April 2023 Newsletter

Scotts Valley Community Awards Gala

Friday, April 14th — A Few Tickets Left

Join us on Friday, April 14th as we celebrate the leaders in our Community at Roaring Camp Railroads Bret Harte Hall. The space is a 6,000 square foot rustic barn with wrought-iron chandeliers, twinkle lights, and decorations.

Through massive doors, the indoor space opens to a covered outdoor reception

area and a beautiful meadow. This year’s Theme is “Back to the Future”.

Guests are encouraged to dress as their favorite decade or character in the movies.

The evening of celebration will begin at 5:00 pm with dinner catered by Bruno’s Bar & Grill, desserts by the Hot Pink Box

Kendra Kannegaard Woman of the Year

Kendra Kannegaard is a proud product of the Scotts Valley School District and loved her time there so much that she decided to make a career of it. After graduating from SVHS in 2012, Kendra began working as the after school director for the plays at the high school, which sparked her love of teaching and became her true calling.

She attended Cabrillo College where she earned an AA in Theatre Arts. She then transferred to San Jose State where she received her BA, also in Theatre Arts, followed by a Teaching Credential in English.

This is her fifth year at Scotts Valley High as the drama teacher, her third year as a freshman English teacher and her eleventh year as the director of the drama productions.

She is grateful every day to have the best job in the world and to be surrounded by such amazing, kind, driven and talented students.

In addition to teaching, Kendra is also on the board for the Scotts Valley Community Theatre Guild and has served as a member of the Scotts Valley ADA Committee. Last summer, she married her high school sweetheart,

Luke, who she met at her very first drama audition at SVHS.

Kendra is honored beyond words to have been recognized with such an incredible distinction and would like to thank the community for their unending support.

Dessert Company, and dancing until 10:00 pm. Cheryl Rebottaro will be returning again as this year’s Master of Ceremonies. There will also be live music with the Joint Chiefs Band, many raffle items, and a brief live auction conducted by Chamber Ambassador and Auctioneer Kevin Anderson.

Opportunities to showcase your business by becoming a sponsor are available now!

Contact Executive Director, Danny Reber at dreber@scottsvalleychamber. com or 831-588-9392. Tickets to attend the gala can be purchased via the Chamber’s website scottsvalleychamber.com

Roger Snyder Man of the Year

Roger and his wife Michele were always active in their four daughters’ schools. Roger served as chaperone on five 6th grade Yosemite science camps, and worked to pass three local measures to provide funding to rebuild our Middle School and increase teacher salaries.

Roger has served on the Scotts Valley school board since 2016. As board president for 2 years, he helped lead the schools through the challenges of COVID-19, and began addressing diversity issues. He now serves on the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) Steering Committee to continue this important work.

Roger also led the countywide trustees association for two years, fostering communications and collaboration across the county.

To advocate for improved school funding, Roger joined the California School Board Association (CSBA) Delegate Assembly in 2020. He has met with our state and federal representatives, and advocated for the need for special education funding reform.

Why is Roger so passionate about public education? “If we can educate our students to be compassionate and curious about the world and people around them,

they can reduce divisions, solve problems, and lead us all to a kinder, better world.”

This year Roger was appointed to the board of directors of CSBA, now advocating for the needs of public-school students across Santa Cruz, Monterey, San Benito, and San Luis Obispo counties.

Roger also serves the community through San Agustin Catholic church, cochairing the annual Fiesta for six years, and serving in the food pantry.

Roger is forever grateful for the support of his wife and daughters. On Saturday mornings, he can be found on Its Beach with them and his goofy dog Gus.

Scotts Valley Chamber News

Lisa Jacobs Educator of the Year Q Licht Youth of the Year

Brook Knoll’s Resource/Educational Specialist, Lisa Jacobs, has lived her lifelong dream to make a difference as a preschool through twelfth-grade teacher, for over 35 years.

Lisa has always treasured children’s diverse learning styles which helped her develop a highly individualized student approach, where each student’s need motivates her to find the most recent, and relevant information to apply to their success. Extensive travels have allowed her to

foster an understanding and love of the diversity that makes individuals, and cultures unique and wonderful.

