Dedicated teams of teachers, parents and students

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Connection
El Centro Connection
El
Centro
Sunflower earns Distinguished School award!
Dedicated teams of teachers,
parents and students
credited for achievement
A quarterly publication of the City of El Centro, the Central Union High School District,
the El Centro Elementary School District, and the El Centro Regional Medical Center.
Inside
CUHSD stories:
By Jason Zara
This publication was produced on behalf of the
City of El Centro, El Centro Elementary School
District, Central Union High School District and El
Centro Regional Medical Center by Reliance
Communications, a public relations agency owned
and operated by Bill Gay. Jason Zara, Bill Gay and
Bob Liggett were contributing writers. The photographers were Danica Kimball and Meg Ryan. The
publication design and layout was by Meg Ryan at
Imagine Enterprises. Telephone 337-4754.
Reliance Communications is located at 548 Main
St., El Centro. Telephone 337-1700.
Teachers often receive little recognition for their hard work and dedication, but Sunflower Elementary
School has been recognized by the
state as a Distinguished School.
The Distinguished School award
doesn’t provide cash incentives or big
prizes: it’s more important than that.
“It’s a validation of what goes on
here,” said Sunflower Principal Bob
Duncan.
The school had to reach certain
levels of API scores to apply for the
award, and then the staff came
together to discuss the school’s
strengths and weaknesses and put
together an application.
The process was very inclusive,
with the entire staff, faculty, parents
— everyone who wanted to have
input — involved in the process.
Then a group of seven staff members
took that input and boiled it down to
an application.
Kindergarten teacher Dolores
Valenzuela said “They asked us to
discuss our strengths and our weaknesses, so we got
together as a whole
staff.”
The state sent a
delegation to visit
the campus after
receiving the application, and soon
Sunflower was one
of 240 schools honored in the state out
of 1,400 nominated.
Lisa
Legakes,
first-grade teacher,
said, “When they
came and observed
they were very positive.”
Said Valenzuela:
“Our school is a
very well-rounded
school. We have a
diverse
ethnic
makeup.”
Scoring for the distinguished elementary school award was based on a
number of criteria including vision
and standards, student assessment,
curriculum and instructional practices and teacher professionalism.
When asked what
were some of the
strengths
at
S u n f l o w e r ,
Valenzuela
and
Legakes said the
school has a great
many
wonderful
programs.
The
library and computer
labs are very valuable, they said, and there are programs for various special needs from
after school tutoring to special day
classes. Overall, however, the people
are what make the difference.
“The main thing that’s great about
Sunflower is you have a really great
team of teachers,” Legakes said.
“They are willing to accommodate
students’ needs.
“It’s definitely a combination of
staff and students,” she said. “We
have great kids here … we wouldn’t
be able to be as successful as we have
if we didn’t have great kids and great
parents.”
Geneva Davidson, computer lab
supervisor, said the award was recognition for programs that were already
in place, and wasn’t something the
school went out of its way to win.
“It was stuff that we had already
done … we just had the application to
put it down in writing and be
acknowledged for it,” she said.
The various aspects of the school
work well together. Duncan said the
computer lab is tied to class curriculum, the librarian gathers special
material for class projects; the staff
work together in many ways to support the teaching effort. There are
also parent volunteers in the classrooms, bringing families into the
equation and motivating students to
succeed.
Duncan said after the evaluation
process leading to the award, it was
“not a question of making big
changes, just focusing and fine-tuning.”
He added: “There are a lot of people who are no longer here who have
partial responsibility for this award.”
Monday, June 3, 2002
Residents helping design
EC growth, development
New algebra academy . . . . . . .2
Speaker stirs teachers, parents . . 2
CUHS Academic Decathalon. . . 6
Appreciating teachers. . . . . . . 6 By Bill Gay
Solis: Merit Scholar. . . . . . . . . . 7
The City of El Centro has begun a yearlong
Retiring faculty. . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 process to update its General Plan, the city’s pri-
Solis is
Hispanic
National
Merit Scholar
Page 7
ECESD stories:
Summer school plans. . . . . . . . .3
Budget discussion. . . . . . . . . . 3
Montenegro replacing Taylor. . . 3
Students visit Salton Sea. . . . . . . 8
Sunflower is Distinguished! . . . 12
Montenegro to
replace Taylor,
Assistant
Superintendent
Page 3
mary blueprint for growth and development and it
is seeking public involvement to assist the effort.
“Updating the general plan presents an important
and exciting opportunity for El Centro to establish
and update goals, policies, and implementation programs to guide the City for the next 10 to 20 years,”
said City Manager Abdel Salem.
El Centro, along with every other city and county in California, is required by law to have a general plan.
The current El Centro plan was updated in 1989,
and portions have been amended since then to
reflect changes in the community. The City
Council last year authorized city staff to begin a
comprehensive update of the plan in order to
address changing economic, environmental, social,
legal, and other conditions.
“The update process also challenges the community to renew our vision for the future and set
Infant car seat program. . . . . . . .1
Physical therapy. . . . . . . . . . .5
Diabetes education. . . . . . . . . . .5
Something for the future. . . . . .10
ECRMC celebrates nurses . . . . 11
RN talks about ECRMC. . . . . 11
city’s strengths and desirable attributes, he added.
The first of a series of public workshops and
meetings were held in May and another is scheduled this summer. A workshop was held May 9 in
See General Plan, page 10
— the ECRMC infant car seat program
By Bob Liggett
Most new parents leave El
Centro Regional Medical
Center with their infant securely and safely belted into in a
brand new car seat, a parting
gift from the hospital.
The program is more than
generosity on the part of the
hospital. Its underlying purpose is to encourage new mothers to seek and obtain proper
prenatal care.
It is a given for both doctors
Helping
patients get
back to
100%
Page 5
City stories:
General plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
Summer rec. activities. . . . . . .4
Who’s building where. . . . . . 9
ECPD’s high-tech equipment 9
Nuisance abatement. . . . . . . . 9
Imperial Avenue closure. . . . 10
Summer
recreation
activities
planned
Page 4
goals, objectives, and action plans to achieve that
vision,” Salem said.
Such vision will reflect desired changes to promote a sustainable community and enhance the
overall quality of life, as well as emphasize the
Safe pregnancies and beyond
ECRMC stories:
Anthony Martinez, 8, (photos
counter clockwise from upper
left) reaches into a bowl of water
while learning about buoyancy
during Celia Bazan’s second
grade class. Yea Eun Shin, 6 and
Alice Lee, 5, react to a camera in
Judy Isaacson’s kindergarten
room. Alexis Johnson, 7, works
during Mrs. Bazan’s class.
Crispin Beltran, 8 and Sophia
Rodriguez, both 8, work on the
buoyancy project and Ronald
Quinn, 5, gets ready to play a
game of bingo.
Danica Kimball photos
Dennis Berg (photo above) listens during a meeting at the El
Centro Community City about the city’s general plan. Eliezer
Risco gestures as he speaks up during the meeting (top photo)
and Willa Gentry listens intently.
Danica Kimball photos
Gionna Bertussi, RN, assists Nadia
Bustamonte, a new mom, with securing her son,
Isaac, born May 8, into a car seat at ECRMC.
and nurses in the hospital’s
Women’s Center that prenatal
care translates into healthier
mothers and infants. The quality of care accorded both once
in the hospital also can be
enhanced by ensuring the
physician and staff have a complete medical history of the
pregnancy at the time of admission.
The parents, however, are
supposed to qualify. Criteria
for receiving an infant car seat
are: 1. that the patient
begin prenatal care at
least 16 weeks into the
pregnancy or before; 2.
that the patient has at
least 10 visits to her
physician’s office prior to
delivering, and 3. that the
patient has attended the
hospital’s free “prenatal”
classes. Prenatal classes
also are offered by the
Danica Kimball photos
Imperial Valley Women’s
Clinic on Orange Avenue at
Dogwood Road.
Linda Watson, Imperial
Valley Women’s Clinic manager, said the Women’s Clinic
inaugurated the program about
10 years ago to encourage
expectant mothers to get prenatal care. Distributing the car
seats, however, proved to be a
financial drain on the clinic and
the hospital took it over.
“But the program is very
good. It works,” Watson said.
