Growing Up Santa Cruz March 2021 by Growing Up in Santa Cruz

MAR 2021

Visit us at GrowingUpSC.com

50 YEARS of

EXPERIENCE

Tours by Appointment March 2 & 3 from 9:15am-2:15pm

GATEWAY SCHOOL W H E R E E X P E R I E N C E A N D I N N O VAT I O N M E E T

MARCH 2021 | Growing Up in Santa Cruz

Visit www.gatewaysc.org to schedule a tour.

Join Us! Online or Outside! Your music school for families with children from Birth to 8 years old.

(831) 332-9002 | MusicalMe.com

Features

Jim Booth Swim School

Evenings • Saturday Classes • Birthday Parties

The BEST in Baby Swimming! Start at 4 months in our 94 ° indoor pool!

Skateboarding's Big Comeback

REOPENING

SOON

March Celebrations

21 Honesty in Parenting

EDITOR/PUBLISHER

Brad Kava, Jennifer Ford, Steve Dinnen ART DIRECTOR

Zelzi Belle | Christy Shults DISTRIBUTION & SUBSCRIPTIONS

Susan Bernstein CONTRIBUTORS

Dana Abbott, Ashley Carone, Seb Frey, Brad Kava, Patricia Lucas, Erin Beck Maver, Laura Maxson, Hugh McCormick, Luidi Oppido, Kevin Painchaud, Jan Perice, Jeanette Prather, Sandi Schwartz, Grace Timan, Nicole M. Young, Suki Wessling PHOTOGRAPHER

Kevin Painchaud AD REPRESENTATIVES

Ann Fitts  ann@growingupsc.com Linda Kay  linda@growingupsc.com Sophie Veniel  sophie@growingupsc.com CONTACT US

831.239.3444 editor@growingupsc.com

P.O. Box 3505, Santa Cruz, CA 95063

MAR 2021 | VOL. 26 NO. 3 Printed lovingly by Fricke-Parks Press.

Growing Up in Santa Cruz copyright 2019. Printed in the U.S.A. All views expressed represent those of the individual authors. The contents of this publication are meant as information only and should not take the place of a medical doctor’s recommendations. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part, in any form, electronic or otherwise is prohibited without permission by the publisher. This publication does not knowingly accept deceptive or misleading advertising. Growing Up is printed on recycled paper with soy-based inks.

NOW ENROLLING Private Lessons and Swim Babies

Find out more at asudoit.com 303 Potrero St #15 • Santa Cruz 831-458-3648 • asudoit.com

Now at Harvey West in Santa Cruz and Watsonville indoor and outdoor pools.

722-3500

JimBoothSwimSchool.com • Like us on Facebook

Small classes Are you getting the latest news to your inbox? Don’t miss out on local stories, activities, and events!

Big learning

K-6th Grade Now enrolling Fall 2021 & Transfers (In-person & online)

For virtual events & tours: www.springhillschool.org admissions@springhillschool.org

Spring Hill School

Teacher of the Month....................5 The Return of Skateboarding........6 Local News....................................10 Locals News..................................11 Calendar.......................................12 The Year 2035...............................14 Your Home...................................16 Local Artist...................................17 Moms Who Make a Difference......18 Tech Talk.......................................19 Parenting......................................21 Birth Matters................................22 Parenting......................................23 Youth Writer.................................24 Teacher's Desk...............................25 Local News....................................26 Photo Story...................................27 Teen Guide....................................28 Coloring Page...............................30

www.springhillschool.org

GrowingUpSC.com | MARCH 2021

Even small changes can make a BIG difference. Triple P is a scientifically-proven, world-renowned positive parenting program available to families in Santa Cruz County. Triple P strategies address a wide range of parenting challenges by providing a toolbox of easy-to-use tips. Find a full schedule of Triple P tips and classes at triplep.first5scc.org. This program is made possible through a partnership between First 5 Santa Cruz County, Santa Cruz County Health Services Agency (MHSA – Prop 63 funds) & Santa Cruz County Human Services Department.

I n f o r m at I o n : first 5 Santa Cruz County 831.465.2217 triplep@first5scc.org • triplep.first5scc.org

We’re asking for help from our readers to keep us printing. VISIT OUR GoFundMe at gofundme.com/f/keep-growing-up-publishing

Editors’ Note Teens may be having the toughest time of all during lockdown. They are in the years where they are starting to break away from their families and enjoy some independence and responsibility. Not to mention, this is the time when hanging out with friends is hugely important to them, and the best thing about being in school is being around peers who influence, teach and share. Instead, they are locked into a Zoom world, right at the age when we are begging them to get off their computers, turn off social media and get out and do things. Well, our writers have found that many of them have found ways to thrive during the year of shelter in place. Jeanette Prather has a must-read story about teens and tweens who have taken to volunteering and helping people. We salute those teens. They all deserve medals. In his wanderings around town, reporter Hugh McCormick found a surprising fact—skateboarding has taken some air of its own. Shut out of gym classes and organized sports, more Santa Cruz teens have bought skateboards and are hitting local skateboard parks in record numbers, showing once again that you can’t keep a good teen down. We’re seeing some signs that things are getting better for everyone. Little League is coming back; Santa Cruz vaccination rates are among the best in the state. We’re seeing light at the end of the tunnel. Will the next years be a return to the Roaring 1920s, when that pandemic ended? We all deserve some fun after the

Sixteen-year old Marco Chavez does a hand-plant at Mike Fox Skate Park in Santa Cruz. About the Photographer

MARCH 2021 | Growing Up in Santa Cruz

Brad Kava, Jennifer Ford and Steve Dinnen

About the Cover Kevin Painchaud is a professional photographer located in Aptos for

worst years in recent memory. We love people who help people and follow their dreams. Check out the Purple Power story in which realtor Terry Balantyne Brezsny bought and gave away 900 purple porch lights to spread good spirit. We’d like to see all of Santa Cruz painted purple. Thanks, Terry. We’ve got an awesome teacher of the month and a mom who made a difference. Our advertisers have chipped in to give them prizes. You can nominate candidates for the awards at editor@ growingupsc.com Let’s brighten your favorite peoples’ days. You must, must read a teen’s eye view of learning during the pandemic. Grace Timan takes us inside her world in a beautifully written and crafted article. Finally, we have our Teen Guide, featuring the best in education, health and after school activities for our oldest kids. We hope you love this issue. We do. Please send your comments, requests and ideas to editor@growingupsc.com and let us know what you think we should add, what we can do better and what you would like to contribute in the way of writing, advertising and/or donations to keep us publishing. We want to keep this a real community news source and that means we really value your contributions and ideas. Someone we know said “It takes a village” and we’ve really got one here. Thanks for reading!

over 30 years. If you wish to contact Kevin, please email him directly at kpainchaudphotography@gmail.com. You can view his work on Instagram at @painchaudkevin

“

Teacher of the Month is a monthly feature in Growing Up in Santa Cruz. We honor local teachers based on your nominations. Send your nominations to christy@growingupsc.com

Ashley Gibson Cabrillo College Cabrillo College student Amanda Hampson nominated our March Teacher of the month in the following letter: I want to nominate my teacher Ashley Gipson. Ashley Gibson is a teacher at Cabrillo College and teaches several classes for the accelerated medical assisting program. She's made this difficult time more manageable with her patience, understanding, and willingness to listen to any problems. She makes understanding the class material easier and explains everything in a way everyone can understand. When I was struggling with my mental health, she got me the resources I needed to get help, and because of that, I'm able to continue my path to the career I want more than anything. I feel like she cares for her students, and it's not just a paycheck. It's hard to put into words all the ways she's

helped us, and she deserves this more than any other teacher I've known. Thank you for the opportunity to show my appreciation for this fantastic teacher. We met up with Ashley at Cabrillo College and chatted about her experience teaching. She started working in the field and had the opportunity to become an instructor through the Red Cross; in 2016, she began teaching at Cabrillo. Ashley says, "My favorite part about teaching in this program is seeing the students grow and evolve, not only as a student but as a person. It is amazing to be part of that process." Thank you, Ashley, for making a difference in your students' lives.

SANTA CRUZ PUBLIC LIBRARIES AND YOUR FUTURE IS OUR BUSINESS PRESENTS

Teen Expo II

HOMEGROWN CAREERS WEDNESDAY, MARCH 3, 2021 4:00-5:15PM $

A virtual expo showcasing successful Santa Cruz County creators, makers, entrepreneurs, and leaders. Hear their stories and learn how they turned their interests, skills and talents into careers!

BY HUGH MCCORMICK

 Hugh graduated from UCSC magna cum laude- with a BA in sociology and a focus on global information and social enterprise studies. If you need to get a hold of him or his chiweenie Groot, check 26th Avenue beach or De La Veaga disc golf course.

Rocking a black and yellow Huff sweatshirt, a well-loved pair of Levi’s, and a sweet pair of Nike SB’s, 38-year-old Ralph Mendoza rings up (and talks up) a steady stream of customers on a wet and windy Saturday afternoon. Laughter echoes off the board-coveredwalls of Santa Cruz’s iconic skating emporium, Bill’s Wheels. Throngs of groms (lil’ skaters) peruse racks of carefully curated textiles and ogle over the shop’s brilliant rainbow of wheels, decks, and skating accessories. Business, at Bill’s, is booming. “Business has been beyond good,” admits Mendoza. “And skating is becoming super popular right now. Just because of COVID. It gives antsy kids an outlet to release some of that pent-up energy." The moment that COVID-19 forced the United States into quarantine and lock-down-mode, the popularity of skateboarding shot through the roof. Suddenly, everyone wanted to be a skater! Almost immediately, equipment started to sell out in skate shops across the country, and retailers like Bill’s Wheels had to scramble to get their hands on product. Complete set ups — board, trucks, tape, and wheels — were the hottest sellers, but many skate shops had to wait for months to stock certain boards and accessories. Even before the days of oh-so-precious hand sanitizer, toilet paper hoarding and face masks, skateboarding was a sport on the rise. Some folks go so far as to call the past five years skateboarding’s “golden age.” Skating’s impact on fashion, music, social media, and entertainment in general has been astounding. Researchers say the skateboard market will be worth a cool $2.4 billion by 2025 —but that was before the recent COVID-19 insanity. Skateboarding is going mainstream — heck, this year it’s going to be an actual Olympic sport! — and the days where “punks,” “outcasts”, and “misfits” were the only dudes out there streetshredding are looooong gone. There has been a significant — industry shaking —change in the mentalities regarding skateboarding in general. The fact that many cities now have dedicated skate parks has certainly helped things along and allowed skating to spruce up its image. No more scary punks raising hell, destroying private property, smoking doobies and drinking in the dark corners and fringes of society. Today’s skating community is stronger,

and many say far more welcoming, than at any point in the sport’s storied history. It’s why, especially during the coronavirus, we’ve experienced a sizable shift in skating’s audience. There are more lady shredders than ever! And an older generation is finding new, or renewed, love for the art form. “There’s been a lot of girls just starting to skate. And it’s awesome! They’re getting really good. It’s pretty rad to watch,” says Mendoza. “I’m 38 and I started as a munchkin. All these groms are the older dudes now. They’re getting back into skating when their kids pick it up. Two generations.” Girl skaters — they number around 10 percent — bring a new and renewed energy the ever-swelling skating community. And it’s pretty rad how some of these chicks ride, breaking gender stereotypes along the way. As of now, there’s a rather healthy contingent of progirl-skaters who make a living doing what they love. Just a decade ago, no one could have dreamed that would be possible Increasingly, an older generation, who skated passionately in their youth, are dusting off their rigs and hitting up skate parks —alone or with their kids. 10 years ago, teens represented a majority — over 55%percent — of all skaters out there. That figure continues to drop, and teens represent just 44% of the world’s 80 million skaters today. “For sure skating is becoming mainstream. It’s not uncool like it was in the early 1990’s. With the X-Games and it being on TV, people are starting to make money skating. That made it much cooler,” Mendoza explains. Social media has done wonders to globalize the sport of skateboarding— bringing eyes to some amazing skaters who would otherwise remain anonymous. When skaters started to post content on video sharing websites like Instagram and YouTube, the sport began to rapidly evolve. The internet gave skateboarding a wider, and instantly global audience. Two decades ago, skate videos took months and even years to edit and produce. Now there are hundreds of hours of absolutely amazing skating available at our fingertips. “Social media helps kids get noticed. You can be from nowhere USA and get picked up and sponsored. It’s become a huge way for kids to promote themselves. It’s truly making skating accessible to more people,” says Mendoza.

MARCH 2021 | Growing Up in Santa Cruz

“

Skating is now considered cool. Nope, not that countercultural, subversive, slightly dangerous, punk-rock cool. Just cool. Everyone wants to be, or at least look like a skater.

Skating is now considered cool. Nope, not that countercultural, subversive, slightly dangerous, punk-rock cool. Just cool. Everyone wants to be, or at least look like a skater. Millions of non-skaters choose to rock skate brands like Element, Independent, Thrasher, Santa Cruz, and Vans every day. And Infamous NYC streetwear brand Supreme went from underground skate shop to doing over a cool billion in sales in less than a decade. Rap stars like Logic, Little Wayne, and Tyler the Creator sing about skating and actively identify with skate culture. And Lupe Fiasco’s “kick, push” (So he kick push kick push kick push kick push coast —And away he rolled jus’ a rebel to the world with no place to go) — went from underground tune to skating’s anthem. Since its start, skateboarding has gone through many ups and downs. The sport’s first downfall came in the 1980’s when all of skateboarding’s top magazines went out of business, tons of skateparks closed, and overall participation in skateboarding dropped precipitously. Skating went through another depressing phase.in the early 1990’s, but the sport quickly bounced back with the rising popularity of

street skating, and the introduction of televised events like the X-Games. Skating has endured. Call it the COVID-effect, but skating’s popularity and skating culture itself is stronger today than it has ever been. There is an estimated 80 million people worldwide who skate — at least occasionally—and more are picking up the sport every day. “The coolest thing about skateboarding is the community,” says Mendoza. “It’s like a big family. If you skate and you are somewhat decent you are always welcome to spots where others are skating.” Over the years, Santa Cruz has become somewhat synonymous with skateboarding. Millions of riders (and everyday Joes) around the globe proudly sport local (and legendary) skate brand NHS’ signature “red dot” logo. We are more-than blessed with a ton of fantastic skateparks and a solid collection of local skate shops who are more-than-eager to get you hooked up and rolling like a champ. Our vibrant, and actively growing skating community in Santa Cruz County has something truly special.

