, nonprofit organizations, educational cost assistance, disaster relief and medical bills. When donors give to a donation-based project they have no expectations of a return of any kind.

Don’t go at it alone. Crowdfunding campaign funds should be used along with other cost-reducing means like scholarships

or need and merit-based financial aid. If all cost-cutting means are used appropriately and started as early as possible the need for student loans can be eliminated. The greatest graduation gift a student can have is to be able to pursue and engage in their educational, artistic or business endeavors without the weight of debt becoming a factor in their choices.

A Cautionary Note: Not all crowdfunding platforms are created equal and the success rate for your project can go from very, very low to fairly decent.

Finding the Right Fit Preparation is Key for students with learning differences

rom entrepreneurs to celebrities, airline founders to financiers and investors to authors, people with learning differences are often the game changers in our society.

College is a logical next step after high school. With appropriate advanced planning, students with learning differences can have a successful college experience.

Below are three critical items for parents to consider when preparing for the college admission process.

homework and reminding of upcoming tests or soccer games, there is work to be done.

Be honest with yourself and your student. If there are weak areas, work on those now.

Evaluate your student’s readiness for college and help them develop skills to balance their academic and personal lives.

Be realistic about your student’s readiness to manage independent living while maintaining good grades.

If your student is in middle school, there is time to develop the skills necessary to successfully manage academic and personal life. However, if your student is a junior in high school and you are still checking on

Identify the parameters necessary to maximize your student’s success in college.

Prepare a list of factors with your student that are key to his or her acaJan Kerchner demic success. Consider college type, location, ambience and size. Most importantly, consider the academic rigor and the level of

LD friendliness of the college. Finally, define the accommodations needed to achieve academic success.

Colleges offer a breadth of support services for students with learning differences.

However, keep in mind that they vary from college to college. Research is tantamount to finding the right fit.

The accommodations being utilized by your student in his or her education are documented in your student’s Individual Educational Plan (IEP) and in the Psychological Educational Evaluation completed by the licensed psychologist who diagnosed your student. If your student is finding them useful in his or her current setting, look for colleges offering similar accommodations.

Complimentary “Crowdfunding for College” workshops are being offered locally where you can receive instruction on avoiding most fees, developing funding projects and more. For dates, times and locations send an email to crowdfundingnofees@ gmail.com or call 949.370.2412.

Robert Chavez is a third-generation local resident, Army veteran and Chico State graduate. The former elementary school teacher was the first in his family to graduate from college. For 10 years, he served on the Board of Directors for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Capistrano Valley.

Obtain accommodations for standardized testing early in high school.

The paperwork for requesting accommodations for high stakes tests must be generated and submitted to the College Board or ACT by your school’s counseling office.

Accommodations can range from extended time and multiple days of testing to having a reader.

It can take the College Board or ACT a month or longer to approve the request for the accommodations so start early.

With more than 2,000 universities across the country, there are programs and colleges for every type of student. Staying informed, building your student’s skills early, identifying your student’s needs and doing the research will contribute to a good fit. In turn, your student may be a game changer too.

Jan Kerchner, CEO of The College Blueprint, LLC, founded The College Blueprint ADDvantage to provide a comprehensive resource for college bound students and families challenged with LD, ADHD, and High Functioning Autism. Find out more at collegeblueprint.com.

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College Admissions: 5 Things to Know “When applying to college, employ the academic and personal skills you’ve learned to this point, including self-advocacy, research, personal ref lection and self-expression. You are ultimately in control of your future.”

—Amy Warren, Associate Director of College Counseling, St. Margaret’s Episcopal School

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he college research and application process can be daunting. To help you navigate the lengthy route to your post-high school education, we reached out to St. Margaret’s Episcopal School college counselors, Roland Allen and Amy Warren—creators of the online course, The Road to Selective College Admissions, through edX, a global online learning community founded by Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Here are their top five tips for college-interested students:

BE YOURSELF.

The best story you can tell is your own. Many students tell us they want to stand out in the college process. These same students often seek to imitate what Roland Allen they think has worked for others. The best college applicants are those who do the hard work of getting to know themselves by setting goals and assessing their strengths and weaknesses. They also approach their applications by thinking Amy Warren about what they want colleges to know about them, rather than trying to guess what they think colleges want to hear.

BE OPEN.

Your perfect college could be one you hadn’t heard of before. Spread a wide net when it comes to assembling college lists. With so many to choose from, it is important to keep an open mind as you explore college

options. If you find a school that piques your interest, stay focused on that interest.

BE REALISTIC.

While it is OK to reach, make sure your college list does not include only highly selective schools. You want choices. Likewise, be realistic about your finances. Talk to your parents early in the process to access your family’s financial resources. Use the Net Price Calculator on each college’s website to gauge what you and your parents will be expected to contribute to your education if admitted. Also, think in advance about how much loan debt you are willing to take on, if finances are a concern.

BE THOUGHTFUL.

A successful college process does not happen by accident. You need to understand deadlines and application requirements. Also, create time in your senior-year schedule to research colleges and draft applications. As with other parts of this process, we recommend sketching out a game-plan with your school counselor, teacher or other trusted adult.

BE BOLD.

Put yourself out there. If you do not know the answer to something college related, ask people who know the answer. Utilize your school counselor, or if the answer is college-specific, call the college admissions or financial aid office. If you need more information on specific academic programs, go to college websites and look for contacts in academic departments of interest.

They’re happy to help you.

Learn more insights from these experts by enrolling in their free edX course, The Road to Selective College Admissions, by visiting edx.org.

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Three Biggest Obstacles to Debt-Free College

By Tom Bottorf, Co-Founder of GetCollegeFunding

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ith the majority of students taking six years to finish college and student loan debt sitting at $1.4 trillion, many new graduates are moving back home where they are unable to pay their student loans, move out or get married.

The good news is most problems associated with attending and paying for college can be avoided.

Allowing a 17-year-old to make a 1 $100,000 to $250,000 decision.

It continues to amaze me how many families I meet say that, “Wherever our child wants to attend college, we’ll make it happen. They deserve it ... they’ve earned it.” When a family can comfortably “write the check,” that’s one thing—but many parents put at risk their financial future. Your “college list” should feature 10 or so schools that are fits for mom, dad and student—both financially and academically.

Believing a 4-year college is for everyone.

Not long ago a college diploma was 2 highly regarded as a “ticket to success.” This is no longer the case. Popular alternatives many young adults have chosen with success are 1- and 2-year certificates, vocational schools, military service,

Tom Bottorf

apprenticeships leading to business ownership, even taking a “gap year” to think it through a bit more. Don’t force a 4-year college degree.