The seats are designed to
serve the infant for one year, or
when it reaches a weight of 20
pounds. The infant seats are
buckled into the rear seat of the
car with the baby inclined at
about a 45-degree angle, facing
toward the rear. The car seats
are detachable and can also be
used as a convenient carrier.
See Infant car seats, page 10
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June 3, 2002
New steps toward
success in algebra
By Jason Zara
Success or failure in ninth-grade mathematics can steer the future course of a student. This
year, the Central Union High School District will be staging a summer algebra academy to
make sure students are on the right path.
“If students don’t succeed in their first year (of math) … their chance of going on to a
four-year institution is diminished,” said Sheri Hart, director of special projects for the
district. “They’ve got to be successful in ninth grade math.”
Incoming ninth-graders will have the opportunity to participate in the six-week
program starting June 17. They will attend class for four hours each day, followed
by an hour of tutoring and an hour of recreation.
There will also be in-class tutoring available.
The program is at Southwest High School for all incoming freshmen in the
district. Four teachers will serve between 80 and 100 students, and the students had to apply for the program and turn in two letters of recommendation.
Because of the commitment required, Hart said, the parents are involved as
well. Parents were required to attend an informational meeting on the program, and will attend three more meetings over the course of the six weeks.
Hart said the students are expected to attend every day and complete all the work,
and it will take “considerable effort” on the part of the parents to support the program.
The students are “going to be doing a lot of hands-on activities,” Hart said.
The teachers will be attending four hours of training each day after class
for the first four weeks. The training will introduce the latest teaching strategies, and is being offered in conjunction with San
Diego State University Imperial Valley as part of the
Algebra Flagship Institute - California Math
Project.
Hart said the academy is being offered
through the University of California Office of
the President. It is part of a wider commitment
on the part of the UC system.
“It is the University of California’s commitment to Imperial County to create a collegegoing culture,” said Hart. “It’s a pilot project.”
Dr. Blas Guerro explains the summer
algebra academy to parents of incoming
ninth graders at an evening meeting at
Southwest High School. CUHSD’s Sheri
Hart, CUHSD’s Director of Special
Projects (top photo) also talks to parents
attending (photos at left).
Danica Kimball photos
El Centro Connection
Speaker stirs
teachers,
parents
By Jason Zara
“It’s not my problem.”
“What are you going to do about it?”
“Why should I care?”
Dr. Zacharie J. Clements recently spoke to
teachers and parents in the Central Union
High School District on the topic of
“Successful Schools: A School and Home
Partnership.”
While there were relatively few parents at
the presentation — the small crowd at his
evening presentation was made up almost
entirely of staff and administration — his message was nonetheless important.
Parents blame schools, teachers blame parents — but Clements said it is time for everyone to take their share of the responsibility and
work together. School, home, friends — no
one aspect of a student’s life shapes them
entirely. It will take a combination of parents
and teachers to reach the goal of having students graduate, ready to be functioning members of society.
Clements has been lecturing for more than
35 years, and this was not his first appearance
in the district.
He spoke last year, and Superintendent
Richard Fragale said it was not a question of if
he would be asked back, but when.
“He’s the only person I’ve ever heard who
can make you laugh and cry within 10 seconds,” Fragale said. “He’s an amazing speaker.”
Clements also addressed staff in a separate
meeting earlier in the day of his evening presentation. His presentations were on May 8, the
Day of the Teacher.
Fragale said he has known Clements for
about 22 years, and Clements was also the
keynote speaker at the beginning of the year.
During his introduction of Clements, Fragale
said, “His message is very profound, worthwhile.”
Clements drew upon many life experiences,
and his message was very personal. He reminisced of his own father’s discipline, and the
expectation that he would never get a call
home from school. But he said “in-my-day
disease” is a big problem — everyone wants
things to be like the “good old days,” but not
everyone is willing to take steps to fix problems.
“Let us never forget what we are trying to
accomplish,” he said.
Each child should have a positive selfimage, a sense of hope and a feeling of love
and being loved. And that goal is going to take
more than just parents or teachers; it will take
a combined effort.
He said when people lose sight of their daily
blessings, negativity sets in. There is always a
problem to be found if you go looking for it so
people need to focus on what they have and
what is good in their lives. The schools aren’t
perfect, he said, but the partnership with parents has to be about solutions, not problems.
“Come on in if you’ve got a concern,” says
Clements, “but come in bearing an olive
branch, not a club.”
El Centro Connection
ECRMC celebrates its
own nurses...
with gusto
By Bob Liggett
El Centro Regional Medical Center had reason to
celebrate during the National Nurses’ Week observance May 6-12. At a time when the shortage of
nurses has reached crisis proportions nationally, a
contingent of 15 registered nurses has been recruited
from the Philippine Islands to join the hospital staff.
Other things, of course, were going on during
Nurses Week. El Centro Mayor Larry Grogan issued
Galindo
a proclamation. A recognition dinner honored seven
staff nurses, all nominated by peers for “exemplifying the person you want taking care of you or your family.”
A class offering continuing education credits was conducted, as well as a fourhour vendors fair at which nurses could purchase both professional and personal
items.
Virgie Galindo, assistant administrator and chief nursing officer, and Judy
Hamilton, director of education, joined a contingent representing five other hospitals from New Mexico, Kentucky, Texas, New York and Washington on a recruiting trip to Cebu, on the island of Visayan, in the Philippines. The Regional Medical
Center was the only hospital from California represented.
Galindo said she and Hamilton “really hustled” to line up the recruits. “It was
hectic and very competitive,” she said in describing the interview sessions that went
from 7 a.m. to at least 7 p.m. “We took a lot of information with us about
California, El Centro and our hospital to help in the recruiting effort.”
The first of those recruits already has joined the ECRMC nursing staff and has
moved, with her family, to El Centro. Jennifer Varquez has been a registered nurse
since 1994, and holds both a bachelor of science degree in nursing from Cebu
University and a master of arts degree from the Cebu Doctor’s College.
She was previously employed at an 800-bed Philippine government hospital and
has had experience on the medical-surgical floor as well as in labor and delivery,
emergency room, intensive care and the orthopedic ward. She and her husband,
John Louis, have two children. He is an engineer with expertise in the telecommunications field.
The second of the recruits, Nikki Blanco, is scheduled to arrive in El Centro to
join the staff this month. Blanco holds a bachelor of science degree in nursing
from Silliman University in Demaguerte City, in the Philippines. She has been a
registered nurse since 1996, and has been working in a 200 bed medical center in
Cebu City. She has experience in medical-surgical, emergency room and pediatrics.
Galindo said the 13 remaining recruits will arrive sporadically over the next several months.
The Nurses Week celebration also included a half day of continuing education
classes as well as fun, food and entertainment. Dr. Zacharie Clement, a nationally known motivational speaker, presented a dynamic message, “Miracles Begin
with You,” to help nurses cope with today’s work challenges and prevent burnout.
Dr. Clement has made more than 2,000 appearances in a 25-year career that has
included stints as an award-winning teacher and university professor.
Galindo and Hamilton joined up as instructors for a class on “Cultural
Perspectives in Nursing.” Galindo said the class dealt primarily with imparting
information about various cultural beliefs and traditions and how they impact
patient care. She said the information also is important in working with a staff comprised of different cultures.
The seven nurses honored for outstanding performances were Opal Thomas, a
licensed vocational nurse assigned to the medical-surgical floor; Judy Cruz, R.N.,
a member of the education staff; Kirby Viestenz, R.N., surgical services nurse in
the Endoscopy Department; Martha Pieros, R.N., house supervisor; Becky
Heineki, R.N., from the hospital’s Valley Family Care Clinics; Carlos Ramirez,
R.N., a critical care nurse in the Intensive Care Unit, and Chiara Rodriguez, R.N.,
in the maternal-child unit of the Women’s Center.
The day-long program celebrating Nurse’ Week also included entertainment
appropriate to the theme of the continuing education class — folk dances representing Hawaii, Mexico, Korea, Philippines and Canada as well as early American
folk dances.
It was a day the hospital could express appreciation to its nursing staff, welcome
new nurses and highlight its own contribution to the critical nationwide nursing
shortage.
June 3, 2002
Page 11
RN sees hospital
in new light
By Bob Liggett
A veteran nurse at El Centro Regional
Medical Center has learned that giving care is
one thing and “being on the receiving end of it”
quite another, “something we will never forget.”