COVER STORY Some Words with Skate Star and GUISC Cover Shot Marco Chavez BY KEVIN PAINCHAUD | PHOTOS BY KEVIN PAINCHAUD KP: Hey Marco, mind if I ask you some questions? MC: Sure, go ahead KP: What's your name and age? MC: My name is Marco Chavez, I’m 16 years old and I go to Santa Cruz High. KP: When did you start skating? MC: I started skating when I was 9. I would skate at Scotts Valley Skate Park. KP: Are your parents supportive of you skating?

MC: My parents are very supportive. Both my parents skate with me. My dad takes me skating every day after school and he keeps all my gear in top shape. KP: Why do you like skating so much? MC: Because it’s fun and I can do basically whatever I want. I can tweak an air how I please and there is an endless combination of lines you can create as well as it’s an art form and a way to express my self

KP: Do you ever compete? MC: Ya. I compete in a contest series called CASL and do pretty well. I won most of them except for one. I missed a couple of them because of school. KP: Who are you sponsored by? MC: I’m sponsored by Dogtown Skateboards, independent trucks, k9 wheels, Bills Wheels Skate Shop, Meekster Brau, Lakai shoes, Pardon Designs and of course my parents KP: Think you’ll ever want to go pro? MC: I would like to, but my main goal is to go to college and get an education. I would like to be a mechanical engineer because I like to build and tinker KP: What do you recommend to kids that are just getting started skating? MC: Just have fun. Don’t focus on trying to go pro or do big gnarly tricks. Start slow and make sure you’re always having fun. KP: Thanks so much Marco. Is there anything else that you want to add? MC: Skateboarding to me is another way to express my self, exercise and a sport. I push myself cause I want to do tricks a certain way and proper and also because my dad puts in so much work for me to keep me skating that I want to try and put as much effort as he puts in for me.

GrowingUpSC.com | MARCH 2021

of options perfect for novice skaters and experts alike. Skating is getting huge in South County, and Ramsay Skatepark has become the vibrant community’s epicenter. elevate Ken Wormhoudt Skate Park into the upper echelon of skating destinations.

Jim Keefe Skate Park (Formerly Highland Skate Park)

8500 Highway 9 Ben Lomond 9AM-Sunset A lil’ bit in the boonies, tucked in a shady area off of Highway 9 past Scotts Valley, Jim Keefe Skate Park (formerly Highland Skate Park) is a well-balanced skate land for intermediate and advanced riders. At the end of the day, it’s really about the park’s bowl. That’s why many skaters choose to spurn always-crowded spots like Skypark and take the meandering drive to the 8,500 square foot concrete structure. Jim Keefe is rarely crowded so you’re sure to have first crack at the bowl and solid mix of street features. There’s a cool little fenced off area for beginner’s with a long and low flat rail and a few low-to-the- ground ledges perfect to practice grinds and other basic tricks. Jim Keefe is an under-utilized skatepark, and well worth the trip for an afternoon of free and unencumbered shredding.

Seacliff Skatepark Live Oak Skatepark (Jose Avenue Skatepark)

Jose Ave, Santa Cruz, Sunrise to Sunset 831-454-7501 At 4000 square feet, Jose Avenue Skatepark is far from the largest park in Santa Cruz County. But it’s still a fun, and popular destination for skaters in the Live Oak area. There are no vertical elements to be had here, just a ton of great street features. The concrete is always super smooth and the skatepark, just like Jose Avenue County Park, is well maintained and carefully cared for. Built in 2000, Jose Avenue Skatepark boasts a ton of clean lines and a sweet collection of innovative skateable elements. The County Park itself is family oriented and feels safe. BBQ pits and covered picnic seating are available, and many families like to spend entire days here — skating, playing in the slide/climbing gym area, letting Fido loose in the dog park, and tending to public vegetable gardens. Parking can get tight, so if you decide to skate Jose Avenue try to arrive early in the day.

Ken Wormhoudt Skate Park at Mike Fox Park

299 San Lorenzo Blvd, Santa Cruz 9AM-7PM Monday-Sunday Ken Wormhoudt Skate Park at Mike Fox Park’s boasts a divine mix of street skating, pipes, and bowls that make it a must-shreddestination for locals and Valley-folk alike. Prior to the grand opening of local-legend Zach Wormhoudt’s impeccably designed 15,000 square foot skatepark– he’s designed over 100 skateparks around the globe! – Mike Fox’s picnic area and 4 tennis courts were rarely used. The park itself was hardly visited; save for the occasional transient. Today, the $1.3 million facility, hugging a gentle and picturesque curve of the San Lorenzo River, is packed by newbies and vicious shredders every single day. Many skaters, some from as far away as Europe, make the pilgrimage to downtown Santa Cruz, just to ride the park’s rails, bowls, and stairs, and try to conquer the first full pipe in Northern California. The park is named after Zach Wormhoudt’s dad Ken, who designed and built the world’s first public skate park – legendary Derby Park— in Santa Cruz County in 1974. Zach took over the Mike Fox Park project when Ken passed away. Ultimately, the biggest challenge Zach faced was constructing the 16-foot-tall full pipe. It was an engineering feat and a true work of art, crafted it in a way that mimics an ocean wave. It’s not just about the pipe though. The wellmaintained and carefully cared for bowls and a wide array of street skating features

MARCH 2021 | Growing Up in Santa Cruz

Ramsay Park

1301 Main Street, Watsonville6 Sunrise to Sunset For 10 years, Ramsay Park was the home of a humble, somewhat dilapidated temporary skatepark. It just didn’t cut the mustard for Watsonville’s and South County’s growing contingent of skateboarders. Ramsay Park’s new $600,000 in-ground and permanent skatepark officially opened in May of 2016 and has been a popular and muchloved skate spot ever since. Santa Cruz’s Wormhoudt Landscape Architecture designed the park – that features a sweet centrally located bowl, extensive street features, rails galore, a wall ride, and a massive quarter pipe. The old temporary skate park was tucked into a dark semisketchy corner of Ramsay Park. It offered a rudimentary experience and developed a bit of a bad reputation over time. The new, bright and shiny skatepark is located at Ramsay Park’s main entrance to increase visibility, address safety concerns, and attract skaters of all ages and skill levels. For years, Watsonville lacked an adequate skating facility, so kids took to the streets, skating on private property and school campuses. Ramsay’s 10,000 square feet of concrete bliss features a wide range

McGregor Dr, Aptos The gleaming, brand spanking new Seacliff Skatepark is a dream come true for the long-neglected skaters in mid and South Santa Cruz County. With views of the Monterey Bay and “skateable art” the pristine $300,000 skate land is jam packed with skaters of all levels each and every day. Dreamland Skate Parks, working in concert with local firm Bredy Construction, designed Seacliff Skatepark. After years of debate and waiting, construction of the long-awaited skate spot was relatively speedy, taking seven weeks and coming in under budget. Over 500 people attended the park’s unveiling in February 2020. It was a wild joyous occasion with skate demos, dancing, live music by local band The Cement Ships, and of course, copious shredding. Located just off of Highway 1 along McGregor Drive, the park is in a perfect spot,—just steps away from Seacliff State Park. Local artists provide swaths of vibrant color and intricate design features in the skatepark, picnic areas, and along the park’s snaking walking paths. You’ll find subtle (and skateable!) references to local monuments like the S.S. Palo Alto (Aptos’ famous cement ship). Seacliff Skatepark provides a long awaited, and important, recreational opportunity for mid-County skaters long used to skating school grounds, local churches, and other private property. Local skaters can thank lifelong Capitola resident, and founder of the legendary skateboard company NHS, Richard Novak for footing most of the bill — for what is now one of the hottest skate spots in the County.

Sergeant Derby Park

508 Woodland Way, Santa Cruz Sunup to Sundown 831-420-5270 The legend. The Icon. Derby. Originally designed by Wormhoudt Inc. in the 1970’s, Derby Park is one of the oldest public skate parks in the world. The skate spot is located on the Westside of Santa Cruz County and is a true landmark of skateboarding history. The park is a survivor, weathering numerous dips and rises in skateboarding’s popularity and some ultra-dark periods of widespread skate park closures. Many parks closed permanently in the 1980’s due to skyrocketing insurance costs. Long known for its wall to wall graffiti and rough rides, Derby Skatepark recently received a much needed (but somewhat controversial) facelift. Santa Cruz

County public officials believed the historic park to be too dangerous to skate and demanded that significant changes be made. Some nostalgic skaters fought hard against the proposals, but in the end acquiesced. The County turned to the park’s original creators, Wormhoudt Inc. to make all of the alternations and to add new (and smooth!) concrete and four inches of rebar. Some of the changes to Derby include a “rocket pocket” at the start of the snake run and a 40-foot section of original style double-sided lip at the top of the snake run. Wormhoudt Inc. took extra care to keep the original form of the legendary park. Most of the firm’s work focused on fixing surfaces and dangerous tripping hazards. Much of the park’s famous graffiti is gone, and Derby feels safer – and cleaner- today than at any time in its storied history. Derby is a bucket list destination for all skaters. No doubt about it.

Tim Brauch Memorial Skate Park — Skypark in Scotts Valley

361 Kings Village Rd, Scotts Valley 8AM-7PM svSkatePark.com At 22,000 square feet, Tim Brauch Memorial Skate Park in Scotts Valley’s Skypark is the largest skate mecca in Santa Cruz County. With buttery smooth concrete and impeccable craftmanship, the park offers a wide variety of terrain for skaters of all levels. After years of planning, Tim Brauch Memorial Skate Park finally broke ground in April of 2004, and opened to much fanfare on September 21st. Over 500 people turned out to the unveiling. Most were blown away by the park’s sheer vastness and superb collection of skateable features. Wormhoudt Inc., the architects of over 70 skate parks around the globe designed the skating playground. The park’s wide and varied selection of bowls – of all varieties and sizes – is unmatched. Conquer the 2-foot-deep micro bowl and then skate on over to the super-speedy and kidney shaped 4-foot-deep mini bowl. Once you’ve had enough with the mini’s metal coping and fun lines, take the dive into the 8-foot-deep clover shaped big bowl. The bowl’s ultra-smooth and perfectly maintained concrete and slick metal coping make it one of the park’s most popular features. Tim Brauch is all about space, and you’ll have plenty in the park’s fun and extensive street course. A selection of quarter pipes border the street zone — containing a collection of stairs, steps with rails, and yet another oval bowl. The skate park is named in honor of American professional skater Timothy Brauch, who died of cardiac arrest at the age of 25. Each year, friends gather at Tim Brauch Memorial Skate Park for the annual Timothy Brauch Memorial Contest. Dozens of skaters show up to shred Tim Brauch Skate Park each day. The park can get crowded, but with over 20,000 square feet of skateable terrain it hardly feels like it. Don’t show up to the park without a helmet unless you want to get a ticket from the always hovering Scotts Valley coppers. And watch out for the swarming army of grommets on their razor scooters.

Bill's Wheels

1240 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz2 10AM-6PM Monday-Sunday 831-690-9045 BillsWheeels.com It’s been a good 44 years for Bill’s Wheels. When industry OG Bill Ackerman opened the first incarnation of his legendary skating emporium on East Lake Avenue in Watsonville in 1977 he was just starting to get into skateboarding seriously. He had always intended on following in his dad’s footsteps and becoming a cop, but the stars aligned and Ackerman dove fully into the skating industry. The demos in the parking lot of Bill’s Wheels (Watsonville) – which he called “Skate Jams” attracted 400-500 kids each month. Ramps were set up and bands played music as groms and skating adults shredded in the afternoon sun. Ackerman brought out walls of sheet rock and allowed local graffiti artists to flex their graffiti muscles. In 1995, Bill’s Wheels opened its current Santa Cruz location, and the Watsonville store shut its doors after 20 good years. Bill’s Wheels has played an important role in Santa Cruz skateboarding culture from the beginning. Just look at the rows and rows of priceless old school rigs that cover its walls. If you’re a skateboarder in Santa Cruz, you have to check out Bill’s. There is an ever-rotating wall of amazing graffiti on the walls outside, and inside you’ll find a passionate crew just waiting to meet any and all of your skating needs. Unmatched selection. Period.

Cali Style

222 Mt Hermon Rd, Scotts Valley 11AM-5PM Monday-Sunday 831-440-1088 Skate in style! Boasting one of the widest arrays of dope skate clothing and boards on the Central Coast, Cali Style has exactly what you’ll need for a dope day at the park, or in the streets. Hit up the family-owned skating-hot-spot before you head to Tim Brauch Memorial Skatepark (located in Scotts Valley’s Skypark). You’ll find a devoted staff - straight up cool, chill, and ultra-patient – who are happy to dispense advice and guide you to your skating sweet spot. Cali Style carries a healthy selection of boards and all things skate – including a nice little stock of some hard to find items. The shop is straight up homie - packed with lil’ skate rats each and every day. It’s become the vibrant epicenter of skating in Scotts Valley. If you need threads, or require a board or other equipment to shred, Cali Style has got you covered.

Foreverfly Skate and Apparel

442 Main Street, Watsonville 11AM-7PM Monday-Sunday 831-228-9819 ForeverFly.com Those living in Santa Cruz’s South County will be stoked to know that there is finally a beautiful little gem of a skate shop in their backyard. If you’re heading to Ramsay Park for an afternoon session, make sure you pop.by Foreverfly on Main Street in Watsonville. Established in 2017, Foreverfly is locally owned and operated and fully stocked with a huge selection of boards and apparel. The humble shop is nicely designed, sparkling clean, and its devoted staff are patient and super friendly.