Skills and experience are highly regarded on a college graduate’s resume.

Assuming there is financial aid for each student. Unless a family can write the check, it’s imperative to know if a student qualifies for need-based aid, merit-based aid, a combination of both, or neither. It’s also crucial to understand each college’s financial aid policies. The bottom line is this: the academic profile and personal accomplishments of the student, the financial profile of the parents and the policies of the individual colleges directly affect the financial aid offered—or not—to your student by the colleges.

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Tom Bottorf is the co-Founder of GetCollegeFunding and a new venture called CollegeSuccessFormula. He has taken all the information and experience his organization has imparted to families in private counseling over the last 10 years, and created an interactive online college planning platform—collegesuccessformula.com.

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Bella Collina San Clemente Bella Collina San Clemente is a private, family-friendly golf club where members of all ages come together to socialize and enjoy the game of golf. In addition to the scenic 27-hole golf course, designed by legendary tournament champion Gary Player, Bella Collina also offers an active social calendar.

Members enjoy wine dinners, concerts, festive holiday celebrations and much more all year round. In addition to Single and Family Golf Memberships, Bella Collina San Clemente offers Junior Golf for children and Social Membership for non-golfers. Whether you are looking to create lasting memories with your family or a place to escape your busy schedule, Bella Collina San Clemente is the perfect place to get away. 200 Avenida La Pata, San Clemente, 949.498.6604, bellacollinasanclemente.com.

Capistrano Valley Christian Schools

Kristen Ritzau D.D.S., Shoreline Dental Studio

When you step foot on the Capistrano Valley Christian Schools campus you are not in the typical school setting. The campus’ facilities provide a sense of security and calmness with a dynamic spirit. Parents who consider Capistrano Valley Christian Schools say their values, both academically and spiritually, are consistent with an environment emphasizing Christian values, strong academics and individual student responsibility and leadership. The opportunity for their children to participate in this rigorous and rewarding experience from junior kindergarten through high school is viewed as a wonderfully unique opportunity. Positive peer pressure and close teacher/student relationships produce high achievement, a disciplined environment and a setting where the school becomes an extension of the home. Students have the opportunity to participate in quality athletic programs, dynamic drama productions and real life leadership situations—all undergirded by the Word of God. 32032 Del Obispo Street, San Juan Capistrano, 949.493.5683, cvcs.org.

Early and regular dental care is vital to children for both their health care and social confidence. At Shoreline Dental, we help kids keep their bright and healthy smiles by working hard to prevent tooth decay and support overall oral health. We encourage regular cleanings, promote healthy habits at home and offer helpful conservative solutions for patients that may need a bit of work. Whether it is taking a look at that first baby tooth or helping teenagers whiten their teeth for the Senior Prom, Dr. Kristen Ritzau and staff provide nothing but the best care for the entire family. We offer a number of sedation options for kids and adults alike. As someone who grew up here in San Clemente and is a mom of a 1-year-old, Dr. Ritzau loves to give back to the community that helped raise her. 122 Avenida Cabrillo, San Clemente, 949.245.6046, info@shorelinedentalstudio.com.

Our Lady of Fatima Parish School

Our Savior’s Lutheran School

Our Lady of Fatima Parish School is fully accredited and staffed by an outstanding team of credentialed, nurturing and dedicated professionals. The campus offers a welcoming learning environment for all students that is centered on the value of family. OLF is a dynamic, technology-driven institution of learning that prides itself on academic rigor and high student expectations.

OLF’s Early Education Center offers a Transitional Kindergarten; the first year of a two-year academic Kindergarten program that is specifically designed to give 4-yearolds and young fives the “gift of time” to develop socially, emotionally and cognitively.

OLF’s students are committed learners who demonstrate excellence in academic expectations, technology acquisition and service to their community. With a crosscurricular and cross-cultural approach to instruction, OLF offers each student differentiated opportunities to explore, investigate and integrate academic concepts. 105 N. La Esperanza, San Clemente, 949.492.7320, olfschool.net

There’s something special going on at Our Savior’s Lutheran School. Dedicated teachers educate and inspire, creating a learn¬ing environment in which students excel academically. With small class sizes, a fully accredited school and a highly educated, credentialed teaching staff, students are able to develop their individual gifts and learn who they are—beloved children of God. Parents express their appreciation for the strong academics and appreciate even more, the emphasis on Christian value of love for one another.

Our Savior’s Lutheran offers preschool through fifth-grade with a full day kindergarten and many enrichment opportunities for children both during and after the school day. Newborn to 3-year-old Parent and Me sessions are offered.

We celebrate and honor the diversity of gifts, abilities and backgrounds each child contributes to the school community.

All faiths are welcome. 200 Avenida San Pablo, San Clemente, 949.492.6165, oursaviorsschool.net

Opportunities For Learning Proudly serving Orange County’s student community since 2002, Opportunities For Learning Public Charter Schools offer a hybrid-educational program consisting of independent study, small group instruction and online classes as an alternative to the traditional classroom environment. OFL creates an individualized learning path for each student to ensure a rigorous collegepreparatory curriculum regardless of their past school experiences. OFL is a Western Association Schools and Colleges accredited public school dedicated to providing quality educational services to all students. Students with the desire and ability can accelerate their learning and work at a pace faster than the traditional school model while maintaining their ability to attend a 2-year community college, 4-year university, vocational training or to enter directly into the workforce. OFL unique features include: open entry, continuous learning in a year-round school, individualized programs, highlyqualified teachers, and experiential learning trips. 33261 Del Obispo Street, Suite E, Dana Point, 949.248.1282, emsofl.com.

CRIB TO COLLEGE | AN EDUCATIONAL GUIDE TO YOUR CHILD’S SUCCESS

Santa Margarita Catholic High School Santa Margarita Catholic High School offers a well-rounded, college-preparatory education—one that saw more than $30.8 million in scholarships awarded to the class of 2015. The school offers 19 AP courses, an interdisciplinary and auxiliary studies program as well as the international baccalaureate program. The school’s One-toOne Tablet PC program puts a tablet in the hands of every student and teacher. Campus Ministry provides students the opportunity to grow in their relationship with God. The school’s athletic program emphasizes character building and has seen 56 CIF championships and 187 league championships.