Joyce Lightfoot, who has been on the hospital’s nursing staff since 1976, lost her mother
and her father within a space of 13 days in
March, but has only praise and a “heart felt
thank you for the kindness, dignity, love and
care shown to both” by hospital doctors and
nurses.
Her mother, Vivian Wilkeson, of Salton City,
died within weeks after undergoing complicated spinal surgery and her father, Samuel, suffered a massive stroke almost within hours of
his wife’s arrival home from the hospital following her surgery. She was 83; he was 81.
They had been married 56 years.
A spreading cancer ended the almost peripatetic life of her mother. “She was always
doing something,” recalled Joyce. She played
in a golf tournament in
November. She was an active
participant in a water aerobics
program with a group of
friends. She traveled extensively and was a talented musician, playing both piano and
organ.
Her father, “a laid back
Irishman” and a “very caring
father,” met Vivian while serving in the Air Force during
World War II, and never
returned to his native
Pennsylvania. He once was a
policemen in Santa Ana and
later became an electrician.
The couple moved to Salton
City in 1958, where he became a minister for
the Church of Christ and founded a small congregation there, building the church and serving
that congregation for more than 40 years.
Vivian taught a Bible class. Coincidentally,
Joyce’s husband, Larry Lightfoot, a retired
mechanic, is a lay preacher in the West Side
Church of Christ in El Centro.
As a young woman during World War II,
Joyce’s mother was the quintessential “Rosie
the Riveter,” working in a Los Angeles aircraft
plant. But she was soon playing trombone,
piano, and base for the still-popular professional dance bands of the post-war era. She was
once a member of the Jimmy Dorsey band, and
performed in some of the best known ballrooms
in California.
“It was heart breaking to see this very active
woman reduced to helplessness,” said her
daughter. “She was in too much pain to sleep
and couldn’t lie down.” She was admitted to the
hospital through the emergency room by Dr.
Jose Rocamora.
El Centro Orthopedist Dr. Francisco Diaz’s
initial diagnosis was shoulder spurs, but he also
ordered a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
examination.
“The bone spurs were there,” Joyce recalled,
but the MRI also showed a cancerous growth
around her upper spine that “ had turned part of
Vivian and Samuel
Wilkeson ( photo at left),
of Salton City, pause for
the camera. Their daughter, Joyce Lightfoot
(above), an RN at
ECRMC, talks about
being on the receiving
end of medical care at the
hospital when both her
parents needed help
recently.
Danica Kimball photo
her spine to mush.”
Dr. Travis Calvin, an El Centro neurosurgeon,
removed the cancerous growth and replaced the
damaged section of spine with metal rods. “By
the time she was released and taken to the home
of a son, Sam Jr., in Salton City, to convalesce,
she had movement of her head and neck and
could stand,” Joyce said.
But Dr. Calvin had told them that while the
cancerous growth was removed around the
spine, they would still have to find the source of
that cancer. They never got the chance; it was
spreading too fast.
Two days after Vivian went to her son’s
house, Sam suffered a massive stroke, the worst
kind, the paralyzing kind. Long a smoker with
lung problems, now he could not breathe without assistance. His motor functions were seriously affected and he could barely speak to ask
about his wife.
Sam never got to go home. But Joyce and
Larry now recall that the hospital treatment for
both mother and father “was fantastic.” Julie
Shiffer, current recipient of the hospital’s ICU
“Service Excellence Award,” June Milano and
Denise Thornburg, were among the nurses cited
as particularly caring.
“Being on the receiving side of care giving
has made every little thoughtfulness something
we will never forget,” Joyce concluded.
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June 3, 2002
El Centro Connection
The ECESD budget:
Infant car seats
continued from page 1
Until recently, an infant graduated into an
intermediate car seat when the child reached 40
pounds, but recent legislation increased that
requirement to 60 pounds or six years of age.
Then the child must be restrained by a booster
seat until he or she reaches 80 pounds and is 4
feet, nine inches tall.
“As the father of three, I live the importance
of both prenatal care and child seat protection,”
sums up David Selman, chief executive officer
at El Centro Regional Medical Center. “We feel
the provision of these services to our community is vital for the enhancement of our children’s
lives.”
Since the program’s inception in 1997, more
than 4,000 infant car seats have been presented
to new parents.
Using seat belts for children is more than simply protecting the child. It is also the law.
The California State Highway Patrol’s El
Centro Sector headquarters, issued 537 tickets
for seat belt violations during calendar year
2001. Fines for seat belt violations are $271 for
the first offense, and up to $500 for each subsequent offense.
The CHP prints and circulates pamphlets on
“Child Safety Seats Save Lives,” not only
stressing the importance of using them but also
giving instruction on proper use.
The CHP equates not using safety restraints
on children in cars with child neglect and child
endangerment.
Through participation in ECRMC’s infant car
seat program, the hospital ensures that infants
will travel home in the safest way possible.
In a nutshell...
“Boom to bust”
By Bill Gay
Meg Ryan photos
A little something
for the future...
Deborah Kloman-Lichter, ECRMC marketing and public relations coordinator, shows
three metal plates covered with over a thousand signatures of employees, physicians,
board members, auxiliary, and others who wanted to be part of a memory soon to be
sealed behind hospital walls in the new building under construction.
The metal plates were painted, then made available to sign for several days at the hospital. Construction crews mounted the signatures on a wall that has been designed to be
removed when the ICU, OR, and ER require yet another expansion some years down the
road.
Staffers feel certain the signatures will long be forgotten and future hospital staffers as
well as construction crews will have a mystery and a delight awaiting them when they
begin their expansion.
Imperial Avenue to be closed at RR tracks June 21-23
All North and South lanes on Imperial Avenue at the railroad crossing near Von's Market will be closed from Friday
evening June 21 and over that weekend.
Union Pacific Railroad will be repairing the crossing
General Plan
continued from page 1
the Community Center to gather information from the public regarding issues that
should be addressed in the plan.
Participants were asked about their vision
for El Centro in the future.
A joint study session of the El Centro
Planning Commission and City Council
on May 23 reviewed the information from
the earlier workshop as well as conducted
a visioning process.
Another joint session has been scheduled for 7 p.m. July 11. It also will be held
in the Community Center and a second
Community Workshop will be held in
October to allow the public to review and
comment on the preliminary draft General
Plan.
Cotton/Bridges/Associates — the consulting firm retained by the city to develop
the plan update — is facilitating the workshops, as well as the joint council and
planning commission meetings.
During the July 11 joint study session,
the council and commission will focus on
land use and circulation alternatives.
Another joint session has been scheduled
for Oct. 24 to review a preliminary draft of
the plan.
Targeted areas for in-fill, redevelopment, and new development will be
El Centro Connection
during that period. Motorists will be detoured onto nearby
side streets.
If all the repairs go according to plan, traffic should be
restored Monday, June 24.
looked at to determine the best land use
for the area. Circulation alternatives that
provide adequate capacity to meet future
growth will also be discussed and
reviewed at this second study session.
Elements of the City’s General Plan to
be revised include:
Land Use Element that establishes the
general permitted uses of both public and
private land in the community, providing a
guide for development of vacant land
within the City, reuse of developed land,
and preservation of community character
and open space.
Public Facilities Element that sets up a
long term plan to coordinate the delivery
of public services utilizing public facilities
that are scaled to El Centro’s population
needs and standards. The Element reflects
plans for parks and recreation; educational facilities; libraries; police facilities; fire
stations; civic center; cultural facilities;
and sewer and water systems.
Conservation/Open Space Element
addresses various natural and man-made
resources including cultural and historic
resources, sensitive biological habitat and
species, agricultural resources, recreational resources, water quality and supply, air
quality, energy resources, and mineral
resources/reclamation.
Safety Element provides information
and state-of-the-art policies regarding
earthquake fault and related seismic hazards and safety-related issues of flood
hazards, fire hazards, hazardous materials,
drainage and flooding, airport and transportation related hazards, and emergency
preparedness.
Noise Element identifies noise associated with ground and air transportation
and other sources, as well as sensitive
noise receptors, such as residential development, medical facilities, etc.
Economic Development Element
addresses the economic well being of the
community. The Element reflects opportunities for and actions promoting growth
in industrial, commercial and recreational
sectors, while addressing business retention and development by sector, employment development and business recruitment.