Free to Ride Surf Shop

110 Capitola Avenue, Capitola 831-475-2401 11AM-6PM Monday -Sunday Not your typical skate shop at all, Free to Ride really caters to the beachy, touristy crowd that flock to the cool waters and white sand of Capitola Village during the summer. Most of the stores in Capitola look like, feel like, and are tourist traps – looking to gouge out-of-towners on chochkies and basic beach necessities. Free to Ride really isn’t one of these joints though, and if you’re near the village and need a new setup, it’s worth stopping by. There’s not a super wide selection ala Bill’s Wheel’s or Skateworks, but there’s a pretty nice selection of long boards, banana boards, and other skates to take a look at. Free to Ride has established itself as the premier surf shop in Capitola Village, but it also carries a nice array of skating goodies too.

Zumiez

1855 41st Ave, Ave. 8, Capitola 11AM-7PM Monday-Saturday, 10AM-6PM Sunday 831-465-1752 Most diehard skaters have a love hate relationship with Zumiez. Some call Zumiez, a colossus with 698 retail locations spread across all 50 states and 3 continents, the “Walmart of Skating.” Others are just stoked they have one more place to go when in desperate need of a new deck, grip tape, or bearings. When Zumiez fully burst onto the scene it was just straight up cool. Large cushy leather couches and Xbox’s

(Tony Hawk baby!) encouraged shoppers (and skaters) to stay, play, listen to music, and just chill. Today, the couches and game terminals are gone and the chain stores that were once featured walls with impressive collections of decks, wheels, and gear, are mostly full of clothes. Zumiez sold over $927 million worth of merchandise last year, and many skaters criticize the corporation for not giving back to local skating communities (like local mom and pop shops do). Skating is blowing up and going mainstream, and many skaters argue about whether Zumiez is helping or hurting things. Yes, Zumiez does actively bolster the financial stability of many skate brands, but is the publicly traded company really adding anything to skateboarding culture? Buy your next set-up at Zumiez if you want, but I’m heading to Bills for better service, competitive prices, and to support my community.

Pacific Wave

1502 Pacific Avenue, Santa Cruz 10AM-8PM Monday-Sundy 831-458-9283 PacWave.com When the surf isn’t pumping, the pavement comes calling. And it’s time to head to family owned and operated Pacific Wave. Pac-Wave opened up shop on Pacific Avenue in 1993, renovating a cavernous, empty and damaged historical building in the heart of downtown Santa Cruz. Its employees like to say that they take the local surf shop mentality to a whole new level. You’ll find every surf-type product imaginable, but the store also boats one of the best skating selections in the County. The shop’s vibe is fresh and so so Santa Cruz, and the always smiling staff all seem to really like working there. And they’re happy to spend the time and energy to get you exactly what you need… so you leave so stoked you’ll want to pop a kickflip.

decks, the retailer has established itself as a monument to all things skateboarding. Check out the Boardroom’s in-house museum teeming with an out of this world collection of rare skateboards and super cool art. Those on a budget should make a bee line to the clearance section, where a gorgeous collection of colorful boards, usually discounted around 30%, awaits.

Skateworks Santa Cruz

131 Center Street, Santa Cruz Monday 12PM-6PM, Closed Tuesday, Wednesday to Friday 12PM-6PM, Saturday 11AM-6PM, Sunday 11AM-5PM 831-427-4292 SkateWorks.com Established way back in 1988, familyowned-and-operated Skateworks has a long and storied history of serving all members - regardless of age, gender, and skill level - of the Santa Cruz County skating community. Skateboards are the shop’s bread and butter - the cornerstone of what it does. The store’s knowledgeable (and highly experienced) staff are happy to help you navigate through an always-impressive inventory and wide array of sizes and styles to accommodate any skater’s budget and taste. Once you’ve picked out your deck, wheels, and trucks they’ll carefully assemble your rocking setup gratis - during the same visit. And when the cash register dings, you’re ready to take your new bright and shiny toy out into the world. Make sure to give it its first scrape on the array of obstacles Skateworks team has carefully installed outside the shop. Skateworks also features a full-service quad roller skate department and proudly supports roller derby leagues in Santa Cruz and the greater Bay Area. But in the end, really, this place is about REAL skating.

Surf City Santa Cruz Boardroom

825 41st Avenue, Santa Cruz 11AM-5PM Monday – Sunday 831-464-2500 SantaCruzBoardroom.com Serving Santa Cruz County at the site of the original NHS factory on 41st Avenue since 2008, Santa Cruz Boardroom is one of the largest (and busiest) skateboard shops in the State. Clothes, socks, bags, protective gear, boards (the shop is proud to be “home to 2000 skateboards) …. even dog food dishes made from recycled/retired

41 Municipal Wharf, Santa Cruz 9AM-8PM Monday-Sunday 831-426-9699 SurfCitySantaCruz.com Formerly “Ports of Call), Surf City is located in the center of the Santa Cruz municipal wharf. It’s not really a skate shop but carries a pretty healthy selection of boards and other gear. Worth a trip just to scope out their selection and to see if you can find any gems. Surf City has been in its current location since 1971, carrying a nice array of skate and surf gifts and apparel. GrowingUpSC.com | MARCH 2021

LOCAL NEWS Teens Stepping Up for Community BY JEANETTE PRATHER

“

Santa Cruz teens and tweens haven’t just been sheltering in place during the pandemic—they have been getting out to help the community. “I like volunteering because it feels good to know that I’m helping out, and that I can make people happy, especially during this pandemic,” said 12-year-old Zoe Robinson. “Making cards for seniors was a fun and easy volunteer project to do from home.” Robinson, referencing the Volunteer Center of Santa Cruz County’s YouthSERVE division’s recent Cards for Seniors project, is one of many youth volunteers trying to lift the spirits of local elderly citizens with positive messages. “We’re partnered with Family Service Agency of the Central Coast, who’s the one gathering our cards and distributing them out to care facilities throughout the county,” confirmed Volunteer Center of Santa Cruz County’s YouthSERVE Coordinator, Malia Yamashita. “We’ve made thousands of cards from hundreds of participants.” Despite running into COVIDrelated in-person volunteer restrictions, Yamashita mentioned that YouthSERVE’s one-time volunteers have

MARCH 2021 | Growing Up in Santa Cruz

increased. “We’re mostly doing at-home projects right now but hope to get more outdoor projects going like beach cleanups come spring and summer.” Another institution creating heart-felt messages across multiple generations is the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Santa Cruz County. “With so many people living on their own during quarantine, many of us feel the disconnect from our social outlets,” said UUFSCC Religious Exploration Team Chair, Jessica Bukowinski, referencing the highly attended lunches formerly succeeding the fellowship. “After an open discussion about possible service projects, [UUFSCC’s youth fellowship] decided to focus on bridging the generations within our fellowship community.” The youth fellowship, also known as the ‘Dolphin’ youth group and comprised of 9–12-year-olds, pitched the Intergenerational Communications Unlimited “I SEE YOU,” or I.C.U. project to the rest of the congregation, which was receptive to the idea. “We believe a longterm pen pal connection could continue to grow our social connection between our experienced elders and our wise youth during the pandemic (and perhaps

There are no shortages of communities needing help in a variety of ways, and it seems no shortage of organizations ready to meet those needs..

well after),” wrote the Dolphin group. Spearheaded by UUFSCC’s Religious Exploration Coordinator, Tara Nunya, the program involves a questionnaire that helps the team match pen pals based on mutual interests. “We match you with someone who we feel is a good match of both similar likes and things you could learn from each other,” explains the group's website. “You are welcome to correspond as a family or an individual. By joining you agree to respond to your carefully matched pen pal/family minimally two times a month.” A recent high profile youth good deed came from 16-year-old Scotts Valley High School junior, Jeremy Goodrich. “I come with my friends to Downtown Santa Cruz and I see the homeless. They’re freezing and it looks miserable,” Goodrich told KION last winter when asked why he decided to spearhead the school-wide blanket and coat drive. “People who have houses have extra blankets and jackets. It’s just a good way to help them out.” “[Jeremy] is our Junior Class President this year, and together with ten other juniors in our Student Government class, they organized the coat and blanket drive,” said Scotts Valley High School Activities Director/Humanities Teacher, Dayna Fisher, and the faculty member who oversaw the junior class’s efforts. “They would guesstimate that they collected about 40 large bags full of blankets and jackets.” Fisher mentioned that the blanket and coat drop-off location was the Four Points by Sheraton on Scotts Valley Drive, and then the items were delivered directly to the two agencies that the junior class chose, Food not Bombs and the Warming Center Program Footbridge Service Center. “They were able to set out the items they brought in and were so pleased to see the donated items go directly to those in need,” said Fisher. Another academic organization offering a robust list of volunteer opportunities, is Pacific Collegiate School. “A lot of our students have corresponded with shut-ins and created letters for assisted living. They’ve also helped people who had to evacuate due to the fires,” said Liz Musal, PCS’s community service program coordinator. “We’ve also done a letter advocacy program to government officials. Students can even design their own service opportunity if they want to.” Musal mentioned that while coordinating volunteer and community service efforts has been met with some challenges since the pandemic and

subsequent in-person restrictions, PCS students have gotten creative in accommodating their good deeds. “We had one student who made over 370 masks that were donated through the Parks and Rec department as well as the Volunteer Center,” said Musal. “We’ve had a lot of kids doing things remotely. We’re really trying to encourage safe, social-distanced community service opportunities, and have even relaxed our community service expectations because we just want kids helping in the community however possible. We also want their families to help other families. It’s a good lesson for all of us during this challenging time; we all need to help each other out. A lot of kids have really stepped up.” While not all organizations have side-stepped their regular volunteer activities, most of them have and can. One seemingly difficult integration would be how to handle food donations during this time. Although the Teen Kitchen Project can’t offer their regular in-person volunteer activities, they’ve opened up a slew of other ways to get involved. “We have other opportunities to help serve the community through our new Community Cares Program,” wrote TeenKitchenProject.org. “In this program, youth commit to serving our clients in ways that help them feel supported and loved, [which] includes calling clients to check in, making cards at home for our clients using our creative card kits, [and] assembling flower arrangements.” The opportunities for teens and tweens to help their communities don’t stop there! The 2018-created, Santa Cruz-founded Lyftly app offers peerto-peer support in regard to mental health. “[Teens] can share their feelings in a protective community, seeking help through creating private and/or peer communities,” said the now Los Gatos-located app founders, CEO Ram Ramanujam PhD/MBA and COO Dev Joshi. “We also have Lyftly certified peers who have gone through their own journeys and have backgrounds in psychology. There are teen volunteers between the ages 15 and 18 who don’t have backgrounds in psychology and who simply volunteer to help their peers. The app also has a lot of pandemic help and resources for teens.” This was merely a handful of local agencies who are hosting selfless younger generations making a difference and paving the way for what a new model of helping out might look like post-COVID. Cheers to the youth out there making a difference and helping other Santa Cruzans.

Painting the Town Purple BY BRAD KAVA

Purple Porchlight Project If you favor peace, unity, respect, progress, lawful liberty and

P. Peace U. Unity

education over divisive labeling, social media ranting, and biased

R. Respect

news reporting,

P. Progress

and, if you believe that facts,

L. Lawful Liberty

science, respect, civility and unselfishness are to be cherished,

E. Education

Then please put a purple porchlight at your house to signify your desire for peace.

Terry Ballantyne Brezsny, left, and her buddy Niki Nelson have been hitting the streets giving out purple lightbulbs. If the profusion of purple porch lights around the county has made you smile, you have an inspiration from Terry Ballantyne Brezsny to thank. The current realtor—and Jill of all trades around town—made a big house sale and wanted to do something to better things around her. How about painting the town purple? “During the election I was so frustrated with all the negativity,” says the vivacious 69-year-old. “Everybody was sliced and diced into one label or another and the identity politics was overwhelming. “ She wanted to erase the red and blue factions, combine them and make the county purple, the color that forms when you mix red and blue. “I said what are the common values everyone needs?” And, while at the Rio Flats coffee shop, the words popped in her head. Peace, Unity, Respect, Progress, Lawful Liberty and Education—which made up the acronym PURPLE. She didn’t go with the standard L for Love. “I thought it was too ‘airy fairy.’ But the other things are what Americans cherish.” She took out an ad in local papers, including this magazine, and quickly distributed 900 bulbs and she and her friend Nicki Nelson went to every place residents texted her. Her phone lit up. “I was waiting for haters,” she said. “There’s always a hater. But not one person said anything negative. No one asked my political ideology. I felt I had to do something. My fantasy is it keeps spreading all over.”

Pick up a free lightbulb while supply lasts at 1218 N Branciforte Tiny Library! Or buy at Home Depot or Ace Hardware.