The award-winning arts program includes more than 60 courses. With more than 70 campus clubs and activities, students are encouraged to explore their passions. The school’s recently modernized library media center provides a collaborative learning environment. Santa Margarita also recently opened the Eagle Athletic Center which features a first-class weight room. 22062 Antonio Parkway, Rancho Santa Margarita, 949.766.6000, smhs.org.

St. Margaret’s Episcopal School Core values of character, community, balance and breadth, and high expectations guide how the independent St. Margaret’s Episcopal School, founded in 1979, educates its 1,250 students from preschool through grade 12. Its class of 2015 graduates matriculated to diverse institutions across the nation including Brown University, Carnegie Mellon University, Colgate University, Emory University, Harvard University, Princeton University, Stanford University, Villanova University, Meredith College and Trinity College.

The Upper School offers 26 Advanced Placement courses and innovative, challenging academic electives such as mobile application programming, multivariable calculus and engineering. Every graduate is prepared and qualified to enroll in a four-year college or university, and because of the school’s reputation for the depth and quality of its education, more than 130 leading colleges and universities across the country visit St. Margaret’s annually to recruit its graduates.

St. Margaret’s begins with an early childhood program that meets each child at his

South Coast Conservatory South Coast Conservatory has been teaching dance and performing arts in southern Orange County for more 24 years.

Started in Laguna Niguel in 1992, the conservatory now has a second location in San Clemente. At South Coast Conservatory, we offer professional dance instruction to students ages 3 to adult, and from beginning to professional levels. Our conservatory has two convenient locations featuring 11 studios staffed by highly-trained faculty members—experts in hip hop, musical theatre, creative dance, ballet, tumbling, jazz and more. Our students and staff put on two annual productions. South Coast Conservatory is home to a nationally ranked competitive program, a ballet company, a modern company and master classes that feature guest teachers from around the world.

27652 Camino Capistrano, Laguna Niguel; 400-C Camino De Estrella, San Clemente, 949.367.0099, ssconservatory.com.

or her unique stage of development, fostering cognitive, physical, social, emotional and creative growth. The Preschool curriculum develops exploration and foundation skills, receiving the highest marks from the National Association for the Education of Young Children. This proven approach to educating young children best prepares them for future social and academic success throughout Lower and Middle School years.

The school invests in STEM curriculum, with computer science and engineering programs beginning in kindergarten. Students in all divisions innovate and create in stateof-the-art maker design and fabrication labs.

A hallmark of St. Margaret’s educational approach is how its renowned and expert faculty, more than 65 percent hold advanced degrees, are engaged in the life of each student. Teachers, advisors, three college counselors, chaplains and coaches provide a solid framework of guidance and support.

Through small classes, every student is known and nurtured.

St. Margaret’s students and alumni are easily recognized for their integrity, leadership, character and values. The school’s Episcopal identity guides its inclusive community that values faith and reason, embraces debate and differences, and emphasizes the spiritual and intellectual development of each child. Alongside rigorous academics and a breadth of student programs, St. Margaret’s fosters lives of understanding, respect, compassion, responsibility and the courage to lead and serve others. 31641 La Novia, San Juan Capistrano, 949.661.0108, www.smes.org

Locals Only

BUSINESS DIRECTORY ADDICTION RECOVERY TREATMENT

Body Mind Spirit Intensive Outpatient Program

2411 S. El Camino Real, 949.485.4979, www.bodymindspiritiop.com

AIR CONDITIONING

Oasis Heating & Air

31648 Rancho Viejo Rd. Ste. A, 949.420.1321, www.oasisair.com

APPLIANCES

South Coast Furniture & Mattress

109 Calle de los Molinos, 949.492.5589, www.southcoastfurniture.com

APPLIANCE SERVICES & REPAIRS

ASAP Appliance Service

3200 Legendario, 949.361.7713, www.asapapplianceservice.com

ART GALLERIES

San Clemente Art Association 100 N. Calle Seville, 949.492.7175, www.scartgallery.com

BOOKS

Village Books

99 Avenida Serra, 949.492.1114, www.DowntownSanClemente.com

CHIROPRACTIC

Thompson Chiropractic

629 Camino De Los Mares, Suite 104, 949.240.1334, www.thompson-chiro.com

CHOCOLATE/CANDY

Schmid’s Fine Chocolate

99 Avenida Del Mar, 949.369.1052, www.schmidschocolate.com

CONCRETE

Costa Verde Landscape

Lic.: 744797 (C-8 & C-27) 949.361.9656, www.costaverdelandscaping.com

DENTISTS

William Brownson, D.D.S.

3553 Camino Mira Costa, Ste B, 949.493.2391, www.drbrownson.com

Eric Johnson, D.D.S.

647 Camino de los Mares, Ste. 209, 949.493.9311, www.drericjohnson.com

Kristen Ritzau DDS

122 Avenida Cabrillo, 949.498.4110, www.KristenRitzauDDS.com

EDIBLE LANDSCAPING

Organics Out Back

949.354.2258, www.organicsoutback.com

ELECTRICAL

Arcadia Electric

949.361.1045, www.arcadiaelectric.com

FURNITURE

South Coast Furniture & Mattress

109 Calle de los Molinos, 949.492.5589, www.southcoastfurniture.com

GRAPHIC DESIGN

IMAGES/Creative Solutions

117 Del Gado Road, 949.366.2488, www.imgs.com

HARP LESSONS & RENTALS

Wendy-Harpist

949.482.9025, www.orangecountyharpist.com

HAULING

Cheapest Hauling

Call Robert 949.973.6288

HEATING

Oasis Heating & Air

31648 Rancho Viejo Rd. Ste. A, 949.420.1321, www.oasisair.com

HOME DÉCOR

South Coast Furniture & Mattress

109 Calle de los Molinos, 949.492.5589, www.southcoastfurniture.com

HOME REPAIRS/IMPROVEMENT

Capistrano Valley Raingutters Scott Williams, 949.542.7750

LANDSCAPING

Costa Verde Landscape

Lic.: 744797 (C-8 & C-27) 949.361.9656, www.costaverdelandscaping.com

MATTRESSES

South Coast Furniture & Mattress

109 Calle de los Molinos, 949.492.5589, www.southcoastfurniture.com

BUSINESS • SPOTLIGHT

YOUR BUSINESS HERE! Sign up to be featured as our monthly Locals Only Business Spotlight for only $100!

Write-up of 50 words with logo.

Four weeks in print and online.