Circulation Element addresses future
traffic and roadway use. Future demand is
identified in the Element, as well as
improvements to the circulation network
including congestion management, transportation system management, transit,
bicycle trail circulation, truck routes, rail
and airports.
Additional information may be
obtained from Oliver Alvarado, El Centro
Planning Director at 337-4547 or Norma
Lilligard at 336-8971.
High-tech equipment
continued from page 9
other agencies.
The computer and software was purchased with a
$4,500 grant from Hewlett-Packard and Socialtech, Inc.
TRAK, Technology to Recover Abducted Kids, was
originally designed to help law enforcement agencies
locate and recover abducted children. It has since been
used to assist law enforcement in the process of communicating other important visual information.
“This system will allow us to quickly and efficiently
create high-resolution photo bulletins and share them
with other law enforcement jurisdictions, the media and
the community as appropriate,” said El Centro Police
Capt. Eddie Madueno.
There are currently 400 TRAK systems in use in
California. The city’s share of the grant “match” was
only $500.
Meanwhile, the department also has been successful
in receiving a $99,000 grant from the state that will further its ability to share data with other departments.
According to Maria Birdsall, the one-year grant provides funding to develop a centralized career criminal
database for Imperial County. Information will be
shared with other local agencies monthly on a computer disk.
“This will allow us to coordinate investigations
between agencies when a particular career criminal is
targeted,” Birdsall said. Information will be continually
updated and will be used to develop crime patterns,
crime trends and crime series information.
The system also will include a computerized mug
shot system for providing lineups and biographical
crime analysis searches. Each participating agency will
have a digital camera to photograph criminals arrested
by their agencies. They will be placed in the system.
All seven city police departments in the Valley will be
participating.
While El Centro escaped the statewide energy crisis last summer, the
bills are coming due and they are being paid by everyone because of massive cuts in the state budget to make up for a $23 billion deficit.
“It’s been boom to bust,” said Arnold Preciado, assistant superintendent for business services in the El Centro Elementary School District.
Prior to last year’s energy crisis and the statewide recession, California
had been working with an $8 billion budget surplus.
When Governor Gray Davis presented his revised budget for the 20022003 fiscal year on May 14, he outlined a plan for dealing with the State's
$23.6 billion revenue shortfall, saying it protects K-12 education, public
safety, health insurance for children and essential services for seniors.
The Governor's proposal calls for a combination of budget cuts, tax
increases and a combination of refinancing, borrowing and transfers.
In addition to fully funding Prop. 98, the revised budget also provides
funding for enrollment growth for 80,000 students statewide, cost-of-living adjustments for schools, and increases per-pupil spending to $7,183
— an increase of nearly $1,500 since Governor Davis took office.
For the El Centro Elementary District, though, the budget increases —
including a two percent cost of living adjustment — does not cover its
new costs. Routine step and column increases to staff will consume most
if not all of the COLA (Cost of Living Allowance). The problem is compounded by projected large increases in health and welfare benefit costs.
“With health and welfare benefits increasing at an anticipated rate of
more than 25 percent for many districts, the two percent COLA does not
stretch very far,” Preciado said.
The district’s projected 2002-2003 health and welfare costs for certificated staff is $8,812 per full time equivalent and $8,335 for classified
staff. District wide, employee benefits cost $7.4 million annually.
Preciado is anticipating a 20 percent increase in those costs for certificated and 15 percent for classified personnel next year.
“And that is just to maintain current benefits,” he said.
According to district projections, the COLA and other anticipated revenue adjustments fall nearly $400,000 short of covering adjustments to
new expenses.
Preciado added that the class size reduction program fully implemented during the 1998-99 school years as well as increased enrichment in
special education programs are also creating some of the budget issues.
The class size reduction program has been implemented in kindergarten through third grade classes. There has been a decline in enrollment
of 277 students (7.9 percent) in those classes since the program was fully
implemented in the 1998-99 school year, resulting in a loss of corresponding state funds for those students.
Compounding the situation is the fact that state funding has never covered all of the expenses for class size reduction, which has included the
hiring of 43 additional teachers over the past six years to cover the smaller classes.
The result is a revenue shortage of more than $900,000 that must be
drawn from the district’s general fund to maintain the program.
Additionally, revenue for Special Education programs fall $332,481
short of meeting expenses. That shortfall is also covered by general fund
expenditures.
Preciado adds that the budget process is continuing, and the numbers
will be a moving target. “There is still lots of confusion in the wake of
the Governor’s May Revise.”
By law, the school district is required to have a budget in place for their
next fiscal year by July 1. The 2002-03 fiscal year begins July 1.
However, the state is projected to not have a final budget in place until
fall.That could create complications if the state legislature makes major
changes to the Governor’s budget.
Last January, the Governor's Proposed Budget anticipated a $12.5 billion shortfall, due in part to major state expenditures last year to pay for
power purchases during the energy crisis.
The revenue outlook worsened due to a combination of the national
economic recession, a sluggish stock market, the economic aftershocks
of the September 11 terrorist attack, and the collapse of the dot-com
economy in California, according to the Governor’s office.
Page 3
June 3, 2002
Academics and fun
planned for summer
By Jason Zara
The El Centro Elementary School
District has a number of summer programs lined up for students in the
coming weeks.
In addition to a four-week academic program, there will be recreational
and educational after-school programs for the students.
The after-school programs are provided by the 21st Century PACT project. Project coordinator Jesus Perez
said the programs serve three purposes: providing academic support for
students who need it, giving students
who would otherwise be home alone
a place to go and providing safe and
constructive activities for the chilJesus Perez, 21st Century PACT project coordinator, talks with
dren.
El
Centro Parks and Recreation Department recreation superviPerez said the “enrichment learning program” will begin after lunch sor, Patricia G. Urena about the enrichment learning program this
when summer school lets out.
summer.
Danica Kimball photo
“We’re going to be providing fun
activities for students to engage in while learning,” will participate in craft activities originating from
around the world.
he said.
“Kids will be exposed to geography, and a little bit
One such activity is a LEGO program — teaching
the students the basics of architecture, art, and phys- of history through arts and crafts,” Perez said.
The third component is called incredible invenical science.
“Students touch on reading, writing and math tions, in which students will be able to create things
such as a penlight. It will provide “hands-on projthrough the use of LEGOs,” he said.
The LEGO program is the first of three compo- ects” with a science aspect, Perez said.
The program will run at the three summer sites,
nents to the summer program, Perez said. The second
is the global friends arts and crafts, in which students
See Summer school, page 8
Montenegro named to
replace Taylor,
Assist. Superintendent
By Jason Zara
El Centro attorney Ruth
Bermudez Montenegro has been
selected to fill the position of
Assistant Superintendent for
Human
Resources
and
Administrative Services for the El
Centro
Elementary
School
District which became available
due to the retirement of Everett
(Butch) Taylor. Taylor is retiring
this month after 37 years with the
district.
Montenegro has been Director
of Human Resources at Imperial
Valley College for the past two
years.
“My time at Imperial Valley
College has been both challenging
and fulfilling,” Montenegro said.
“However, this position with the
El Centro Elementary School
District will allow me some additional growth opportunities. I am
looking forward to working with
(District Superintendent) Mike
Klentschy, the Board and the staff.
I’ve known Butch for a number of
years. He has been a tremendous
asset to the district for quite some
time and is definitely going to be
missed. Butch has left a tremen-
dous team that has much
expertise and institutional
history. I am happy for
Butch and Margie, and
frankly it couldn’t happen to two nicer people. ”
“Needless to say, we
are very pleased that Ruth
has agreed to join our
administrative
team,”
Klentschy said. “She
brings with her a wealth
of experience in both
human resources and the
law,” he added. She
begins her work with the
elementary district July 1.
Montenegro admitted
that she is leaving IVC
with mixed emotions.
“I am a better person for
having worked at Imperial
Valley College with (IVC
President)
Dr.
Gilbert
Dominguez, the IVC Board and
the great staff,” Montenegro said.
Montenegro, worked seven
years for the law firm of Horton,
Knox, Carter and Foote. During
much of that time she served as
assistant counsel for various
school districts in the county.
Montenegro
She came to the college from a
position as deputy county counsel
for the County of Imperial.
Montenegro is a 1987 graduate
of IVC. While there, she was
active in student government and
served as Student Body President.