In order to best meet the unique needs of all students, Lisa obtained multiple credentials and certifications including: K-12 Multiple Subjects; Learning Disabilities; Teacher of Visually Impaired; Behavioral Intervention; Second-Language Learner; National Association of Mental Illness (NAMI), and Educator of Autism.

Lisa’s dream of sharing knowledge, insight, and compassion with her many students has been especially important during significant challenges students have had to navigate with evacuations, the Pandemic, and reentering the complexity of social interactions.

Lisa is honored to collaborate with exceptional teachers, staff, families, and community members to help develop students’ confidence and unique skills, so they can go out into the world and make a difference of their own. She couldn’t have made this impact without support from her large family, husband, children, and grandchildren who graciously share her attention with her family of students.

Lisa says “My greatest wish is that my students will believe in themselves as much as I will always believe in them”.

Celebrating 42 Years of Managing & Selling Homes throughout Santa Cruz County — 1981 - 2023

$4200/mo 3BR/2BA Duplex unit on Old Orchard in Los Gatos/Santa Cruz Mtns. Incredible views. Wrap-around deck. Some utilities incl. Available Now

$3200/mo 2BR/2BA House S. Polo Drive in Aptos. Bonus room. W/D incl. Yard. Storage. Pet ok. Available mid-April

$1600/mo Newly Renovated Studio Cottage on Redwood in Boulder Creek. Close to town. No pets. Available mid-April

$1450/mo Private room in a house on Glenwood Drive in Scotts Valley. Private bathroom. Laundry. Full kitchen. Deck. Views. PG&E & Water incl. Available Now

QLicht is a senior at Scotts Valley High School. He founded the Purple Sticker Project to make books with positive LGBTQ+ representation more accessible to students.

He participated in the Santa Cruz County Office of Education’s $30,000 LGBTQ+ Literature Project, which will distribute curated lists of ten books with positive LGBTQ+ representation to every public elementary, middle, and high school in the county.

Q worked as a Santa Cruz County Queer and Trans Youth Councilmember, where he surveyed over eight hundred high school students and administrators to improve the safety and accessibility of school all-gender bathrooms. He co-designed an LGBTQ+ themed Safe Space poster that is now in classrooms, offices, and stores all over the county and beyond.

Q served on the 2022 Queer and Trans Youth Summit planning committee, helping coordinate this annual severalhundred-person event.

Last year, he spoke at a City Council meeting in support of flying the pride flag at City Hall for Pride Month.

He has spoken about the importance of listening to and respecting LGBTQ+ youth at several Santa Cruz County Office of Education town hall meetings, the California Curriculum and Instruction Steering Committee Symposium, and the State of Mind radio show.

WATER MAIN FLUSHING

The District begins flushing water mains on April 10. Flushing helps to maintain the capacity of the distribution system and to protect treated water quality by removing deposits built up inside the pipelines. Water service impacts to customers will be minimal and water will remain safe to drink. Learn more at www.svwd.org

Cruise Coffee Café Business of the Year

of 2 businesses. Erin launched Cruise Coffee in 2018 after spending over 20 years as a nanny. Inspired by her long commute back and forth on 17, she came up with the name Cruise Coffee and her Signature blend EFD — “Every F___’n Day.”

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It was such a success that she knew she wanted to take it further … unfortunately, the country was in the middle of a pandemic.

In 2020 when Erin was presented with a chance to open a cafe at the Metro Station, she knew who to call.

Brand-di spent over 17 years as a behavioral therapist before committing to her side-hustle, The Hot Pink Box full-time. Her baking skills came from her love for cookbooks, her grandmother who would bake with her

when she’d get home from school, and her mother who would take her to cake decorating classes.

In 2007 when numerous friends began to ask her to bake cakes and various desserts for their weddings, The Hot Pink Box Dessert Catering Co. was born.

Erin and Brand-di met in 2018 when Brand-di, a board member for the Scotts Valley Chamber of Commerce, was organizing the food for Scotts Valley Art, Wine & Beer Festival. She was searching for a local coffee vendor and discovered Erin’s drivethru on Mount Hermon Road.