Contact Debra Wells at 949.589.0892 or email dwells@thecapistranodispatch.com

OFFICE FURNITURE

South Coast Furniture & Mattress

109 Calle de los Molinos, 949.492.5589, www.southcoastfurniture.com

PERIODONTICS & DENTAL IMPLANTS

Dr. Alice P. Moran, DMD

1001 Avenida Pico, Ste. K, 949.361.4867 (GUMS), www.moranperio.com

PLUMBING

Bill Metzger Plumbing

929 Calle Negocio Suite D, 949.492.3558, www.billmetzgerplumbing.com

Chick’s Plumbing

949.496.9731, www.chicks-plumbing.com

POOL SERVICE, REPAIR, REMODEL

SC Pool & Spa Works

1311 N. El Camino Real, 949.498.7665, www.scpoolworks.com

Radiant Pool & Spa Service Lic # 985800, 949.290.5616, www.radiantpoolservice.com

REAL ESTATE

Marcie George Star Real Estate South County

“Sandy & Rich” - ReMax

949.293.3236, www.sandyandrich.com

RESTAURANTS

Café Calypso

114 Avenida Del Mar #4, 949.366.9386

Salon Bamboo

150 Avenida Del Mar, Ste. A, 949.361.3348, www.salonbamboo.com

Salon Bleu

207 S. El Camino Real, 949.366.2060, www.scsalonbleu.com

Syrens Hair Parlor

217 Avenida Del Mar, Ste. E, 949.361.9006, www.syrens.com

SCHOOLS

Capistrano Valley Christian Schools

32032 Del Obispo Street, San Juan Capistrano, 949.493.5683, www.cvcs.org

SECONDHAND/ CONSIGNMENT SHOPS

South Coast Furniture & Mattress

109 Calle de los Molinos, 949.492.5589, www.southcoastfurniture.com

SWIMMING SCHOOL

Waterbabies Swim School

142 Avenida Granada, 949.488.2512, www.waterbabiesswimschool.com

TERMITES

Colony Termite Control

1402 Calle Alcazar, 949.361.2500, www.colonytermite.com

WEBSITE DESIGN

San Clemente Website Design

949.246.8345, www.sanclementewebsitedesign.com

949.690.5410, marciegeorge@cox.net

SC Rider Supply

520 S. El Camino Real, 949.388.0521, www.scridersupply.com

MUSIC LESSONS

Danman’s Music School

949.496.6556, www.danmans.com

GARAGE SALE The community is invited. Oct 24 8AM to 3PM. St Clement’s Episcopal Church, 202 Avenida Aragon (corner of Calle Puente), San Clemente 92672. Holiday Bazaar of recycling Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas decor plus gently used items for regifting. In addition over 12 crafters with their wares.

FORSTER RANCH COMMUNITY GARAGE SALE SATURDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2015 8am to 12pm. Xst’s Camino Vera Cruz and Camino De Los Mares SAT. OCT. 24TH – 7AM TO 12PM. Collectibles, Vintage items, quality clothes & shoes, household, Prints & Pictures, dog items, small furniture items, linens, plants, books and more! So much fun! 111 W. Avenida Valencia, San Clemente – cross street South El Camino Real GARAGE/MOVING SALE 8 am to 1 pm, 10/24/15, 34656 Via Catalina, Capistrano Beach.

Yard tools, pictures & prints, clothes and household goods.

GARAGE SALE Saturday, October 24th, 7 AM-12 PM. Rancho Del Avion. 32742 Alipaz St. #139, San Juan. Tools, clothing, housewares, leather sofa YARD SALE 10/24, 8AM. 34455 Via Verde, Capo Bch. Books, clothes, chair/ottoman.

SERVICES

Brian Wiechman, Equity Coast Mortgage A division of Pinnacle Capital Mortgage

MOTORCYLE PARTS & SERVICE

Submit your classified ad at www.sanclementetimes.com

GARAGE SALES

SALONS

MORTGAGES

949.533.9209, www.equitycoastmortgage.com

CLASSIFIEDS

LIST

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In print and online 52 weeks a year.

View online at www.sanclementetimes.com.

Call at Debra Wells for pricing at 949.589.0892 or email dwells@thecapistranodispatch.com

HANDYMAN CHRIS Flat screen TV’s installed, anything Electrical, Plumbing, Finish Carpentry, Drywall Repairs, Mold and Wood Rot issues, Waterproofing, Decks and Patio covers repaired, Doors, Windows, Kitchens and Baths, Water Damage Restoration, Custom Sheet Metal Fabrication and Much More.

Phone Chris – 949 510 6645 WOOD DECK REPAIR WIZZARD Wood Rot Repair Certified Specialist, Wood Decks, Balconies, Patio Covers + Outside Stairs Repaired / Replaced, New Decking Systems, All work Guaranteed. Phone Chris 949 510 6645

SC n te S a n C le m e

BUSINESS DIRECTORY

PLACE YOUR BUSINESS CARD HERE Call 949.388.7700, ext. 111 or email slantz@sanclementetimes.com

San Clemente Times October 22-28, 2015

Page 31

www.sanclementetimes.com

SC SC LIVING San Clemente

PROFILES OF OUR COMMUNITY

GUEST OPINION: On Life and Love After 50 by Tom Blake

The Reasons Behind Why I Keep Writing This Column

Activities are beneficial for seniors in retirement

S

ometimes, when you’ve done something for years and years, you ponder, “Is it time for a change?”

The older one gets, the more one asks the question. I made a decision like that eight months ago when I sold Tutor and Spunky’s, my Dana Point deli after 26 years. It was tough to walk away, but I knew it was time. Your body and your mind let you know.

I’ve written newspaper articles and newsletters for nearly as long; my first column was published on July 4, 1994. Since then, I’ve inked more than 3,000 articles.

This Sunday, a man in Costco asked, “Now that you are retired, are you going to stop writing?” I didn’t have to think about that question for long. “Absolutely not!” I responded.

When people retire, it is essential they have hobbies and activities that keep not only their bodies moving, but of equal importance, activities that keep their brains working. And I can’t think of anything better for me than writing to accomplish the latter.

I recommend to people that before retiring, they already have those hobbies and activities in place. I started stand up paddleboarding last October, four months before I stopped working at the deli so that I would have a physical activity to pursue on Day 1 of retirement. Now, my buddy Russell Kerr, who is also recently retired, and I paddle four or five times a week from Baby Beach in Dana Point Harbor.

For me, the mentally-stimulating activity was also in place upon retirement with my newspaper writing. One particular thing about my column topic—On Life and Love after 50—is that the number of people who find themselves single later in life keeps growing. People get divorced and become widows and widowers, and they are the people who I hear from the most and can help the most.