She transferred to Clarion
University of Pennsylvania where
See Montenegro, page 8
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June 3, 2002
Page 4
El Centro Connection
City of El Centro Summer Recreation Activities
Here’s what’s cookin’ at the Plunge, PAL, library,
and Community Center this summer!
Getting ready
Danica Kimball photos
tional and recreational for the
participants.
Swimming Courses
As summer begins, young people in El
Centro have plenty to do after the school
year ends in June.
El Centro’s Recreation Department, the
Police Athletic League and the library have
set a full calendar of programs.
Information on registration or any of the
recreation programs being offered may be
obtained by calling the El Centro
Community Center at 337-4555, the
Conrad Harrison Youth Center at 337-4570,
the library at 337-4565 or the Police
Athletic League at 337-4577.
Many of the summer programs are being
conducted in partnership with the 21st
Century program sponsored by the El
Centro Elementary School District.
Additional information and calendars
will be posted on the city’s website at
<http://www.cityofelcentro.org>.
Here is a sampling of the recreation activities this summer.
Summer Day Camps
“Summer Day Camp 2002, The Ultimate
Summer Experience will be filled with fun
and excitement. It is going to be six weeks
that your children will not forget,” said
Recreation Supervisor Pat Urena.
There will be three sessions: June 24-July
5; July 8-July 19 and July 22-Aug. 2.
Camp will be from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily
at the Conrad Harrison Youth Center, 750
Park Ave.
“Youths from first through sixth grades
are welcome to come, join the fun, and stay
out of the heat,” Urena said.
Some of the summer day camp activities
include swimming at the plunge, games,
arts and crafts, talent programs, basketball,
volleyball and nutritious cooking.
The cost of each two-week session this
year will be $40 per child.
The purpose of the Day Camp program is
to provide an experience that is both educa-
This is a program for youths
aged 6 months on up to learn or enhance
their swimming skills under the supervision
of certified water safety professionals.
Three two-week sessions will be offered at
a cost of $40 per child. Lesson hours are
noon to 1 p.m., 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. and 2 p.m.
to 3:30 p.m. Sessions will be June 24-July
5; July 8-July 19 and July 22-Aug. 2
The swimming lessons are daily at
Central Union High School pool. Courses
include:
Moms and Tots: For children (6 months
through three years) and their moms. It is a
water exposure and adjustment course.
Instructors will offer techniques to teach
skills such as blowing bubbles, kicking and
arm movement. The child will learn by
watching and imitating. (Noon to 1 p.m.).
Beginner 1: For children 2 to 6 years old.
The goal of this program is to help students
feel comfortable in the water by practicing
elementary aquatic skills. (Noon to 1 p.m.;
1 p.m. to 2 p.m.)
Beginner 2: Entry to this course is based
upon the student’s swimming ability. Its
objective is to teach fundamental skills with
games and enthusiasm. By the end of the
session, the student will be able to float
without support. (Noon to 1 p.m.; 1 p.m. to
2 p.m.)
Intermediate: Entry to this course is
based upon the student’s swimming ability.
Course continues to build swimming skills.
(Noon to 1 p.m.; 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.)
Advanced
Intermediate:
Course
includes water safety, defined strokes, life
saving techniques and first aid. Students
practice breaststroke, back, crawl and side
stroke.
Open Swimming
The Plunge also will be open to public
swimming beginning June 24 from noon to
3 p.m. with water aerobics from 5:30 to
6:30 p.m.
Special events over the summer will
Bill Gay photos
El Centro youths volunteered at the Plunge and at Bucklin Park
recently on a cleanup campaign that left both areas sparkling. The
Plunge will be open to the public for summer swimming on June 24!
include
Optimist Day, Beach Ball Day, Towel Day,
Grand-Parent Day, Aluminum Can Day,
Visor Day, Hot Dog Day, Mom and Dad
Day, Swim Day and Root Beer Float Day.
For specific times and days, a schedule
will be posted at The Plunge.
Open Recreation Centers
People of all ages are invited to come to
the city’s two recreation centers throughout
the summer for a number of special events.
The Community Center at 375 S. First
St. will be open Monday through Friday
from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. There also will be
special activities each day from 2 p.m. until
4 p.m.: each Monday, videos; each Tuesday,
cooking class; each Wednesday, Arts and
Crafts; each Thursday, indoor contests and
each Friday, swimming.
The Conrad Harrison Youth Center,
750 Park Ave., also will have a number of
activities each day throughout the summer.
The gym will be open each day for general
recreation from 8 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. and
from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. each Tuesday and
Thursday. Activities available include basketball, volleyball, table games and video
games.
A volleyball academy will be held from
5 p.m. to 7 p.m. each Monday and
Wednesday for youth ages 10 through 15.
The 21st Century PACT project’s Junior
High School Basketball league will be
playing 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. each Tuesday and
Thursday.
Saturday activities will include Special
Olympics Basketball from 9 a.m. to 11
a.m. and a youth basketball academy from
noon to 4 p.m.
Costs to enter the open gym are $1 for
youths 17 years and under, $1.50 for adults.
Police Athletic League
El Centro PAL activities will include
Scuba diving, soccer, boxing, martial arts,
arcade and pool as well as special camping
and fishing trips throughout the summer.
All of these programs are free of charge.
To enroll, contact Jackie Gomez or Jorge
Munoz at 337-4577.
Summer Library Programs
Summer library hours commence June
24. The Main Library, 539 State St., will be
open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through
Thursday and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday
and Saturday.
The Branch library, located in the
Community Center, 375 S. First St., will be
open from noon to 5 p.m. Monday through
Friday.
Dates of special activities at the library
this summer include:
June 25, Special Magic of Reading
Sign-up Day;
July 3, a visit with the El Centro Fire
Department to learn about fire safety;
July 10, The Gypsy Folk Ensemble
returns with their special dances from
around the world;
July 17, come make a collage ART
project;
July 24, watch our magician dazzle you
with tricks;
July 31, the Lollipop Twins bring their
funny bones together to help celebrate this
year’s Summer Reading Program.
All of the special activities begin at 10
a.m.
Cooking, shopping classes
The City of El Centro, in cooperation
with the Imperial County Health
Department and the California Endowment,
will be holding a series of food classes this
summer. Healthy Eating and Cooking will
be from 6-7:30 p.m. June 27; Spicy Salsa
and Chip Making will be from 9-11 a.m.
July 6; Smart Shopping Healthy Hearts will
be from 6-7:30 p.m. July 18; and a
Supermarket Tour will be from 9-11 a.m.
August 3. For information, contact Luce
Filiatrault, 482-4763.
El Centro Connection
June 3, 2002
Find out who’s building where!
By Bill Gay
14 buildings, ranging in size from 3,500
With the motels, comes a new restauAn estimated $30 million of new con- square feet to the 67,402 square foot Food rant in the area: International House of
struction is underway in the City of El for Less will be constructed at the site. El Pancakes. The new 4,022 square foot, 32Centro, resulting in either the creation or Centro Motors will occupy four build- table IHOP will be located on South
retention of up to 600 jobs in the city.
ings, totaling 44,382 square feet. Fourth Street, in front of the John Jay Inn.
“There is a significant amount of eco- Construction is in six phases and includes Construction will begin this summer and
nomic development underway,” said two new streets: Ford Street, which will
it will be serving
Oscar Rodriquez, director of economic
meals by yeardevelopment.
end. It will seat up
He noted that while the events of
to 136 people.
September 11 brought development to a
Tenant Space,
halt in the weeks immediately following
Inc, a new busithe attack, by the end of the year, things
ness in the city’s
had picked up again.
Centerpoint Industrial Park, is
Here is a sampling of the projects curconstructing a 5,000 square foot
rently underway, or completed since the
central office and shop complex
first of the year.
on a one-acre parcel in the park.
The $8 million Senior Villas
The $225,000 project will assist
Apartments, an 81-unit affordable housin the creation of 15 to 30 new
ing complex began receiving residents in
jobs.