You can see a lot of the bulbs on Branciforte, where she started going door to door handing them out. A lot have popped up in Seacliff and on Stanford Avenue in Santa Cruz. Brezsny is no stranger to following through on new ideas. Raised in Orange County, she settled in Santa Cruz because of its perfect balance of trees and ocean. When she arrived, she worked selling cars at Bergstrom Motors, which wasn’t her favorite job. But everyday she saw food trucks pull up and all the workers line up for what she thought was “horrible, horrible” food. A foodie herself—by way of running a flower shop in LA and trading bouquets for quality food at restaurants-- she came up with the idea of starting a gourmet food truck, This was in the 90s before these kind of trucks became a trend. As an experiment, she made a bunch of lunches, things like barbecued chicken with gouda and spinach, and she pulled up to the Founders Title company on 41st Ave. She thought they might laugh at the truck called “Brown Bag Lunches.” Instead, they bought out her whole inventory and asked when she would come back. Fast forward and her small business became a company with 11 sales people and a commercial kitchen serving lunches from King City to Santa Cruz. After selling that company, she went into real estate, something both of her parents did and she’s loved it for 21 years. “My father told me you meet the most wonderful people and see the most beautiful properties,” she said. “He was right. I’m never bored and it’s always a new day.” GrowingUpSC.com | MARCH 2021

MONDAY 1 March is Hummingbird Month at the UCSC Arboretum! You'll find fun facts and activities to download on our website, arboretum.ucsc.edu. You are invited to come to the Arboretum all March long to enjoy the show. Entrance fee for non-members is $5. Please wear a mask and observe social distancing with humans while you get up close to the birds. Baby Happy Hour at JuneBug's Gym from 12:15-1:15 on Monday and Wednesdays. National Peanut Butter Lover's Day National Pig Day

MARCH 2021 | Growing Up in Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History Out and About (Outdoors) 10-11 a.m. This new monthly series of family-friendly, small group get-togethers welcomes you to safely explore Santa Cruz’s diverse natural spaces. This month we'll explore the Indigenous history of Aulinta (now Santa Cruz) through native plants, traditional tools, and oral tradition. Registration is required: https://www. santacruzmuseum.org/3-6-out-and-aboutindigenous-culture-of-santa-cruz/.

National Johnny Appleseed Day National Oatmeal Nut Waffles Day National Promposal Day

FRIDAY 12

National Cereal Day

MONDAY 8 Baby Happy Hour at JuneBug's Gym from 12:15-1:15 on Monday and Wednesdays.

National Read Across America Day Celebrate the birthday of Dr. Seuss. The annual event is part of Read Across America, an initiative on reading creative by the National Education Association. National Girl Scout Day Part of Girl Scout Week, National Girl Scout Day commemorates the anniversary of the first Girl Scout meeting. In 1912, Juliette “Daisy” Gordon Low organized the meeting in Savannah, Georgia. And Girl Scouts has only grown from there! So grab a cookie (or 12) and get ready to celebrate.

WEDNESDAY 3 Baby Happy Hour at JuneBug's Gym from 12:15-1:15 on Monday and Wednesdays. Gateway Tours by Appointment 9:15am-2:15pm. Gateway School, 255 Swift Street Come and learn how Gateway School inspires curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking through innovative education for a fast-changing world. You’ll have the opportunity to see the health and safety protocols of our facilities while also learning more about our curriculum. Visit www.gatewaysc.org to make an appointment for a personalized, individual tour of our campus. Teen Expo II - Homegrown Careers. A virtual expo showcasing successful Santa Cruz County creators, makers, entrepreneurs, and leaders. Register for virtual expo at http://tinyurl.com/ teenexpo2

THURSDAY 4 World Teen Mental Wellness Day aims to raise greater awareness of mental health issues among teens, as well as provide education about removing stigmas surrounding preventative mental health. According to the American Psychological Association, Gen Z has the worst mental health of any generation. However, teens are dedicated to making a difference. According to YPulse, 64 percent of Gen Z say they want to achieve a healthier lifestyle for overall happiness, including a stronger self-care routine. Also, 94 percent consider mental health very important to their wellbeing. Ultimately, raising awareness about mental health and the importance of selfcare can help improve an entire generation’s mental wellness.

THURSDAY 11

SUNDAY 7

TUESDAY 2 Gateway Tours by Appointment 9:15am-2:15pm. Gateway School, 255 Swift Street Come and learn how Gateway School inspires curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking through innovative education for a fast-changing world. You’ll have the opportunity to see the health and safety protocols of our facilities while also learning more about our curriculum. Visit www.gatewaysc.org to make an appointment for a personalized, individual tour of our campus.

SATURDAY 6

Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History Rockin' Pop-Up (Virtual) 3-3:30 p.m. Geologists Gavin and Graham help us dig deep into geology with these monthly rock-talks! Watch live on Facebook to ask questions — or go back and watch past episodes at https://www. santacruzmuseum.org/category/rockinpop-up/. Marching Music Day

FRIDAY 5 National Speech and Debate Education Day

National Plant a Flower Day

SATURDAY 13 National Good Samaritan Day International Women's Day is a global day celebrating the historical, cultural, and political achievements of women. The day also is a day of action in support of taking action against gender inequality around the world. We all know the world couldn’t run without women (we mean, just listen to Beyoncé). This is the day to appreciate their efforts! Organizations large and small come together to show women just how valuable they are in today’s society.

TUESDAY9 SLVUSD All homeschool-Hybrid Programs information night. To register and receive a link to our meeting go to: charter.slvusd.org under the Enroll tab, Charter Information Nights (831) 336-5167 (831) 335-0932

WEDNESDAY 10 Baby Happy Hour at JuneBug's Gym from 12:15-1:15 on Monday and Wednesdays. National Blueberry Popover Day National Pack Your Lunch Day

SUNDAY 14 National Children's Craft Day National Learn About Butterflies Day National Pi Day Daylight Saving Time

MONDAY 15 Baby Happy Hour at JuneBug's Gym from 12:15-1:15 on Monday and Wednesdays. National Napping Day

TUESDAY 16 SLVUSD Nature Academy Info Night Zoom Meeting 6-7pm Info and applications 831.336.5167 | charter.slvusd.org National Artichoke Hearts Day Everything You Do Is Right Day National Freedom of Information Day National Panda Day

FEBRUARY CELEBRATIONS WEDNESDAY 17 MONDAY 22

SATURDAY 27

Baby Happy Hour at JuneBug's Gym from 12:15-1:15 on Monday and Wednesdays. St. Patrick's Day

Baby Happy Hour at JuneBug's Gym from 12:15-1:15 on Monday and Wednesdays. National Goof Off Day

International Medical Science Liaison Day

THURSDAY 18

TUESDAY 23

National Lacy Oatmeal Cookie Day National Sloppy Joe Day National Farm Rescuer Day

National Near Miss Day National Melba Toast Day National Puppy Day National Tamale Day

FRIDAY 19 National Certified Nurses Day National Let's Laugh Day

SATURDAY 20 Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History Saturdays in the Soil (Outdoors) 10 a.m. to noon It’s time to get your hands dirty! We’re excited to relaunch our monthly volunteer program in our native plant garden. Learn about native plants and sustainable gardening while coming together as a community (in a physically distanced manner!) to steward Tyrrell Park through the City’s Adopt-A-Park program. Space is limited and RSVPs are required. Email volunteer@ santacruzmuseum.org to express interest. Virtual Meet the Doulas Presented by Birth Network of Santa Cruz County Saturday, March 20, 4pm Learn about how doulas support families through the birth and postpartum experience during our current COVID19 situation. Preregister to join the FREE LIVE ZOOM EVENT: BirthNetSantaCruz.EventBrite.com

SUNDAY 28 National Black Forest Cake Day

WEDNESDAY 24 Baby Happy Hour at JuneBug's Gym from 12:15-1:15 on Monday and Wednesdays. National Chocolate Covered Raisin Day

THURSDAY 25 National Medal of Honor Day National Tolkien Reading Day

FRIDAY 26

National Weed Appreciation Day reminds us that some weeds are beneficial to us and our ecosystem. Humans have used weeds for food and as herbs for much of recorded history. Some are edible and nutritious while other weeds have medicinal value. Do you remember as a small child the fun you had with dandelions? Well, these bright yellow flowers serve a purpose. Dandelions are a food source for insects and some birds. Humans eat young dandelion leaves and enjoy tea and wine made from the leaves and flowers. The Native Americans used dandelions to treat certain ailments. Nutritionally, dandelions contain a source of vitamin A and C, calcium, iron and fiber.

MONDAY 29

First Day of Spring UCSC Arboretum will be open at 6:30 a.m. to members and volunteers only for a very early bird adventure! See March 1 for full listing about Hummingbird month. arboretum.ucsc.edu

SUNDAY 21 National California Strawberry Day National Single Parent Day

TUESDAY 30

Little People's Repertory Theater presents the premier showing of “Cinderacula; a campaign of Unfortunate Events,” a gothic spin on Cinderella, with timely themes that include Cinderella running for Vice President, a family of vampires spreading their curse to the citizens of Transylvania, and a prince who wants to be elected president by free and fair elections. Movie will show at The Boardwalk Drive in Friday March 26th, 7:30 pm. Tickets, $25.00 a car, Tickets must be purchased online at L PRT.orgTickets are not sold at the venue Concessions will be available. Like many Performing Arts companies, LPRT suffered a hit to their budget by not selling tickets to live performances. This event promises to be unique, hilarious and Covid-safe. Epilepsy Awareness Day

Baby Happy Hour at JuneBug's Gym from 12:15-1:15 on Monday and Wednesdays. National Lemon Chiffon Cake Day National Mom and Pop Business Owners Day Our economy couldn’t run without small mom and pop businesses. They create economic growth and provide almost 70% of all new jobs in the country.That’s why every year on March 29 we acknowledge the more than 27 million small businesses in this country by celebrating National Mom and Pop Business Owners Day! The holiday was established by Rick and Margie Segel in honor of their parents and the successful hat shop they opened in 1939 and grew into a 10,000 square foot, $2 million dollar clothing shop. It is a special day to appreciate the long hours, hard work and dedication it takes to run a small business. So on March 29, head to your favorite small business to say thank you! National Vietnam War Veterans Day We commemorate those who fought in the Vietnam War. There’s no doubt that the Vietnam War was one of the most brutal. National Vietnam War Veterans Day was created to honor all the men and women who fought during its time.

National Take a Walk in the Park Day Taking a walk at a local park is an excellent way to clear one’s mind from the stresses of the day, re-energize and at the same time, to improve health. During a walk, the opportunity to capture a beautiful photograph, compose an original poem, or have an uninterrupted conversation may arise. The chance to lose track of time and run into a familiar face could occur, too. When taking a walk in the park, all sorts of pleasant surprises could blossom. National Doctors Day Healthcare today is more complex than ever. With more advancements, tools and information at their fingertips doctors have an overwhelming job to diagnose and treat their patients every day. This is the day to honor the men and women who see us 365 days a year. In every city and hospital, in our military and in our rural communities, doctors pave the way to better healthcare for their patients.

WEDNESDAY 31 Baby Happy Hour at JuneBug's Gym from 12:15-1:15 on Monday and Wednesdays. National Crayon Day Opening up a box of crayons opens up a world of imagination and hours of fun. Wax and chalk-based crayons have been used by artists around the world for centuries. .

GUiSC will attempt to update the calendar listings as needed; however, it is the responsibility of the organization listed to provide updated information. GUiSC assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions. Readers are encouraged to check the accuracy of the information provided. Events that are free or cost less than $10 can be submitted for inclusion in the calendar. GUiSC does not guarantee that a submitted event will automatically be included. Preference is given for events of interest to children and/or parents. Calendar entries must be received by the 15th of the month prior to the month of the event. Calendar entries and photos will be selected by the Calendar Editor. Please email christy@growingupsc.com.

GrowingUpSC.com | MARCH 2021

BY JEANETTE PRATHER

 Jeanette got her BA in journalism, French, international studies, and dance at Cal State, Long Beach circa 2007. Since then, she has published thousands of articles and blogs from zines to dailies to traditional glossies, as well as four books, and six musicals. She runs a local business, Stellaria Creative Company, and resides in Santa Cruz with her husband and two children.

What Will Santa Cruz Look Like in 2035? If You Have a Baby Now, Here’s What Their Future Will Be

With all the question marks that came along with 2020 – and, let’s be honest, 2021 so far – it might be ambitious to try and tackle what the world has in store for the coming decades. But let’s indulge this topic for the sake of our future generations, anyway! What might the world look like in 2035, for instance, for a child born now? “We hope that the culture of our community in 2035 is a vibrant town square of open communication and critical thinking, fueled by cultural institutions and community hubs like museums,” said executive director of the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History, Felicia B. Van Stolk. “We envision a culture that nurtures curiosity, encourages asking questions, and values a diversity of perspectives.” Stolk backs up this claim with a forecast report published by the American Alliance of Museums titled, “Museum 2040.” “Museums will become increasingly part of a traditional education for parents and students exploring more personalized learning plans,” said Stolk. “They will also become community centers and hubs for providing services beyond the typical exhibit. In particular, they will be resources for mental health, and some doctors have already begun prescribing visits to museums and nature centers as treatment.” “Museums have grown beyond their physical walls and are now a part of

MARCH 2021 | Growing Up in Santa Cruz

their communities in a bigger way than ever, which puts them in partnership with more non-museum disciplines and sectors than ever,” wrote Dr. Cris Hon Garcia, the rotating CEO of the American Alliance of Museums, in a letter dated 2040 from the same document addressing its members. Garcia goes on to explain how organizational boundaries across many industry spectrums blur or disappear altogether. “The museum and the hospital, for example, may share spaces, objects, talent, and programs, while the police department and the school do the same. Museums have become fully integrated with our educational system—both of my children attended preschool in a museum and, as she enters her teens, my daughter has chosen our local natural history museum as the home base for her personal learning plan. Museums, houses of worship, libraries, and community centers are finding ways to work together to serve their communities, their clients, in ways nobody could have imagined a quartercentury ago.” Agreeing with this statement, the marketing and public relations manager at the Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History (MAH), Ashley Holmes, rounded up some of the museum administration staff to comment on what they speculate human culture and society will look like come 2035. “We believe

2035 museums/cultural organizations have embraced their potential to be true spaces for inclusivity and courageous change, to uplift everyone with tolerance, accountability, and grace,” said the MAH administration. “We believe cultural organizations are essential in moving us through moments in time—the good, the challenging, and everything in between.” The MAH goes on to predict that 2035 museums and cultural centers will know and own their responsibility to grow with their communities, as well as embrace new platforms for expression and interaction while adopting new technologies to move beyond limitations of physical buildings and space. “In 2035, museums trust, listen and respect the community they are in and the land they stand on,” said the MAH administration. “They are spaces that hold and preserve the most beautiful stories, and are active spaces for gathering, listening, and sharing. Museums have become safer spaces for more stories, dialogue, and pushing the status quo.” Additionally, artists weigh in on what they think the future will bring. Local Core Connected Learning teaching artist, Fred Mindlin. “Twenty thirty-five will be the first year of the Third Decade,

which ushers in World Peace,” he wrote in the digital story, “String Stories.” “You see, the First Decade created a fundamental shift in global consciousness by enabling all children around the world to become curious, creative, selfdirected independent learners through the arts. The esoteric work of the Second Decade involves healing all the wounded adults who never got the message or have intractable learning challenges and restoring humanity’s nurturing relationship to the nature in which we are embedded. Now, in 2035, we can truly ‘Shake Hands Around the World’ and play an endless game of Cat’s Cradle.” Unfortunately, with the onset of more civil global consciousness, comes the struggle in power relinquishing and disbursement by those who are in charge. According to Pew Research Center in an article interviewing hundreds of global experts (“Experts Predict More Digital Innovation by 2030 Aimed at Enhancing Democracy,” June 30, 2020), power dynamics will be both the catalyst in innovation as well as future problems. “Polarization of politics will continue, and positions will harden in the U.S. twoparty system,” wrote retired entrepreneur and business leader, Mike Gaudreau.