Column writing keeps me in touch with them. They email me with their experiences, questions and dilemmas. Their information helps keep the column fresh.

The subject never gets old; there is always something new that pops up.

This past Monday, I was in the CVS Pharmacy in Dana Point at Golden Lantern and Niguel Road getting a flu shot. Karen, one of the lovely employees who works there said, “I’ve been following your articles for years and used to see you at the deli.” I told San Clemente Times October 22-28, 2015

her I sold it and Karen said, “Oh, I know, I read about it in the newspaper.”

It’s simple, rewarding moments like Karen’s comment that encourage me to keep writing the column.

Last week, on the Finding Love After 50 Facebook page I oversee, one of the 470 members, Gina Woodruff of Long Beach, described how at age 50 she is starting to travel on her own to distant places, which I think is pretty brave for a single woman.

In the last couple months, she has been to New York City and Vancouver, British Columbia.

Her experiences are so interesting I recommended she create a blog and even publish an e-book on the unique topic of a single woman traveling alone. She says she will do that. Her writing and travel will help keep her young.

When seniors tell me they’d like to write a book, I encourage them to pursue e-book publishing, as it doesn’t cost much and it is relatively ON LIFE AND easy to do. In that way, LOVE AFTER 50 they can hand down their

By Tom Blake legacies to their families.

And while they are doing it, they will be exercising their brains.

The most heart-warming and rewarding aspect of my writing is when a senior couple says they met because of something they read in an article, or a book, or a column that I wrote.

To those who ask, “Are you going to continue writing?” my answer is simple: “Do you have a story to share?”

Tom Blake is a Dana Point resident and a former Dana Point businessman who has authored several books on middle-aged dating.

His latest book can be found online at, www. smashwords.com/books/view/574810. See his website at www.findingloveafter60.com (Yes, after 60, time rolls on.) To comment: tompblake@gmail.com. SC The age 50+ singles Meet and Greet is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 29, 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., at Tutor and Spunky’s Deli in Dana Point. No admission charge. Happy hour prices. Call 949.248.9008 for information.

PLEASE NOTE: In an effort to provide our readers with a wide variety of opinions from our community, the SC Times provides Guest Opinion opportunities in which selected columnists’ opinions are shared. The opinions expressed in these columns are entirely those of the columnist alone and do not reflect those of the SC Times or Picket Fence Media. If you would like to respond to this column, please email us at editorial@sanclementetimes.com

Oui Boutique owners (L to R): Shawna and Kurt Rose pose in their shop on Avenida Pico. Photo: Eric Heinz

Business Beat News from San Clemente’s business community COMPILED BY ERIC HEINZ

Expansion R&R Location Pending, 949.202.7807, www.rraudiovisual.com Richie LaRuffa, a music videographer from San Clemente and co-founder of R&R, is working with a team to provide opportunities for artists to equitably promote themselves in music videos and short film.

“I’ve been working throughout the industry for a while and one of the people I met when I was working on a music video, Ryan Mathis,” LaRuffa said.

Mathis, a music producer, and LaRuffa joined forces about a year ago to start up the company. Although most of their work is done in Los Angeles and other parts of Orange County, LaRuffa said he would like to set up a permanent location in San Clemente as their home base.

Also part of the team are Brian Blackburn, producer, marketer and promoter; Alex Lazzerentti, areal cinematographer; Gaston Carrizo, jib and crane cinematographer as well as an Emmy Award winner; and Mike Kudza, director of photography.

LaRuffa said they have shot pilots for television for HBO and other notable production companies.

“We’re all about talking to anyone who wants to make a music video because our biggest budget is like $15,000 and our smallest is $500,” LaRuffa said. “We like to take artists and see what they want to do. Every artist wants publicity and promotion. We find out what they want to

Page 32

do and sometimes we’ll do crowdfunding campaigns and we do everything that a record label does.”

One of the company’s main music videos is of the band Sapphire Road, which can be seen on the R&R website. Their mission statement, and punchline is, “We cultivate music inspiration into products.”

New Business OUI BOUTIQUE 415 E. Avenida Pico, 949.545.7176, www.ouiboutique.us Shawna Rose, owner of Oui Boutique, opened shop on Aug. 25 and has been helping people find their style ever since.

“I’ve been working with my mom for 12 years,” Shawna said. “She’s been in the (clothing) business for 30 years and started in La Jolla. We opened in Temecula and had been there for five years.”

Her fiancé, Kurt Rose, was in between jobs and decided to join Shawna in her business endeavor.

“We invested all the money we had into the store,” she said. “We couldn’t afford to open a typical boutique, so we were doing an outdoor market for four months. In that time, we raised enough capital to open.”

The boutique touts an assortment of clothing that caters to all ages. Bohemian and anthropological aspects set the theme of the boutique.

She said she chose San Clemente so she would be far enough as to not be in direct competition with her mother, but after finding the commercial space, she said she was called to the location.

“We would pull off the freeway and make sure the store was still available,” Shawna said. “We would say ‘Hi, store, we’re coming for you.’”

Store hours can be found on the business’ website. They are now open on Sundays. www.sanclementetimes.com

SC LIVING

Lots Going on With Our Marines Volunteers needed for upcoming events and more

BY CARLA HOGAN, SAN CLEMENTE TIMES

T

A group of people pose in traditional Bavarian garb during Oktoberfest on Saturday in San Clemente.

Photo: Eric Heinz

People gather prior to the Hunger Walk on Sunday in San Clemente. Photo Eric Heinz

Chelsie Catham, 3, sits on an OCSD motorcycle during the Readiness Festival. Photo: Eric Heinz

Weekend Events Bring Community Together Many attractions took place on Saturday, Sunday throughout San Clemente

BY ERIC HEINZ, SAN CLEMENTE TIMES

I

t was a whirlwind weekend for the Spanish City by the Sea. With many events taking place, locals and visitors alike were drawn to the area.

At the Hunger Walk to benefit Family Assistance Ministries, organizers raised more than $50,000 to help families in need during the weekend, according to the

FAM website.