Erin handles the coffee and customer service side of things and Brand-di handles the sweets. Together they make up Cruise Coffee Café.

Diversity Equity Inclusion Allyship (DEIA) Community Group Organization of the Year

The Scotts Valley Diversity Equity Inclusion Allyship (DEIA) Community Group is committed to representing and reflecting the diverse backgrounds of our families and community members so that all our community members feel valued, respected, and engaged.

They believe a diverse, inclusive, and equitable community in our neighborhoods and schools is crucial for safety and well-being, and prepares our children to participate in a complex, interconnected society.

Ashley Perlitch is the founder of the group and its other members include:

Elisa Ballantyne, Jen Santillana, Rosa Lee, Lindsey Rise, Christina McQueen, Amee Sawney, Grace Kau, Vina Patel, Chrissy Diaz, Aimee Jacobson, Vaishali Patel, Petrina Burkard, Autumn Feather, Paula Pasquini, Andrea Kowalewski Orlando, Ildi Carlisle-

Summins, Marlene Bennett, and Andy Perlitch.

In 2020, Brook Knoll’s BKEC sent out a school survey. The results indicated that not all families felt represented, supported, or welcomed at school.

The following year the district released a similar survey and found that all SVUSD campuses reported similar results. The Scotts Valley Diversity Equity Inclusion Allyship (DEIA) Community Group was started by dedicated parents in an effort to change that narrative and embrace the diversity of our students.

The parents come from many different backgrounds and are committed to working together with Scotts Valley Unified School District to gain understanding of these complex issues on our campuses and provide support for our students.

Scotts Valley Chamber News

Shaeffer Chamber Ambassador of the Year

Tobin Shaeffer is a real estate agent for Intero Real Estate Services and Intero Commercial Real Estate. Tobin primarily focuses in Santa Cruz County, helping clients sell, buy, and lease property. His clients enjoy his integrity, professionalism, and commitment to the community.

After serving in the U.S. Navy

from 1988-1992, Tobin settled in Santa Cruz to be near his family. He is a graduate of Cabrillo College and raised his children in Santa Cruz. Originally a volunteer for the Scotts Valley Art, Wine, and Beer Festival, Tobin joined the Scotts Valley Chamber of Commerce and became a Chamber Ambassador.

He has been the Chairperson for

the Beer Committee for the festival since 2019 helping to secure quality vendors and promoting the Festival.

Tobin is also luthier who has been building acoustic guitars since 1993. He got his start at Santa Cruz Guitar Company before understudying at English Violins and eventually building his own designs.

“To surrender dreams — This may be madness.” — Miguel de Cervantes

Saavedra

Ten years ago, long-time Scotts Valley resident and performing arts enthusiast/theater operator, Lee Besse, created the Scotts Valley Community Theater Guild (SVCTG) and staffed it with fellow diverslybackgrounded enthusiasts.

Shortly after its creation, SVCTG began in its grand adventure, comparable to the fabled, noble quest of Don Quixote, de la Mancha.

With help from hundreds of volunteers, contractors, and financial support from Scotts Valley citizens, the SVCTG overcame countless challenges and conquered many windmills, including:

1) demolishing and repurposing the space into a professional theater, featuring 264-velour seats from the Bellagio Hotel, a 5,000 sq. ft. stage from Arizona State University, and 3 tech operation towers;

2) navigating regulations and City concerns;

3) managing the building progress through the pandemic and making the space available to CAL FIRE during the 2020 fires.

Since its Grand Opening in October 2022, SVCTG aka “The Venue at Scotts Valley” has hosted the Santa Cruz Film Festival, Hitchcock Film Festival, dance recitals, jazz concerts, choral performances, children’s ballet recitals, city government presentations, and

Christian Youth Theater’s winter musical production. It has received an official visit/recognition from the California State Senate as well as a major grant from the California Nonprofit Performing Arts Grant Program.

While the roads traveled were similarly treacherous, the glorious difference between Don Quixote’s and SVCTG’s quests is that Scotts Valley has a brand new, gorgeous, and operational cultural and performing arts center for all to enjoy.

Tobin

Scotts Valley Community Theater Guild Claire Hodgin Beautification Award