April. They are located at Park Avenue
The Association for Retarded
and Fifth Street and are dedicated for The 81-unit Senior Villas Apartments at Park and Citizens Inc. will be relocating to
exclusive use of residents 62 years of age
a five-acre site in the El Centro
and over. To qualify for the apartments, Fifth Streets, El Centro began accepting residents Industrial Park. ARC will be conDanica Kimball photos structing a 20,000 square foot
applicants must have either low or very in April.
low income. The Senior Villas have
central office and warehouse that
66,000 square feet of living areas, includ- bisect the project east to west and will result in the retention of 260 current
ing 16 two-bedroom units and 64 one- Cottonwood Drive that will run north to jobs and the creation of up to 60 new jobs
bedroom units. The complex also south.
in the city. Cost of the project is about
includes a community room equipped
While a fire in May set back the open- $700,000.
with a kitchen.
ing date of the $3 million 32 room
RoGar Manufacturing will be conThe $10 million Northgate shopping Comfort Inn and Suites, next to the Casa structing a 37,000 square foot assembly
complex is currently under construction Real Inn on Wake Avenue, the project is plant with warehousing and office space
on Highway 86 in the northern part of the moving forward. Rodriquez said the new in the El Centro Industrial Park.
city. It is the future home of El Centro motel will be open by year’s end. Another Construction is scheduled to begin in July
Motors, Food for Less, Washington motel, the Holiday Inn Express at 350 on the $2 million project that will create
Mutual as well as three fast food restau- Smoketree Drive, is also scheduled to up to 30 jobs.
rants and a sit-down restaurant. A total of open within the next several weeks.
On seeing through walls
ECPD’s new
high-tech equipment
By Bill Gay
The El Centro Police Department has continued its acquisition of new
high-tech equipment.
Last summer, it received a new $265,585 dispatch center, funded in
part by the California Law Enforcement Equipment Program (CLEEP)
High Technology Grant. It also received ten sophisticated video cameras
for patrol units gathering evidence as well as a “less lethal” taser weapon.
And now, thanks to the Department of the Army, the department can
almost see through walls.
Through the Army’s Technology Transfer Program it administers on
behalf of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, the department has
been given a hand-held thermal imager device.
The equipment, which resembles a video camera, senses heat and generates real-time video pictures in all lighting conditions, including total
darkness.
The hand-held imager can detect a human from
2,400 feet away, using a standard 75-millimeter
lens that has a focus rate of 8 feet to infinity.
Because it senses heat and not light, it can detect
if someone is behind a wall.
The equipment is part of an ongoing program at
the department to make maximum use of technology to aid in law enforcement.
In February, it installed some new computer
equipment that gives it expanded capabilities in
communicating visual information to the public and
See High-tech equipment, page 10
Page 9
Bigger projects
targeted for
nuisance abatement
As the City of El Centro completes its second
full year of its nuisance abatement program, it has
been enforcing some larger — and more expensive
— cleanup projects.
“We started with some small jobs during the first
year to launch the program,” said City Fire
Marshall Linual White. “This year, we targeted
some larger ones,” he said, adding, “Some are
repeat offenders.”
White, however, also made it clear that many
people are cooperating with the program. In fact,
the compliance rate of those who take action and
clean their property after receiving the first letter is
more than 90 percent.
“I really want to praise and thank those property
owners who have responded,” White said.
Voluntary compliance not only removes hazards
from property, it does so at less cost. “The many
who have responded should be commended,” he
said.
Under the nuisance abatement ordinance, if after
repeated warnings, property owners fail to abate
nuisances, a private contractor will clean up
offending properties and the property owners will
be billed in accordance with a city councilapproved fee schedule.
The fees for forced abatement are much more
expensive than the costs would be to property owners who voluntarily comply. There are also provisions to place liens on property if the abatement
fees are not paid.
According to White, it would cost a property
owner only $400 to $500 to clean up a 6,000
square foot lot. If it goes through the abatement
process and is cleaned by Fire Prevention Services,
the city’s abatement contractor, the costs would be
$2,000 to $3,000.
Despite repeated notices, “some people don’t
believe us until they get the bill,” White said.
Last summer, the city levied nearly $171,000 in
cleanup assessments against property owners who
did not heed warnings to remove blight from their
property.
This year, those numbers could increase.
According to White, the largest levy last year
was between $16,000 and $19,000. As the program
completes its second full year, there are two projects that will cost property owners more than
$50,000 each.
“These are large properties that have been neglected for years,” White said. “We gave the owners
every opportunity to clean them up.”
He points out that the abatement program is
completely impartial. The contractor has sent compliance letters to several public agencies, including
the Imperial Irrigation District-as well as the City
of El Centro. Letters also have been sent to Union
Pacific Railroad.
In its first year, 30 parcels were assessed fees
and yielded more than 4,400 cubic yards of trash
that was hauled away.
White said property owners have many alternatives available to them for low cost removal of
trash from their property.
Valley Environmental Services, the city’s contract trash hauler, has four cleanup days annually
when large items can be dropped off for disposal.
Additionally, there are number of nonprofit groups
Officer Aaron Reel uses the new thermal as well as businesses in the area that can be
imaging equipment at the El Centro Police retained to clear trash from property.
Anyone with questions or additional concerns
Department.
about the program can contact the El Centro Fire
Danica Kimball photos Prevention Bureau at 337-4567.
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Page 5
Page 6
CUHS Academic Decathlon Team
st
almo
Winners all the time!
By Jason Zara
At the state level, there are three divisions
Nine students getting
based upon average daily attendance.
together to study is not
Imperial County is in division two, and
out of the ordinary.
that pits Central against winBut nine students at
ning teams from San
Central Union High
Francisco,
Marin
School who study
County, Contra Costa
together for an hour
County and other largevery day, and then
er counties.
take weekend trips
Tally said Central
to study some
would do better if it
more, is.
were in division three
The Academic
with more rural counties.
Decathlon team
He is hoping to get the
at Central has
county moved to that
won in 22 of
division, where he said he
the 23 years of
expects his team would be
local competivery competitive.
tion, according to
On a recent afterthe team’s coach,
noon the nine stuChuck Tally.
dents on the acaWinning the local
demic decathlon
competition qualiteam at Central
fies the team for
were
practicing
state competition
speeches for next
where they have
year. When asked
won
third-place
why
they
go
medals in the Super
through the rigorQuiz event two
ous
studying
years in a row.
required to take
The team’s sucpart, they listed
cess can be attribvarious reasons.
uted directly to the
“It’s fun in a
dedication of the
way,” said Daniel
students, Tally said.
Whisler, who won
Tally, who has been
the team’s highest
an English teacher at
individual score in
Central since 1971,
this year’s state
teaches four Gifted
competition.
“I
and Talented classes
kind of like the
as well as the
long study weekA c a d e m i c
ends.”
Decathlon class.
Jeremy Pachter
While students
“Study
Academic Decathlon team members are: (top row, from left) Chuck Tally, coach, Daniel agreed:
receive class credit for Whisler, Young Woo, Jeremy Pachter and Rachel Irving; (bottom row, from left) Hanna weekends are what
the
academic Shim, Kristina Martinez and Jennifer Pacrem.
make it worthdecathlon, they are
Danica Kimball photos while.”
there to learn. Not
Virtually all of
only do they spend an
participate in the Super Quiz. The quiz, which them plan to return for next year’s team.
hour a day studying a range of topics for com- is the only part of the competition conducted
“It’s more valuable than a regular class,”
petition - math, music, art, language, science in public, covers different topics each year.
said Rachael Irving. “In the (time) that we
and more - they also dedicate a few weekends
This year’s topics were history and the study, we learn more than we would in any
to intense study in Pacific Beach with their future of the internet.
other class.”
coach during the year.
Team members must represent various
The team also grows close because of the
Tally told the Imperial Valley Press shortly grade point averages. Three team members amount of time they spend together. That
after winning the local meet last February that have grade point averages of 3.75 and above. adds to their experience.
the beach trip is “kind of like cruel and Another three have GPAs of 3.0 to 3.74 and
“We develop a real camaraderie among the
unusual punishment. You take them to the the final three represent those with GPAs team members,” Tally said.
beach and make them stay inside and study.” under 3.0
“We spend a lot of time together and it’s
He added, however, that students do get
Tally said Central has been to the state people of different ages and ethnicities,” said
some time for recreation.
competition more often than any other school Jennifer Pacrem. “When you put us together,
Students compete by displaying their in California. He added that is because the we have a lot of fun. We laugh at each other.”
knowledge of science, math, literature, eco- other local schools do not compete strongly
Jennifer added the decathlon helps with
nomics, music and art. They must have a pre- in the decathlon. He said while Brawley and standardized tests. Taking a long, difficult test
pared speech as well as be ready to give an Holtville used to join the competition, this is easier after the competition.
impromptu talk. Contestants also write an on- past year it was Southwest, Central and
Rachael summed up the class, saying
the-spot essay, go through an interview and Imperial.
despite all the time invested, “It’s worth it.”