The San Clemente Readiness Festival at the Church of Jesus Christ Latter Day Saints provided adults and children the opportunity to learn about safety and preparedness drills in the event of an emergency. And Oktoberfest took place in the parking lot of the Elks Lodge, with music and traditional Bavarian food to boot. SC

Sudoku

BY MYLES MELLOR Last week’s solution:

Each Sudoku puzzle consists of a 9x9 grid that has been subdivided into nine smaller grids of 3x3 squares. To solve the puzzle, each row, column and box must contain each of the numbers 1 to 9. Puzzles come in three grades: easy, medium and difficult. Level: Medium San Clemente Times October 22-28, 2015

See today’s solution in next week’s issue.

he Ball Gown Giveaway was a major success, we handed out over 600 gowns, evening dresses and accessories in a few hours. Over 400 Marine Corps Spouses attended and almost all of them left with a ball gown and 2 other items. It was a hot day, but the gals were sweet and so excited to have a dress to wear to the Marine Corps Ball. Thank you to all those of you who donated gently used gowns and especially to the community volunteers who participated by helping the spouses choose gowns, try them on, and in some cases helped with alterations. We couldn’t have done it without you.

Our first “Operator Challenge” shooting event in September was also very successful and exceptionally fun. It was a new format for us and at a new venue, FT3 Range in Westminster. There were a few glitches, but the shooters report that they loved the team shoot with five different firearms. Second Battalion 4th Marines walked off with trophies but it was a tight competition between 2/4 and the Recon team who came in second. I’m looking forward to a rematch in December. We raised enough money to continue shipping supplies to forward deployed units this fall, and got to see a bunch of good friends. What more could we want?

Early this month our good friends at Stance here in San Clemente hosted active duty Military families at their first ever Sample Sale. We are so grateful to them for hosting over 500 people on a Friday night. The guests made short work of all the food and walked off with most of the socks. I met some great people and got to see some old friends. Thank you, Stance.

That same night San Clemente High School faced Tesoro High School on the Football field in Rancho Santa Margarita.

Thanks to the football boosters from both schools we held a sock drive pitting the teams against one another to see who could collect the most socks for Socks for Heroes. Last year Tesoro won both the sock competition and the game, and this year the results were the same. The good news is that the teams collected enough socks that our shipment this month of 1,500 pairs was donated entirely by the teams.

We’ve been providing recreation grants Page 34

to active duty military families for four years. We pay a percentage of the cost of classes and programs available through the San Clemente Dept. of Beaches, Parks and Recreation based on rank, number of children and other extenuating circumstances up to 95 percent of the cost. In September we gave out $5,000 worth of grants. We’re pleased that swim lessons, mommy and me classes and preschool (to name a few) are now affordable for so many families.

There are lots of volunteer opportunities coming up.

On Oct. 29 from 4 p.m.-6 p.m. the 5th Marine Regiment is hosting a Trunk or Treat for Marine Corps Children. They are looking for community volunteers who would like to decorate the back of their vehicle, and/or dress up and/ or show up to help with the event. It will be held on the Parade Deck about 15 minutes away from San Clemente.

We’ll hand out candy to the kids and the Marines are building a haunted house in one of the buildings. It’s a fun afternoon with lots of small children (toddler to 10 years old), families and Marines.

The second and third week in November, the 1st Battalion 5th Marines will be deploying to the Pacific for six months.

We expect them to leave in four groups of approximately 200 Marines per group.

They meet on the Parade Deck two to three hours before they board busses to take them to their point of departure.

It’s a tough few hours for the families who choose to come down and wave goodbye. For the last six years Jim and I have chosen to show up on deck and supply food and drinks. We could always use and extra hand, so if you’d like to help let me know and I’ll be able to give you more information. It’s a nice way to let the Marines and their families know you care.

Finally, we’re having another Operator Challenge in early December. It will again be held at the FT3 Range in North County. If you shoot it’s a fun evening.

We’ll be able to accommodate more shooters (we had 200 slots last time) and we’ve already had some firearms donated for raffle prizes. It’s always a good time. The volunteers shoot for free, we provide food and drinks. Please come out and meet the Marines, Wounded Warriors and other military supporters who will be there.

If you would like to volunteer, please contact me at this address. Donations are always appreciated, please go to our website at www.scmsg.org to make a cash donation or call me at 949.357.5555 to donate goods or services. We are a 501(c)3, so all of you donations are taxdeductible.

Carla Hogan is a Gold Star Mother of Lance Cpl. Donald J. Hogan, killed in action in Afghanistan Aug. 26, 2009.

He was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross. Carla said she and her husband honor their son by serving his brothers. SC www.sanclementetimes.com

SC SPORTS & OUTDOORS San Clemente

STORIES, SCORES, SCHEDULES AND MORE

Triton Report COMPILED BY STEVE BREAZEALE

For in-game updates, scores, news and more for all of the San Clemente High School fall sports programs, follow us on Twitter @SouthOCsports.

Tritons Run to Top-10 Finishes at OC Championships Led by the efforts of Connor Dunne and Carlos De Jesus, the San Clemente High School boys’ cross-country team finished 10th overall at the Orange County Championships on Oct. 17 at Irvine Regional Park.

Dunne’s time of 15:45 earned him a 30th-place finish and De Jesus, who clocked in just seven seconds behind Dunne, took 40th at the prestigious race.

Sean Riley and Patrick Riley finished 61st and 64th, respectively.

The Tritons girls cross country team competed in the Division 2 varsity race at the OC Championships and placed fi fth overall.

San Clemente was led by sophomore Chandler Horton’s third-place finish.

Horton looped the track in a time of 18:31.

Senior Makenna Brownell (19:17) placed 20th and junior Marina McDonough (19:25) took 33rd.

Both Triton teams will make the trip to compete at the Mt. SAC Invitational on Oct. 24.

Golf Team Wins League Title The San Clemente girls’ golf team showed its depth that won them a South Coast League title at the league finals tournament on Oct. 20. All six of the Triton golfers advanced to the second day of competition for the first time in program history, and three players qualified for CIF individual competition.

Isabella Seeburger placed third at league finals, Olivia French placed sixth and Aria Dalkas placed seventh. Madi Wiedeman, Erica Cornelius and Olga Mihalik rounded out the rest of the Tritons rotation that competed at the event.

Seeburger, French and Dalkas will play in the CIF Southern Individual Regional at Dad Miller Golf Course on Oct. 26.

The Tritons finished the regular season with an 11-3 overall record, including a 7-1 mark in the South Coast League. The Tritons captured the league title for the first time since 2009.

As a team, the Tritons will continue postseason play at the CIF Southern Team San Clemente Times October 22-28, 2015

L to R: Carlos De Jesus, Connor Dunne, Sean Riley, Kaeden Carabba, Patrick Riley, Jeremy Brady and Daniel Hernandez and the San Clemente boys’ cross-country team placed 10th at the Orange County Championships on Oct. 17. Photo: Scott Riley

Championship at Lakewood Country Club on Nov. 2.