“The left will become too utopian and the right will veer toward national socialism that suits those who think immigrants are the cause of their issues. I fear there may be another civil war in the U.S. in the next 10 to 20 years, or at least a period of upheaval as seen in the 1960s.” Assistant professor of UCSC’s legal studies program in the politics department, Anjuli Verma, cited a nationwide system collapse come 2035. “Outside of California, by 2035, states across the U.S. will have reached a deeper low and unbearable breaking point in the governing crisis and scale of need and human suffering under late-stage capitalism, climate change, and in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, which did not fully subside until 2023 and produced long-range effects still felt well into the year 2035.” While in California, with Santa Cruz being one of the trailblazing locales, Verma predicts a substantially downsized prison system and armed police force by 2035. “Santa Cruz will have been one of the locales to trail blaze on decarceration and demilitarization and to imagine, as well as successfully implement, new systems, laws, policies, norms, institutions, and both institutional and personal practices that redirect resources away from the state’s criminal and carceral apparatus to systems of mutual social support premised on solidarity and social programs sustained by communities that are beginning to become less reliant on the state for welfare, belonging, safety, and survival,” said Verma. “By 2035, it will have become culturally and politically unacceptable, and virtually impossible, to sustain the earlier era’s (2020-2021) levels of incarceration and policing in the U.S., and the few remaining outlier states who have tried thus far to stubbornly resist will begin

to buckle under the fact of this new reality, and this new politics,” continued Verma. “Public safety and state power to keep peace in the U.S. will have been reconceptualized, making the focus of politics in 2035 the refinement and restructuring of state and local systems to respond more robustly to economic precarity, mental illness and psychological instability, and chronic illness, diseases and preventable death.” So, it’s not all bad, but like most systems to evolve, there will be bumps along the way. Like, of course, the need to address an ever-increasing threat to Earth via climate change. “Our planet is gradually getting warmer and this includes Santa Cruz,” said distinguished professor of earth sciences at UCSC, Gary Griggs, referencing his paper, “The Climate is Changing – What Can We Expect?” “We can expect more hotter days, more frequent droughts and water shortages, and more forest fires. More of California’s precipitation will fall as rain instead of snow, meaning that there will be less snowpack to release water later in the summer when we need it most, [and] our rainfall here will likely be more concentrated in the winter months, which would mean more frequent flooding.” Griggs mentions that we can expect the sea level to continue rising slowly, possibly amounting to three or four inches (or higher) by 2035. “This means that the highest tides will cover more beach and flood low-lying areas more often,” he said. “All of this is happening because 80% of our energy supply is from burning fossil fuels (oil, gas and coal), which all produce greenhouse gases. We need to move to renewable energy sources (solar and wind) as quickly as possible to reduce or minimize these future impacts.” While it doesn’t come as a surprise to most people that climate change is an immediate threat to the environment and needs radical intervention, the call to eradicate this trend may not be so widely known. Felicia Stolk, executive director at the Santa Cruz Museum of National History, says that everyone should get involved on a local level and contribute to Santa Cruz’s effort to include the community in an equitable 2030 climate action plan after implementing its first eight years, by adding your email address and completing a communityminded survey (opening February 8) on engagement preferences at TINYURL. COM/Y2DP8DP2. “Our environment will certainly be different - change is inevitable, and impacts caused by climate change and resource use will take time to slow or reverse,” said Stolk. “However, there are some hopeful trends globally and locally that may lead us to a brighter environmental future, [like] a U.S. Senate resolution that is part of a global initiative called ‘30 by 30’ - a goal to protect 30% of land and water by 2030.” Another prominent local institution, UCSC, has drafted a 2021 Long-Range Development Plan (LRDP) with an Environmental Impact Report (EIR), began in 2017, that included a lot of

“

With the onset of a more globally conscious human framework, it’s safe to assume that the leaders of the future free world are the artists, humanitarians, environmentalists, activists, historians, scientists, and other creatives of the world, in whatever context that might look.

community feedback for the coming 20 years. The plan was initiated to help embrace the original vision for the campus, include more physical space while preserving its natural reserve, advance research capabilities, and oncampus circulation. “We are focused on providing a high-quality education and research environment for the next generation of leaders while also respecting and protecting the natural environment that surrounds us, which is an important part of what makes our campus special,” Chancellor Cynthia Larive said in a press release titled, “UCSC imagines campus 20 years from now, releases roadmap for its future and accompanying environmental review” issued on January 7. “This plan charts an innovative, sustainable, and exciting course for our campus.” “It’s impossible to fully predict university life 20 years from now,” said Vice Chancellor Sarah Latham in the same press release, “but it is prudent that our campus produces a well-thoughtout roadmap that can serve as a guide regardless of what the year 2040 brings.” In a heartwarming letter titled “Those Who Came Before You” and written to her three-month-old baby grandniece Penelope, retired Art Coordinator for Palo Alto School District, Sharon Ferguson, wrote, “You smile so freely that when I look at your latest picture I can slip momentarily into the kind

of limitless optimism that I cannot feel most of the day. These are hard times. We are navigating the first global pandemic, recovering from the destruction of devastating fires, and suffer the stress from the cruel actions of political leaders who have abdicated integrity, honor, and most dishearteningly, the truth.” Perhaps Ferguson summed it up wonderfully when she wrote, “Your life is starting with so much care and hopefulness, that when the challenges you will undoubtedly meet come your way, you will be able to thrive because of those who came before you [and] found their passions and pathways to good relationships, intellectual curiosity, and creativity. These are the joys of living. Everything else is negotiable.” With the onset of a more globally conscious human framework, it’s safe to assume that the leaders of the future free world are the artists, humanitarians, environmentalists, activists, historians, scientists, and other creatives of the world, in whatever context that might look. “After all, everyone will have by [2035] learned to appreciate the power of an endless loop and the joy of a neverending story,” said local teaching artist, Fred Mindlin, “so we will see each of us as the spokes in a giant galactic wheel, as the old song goes, ‘Ezekiel saw the Wheel a Time, Every Spoke was Humankind.’”

GrowingUpSC.com | MARCH 2021

YOUR HOME Non-Financial Benefits of Home Ownership BY SEB FREY

Spring is in the air, a time when everyone’s fancy is turning to looking at homes for sale. Or so it seems to me, anyway! The last two articles I wrote for Growing Up in Santa Cruz dealt with some of the financial aspects of home ownership – specifically, how to actually get the money together to buy a home, and why renting a home is, in the long run, calamitously more expensive than owning one. So much of the discussion around homeownership revolves around the money, but there are many other welldocumented, but less well-known, benefits to homeownership. In this month’s article, I’d like to explore some very important, and under-appreciated, non-financial benefits that go along with owning a home. A number of studies and surveys have been done over the years which illustrate many positive correlations with homeownership. For example, Bank of America’s 2019 Fall Homebuyer Insights Report showed that 93% of participants reported that homeownership made them happier than renting. In that same report, 78% of respondents said they’re happy with their social life, vs. 58% of prospective homebuyers. Backing that up is the Zillow Housing Aspirations Report, wherein 49% of renters say they regret renting instead of buying…but only 8% of homeowners regret buying vs. remaining renters. The four main reasons people said they regretted not buying are:

 52% regret not being able to build equity  52% regret not being able to significantly customize or improve their homes  50% regret paying too much in rent  49% regret the lack private outdoor space

Valerie Mishkin Realtor® 831.238.0504 | 831.426.4100 Cal Dre# 02092111 VMishkin@BaileyProperties.com ValerieMishkin.MyHomeHQ.biz

MARCH 2021 | Growing Up in Santa Cruz

One surprising aspect of the Bank of America report is that 76% of those surveyed indicated that they started new hobbies after buying a home – such as landscaping, gardening, cooking, baking, grilling, and interior design. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the good people at Habitat for Humanity have quite a bit of positive data to share about homeownership. For example, a national survey of Habitat homeowners found that 74 percent said their families’ overall health had improved since moving into their home. But wait, there’s more! A study in the Journal of Urban Economics found that children of homeowners are much more likely to stay in school until age 17 than

children of renters, especially in lowincome households. Not only that, research by an Ohio State University economist found that children in homeowning families outperform children in renting families in both math and reading achievement tests, even when other factors are the same. The research showed that kids whose parents own their homes will have fewer behavioral problems, higher educational attainment and greater future earnings. Yet another study, published in a journal produced by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, found that the graduation rate for children of homeowners is 19 percent higher than for renters, and they are twice as likely to acquire some postsecondary education. Being a homeowner encourages parents to get involved in the community — and research backs that claim up. In a National Association of Realtors report on homeownership, their data showed that 77% of homeowners voted in local elections vs. 52% of renters. Also, 38% of homeowners knew the name of their school board members but only 20% of renters knew them. A number of studies the world over have shown that homeownership is beneficial not just to those living in the houses, it’s also beneficial to those living in communities with higher levels of homeownership. For example, a 2009 study by Jinlan Ni and Christopher Decker found that in the Unites States, “after controlling for other influences, in particular income’s impact on homeownership rates, we find that the homeownership itself has a strong and statistically significant negative effect on both violent and property crime rates.” It’s important to keep in mind what my friend Kevin is always telling me: correlation is not causation. So far as I know, it hasn’t been scientifically proven that simply owning a home makes you healthier, smarter, more civically engaged, safer, better looking, and all the rest. And there’s no shortage of people for whom owning a home has been a fiasco. Nothing’s perfect, and there are no guarantees. And with homeownership comes stress, hassle, and quite a bit more responsibility than does renting. Is homeownership for everyone, at every point in their lives? Clearly not. But the financial benefits of long-term ownership of your primary residence are hard to dispute. And yes, I know, people dispute them, but it’s not hard to find someone on either side of any argument. The non-financial benefits of homeownership are more difficult to “prove.” But I hope that this article has shown that there are many benefits associated with owning your own home, beyond just the dollars and cents.

LOCAL ARTIST Lonan Dickinson My name is Lonan Dickinson and I’m 13 years old. My house recently burned down in the CZU complex fire that happened in Boulder Creek, California. After the fire I had to move to a new neighborhood which was difficult because I was separated from my community and friends. Shortly afterwards, I found out I had two good friends in my new neighborhood, Stella and Brooklyn, who showed me fun places to explore in Mount Hermon. During my free time I enjoy fishing, surfing, skateboarding and scootering at the skatepark with my friends. Before COVID, I played on the middle school basketball and flag football teams and did Junior Guards at the beach in Santa Cruz. I also enjoy all forms of art, especially drawing, theater, and dance. I love drawing eyes, sketching animals and performing in plays with the Little People's Repertory Theatre. LPRT is really fun because I get to learn all sorts of cool and fun dances and song parodies and perform them in front of cheering audiences. I have also danced in The Nutcracker and have written my own song parodies. These forms of art help me express myself and channel my creative, quirky energy.

GrowingUpSC.com | MARCH 2021

“ BY SUKI WESSLING

Suki Wessling is a local writer and the mother of two adult children. You can read more at SukiWessling.com



Welcome back to our monthly feature of moms who have faced the task of pandemic parenting while also continuing their work in our community. Research has shown that women have suffered greater economic and personal fallout from the pandemic, losing jobs or having to work while also caring for children.

Jasmine Alinder Dean of Humanities, UCSC This month’s mom, Jasmine Alinder, is a mid-pandemic transplant to Santa Cruz just before the start of the school year. A dean who can’t get to know her faculty is also a mom who had to uproot her children in the strangest year of their lives. Thank you, Jasmine, for speaking with us!

Suki Wessling: How has your life as “mom” been in the last 9 months?

Jasmine Alinder: In late spring, after the

first stay at home order went into effect and schools shut their doors, I told my two daughters that we were going to move halfway across the country from Milwaukee to Santa Cruz so that I could start a new job. My 19-year old, unexpectedly home from college, was excited. My 12-year old had no interest at all in leaving her hometown. But I really believed that the move would be good for us, all of us, and not just my career. It would also bring us closer to my family in California, and the part of the world that I think of as home. We arrived in Santa Cruz at the beginning of August not long before the CZU fire ignited. Fortunately, our house was not under threat, but we still headed out of town, go-bags and birth certificates in the car trunk, in search of clearer, safer air. My daughter asked if this fire season was normal, and I was starting to wonder if someone had exchanged the Welcome to California sign at the state’s border with one that reads Welcome to Climate Crisis. Being a mom has been challenging for me over the past several months because the stability and routine that my husband and I are used to being able to provide for our kids was seriously disrupted. Partly, because of pandemic and wildfires, but also because of the move. We left familiar places, dear friends, and a sense of deep comfort behind.

SW: What is it like to step into a new job at this time?

JA: My new job should be on site, in an office, populated with coworkers, on the beautiful UCSC campus. I should be meeting my colleagues in person

MARCH 2021 | Growing Up in Santa Cruz

and getting to know the institution. While I am physically in Santa Cruz, I have barely stepped foot on the campus grounds. I work from home and the majority of my experience of my new job has been virtual. There is a strange sense of dislocation.