Page 7
June 3, 2002
El Centro Connection
June 3, 2002
Lynneth Solis:
CUHS valedictorian named
Hispanic National Merit Scholar
In appreciation...
By Jason Zara
Central Union High School senior Saida Lynneth
Solis has been recognized as a Hispanic National
Merit Scholar and a National Merit Scholar finalist.
Solis has a 4.4 grade point average and has taken
five advanced placement classes in each of her junior and senior years.
“She is one outstandingly sharp young woman,”
said AVID coordinator Martha Hoops. Solis is in
one of Hoops’ AVID classes. “It has been a pleasure, an absolute honor to work with her.”
Solis, 17, has been accepted to a number of prestigious schools including Stanford, University of
California San Diego, UC Riverside, Berkeley and
San Diego State University. She plans to major in
psychology, and intends to pursue a master’s
degree and a doctorate. Despite that, however, she
will be staying in the Valley for a while longer, and
transferring later to UCSD.
“I was raised in a very close-knit family,” she
said. “It’s hard for me to just leave. I’ll be spreading my wings little by little.”
Hoops said Solis is a strong candidate for valedictorian.
“She’s the nicest young woman,” Hoops said.
“She’s wonderful. She works well with people, the
kids like her.”
The merit scholar awards were the result of a
high PSAT score, strong grades and other factors.
Solis also is very involved in the community, volunteering at the district attorney’s office and working as a counselor for young children at her church.
She said she also enjoys camping and reading.
Of her future plans, Solis said: “I want to got into
the educational system and work with other kids. I
want to do research in children’s learning methods.”
Despite all of her success, Solis modestly attributes her good fortune to those around her.
“I’ve very honored. To me the school system and
The faculties at CUHS, Southwest, and Desert
Oasis were treated to breakfast to mark teacher
appreciation week. And though one simple breakfast may not really be enough to say “thank you”
for a year of hard work, there were plenty of
smiles, and plenty of good food for all. Desert
Oasis faculty members Adrian Hernandez (top
photo) Larry Zediker and Susana Meza, (photo,
upper right) and Charles Hulsey and MIchael Hsu
found pleasure in the company and the breakfast.
The students and staff of the CUHSD would like
to thank each of you, sincerely, for all you’ve done
and for another great year of learning.
Lynneth Solis
my teachers have been great,” she said. “Every single teacher and my parents and sister made it easier for me … I also want to thank God for these honors.
“I’m honored and grateful,” she concluded.
Years of experience retire with faculty
By Jason Zara
Four teachers and three classified staff members will
be retiring from the Central Union High School District
this year.
With a certificated staff of about 190, district
Superintendent Richard Fragale said it is not unusual to
have four teachers retire at the same time. Still, the teachers had 130 years of experience between them.
“We’re definitely going to miss these people,” Fragale
said.
He added that at least one of the teachers will actually
continue to teach on a part-time basis.
Paula Duffield, director of human resources, provided
biographical information on the four teachers.
Stan Gienger has worked for the district for 39 years
as a science teacher and coach. He coached cross country, track and wrestling and also served as the activities
director and athletic director for about 12 years during his
career. His entire 39 years has been spent at Central
Union High School.
Carol Haworth has worked at Central Union High
School for 33 years in the life skills department, beginning when it was still called “Home Economics.” She has
been the school’s child-care director, parenting teen coordinator, life skills department chair and she also worked
as a mentor teacher.
Donald Walker is retiring after 30 years of service as
a world history teacher and counselor at Central. He had
seven years of previous experience teaching in California
before coming to Central.
Larry Zediker is retiring after 28 years with the district. He has taught agriculture and industrial arts classes
and math at Central and Southwest high schools. He also
taught self-contained classes at Park Avenue High School
for three years and spent the past three years as an independent study instructor at Desert Oasis High School.
Duffield said it is not unusual for teachers to remain in
the district for 30 years and longer.
“We probably average 3-4 retirees a year, so it’s just
normal attrition,” Duffield said. “That’s a lot of years if
Gienger
Haworth
you add it all up.
“We really appreciate the service that they have provided to the district. I’m really happy for them and wish
them well in retirement, and hope they’ll come back and
work for us even if it’s on a part-time basis,” she said.
Three classified staff members are also retiring this
year.
Toni Escalera is retiring after 30 years and 10 months
with the district. She has held multiple positions, most
recently including bilingual instructional testing clerk.
She also has served as the bilingual education coordina-
Walker
Zediker
tor, a classified management position, and as a guidance
information specialist, guidance clerk and an account
clerk in payroll.
Phyllis Marshall served for 14 years and eight months
with the district. Her first position was as an account
clerk I, and she worked her way up the ranks to retire as
an account clerk III for payroll.
Elvira Monroe served 14 years and 8 months with the
district, and is also retiring as an account clerk III for
payroll.
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Page 8
June 3, 2002
El Centro Connection
The ECRMC Rehabilitation Department:
Wilson science students study Salton Sea
Helping patients get back to 100%
Students visit
“natural wonder”
By Bob Liggett
Kimberly Phillips, an occupational
therapist on the rehabilitation staff at El
Centro Regional Medical Center, spends
most of her time helping patients regain
skills most people take for granted.
They are those daily skills people
think little about until after they have
had a stroke or some other disabling
accident or disease, skills
like dressing, eating and
personal grooming.
Amy J. Crawford,
director
of
the
Rehabilitation
Department, explains it
this way: “Physical therapy might help a person
to regain the ability to
walk, occupational therapy trains the patient to
perform such self care
tasks as getting dressed, bathing and
feeding one’s self.”
“We work toward making a person
self sufficient in daily living,” Phillips
explained. She sees patients both in the
hospital and as outpatients in the
Rehabilitation Department.
Phillips joined the hospital Rehab
Department last June, coming from the
San Diego Rehabilitation Institute, an
arm of Alvarado Hospital. She holds a
By Jason Zara
Reading about birds and plants and wildlife can be interesting, but
getting to go out and experience nature up-close makes the science
classes at Wilson Junior High School truly special for the students.
Wilson Junior High School science teachers Jean McGaw and Mark
Thompson have been leading field trips to the Salton Sea for several
years now. After weeks in the classroom learning about the environment
and its inhabitants, students get to spend a day seeing first-hand the subjects of their classroom curriculum.
“We thought that getting the kids more aware
of the Salton Sea would
be a good thing,”
McGaw said. “It’s good
for them to realize that
they have a natural wonder right where they
live.”
Thompson
and
McGaw have made up a
Kenny Garcia, Janice Kirck
trail guide for the field
and
Raquel Marchesini play a
trip, which has been
passed on to numerous
game of Salton Sea Jeopardy
other teachers in the
in Jean McGaw’s classroom
Valley. The Salton Sea
Danica Kimball photo
National
Wildlife
Refuge
Educational
Trail Guide was first
presented in 1998 at the
middle school science symposium.
Said McGaw: “People wanted a local, relevant field trip that wasn’t
too expensive.”
McGaw said about 450 seventh-graders from Wilson go on the field
trip and the entire cost is less than $2,500. Since there is no entry fee to
the refuge, buses make up the majority of the cost of the field trip.
“It kind of ties the whole seventh-grade curriculum together,”
McGaw said.
The students are given a blank paper book to use in creating a field
notebook to document the trip. They learn about crop identification,
observation, identifying wildlife and more.
“We teach these concepts in the classroom,” Thompson said, “but.
Summer school
continued from page 3
McKinley, Harding and Hedrick schools.
“We expect to serve about 100 students per
site,” Perez said. “We would like to accommodate all students, but space is limited.”
The after-school program for students in first
through fifth grade ends at 2:30 p.m. Students
in grades three through five, however, have an
additional option of continuing until 5 p.m.
Perez said the schools have partnered with
the El Centro Parks and Recreation Department
to provide activities including swimming, basketball and volleyball.