Triton Report: By The Numbers Through the use of statistics and numbers, we break down the special performances, trends and seasons being put together by San Clemente High School fall sports athletes and teams.

4 | Match medals won by senior golfer Isabella Seeburger this season.

Seeburger’s four medals, awarded to the lowest score in a nine-hole match, is the ninth-best mark in Orange County as of Oct. 22.

5 | Consecutive weeks in which junior wide receiver/running back Brandon Reaves has scored a touchdown for the Tritons football team. Reaves has scored at least twice in every game dating back to the Tritons Sept. 11 game against Dana Hills, recording 11 touchdowns in the process.

146 | Number of kills recorded by girls’ volleyball senior outside hitter Cali Hoye this season. Hoye is averaging 4.6 kills per set.

12-6 | The winning score in the San Clemente girls tennis team’s victory over Dana Hills on Oct. 1. It was the first time in school history that a Tritons girls’ tennis team defeated the Dolphins on the road.

10 | Average tackles per game for junior linebacker Ryan Russell. Russell, who has played in six games for the Tritons, leads the team with 60 total tackles.

56 | Number of steals recorded by the

Coming off Bye, Tritons Football Focuses on Hawks The Laguna Hills High School football team should have plenty of motivation when they travel to play San Clemente in a Sea View League matchup on Oct. 23.

The Hawks (5-2, 1-1 league) saw a 14-point lead evaporate in the second half against Capistrano Valley last week, as the Cougars rallied late and emerged with a 32-21 victory. The loss no doubt will still be on the minds of the Hawks, who are also playing inspired football for their head coach.

This will be the final go around in league play for Laguna Hills’ longtime coach Bruce Ingalls, who announced he will be stepping down from the job at the start of the year. Ingalls has been a coach on the Hawks staff for 29 years and has been the head coach for the past 17 seasons.

The Hawks won one game last season and have made a noticeable jump so far in 2015.

“You can definitely tell the kids are playing for (Ingalls),” San Clemente head coach Jaime Ortiz said. “It’s an honor and a privilege to coach against him this season. He’s one of the most respected coaches in Orange County. For us it’s a good test to kind of see where we’re at.”

The Tritons (5-2, 1-0) had no problem stopping Capistrano Valley and their prolific running back Tyler Waggoner on Oct. 9 in a 42-6 win, and Ortiz said the Hawks game plan will pose a similar threat this week. Ortiz said the Hawks are a run-dominant squad and will attempt to

slow things down by huddling up before plays. It should be a stark contrast to the Tritons, who employ a no-huddle, uptempo offense.

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San Clemente’s Isabella Seeburger has earned match medalist honors in four contests this season. Photo: Steve Breazeale

boys water polo team’s junior attack Sean Edwards, the seventh highest mark in the county.

8 | Passes deflected by sophomore safety Branden Wilson this season. Wilson also leads the football team with two interceptions.

9.3 | Senior running back Vlad Dzhabiyev’s average yards per carry this year. Dzhabiyev has been the Tritons go-to back, rushing for 485 yards and five touchdowns through seven games.

15:45 | Time posted by senior runner Connor Dunne at the 2015 Orange County Cross Country Championships on Oct. 17. Dunne finished 30th overall at the event. —Steve Breazeale The game against the Hawks will be the homecoming game, and the Tritons will take part in the annual homecoming parade on Avenida Del Mar before the game. www.sanclementetimes.com

SC SC SURF San Clemente

SC SURF IS PRESENTED BY:

SCOOP ON THE LOCAL SURF COMMUNITY

Hundreds of racers of all ages gather on the sand at Doheny State Beach, the starting line at the first ever Pacific Paddle Games, Oct. 10 and 11. Photo: Alex Paris

SC’s Candice Appleby a Big Winner at Pacific Paddle Games

BY ANDREA SWAYNE, SAN CLEMENTE TIMES

T

he inaugural Pacific Paddle Games, Oct. 10 and 11, at Doheny State Beach hosted hundreds of the world’s best paddle sports athletes and San Clemente’s own Candice Appleby came out on top, the overall winner among the pro division women.

Connor Baxter of Hawaii took top honors in men’s pro competition.

The two shared the majority of the largest paddle sports prize purse ever—$55,000.

The Manufacturers Team Challenge saw the Riviera Paddlesurf team in first, followed by the Infinity team in second, and in third, the FCS team. The teams competed for advertising in SUP the Mag magazine, online and in print.

A large field of local athletes earned great times, finishing high in the rankings at all levels, from juniors to adults.

For a link to full results and a photo slideshow from the event, visit www.sanclementetimes.com. SC

SURF FORECAST Water Temperature: 70-72 degrees F Water Visibility and Conditions: 8-12’+ Fair Thursday: Southwest swell continues as short to mid period WNW swell fades with mainly waistchest high (3-4’) surf. Standout combo exposures occasionally see some larger sets. Light/variable winds in the morning for mostly clean conditions, followed by moderate onshore flow in the afternoon.

Candice Appleby (left) of San Clemente, the overall winner among the professional level women at the first ever Pacific Paddle Games, Oct. 10-11 at Doheny State Beach, looks fast and fierce, making a dash for the finish line. Photo: Alex Paris

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Outllook: Fun size southwest swell continues for the end of the week, similar to what we’ll see on Wednesday, with larger southwest swell lining up in the longer term. Check the full premium forecast on Surfline for more details and the longer range outlook.

www.sanclementetimes.com

SC SURF

Striking Gold Team USA crowned world champion goldmedalists at the ISA World Junior Surfing Championship

BY ANDREA SWAYNE, SAN CLEMENTE TIMES

A

new class of prospectors—armed with surfboards and athleticism instead of pick axes and shovels— staked their claim and then struck gold on Sunday, Oct. 18, winning the International Surfing Association World Junior Surfing Championship for the first time in history.

The team fought through seven days of competition—Oct. 12 through 18 at Oceanside Pier—and more than 300 of the best surfers from 35 other countries, to become ISA world champion gold medalists, a title that has historically eluded the United States team.

With five surfers still in the competition—along with the strong finishes in repechage rounds by their teammates— team USA was in a great position going into the finals. The deal was sealed in the second finals heat of the day, Boys U16, with an individual gold medal performance

by Stevie Pittman (North Carolina), whose points contribution put them out of reach by their closest contenders, France, Hawaii, Australia and Japan. Pittman’s individual gold was also the first in ISA World Junior Championship history for the U.S. Team USA’s final point total was 7,536 out of a possible 10,240. Runner-up France had 6,565, followed by Hawaii in third place (6,385), Australia in fourth (5,516) and in fifth, Japan, with 5,140 points.