SW: What do you feel that you’ve learned as a parent and at work during this time? JA: As a parent, I’ve learned how difficult

change can be. Transitions are tough and particularly at this moment in history, marked by wildfires and pandemic. Despite her initial misgivings, my younger daughter has embraced our new lives here. She adapted remarkably well to remote learning, and her teachers at Mission Hill Middle School have been great. She has made new friends, who she has been able to meet in person outside, masked and socially distanced, of course. She is taking dance classes at Motion Pacific. And she is spending a lot of her free time crafting. I feel very lucky to be working with my new colleagues and am amazed at the level of care and thought that everyone is bringing to this virtual world of work. Online meetings and events are more challenging than I imagined they would be. All of the energy, eye contact, and body language that helps to inform and empower one leading a meeting, standing in front of a crowd, or teaching in a classroom is lost in the virtual world. On the upside, I’ve learned that relationships can be initiated and built in Zoom boxes, and I look forward to a time when it will be safe to take up those relationships face to face. I believe deeply that the work that we do in the Humanities matters. Lately, I’ve been ending every day by reading Tommy Orange’s novel There, There, which is featured in this year’s “Deep Read,” a series of public events cosponsored by The Humanities Institute at UCSC. Reading is an example of how the humanities sustains me everyday and how important storytelling is for feeling connected, particularly during a time when we have to remain apart.

Jasmine and family celebrating Midsommar in Sweden. Photo courtesy of Jasmine Alinder.

If you know of a mom who has made a difference, please email us at editor@growingupsc.com

TECH TALK Wi-Fi 101 LUIGI OPPIDO All these digital devices we use in 2021 need a connection of some type. Your experience is only as good as your connection, and that comes from either a cellular data connection coming from a tower-based somewhere in your town or it comes locally from your local Internet connection. That local connection we fondly call Wi-Fi. Wi-Fi service is broadcasted a number of different ways from those little antenna coming out of your router. As time has gone by, the need for Wi-Fi has become greater and greater, and the protocols have followed this need by becoming faster and faster. At first there was wireless B, then we went to wireless G, then we went to wireless N, and now we’re at wireless AC. With all these protocols we can also expect a new type coming out in the next six months or so. If you have not upgraded your wireless router within the past two to three years, you may want to look into an upgrade.

PLACEMENT

The placement of your router is almost as important as the signal coming in from your service provider. For example, if you have a two-story home and you have your wireless router placed on the floor of the bottom floor, the people in

“

As time has gone by, the need for Wi-Fi has become greater and greater, and the protocols have followed this need by becoming faster and faster.

the second story will barely receive any signal. If you think of the signal like an umbrella shape you’ll see the higher you put the router, the further the umbrella shape can reach and therefore the further Wi-Fi will reach. Another thing that can stop the umbrella from reaching your device are walls and the composition of materials inside your house. For every wall or ceiling that Wi-Fi has to travel through, you can expect your signal to be reduced by 1/10 of its strength. Quick math, if you have nine walls to go through, you’re looking at a pretty weak signal to get your device. Another thing people don’t think about is Wi-Fi is a bi-directional communication signal. Which means that the signal travels both ways from your device and to your device. This is why you can sometimes receive a phone call and hear the other person just fine but when you speak, they can’t hear you. That giant tower has a lot more signal strength and a lot more surface area to push a signal out then your tiny

phone has to push the signal back to the tower. Sometimes in low Wi-Fi areas, you may see one or two bars of Wi-Fi but still not get any signal and that’s because you can receive signal but you’re not strong enough to send it back. These are all things to keep in mind when diagnosing bad signal or just trying to figure out why your device isn’t doing what is should.

TESTING

The best way to test Wi-Fi is to grab another device and go to the same website, or the same app on that second device. If you can reach the website just fine on one device but another device is struggling, there could be an issue with the device and not your Wi-Fi router. The best Wi-Fi around!If you have the latest and greatest device and want the same for your home Wi-Fi connection, the best systems right now are called mesh systems. What a mesh has is a main base station and multiple other stations placed throughout your home. These “repeaters” will literally repeat and amplify the signal from the main base

station. The idea is to have a base station then another station in another room almost out of range of the first station that will repeat and bounce the signal and continue it through your home to as many base stations as you’d like, blanketing your home in signal. This system works much better than range extenders as it allows the same Wi-Fi signal to be broadcast through the entire house and takes the place of repeaters to create one seamless connection. Your connection is only as good as your weakest link, and with what you now know about Wi-Fi you should be able to get the best signal possible! Good luck!  Luigi Oppido | Owner/Technician | Pleasure Point Computers | 1824 Soquel Ave. STE-B |Santa Cruz, Ca 95062 |Phone: (831) 464-2220 |Luigi@PleasurePointComputers.com | PleasurePointComputers.com Listen to the Computer Man Show! Every Tuesday night from 6 to 7 PM on 90.7 FM KSQD, and KSQD.org. Send your questions to editor@growingupsc.com and we’ll get them answered!

GrowingUpSC.com | MARCH 2021

h it w e iv t c A d n a s r Unplugged, Outdoo

n u F f o n i a Mount

summer day camps!

We Teach Kindness! Rocking Horse Ranch is an alternative Preschool, located on three beautiful acres, where our goal is to grow good human beings. We encourage “Out-of-the-Box” thinking through structured and non-structured play. Call us for a zoom open house visit! serving children for more than 30 years!

i ng H R ockR anchorse CHOOL P R E S

831.462.2702

4134 Fairway Drive, Soquel

NANCY C OHEN Owner / Director

rockinghorseranch4134@gmail.com License # 444400771

Nurturing a love of learning and respect for self, others, and our world. Serving children 18 months – 15 years.

See our website to schedule a tour (831) 476-1646 | www.scms.org

20 MARCH 2021 | Growing Up in Santa Cruz

PARENTING Pandemic Parenting And the Power of Perspective BY ERIN BECK MAVER

Somewhere during the course of my life I was presented with this analogy, and it really stuck with me and made an impact. I’ll attempt to summarize: Imagine you’re sitting at a table with three other people, each occupying a space that corresponds to “North”, “East”, “South”, and “West”, on a compass rose. From your perspective, sitting in the “North” position, you see the number “3” written on a piece of paper. Sitting to your right is the person in “West” position who looks at the very same paper and sees a “W”. The person opposite you, “South”, sees a cursive “E”. And, finally the person sitting in “East” position sees an “M”. If we rotate seats we can see one another’s perspective, but it’s difficult when we aren’t able to shift our position. Maybe we can imagine what the other perspective might be if we are familiar with what is written on the paper - such as in this instance. If you’re familiar with the English alphabet and number system this sounds pretty obvious. This “3”, “W”, “E”, “M” symbol is the same image experienced from different vantage points. But, what if what’s written on the paper is in another language? Or, maybe it’s symbols from a religion you don’t practice or an advanced college course you never took. Maybe it’s the image of a stranger’s life. As adults we understand the concept that we might not necessarily understand the nuances of another person’s life. The more we live and experience, the more we grow our capacity for compassion. Each struggle we face gives us new viewpoints different perspective. As pandemic life ebbs and flows -seemingly endless waves of new understanding and growth sculpt the beaches of our lives. But, it can be a messy process. Today, in a fit of frustration and despair, I shrieked as I pushed back tears,

“these teachers just have no idea what we are dealing with!” I was at my breaking point. I’d awakened after a tough night’s sleep (bad dreams brought children to my bed and elbows to my ribs), and heaved a frustrated sigh as I recalled that one of my kids had forgotten their chrome book at my sister’s house (where we typically hold our “Homeschool/Zoomschool”, because our RV hotspot doesn’t hold a candle to normal internet, but her kitchen is being remodeled and, thus, we are stuck in a 350 square foot box for hours on end), knowing that I’d need to send one child out to sit in our truck (which has a more decent hotspot) while another child used my phone for their morning zoom meeting. It had been one thing after another - assignments from last week needed revising, assignments for the current day needed explaining. Pre-school aged sibling needed reassuring and all kids needed feeding. Mommy needed coffee! I was in the throes of trying to squeak out one more ounce of patience and even tempered voice when my eldest explained that she couldn’t simply read the book I bought to match the curriculum, she had to watch the video of her teacher reading the book because it’s filled with questions and vocabulary prompts. She can’t use this particular platform in the truck because the videos won’t load with sub-par internet. I know, that sounds reasonable. I know, I sound a little unreasonable. But, I just wanted to shout and cry and have someone come hug me because sharing one phone between two kids makes for a long school day. And, I still hadn’t found time for coffee (or food or a shower or a breath). Pandemic parenting is tough. Being the typically cool headed person that I am, I was able to take a deep breath

“

Sometimes, when I deliver life lessons to my kids I think I’m partly delivering that lesson to myself. Today was one of those days.

and refocus. But, to be honest, it really only LOOKED like I had pulled myself together. I apologized to my kids and started the dishes once I’d gotten everyone settled into a task. But, as I stood over the sink my thoughts began to wander and a little tear fell down my cheek. I don’t think I’m alone. Sure, not everyone decided to sell their house and move their family of five into an RV for a year of travel. That has definitely added to the intensity this season of life has offered. But, I’m certain many other mamas and daddies have shed a tear or two this school year (and have their own set of difficult circumstances to wade through). And, I’ll bet we could create a reservoir if we collected them all. We could call it “Up Covid Creek” and maybe someday we might all join together to jump off “The Zoom Failed Again Falls”. That is, if we ever get to gather in groups again. The toddler tantrum section of my brain is running around, wildly screaming that this will never end! And, oh, how we need an end! We need some hope! But, we don’t have a crystal ball and we’ve been thrown too many curve balls to even imagine holding onto some semblance of certainty. So, I understand when I hear the shouts from frustrated parents who just want schools to reopen. And, I empathize with the desperate cries of parents who want to ensure the safety of students, teachers and families. I do my very best to have compassion for my fellow community members. And, THAT is why that tear slipped when I stood at the kitchen sink. That tear was my wounded little heart feeling too many feelings and UNDERSTANDING that I’m not alone. That was me, wallowing in self pity, and, suddenly feeling ashamed of my unrestrained expression of emotion. Truth be told, the shudder that came after that tear was specifically (and, importantly) reserved for my kid’s teachers. And, I felt remorse for what I’d shrieked in my fit of frustration. Sometimes, when I deliver life lessons to my kids I think I’m partly delivering that lesson to myself. Today was one of those days.

I waited until they had finished their last assignments and I sat them down to explain my earlier outburst. I don’t want them to think that it’s unreasonable for one to lose their cool sometimes - we are human after all. Sometimes we lose it over life’s smallest troubles, we all have bad days. But, I do want them to recognize those moments within themselves as opportunities for reflection and growth. I try to teach that by modeling. And, on this day I knew I needed to fess up that mommy had lost perspective. My kids are familiar with the analogy of the 3 (or, maybe it’s M, or W, or E? Or, as they point out, it could be a bottom or a bird!) - they’ve heard me speak often about having empathy and compassion for the struggles of their fellow human. And, I felt like I couldn’t just screech about how their teachers “just don’t understand” (insert dramatic sob, for effect) because I also needed to tell them that “I just don’t understand” the hurdles their teachers are facing. Later in the day, one of my kids received a voice response on an assignment from one teacher who admitted she’d struggled with some tech issues on a particular assignment and lauded my daughter for finding her way through it. I was proud of my daughter, but it also drove home the point that I just don’t fully understand how much these teachers are trudging through to bring our kids their virtual school day! I admit, I felt like a big brat. But, I’ve also learned that part of practicing compassion is to have it for yourself too. To quote Anne Lamott, “radical self-care is quantum, and it radiates out from you into the atmosphere like a little fresh air. It’s a huge gift to the world...It’s where world peace begins.” I love what she says here and I TRY (sometimes I fail) to remind myself that we all need that compassion for self, even me. So, I explained my outburst. I explained why I need to remember compassion for others. And, in explaining this, I did find compassion for myself. My kids hugged me and, once again, I was fortified. Ready to face another day, another tech hurdle, another short tempered outburst from some member of our family. And, we would be ready to offer compassion and find perspective. Pandemic parenting (and, childhood! But, that’s another story!) is tough. But, if we can remember the power of perspective, we will find our way through.  Erin Beck Maver is a lifelong native of the Santa Cruz Mountains who now travels full time in a Fifth Wheel with her family of five! She is an advocate for heart disease, normalizing grief, and focusing on the beauty, pain, and possibility of our one wild and precious life!

GrowingUpSC.com | MARCH 2021

BIRTH MATTERS Colostrum for the Win! LAURA MAXSON, LM

“

Colostrum is high in protein, meaning there is a lot of bang for the buck inside each of those tiny swallows in the first minutes and hours after birth.