“We will transport the students from the
school site to the Conrad Harrison Center and
parents who wish their children to participate
… will be responsible to pick them up from the
center,” Perez said.
The after-school summer program is similar
to the school-year program, which served 3,590
students this year. Programs included karate,
guitar, technology, cooking, quilting, arts, chess
when they see it for
themselves it really
sinks in.”
Said McGaw: “We
have them work as field
biologists.”
Students work on
related projects, including creating a habitat poster representing one of the four
habitats
found
around the Salton
Sea - cropland, fresh
water, cover strip
and salt water.
“Each year it’s a
little different than
before,” Thompson
said. “We catch
some of our mistakes and we modify
them. … It’s a living
curriculum.”
One of the goals
of the field trip is to
dispel misconceptions about the Salton Sea.
“The kids seem to feel that the Salton Sea is so polluted,” McGaw
said. “We really work to break some of the thinking … (that) it’s just
this death trap.”
Said Thompson: “We have a hard time convincing them that if you go
up to the north shore you can go swimming and jet skiing.”
He added that eating fish from the sea is safe, despite the fact that
many people think otherwise. The field trip gives the class a better
understanding of why the sea is important in the Valley.
McGaw said the students walk about a mile and a half at the sea.
“We try to make it a really well-rounded outdoor education program,”
she said.
Said Thompson: “We’ve had a lot of fun putting it together.”
and games, tutoring and more. Perez said each
school has a different mix of programs offered.
There are also several shorter-term programs
running over the summer. These include band,
tall flags and drill programs and camps, a residential program at UCLA for students whose
parents completed a parenting component; and
partnering with the National Youth Project
Using Minibikes through the City of El Centro.
Other partners in the summer programs
include Girl Scouts, California Student
Opportunity and Access Program, J.C. Penney,
El Centro Police Department and the Imperial
Valley Arts Council.
Classes and after-school activities both run
June 17 through July 12, with July 4 off.
Classes will be from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The
core program focuses on language arts and
mathematics, and “at risk” students were given
priority in enrollment.
While the enrollment deadline has passed,
there are waiting lists for additional students.
Students who do not attend the first day of class
Page 5
June 3, 2002
El Centro Connection
will be dropped.
“What we’re doing this year is we’re running
three concurrent summer school programs at
the elementary sites,” said Assistant
Superintendent of Educational Services Alicia
Armenta. “It appears that our summer programs will be pretty full … we’re looking forward to a good program.”
Students from the Washington, Desert
Garden and Harding school areas will attend
Harding for the summer program. Students
from the King, Lincoln and McKinley areas
will attend McKinley and students residing
near DeAnza, Hedrick and Sunflower will
attend Hedrick School.
Bilingual education will be offered at
Harding school if there is sufficient enrollment.
There is also a Migrant Extended Day Program
at McKinley school from 1 to 2:30 p.m.
Additional information can be obtained by
contacting Armenta’s office at 352-5712,
extension 522.
Wilson Junior High School
science teachers, Jean McGaw
and Mark Thompson lead students on a field trip at the
Salton Sea after spending
weeks helping students study
and prepare for the trip in the
classroom.
degree in communications disorders
(speech therapy) from San Diego State
University, and a degree in occupational
therapy from Loma Linda University.
She said that while occupational therapy as a specialty has been around since
the early 1900s, it still is little understood by the public. The therapist, she
said, “assists people with physical, cognitive, sensory motor
and psychological
disabilities
to master
s k i l l s
required
for
self
care, work
and play.”
T h e
goals are
accomplished through the use of therapeutic equipment and exercise, the use
of adaptive equipment and environmental modifications. Each patient, she said,
must be treated individually based on the
specific diagnosis.
She said occupational therapy can be
beneficial to individuals with orthopedic deficits, sensory disorders, physical
injuries, musculoskeletal, systemic,
immunological, cognitive and mental
health disorders. Occupational therapy
Occupational therapist Kimberly
Phillips assists a patient during an
occupational therapy session at
ECRMC.
Danica Kimball photos
The Diabetes Education and Self Management Center
Mission:
By Bob Liggett
Photos courtesy Wilson
Junior High School
Montenegro
continued from page 3
she obtained her bachelors degree
in political science in 1989, graduating summa cum laude.
Montenegro received her
Doctor of Jurisprudence from the
University of California, Los
Angeles School of Law in 1992.
She is presently a board member
and past president of the El
Centro Education Foundation, a
member of the El Centro Rotary
Club, the California Council of
School Attorneys and the
Association of Chief Human
Resources Officers for the
California Community Colleges.
Montenegro is also a past president of the Imperial County Bar
Association.
She and her husband Joe and 4
year old daughter Miranda reside
in El Centro.
also can help caregivers, employers,
friends, teachers and relatives understand and gain skills necessary to support or help an individual with a disability.
Phillips sees many of her patients for
the first time in the hospital, stroke victims, perhaps. The therapist ensures
patients are not discharged until capable
of functioning safely in daily activities
or arrangements are made to ensure
safety.
If continuing care is necessary for the
patient after leaving the hospital, outpatient services are available. The new
Rehabilitation Department is located at
the east end of the main hospital building.
The rehabilitation staff, a staff of
trained therapists under Crawford’s
direction, offer not only Phillips’ occupational therapy services but also physical therapy and speech therapy in a
fully equipped facility. Crawford has
been the director since last Fall and the
medical director is Dr. John Jahan, an El
Centro physiatrist.
Sandra Miramontes, RN, (right, photo above)
talks one-on-one with new patient, Maria Baca at
the Diabetes Education and Self Management
Center. Connie Corral, RN, (left, photo at right)
shows Baca simple exercises she can do while sitting, on a recent visit to the center.
Meg Ryan photos
The Diabetes Education and Self
Management Center of Imperial Valley is
a long name for an agency whose patient
list consistently gets even longer.
In the less than two years the center has
been operating as a department of the El
Centro Regional Medical Center, it has
worked or is working with more than 800
diabetes sufferers. There are many more
out there the Center would like to reach.
A $450,000, startup grant from The
California Endowment, the largest public
health benefactor in California, was
based on the known high incidence of
diabetes along the border area that is
Imperial County, particularly among
Hispanics.
The center currently is operating
through a second $450,000 grant, this
one from the state Office of Minority
Health, an arm of the State Department
of Human Services. Joselito Vallero,
program coordinator, said an application
for a renewal of that grant is currently
being prepared. The grant money so far
has targeted the Hispanic population.
Connie Corral, R.N., director of the
center, describes its work as mainly an
outreach effort, trying to identify persons in the Valley who have diabetes and
Find diabetes patients
in need of help
Cases coming to the attention of the
Center so far mostly have been through
referrals from physicians, through blood
sugar tests taken at health fairs and from
those who know they have diabetes and
voluntarily come to the center for guidance in how to manage it. Corral and her
staff are there to help
diabetics gain more
knowledge in such
areas as blood sugar
monitoring, proper
diets and exercise.
Now, through the
cooperation of the
Stanford University, a
group of at least 20
“promontoras” have been trained to provide Spanish language sessions in various Imperial Valley communities, from
Niland to Calexico. The sessions, based
on a program entitled “Tornanda Control
de su Salud,” are to concentrate on self
management of the disease..
Imperial County has an estimated population today just under 150,000. The
California Diabetes Control Program in
Sacramento has estimated nearly 5,000 of
them have diabetes of which nearly 3,500
are Hispanic. Nearly 100 of those are
estimated to be children under five.
Diabetes is an insidious disease. Type 2
can go undetected for years. For every
two diagnosed cases of diabetes, there is
another walking around out there who
has the disease and doesn’t know it.
But as another help for those who do
know they are diabetic, the Center offers
support groups in both English and
Spanish languages. The
English group meets monthly in the Medical Plaza
building,
1270
Ross
Avenue., adjacent to the
hospital, and the Spanish
group meetings monthly in
the banquet room of
Denny’s Restaurant on Cole
Road in Calexico.
The Center earned national recognition
late last year from the Education
Recognition Program of the American
Diabetes Association, Alexandria, Va.,
for the quality of education it offers. The
recognition meant the Center meets the
national standards for diabetes patient
education as established by the National
Diabetes Advisory Board.
But the Center is not an agency to rest
on laurels. It aims someday to expand
services to treating diabetics as well as
educating them. The name could then
become even longer.