The team included two surfers from San Clemente—Colt Ward and Kei Kobayashi in Boys U18—as well as Jake Marshall (Encinitas) and Nolan Rapoza (Long Beach) also Boys U18; Luke Gordon (South Carolina), John Mel (Santa Cruz), Ryland Rubens (Pacific Beach) and Pittman in Boys U16; Tia Blanco (Oceanside) and Frankie Harrer (Malibu) in Girls U18;

GROM OF THE WEEK

RILEY BRANOM

R

iley Branom, 13, of Dana Point, learned to surf five years ago from his dad and has continued to practice and progress. This year he is competing in his second Western Surfing Association Championship Tour season and has just begun his first year of Scholastic Surf Series events as part of the Marco Forster Middle School surf team. We caught up with this talented eighth-grade longboarder after his first SSS event of the season to get to know him a bit better. Here is what he had to say San Clemente Times October 22-28, 2015

Team USA earned the first ever team gold medal for the United States at the ISA World Junior Surfing Championship, Oct. 12-18 at the Oceanside Pier. Photo: Andrea Swayne

and in Girls U16, Alyssa Spencer (Encinitas) and Tiare Thompson (La Jolla). Team USA is led by head coach Ryan Simmons and assistant coach Micah Byrne.

The five athletes in the final—Blanco (silver), Harrer (bronze), Marshall (bronze), Mel (copper) and Pittman (gold)—earned the most individual ISAWJC medals ever for team USA. The most a U.S. team had ever earned was four in 2004 in Tahiti and four in Ecuador in 2014. In the years in between, team USA struggled at ISA Worlds.

The previous best result for the country came in 2004 when the team brought home silver, competing in a field of 175 surfers from 23 countries. That year’s individual medalists were Karina Petroni, Erica Hosseini, Jeremy Johnston and San Clemente’s Tanner Gudauskas.

Kobayashi, who despite a string of quality performances in the first four days of competition went down in a tough repechage round, counted the team’s first-ever gold medal as the biggest honor in his surfing career so far. And although he said he was a bit disappointed with his performance, he believes the coaching, camaraderie and support of Surfing America— the San Clemente-based ISA-recognized national governing body for surfing in the U.S.—made all the difference.

“I’m really stoked and it is such an honor to be a part of this team and competing in my first ISA,” Kobayashi said. “It meant a lot to all of us, not just to win, but to win it for Coach Simmons. We are all so stoked! This meant a lot to him and for all of his hard work, picking the team and believing in us, we can’t thank him enough.”

Colt Ward, who ages out of junior-level competition next year, agreed.

“To bring home the team gold is amazing,” Ward said. “It’s what all of us wanted to do, going into this contest, and we did it!

We all worked super hard to get here, had a bunch of training camps through the year, and it paid off. Our team was so strong and even though I’m not going to be here next year, I think they can keep it going.”

“Hopefully we can back it up next year in the Azores,” Kobayashi added. “We are sure going to try.”

Team alternates, Malia Osterkamp (San Clemente), Nick Marshall (Encinitas) and Luke Marks (Florida) joined Jake Marshall and Kobayashi to win a copper medal in the Aloha Cup—a special 50-minute event where four boys and one girl from each country surf three waves apiece.

All three waves count and all five surfers’ scores contribute to a team score.

Coach Simmons referred to the goldmedal victory as “one of the best feelings

on a variety of subjects: Practice: At least three times a week.

Current focus: Noseriding.

Favorite break: Doheny.

Competition: Winning feels good and it’s really fun to go to good spots that are usually crowded and surf with only a few other people. It’s also great practice. Because of the time limit you sometimes do stuff on waves that you normally wouldn’t and then find out that you can do it.

Farthest travel in search of waves: Oregon and Pismo Beach, but I really want to go to Hawaii and Fiji.

School: I’m bored with middle school. I’m ready to go to high school. You get a block

schedule and more classes to choose from.

Other sports: Skateboarding and bodyboarding at Salt Creek.

Fave grinds: Tacos—my dad’s tacos. I don’t like my mom’s tacos but I really like that she drives me to the beach all the time.

Sponsors: Hobie. I’ve been on the Hobie Warehouse Team for about a year.

Board: I ride a 9’ 6” Hobie custom, shaped by Gary Larson. It’s super-fast and the rails are sharp so it turns really well.

Going pro: I just want to have fun surfing for as long as I can.

Surfing: I love surfing because I like having fun out in the water and it makes me feel great. It’s not like anything else; I can’t

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of (his) life,” when asked how he felt to stand on the podium with his team as ISA President Fernando Aguerre presented them with the championship trophy and then went down the line, placing a gold medal around each of their necks.

“This was a really good team with everyone coming together and supporting each other. It was truly a team effort to get it done, and that’s why we won,” Simmons said. “We had some kids who had experience and the new kids were kind of taken under the wings of the veterans. The rookies learned from them all week long. We started strong and we never let up, never thought we had it won, so I think that was kind of the key. We kept our noses down and kept pushing forward to make sure that we got the gold.”

Surfing America Executive Director Greg Cruse said that although garnering funding for the team has historically been a challenge, the coaching, training and strong camaraderie among team members, built over the last three years, figured heavily into the win. Also figuring in was the team’s determination to compensate for the loss of three top performers—Griffin Colapinto (San Clemente) and Caroline Marks (Florida, recently moved to SC) to injuries right before the event, along with Kanoa Igarashi (Huntington Beach), who didn’t qualify because he didn’t surf the USA Champs.

“The alternates chosen to fill those spots were scrappy and they really wanted it.

They gutted it out, did what they needed to do and we made it to the top of the podium,” Cruse said. “This victory is awesome.

It’s been a long hard road and we kind of ‘MacGyvered it’ with bubblegum and bailing wire, to have the resources to do it. But we all pitched in together and with amazing surfers, amazing coaches and amazing parents, we pulled through in the end.”

This first-time team gold for the U.S. could prove to be a historic triumph for another reason—team members could very well be among the first surfers ever to compete for the U.S. in the 2020 Olympics.

Last month the 2020 Tokyo Olympics organizing committee officially requested the addition of surfing, a move the International Olympic Committee is expected to approve in August 2016. SC

Riley Branom. Photo: WSA/Jack McDaniel

describe it. It’s just super fun and getting barreled is the best feeling ever.—Andrea Swayne www.sanclementetimes.com