Babies do best with skin-to-skin and the opportunity to receive the rich, wonderful substance called colostrum through early access to breastfeeding. Most parents expect to give birth and have their baby in arms for bonding and breastfeeding right away; however, that’s not always the case. Giving birth is full of unknowns; birth plans are made and classes are taken, but no one knows exactly how their birth will turn out. Some families have advance notice that their baby might be in need of a little pre-nursing colostrum boost. Those with known issues in pregnancy such as gestational diabetes or a planned cesarean are often advised to collect colostrum before the baby is born to have on hand at birth, if needed. Hypoglycemic babies (those with low blood sugar) can have difficulty nursing until they get some extra nutrition. Often, supplementation with formula or a sugar mixture is suggested to perk up the baby’s energy and interest in nursing. Collected colostrum, however, is perfect for these babies or those who may need to spend time alone in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at birth. Their own parent’s colostrum/breastmilk is always preferred, even over donated, banked breastmilk. Collecting colostrum is a simple process. Small sterile syringes (with caps in place of needles) can be used to vacuum up each tiny drop as it appears on the nipple (or drips into a spoon) with hand expression. Colostrum is thick and sticky, similar to honey in consistency, and can come out in tiny drops - with some finding that for the first few tries nothing much comes out at all. Usually within a few days of starting colostrum

FREE EVENT!

harvesting, most will begin to find drops appearing for collection. On the other end of the spectrum, some report so much colostrum leaking before birth that nursing pads are needed. Generally, anyone can collect colostrum in advance for their baby, but those who can most benefit are those who might have trouble nursing right off the bat. These might include babies born to those with diabetes (including gestational diabetes), PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome), hypoplastic breasts, a history of low milk supply, breast reduction surgery, or an expected baby with known cleft lip or palate, just to name a few issues. Those with any potential issues can usually harvest their colostrum a few times a day beginning at 37 weeks, after checking with their care provider. There are some instances where breast stimulation of any kind would not be a good idea, such as someone at high risk for premature labor. However, people in these circumstances can actually collect some colostrum once their labor begins. They likely won’t collect as much as someone who has a few weeks to work on it, but just a few teaspoons will fill up the tummy of a newborn. It’s always wise to have a discussion with the doctor or midwife to decide what plan is the best for each individual situation. Parents may need to initiate this conversation during a prenatal visit. Care providers have a lot on their minds and unless it’s a pregnancy with risk factors such as those discussed above, it might not be something on their usual list of topics. Care providers or lactation consultants can provide colostrum-harvesting kits. Instruction on how to hand express,

Virtual Meet the Doulas Saturday, March 20, 4pm

Learn about how doulas support families through the birth and postpartum experience during our current COVID19 situation. Preregister to join our FREE LIVE ZOOM EVENT: BirthNetSantaCruz.EventBrite.com

One-stop-shopping for pregnancy, birth & parenting services

www.BirthNet.org 22 MARCH 2021 | Growing Up in Santa Cruz

including access to a few videos, can easily be provided over a tele-health call or in-person visit. The process of collecting colostrum can help bolster milk production, with studies showing a higher incidence of exclusive breastfeeding in those harvesting colostrum. Learning to hand express colostrum/milk is a very helpful skill to learn early on and helps to build confidence while learning to breastfeed. A few minutes of hand expression can soften an engorged breast, decrease discomfort, and allow for an easier latchon for the baby. All babies benefit from drinking colostrum as their first meals. A

newborn’s digestive tract is just waiting for the unique substances in colostrum to help jumpstart their immune system, blood sugar levels, and their digestive tract. Colostrum is high in protein, meaning there is a lot of bang for the buck inside each of those tiny swallows in the first minutes and hours after birth. Just don’t forget to add bringing that frozen stash of colostrum-filled (and clearly labeled) syringes to the hospital in plenty of ice to the birth plan. Stanford Hand Expression Video -https://stan. md/2NDjqxm Local Lactation resources - www.birthnet.org

PARENTING Family Fun Time

BY JAN PIERCE

 Jan Pierce, M.Ed., is a retired teacher and writer. She is the author of Homegrown Readers and Homegrown Family Fun. Find Jan at JanPierce.net.

HERE ARE SOME WAYS YOUR FAMILY CAN ENJOY MUSIC TOGETHER:

young to old can play along to catchy rhythms. Melissa and Doug’s Band in a Box is a good choice. • Sing in the car as you travel. It helps to pass the time and provides a measure of togetherness as nothing else can do. • Make music together. Playing an instrument requires time and practice, but the rewards are great. Ukulele, guitars, or recorders are easy ways to begin learning to play music. A family that plays together… well, you know. • Be a family that loves music. Convey your enjoyment of music by playing background music from time to time. Talk about your favorite songs and genres of music and say why you like them. Move to music often and sing along. Be a catalyst for passing on your love of music to your children. Exposure to music of all kinds is one of the best gifts you can give to your children. And it doesn’t have to cost a lot of money. If you’ve neglected this rich resource for your home, now is the time to start. Then…enjoy.

Make Some Music

“

Exposure to music of all kinds is one of the best gifts you can give to your children. Finding activities your whole family enjoys can be challenging. But you can’t go wrong with music. Listening to and making music are some of the most enjoyable parts of life. And the endless variety in music ensures you can find something for everyone in the clan. The benefits of enjoying music are many. In infancy and even in utero babies are calmed by music. Young children can focus attention and complete a task while listening to a song. They can wind down with a quiet song. Even playing rhythms on pots and pans can hone fine motor skills and eye-hand coordination. Listening and moving to music improves muscle coordination, balance and provides exercise. Children who learn to play an instrument score higher in math and learn patience and perseverance. They build confidence as they build skills. And…music is just plain fun.

•

Do simple sing-alongs. Younger children have their favorite tunes from Twinkle, Twinkle to Wheels on the Bus. Older kids like funny songs or rounds or songs from their favorite movies. Build up a repertoire of family favorites. Provide many listening experiences from a wide variety of musical genres. Try folk songs, classical pieces, songs from musicals, rap, pop, blues, country, gospel, even opera. Kids will surprise you with their interest in many kinds of musical sounds.

AFTER LISTENING TOGETHER TALK ABOUT IT. WHAT DID YOU LIKE? HOW DOES IT MAKE YOU FEEL? • • •

Play music games such as name that tune or finish the song. Do action songs or add dance to your music fun. Buy a karaoke machine and enjoy family karaoke performances. Purchase some simple rhythm instruments such as maracas, tambourines, finger cymbals, jingle bells, and drums so everyone from

GrowingUpSC.com | MARCH 2021

YOUTH WRITER Climbing Mountains My School Year Ups and Downs BY GRACE TIMAN, 11TH GRADE

“

Priorities have changed, that’s something I learned in my Values in World Thought class this year. Yes, I do miss the way the world once was, and I pine for the classic high school experience. What I now want most, however, is the health of those in my community.

Gazing at the faces of my peers displayed on their pixelated webcams, I reminisced on 2020 and years past. Dial back to September, a new school year and what was supposed to be a fresh start, that instead put us right back where we were six months ago – but this time with the workload of junior year. As I found myself staring at a screen in my bedroom instead of going on my school’s annual river rafting trip, cancelled due to COVID, the sinking feeling was unignorable. I remembered the words of the upperclassmen that came before me, telling me to cherish every moment because it would be gone before I knew it. They were right. It’s all passed so quickly, and now it felt ripped away before I got to hold on. None of us expected to be online for another year, until we were legitimately and virtually climbing mountains, instead of driving up the one we loved so much to our campus.

ONLINE SCHOOL

During the first two weeks of online school, our teachers encouraged us more than they ever had. I definitely felt that they missed us, almost more than we missed each other. The endless assignments that quickly flooded our inboxes felt hopeless. I personally struggled to find motivation without a physical environment to encourage me. As a student with ADHD, being in an environment that fosters learning is incredibly important for my academic success. My bed, after waking up just five minutes before class, chugging an energy drink and frantically hoping I won’t have to turn on my camera, is not exactly a prime learning environment. Without routine and structure, it was easy to get lost in the vast void of Google Docs. The personal connection and relationships our teachers have made with us is what got me through. They took class time to ask us questions about how we were doing, gave us extensions on assignments when needed, and understood when we didn’t feel up to turning on our cameras.

FINALLY IN-PERSON

Two weeks into the school year things changed for the better and we were able to return to in-person school! Another positive milestone? I got my driver’s license the day before we came back to school, and driving up to school on the

24 MARCH 2021 | Growing Up in Santa Cruz

first day of in-person classes was the happiest I have been in ages. Pulling into that student parking lot, we could see each other’s smiles through our masks! So much had changed, but I was just happy that we were all back together. It definitely is different because we aren’t seeing each grade in the same way that we have before. We are now more distant from one another, unable to walk through the different classrooms in order to keep our cohorts safe. One of the most memorable parts of Mount Madonna School is knowing everyone around me. As I walked through the halls growing up (I started at Mount Madonna in preschool), I knew everyone around me, and that safety and excitement of seeing a friendly face always felt good. I can’t imagine not knowing the people around me, so not seeing them was a huge adjustment. Along with that, the teachers moving from outdoor classroom to outdoor classroom is actually something I enjoy. It feels relaxing in a way, getting that break from all the hurried walking between classes. Seeing my classmates in person has improved my mental health; being able to socialize takes my mind away from the craziness of the world. It is definitely an improved learning environment.

ADJUSTING TO CHANGE & MOTHER NATURE

No matter how grateful we were to return to in-person learning in the fall, there is always something unpredictable, more specifically the weather. Some of us were innovative with blankets and hand warmers but still, it felt impossible not to complain when we felt so cold. On the days it wasn’t cold it was impossibly hot. Without air conditioning and insulation, we sat in the sun for hours sweating through our masks, waiting until we could drive down the mountain with the AC blasting. Not only was the weather unpredictable as to how we would feel, it all presented challenges for our school leaders. With so many terrible wildfires over the fall and many days with bad smoky air quality, we never knew if it might be too crazy of conditions to go to school. It was never the administration’s fault, it was always Mother Nature getting in the way. It created an environment that felt unpredictable. It was easy to take our time together for

granted, forgetting that it might suddenly be taken away. We were so focused on the weather, we forgot to worry about the virus, until we received a harsh reminder.

A RETURN TO ONLINE

In mid-November we drove up to campus one day, expecting our normal school-day routine, and were promptly informed to return home. School was shut down. One single positive case before Thanksgiving break. Our county was moving back into the purple zone, and we thought we would be safe from the restrictions until the asymptomatic, positive case happened. We didn’t know who had tested positive, who was exposed, and we definitely didn’t know when, or if, we were going back. This felt like I was being pushed off a cliff. In losing my routine and my learning environment, my motivation deserted me as well. I didn’t feel like participating in class, doing my assignments before the last minute, or continuing any of the drives I had built into year. I found myself waking up just minutes before class started with not nearly enough energy to be the perky person I once knew. I lost myself once again in an online school. I have always known myself as a person who stayed motivated and pushed for her goals, but I lost that part of myself for a while. I couldn’t build up the motivation to do my work or even care if I did it right. I talked to my peers about how I was feeling and many felt the same. As I lay

in bed on another late-night Facetime conversation on Facetime, we talked about how much we missed normalcy. If you had told me freshman year that this was the world I lived in now, I would never have believed you. There are some things in life you can never imagine being taken away until they are pulled from underneath your feet. Once again images of what my junior year would have been like crept into my mind. Unable to do the things that I looked forward to most, hope felt like a lost cause. I missed the feeling of screaming so loud at a volleyball game that I lost my voice right before song auditions for the school play. I missed the feeling of seeing friendly faces down the halls. I missed dancing pressed up against my friends at a school dance. Normalcy felt a hundred years, a lifetime, away. Priorities have changed, that’s something I learned in my Values in World Thought class this year. Yes, I do miss the way the world once was, and I pine for the classic high school experience. What I now want most, however, is the health of those in my community. We returned to in-person learning in mid-December. This time nothing can be taken for granted; I have learned that life changes too quickly, and to hold on and be grateful.  Grace Timan is a junior at Mount Madonna School in Santa Cruz.

TEACHER'S DESK Teaching and Learning in the Time of COVID-19 BY PATRICIA LUCAS, SPANISH TEACHER AT GATEWAY SCHOOL As a teacher of over forty years, I felt I had “seen it all” -- every educational trend, methodology, pedagogy, and innovation. This most recent challenge sent this “maestra”, a World Language middle school teacher at Gateway School, into a near free fall. The educational challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic have caught all educational constituents off guard scrambling for the best ways to move forward. My students’ varying responses to Distance Learning have brought me new insights, unexpected innovation, flexibility and challenges. It is my belief that the most critical need for all students is to feel valued as members of a school or class community. This can be difficult to achieve through a computer screen particularly for the youngest of our learners or those with specific learning differences or challenges. The innate need for inclusion, self identity, and basic security is allencompassing to most students. Some say that without the steady maintenance of these vital connections the next epidemic we may face could be the most serious of all, one of mental health. The well being and feelings of connectedness for our students must be

of the highest priority. Ideally, we must tend to this every day, in every class, and at every minute spent in the “on screen” classroom. I am very fortunate that Gateway School subscribes to this philosophy and places it into practice every day. While learning and skill mastery remain paramount it truly cannot effectively happen without first considering and tending to each student’s social emotional needs. This Social Emotional Learning (SEL) must be firmly in place to nurture the entire class community, foster connectedness and ensure student engagement.

IN SHORT THESE TENANTS MIGHT BE PRIORITIZED AS SUCH:

Students over Standards Compassion over Compliance Patience over Procedures Empathy over Enforcement Grace over Gimmicks Some may argue that potential delays in curriculum delivery and mastery due to the extra time SEL requires make it too hard to implement. The well being and feelings of connectedness is my highest priority in order to create the best environment for learning. The • • • • •

above tenants remain key lessons in my curriculum as an educator teaching AND learning in the time of COVID-19.  Patricia Lucas is a World Language educator of over forty years. The past twenty three years she has been teaching middle school Spanish at Gateway School in Santa Cruz, CA,

Seeking guidance?

the only CAIS accredited school in Santa Cruz County. She has a passion for teaching and learning and credits much of the knowledge she has gained to the hundreds of wonderful students with whom she has worked these many years. Gracias por todo a mis muchos estudiantes estimados!

Thrive Young Leaders

Empowering teens to be leaders of their own lives, environment & community. Founder, Deanna Falge Life Coach & Mentor

831.234.1874

www.thriveyoungleaders.com

“....Deanna empowered me to become a confident person and appreciate/respect every aspect of myself."

Life Coaching • Mentoring • Tutoring

is your home hive humming? join our new

Bee Smart Pods Sign up for one or more of our three pods:

• Banana Slug Pod : Tuesday * • Honey Bee Pod : Thursday * • Monarch Pod : Friday * K through 3rd grade • 12–3pm Starts Tuesday, September 8th, 2020 8 weeks = $360 / 4 weeks = $200 10% sibling discount available.

junebugs gym gymnastics junebugsgym

*To insure safety, pod days are not interchangeable.

C A L L U S O R C H E C K O U R W E B S I T E F O R D E TA I L S :

831-464-BUGS(2847) •www.junebugsgym.com 391O PORTOLA DRIVE SUITE 2 & 3 • SANTA CRUZ, CA 95O62

GrowingUpSC.com | MARCH 2021

LOCAL NEWS Little League BY KEVIN PAINCHAUD | PHOTO ESSAY Next month will mark the one-year anniversary that all sports have been shut down. From Major League Baseball, college sports and even Little League. With more and more vaccinations being given and more people following the strict mask policy and 6-foot social distancing, Santa Cruz County has been able to bring the infectious rate of the coronavirus down. The next couple of weeks will be crucial to see if Santa Cruz is able to bring our levels down far enough to allow team sports for schools to finally start. Until then, sports are having to make the shift to follow the California Department of Public Health guidelines for youth sports. This includes youth sports training, conditioning, and physical education. Following these guidelines, and hoping that Santa Cruz may finally move to the red tier, and allow team sports to play as normal, Santa Cruz Little League is open for sign-ups. According the Erik Comier, President of Aptos Little League, “In this Purple Tier, both the State of California and the Santa Cruz Public Health Department permit a baseball clinic to be conducted.

26 MARCH 2021 | Growing Up in Santa Cruz

A baseball clinic with a cohort team can include any and all baseball related training including throwing, catching, hitting, situational play and fun games while proper mitigation techniques are established. This includes social distancing, wearing a face covering, proper sanitizing among others. So today, we are permitted to coordinate a baseball clinic. We’re excited to see our kids out on the field again. This means that our kids will be allowed to once again small the scent of fresh cut grass, grip the baseball tightly, feeling the seems on their finger tips and hear the crack of the bat once again.

FOR MORE INFORMATION Aptos Little League, go here: AptosLL.org Santa Cruz Little League: LeagueAthletics.com Scotts Valley Little League: ScottsValleyLL.org Pajaro Valley Little League: PajaroValleyLittleLeague.com

PHOTO STORY Salesian School PHOTO ESSAY BY KEVIN PAINCHAUD On Feb.4 Salesian School joined the nationwide celebration of Catholic Schools Week. Salesian School’s focus was on celebrating the community. With help from many parents that are in the medical field, they were able to organize numerous first-responders including the police and fire to come on-site and to drive around the campus twice, like a parade. The kids from all grades, while social distanced, had the wonderful

opportunity to show their support and say thanks. Many of the kids were dressed as their favorite profession, which included doctors, nurses, fire fighters, cooks and more. Photos Clockwise: Kailynn Zaragpza, Kindergarten | Reda Daif, Transitional Kindergarten | Sister TA (Thien Anh Khong, FMA) | Susannah Ramsay, Third Grade | Students left to right: Jayden Flores, Michael Melenudo, Francisco Ortiz, Aryana Diaz, Gabriel Suarez-Abraham

GrowingUpSC.com | MARCH 2021

TEEN RESOURCE GUIDE SCHOOLS Kirby School

Grades 6 through 12 425 Encinal St, Santa Cruz 831.423.0658 Kirby.org Kirby School empowers students to shape their futures with confidence. Our independent middle and high school has been preparing students for college for over 25 years. In classes averaging 12 students, teachers are attuned to each learner’s strengths and interests. Our rigorous academic and arts curriculum, intensive study paths, and inspiring faculty challenge each student based on their interests and readiness, rather than grade level. Ranked one of the top STEM schools in the nation by Newsweek. Kirby graduates attend excellent four-year colleges and universities. Gateway School K-8

Santa Cruz, CA 831.423.0341 GatewaySC.org Gateway School’s Middle School offers a dynamic, challenging education that prepares teens for the fast-changing world by focusing on scholarship, citizenship, and compassion. Using neuroscience and research to inform our program, we teach reasoning, collaboration, kindness, and the other essential skills that lead to academic excellence and personal integrity. Small class sizes, individual attention, robust electives, and a unique approach to Science Fair ensure that Gateway Middle School graduates are well prepared intellectually, socially and emotionally to meet the challenges of college preparatory high schools and beyond. We invite you to join us for our School Day Tour. Visit gateways.org for more information. Mount Madonna School Pre/K-12th grade

491 Summit Road, Mount Madonna 408.847.2717 MountMadonnaSchool.org Mount Madonna School prioritizes the social, emotional and physical wellbeing of its students, while emphasizing academic excellence, positive character development and creative self-expression. Accepting mid-year transfers, and offering in-person, on-campus and remote learning options. MMS strives to prepare wellrounded human beings who succeed in college, value collaboration, form meaningful relationships and engage with their communities, nation and the world. Transportation available, with convenient bus stops throughout Santa

28 MARCH 2021 | Growing Up in Santa Cruz

Cruz County. MMS does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, medical condition, gender identity or gender expression. Santa Cruz Montessori, Ages 18 months – 15 years

Main Campus (Primary and Elementary) 6230 Soquel Drive, Aptos 831.476.1646, Enrollment: ext. 113 scms.org Winston Campus (Young Children’s Community and Jr. High) 244 Cabrillo College Drive, Soquel Established in 1964, Santa Cruz Montessori is a non-profit school serving children 18 months to 15 years. Our beautiful classrooms and outdoor environments engage the children’s senses as they learn. Based on a deep understanding of child through adolescent development, our programs meet the interests and needs of our students, engaging and challenging them to do their best. Our Junior High program, Wavecrest, supports 7th and 8th grade students to develop self-discipline, confidence and peer connections through collaborative learning and community involvement. Students work weekly at Live Earth Farm and develop an understanding of their personal vision through community involvement and a challenging academic experience. Now accepting applications for Fall 2021.

ENRICHMENT, HEALTH, RECREATION Advantage Driving School

831-462-0139 AdvantageDriversEd.com Advantage Driving School has been training safe drivers in Santa Cruz County since 1999. Our professional and friendly instructors are experts in preparing you to drive safely and to pass the DMV Test. We offer a variety of packages and we will even take you to the DMV for your test! You can trust Advantage Driving School to have the best value with excellent instructors, competitive pricing, and flexible scheduling. We also offer a state-of-theart online scheduling program and a convenient pay as you go program. Visit us at AdvantageDriversEd.com and start driving today! Adventure Sports Unlimited

It’s here! Every spring Growing Up in Santa Cruz publishes an annual guide to resources available to teens (and their parents) in the Santa Cruz County area. Our goal is to provide an accessible, helpful list of resources to help teens and families navigate the complex needs of teens in ways that promote healthy avenues for growth, exploration and development. The resources in this guide offer support for dealing with academic, peer pressure and relationship issues, as well as recreational, job training and volunteer opportunities. We encourage you to share this guide with your teen and post a copy up in your house so your teen has easy access to the resource list. As some topics may be difficult for teens to request support with, we also suggest giving a copy of this guide, and especially of the phone and text hotlines at the end of the guide, to your teen.

303 Potrero Street, #15, Santa Cruz 831.458.3648 asudoit.com We teach infants through adults the joy of water through our Swim School. Our Ocean programs introduce families to our marine environments through the Seafood Foraging, and Kelp Pickling. Explore the world-renown underwater landscape of our local bays through our Open Water Scuba courses. It starts in our custom-built aquatics facility. Autism Family Network Santa Cruz

2927 Leotar Circle Santa Cruz, CA 95060 831-854-7711 AutismFamilyNetworkSantaCruz.com/ Autism Family Network Santa Cruz is dedicated and committed to “Bridging the Gap” within our communities for those individuals on the Autism Spectrum and those with Special Needs by providing education, resources, special events, public awareness, acceptance and inclusiveness for all. We strive to assist our community for the supporting of Autism Awareness, Acceptance and Activities while empowering individuals to embrace our differences and motivate inclusiveness. Autism Family Network is about inspiring and motivating those in the community to “Be The Difference” for individuals on the Autism Spectrum and special needs. Be Natural Music

740 Water St, Santa Cruz, CA (831) 515-8369 BeNaturalMusicSantaCruz.com Be Natural Music is a Jazz & Rock Music School based in Santa Cruz, with a satellite studio in Corralitos. Our school offers private music lessons, Real Rock Band classes for youth and teens, workshops, and music camps during summer. We offer musical tutelage on voice, piano & keyboard, guitar, bass, saxophone, clarinet, drums & percussion, ukulele, and harp. Community Boating Center, UCSC

790 Mariner Park Way Santa Cruz, CA 95062 831-425-1164 Recreation.ucsc.edu/youth/juniorsailing/ index.html The UCSC Community Boating Center has been teaching local juniors how to sail for over 30 years. All classes are hands-on, coed classes, ages 8-16 and are taught in RS Quests, RS Visions, and Lasers. Students learn the basics in the protected Santa Cruz Yacht Harbor and progress to the beautiful Monterey Bay. Enjoy sailing in a safe, fun, and supportive environment with knowledgeable, experienced staff. Sign up today! (Adult classes are also available!)

Dignity Health Medical Group

Visit us at dhmf.org/Dominican Capitola (Santa Cruz) Pediatrics: (831) 476-3000 Aptos Pediatrics: (831) 612-6264 For many, health care has been on hold— but it’s time to get back to caring for yourself and your children. Dignity Health Medical Group wants to make it safe and easy. Whether you choose our video visit option, or an in-person visit at our clinic with increased safety protocols, you’ll get medical expertise and personal attention— safely and comfortably. Our primary care teams and pediatricians focus on delivering comprehensive care for infants, children, and adolescents. Also important for parents, our Urgent Care Center is open seven days a week from 8am-8pm. It’s located on 41st Avenue in Capitola (next to our Pediatrics Care Center). FOOD, WHAT?!

831.459.5476 FoodWhat.org FOOD WHAT is a youth empowerment and food justice program using food, through sustainable agriculture and health, as the vehicle for growing strong, healthy and inspired teens. We partner with low-income and struggling youth to grow, cook, eat and distribute healthy, sustainably raised food and address food justice issues in our community. Teens can participate through spring internships, summer jobs, fall business management opportunities and through community events on the farm. Four Points Youth Camp

Orchard School, 2288 Trout Gulch Road, Aptos, CA kaseylindemann@FourPointsYouthCamp.com FourPointsYouthCamp.com Four Points Youth Camp is a new summer day camp with activities designed to broaden every camper’s horizon. Serving campers in grades K-8, our activities include sports, arts and crafts, technology, and traditional camp games. These activities are designed to cater to each age group. With new unique themes each week, every camp session is a fresh experience. Happy Giving Hands

FB @ @HappyGivingHandss IG @Happy.Giving.Hands HappyGivingHands.sc@gmail.com Santa Cruz youth fighting period poverty with education, donation, and love. Local period product shelf at SLV tricampus, near the cafeteria. Do you need period products, want to get involved in community service? Send us a message! Follow us on Instagram or Facebook for information on our next period product collection drive!

International Student Services Santa Cruz

831-419-9633 sandispan@aol.com Host Families are being sought for exchange students from Italy, Spain & Germany for the ‘21-’22 high school term & semesters. The making of a lifetime friendship between families here and overseas is an amazing experience. Getting to know about our world through their eyes and the sharing of cultures makes the world smaller creating an understanding in love and acceptance. Have fun! Make a friend you can visit. All students will be COVID-tested. Nueva Vista Community Resources

711 East Cliff Dr., Santa Cruz 831.423.5747 The Familia Center is a Latino-based community resource center that offers both recreational and educational programs for youth. Homework help, academic help and support are provided. Occasional field trips, recreational activities and outings are also available. Planned Parenthood

1119 Pacific Ave., Suite 200, Santa Cruz 831.426.5550 398 South Green Valley Rd, Watsonville 831.724.7525 24-hour Facts-of-life Hotline 1.800.711.9848 Planned Parenthood also provides educational services through schools and community agencies and has a peer education program. Planned Parenthood also sponsors support groups. For more information about any of our programs, please call (831) 758-8902, ext. 213. A 24hour Facts of Life Hotline, 1-800-711-9848, and our Teen Wire website, www.teenwire. com, also provide general information regarding reproductive health and birth control methods. Pregnancy Resource Center of Santa Cruz County

1570 Soquel Dr. Ste 3, Santa Cruz 95065 or 138B Walnut Ave., Santa Cruz, 95060 831.475.2200 or 831-454-8481 SantaCruzPRC.org Pregnancy Resource Center was founded in 1983 and continues to serve the women, families and students of Santa Cruz County with competent, compassionate FREE medical care. Our services include abortion options, pregnancy tests, ultrasound, counseling, parenting classes, material assistance, housing, post-abortion recovery, to name only a few. Salud Para La Gente

204 East Beach St., Watsonville 831.728.0222 A primary health care network with 12 clinic sites, including 7 school-based clinics in the Pajaro Valley Unified School District. It also offers Gay and Proud, a support group for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and trans- gender youth that provides a safe environment to socialize, develop self-esteem and leadership skills, and share information about identity and relationships. This program involves mostly monolingual Spanish speaking youth ages 14-19. The clinics also provide confidential pregnancy and HIV testing. Santa Cruz County Tobacco Education Coalition

1070 Emeline Ave., Santa Cruz 831.454.4141

The Santa Cruz County Tobacco Education Coalition offers many opportunities for community members interested in smoking and other tobacco issues that impact our county. The Coalition also has lots of information on how to quit smoking. Call to request educational brochures or a list of classes in Santa Cruz County. Santa Cruz Public Libraries

224 Church St., Santa Cruz, CA 95060 831-427-7713 SantaCruzPL.org During the Covid closures, the Santa Cruz Public Libraries offers online tools to support student success. You can borrow Chrome books, Fire tablets, and Wi-Fi hotspots. If you have your own device, you can use the library’s Wi-Fi and print remotely. With a library card, you can access online homework help and you’ll also have 24/7 access to research tools. Watch our website for great programs and workshops for teens. Join the Advisory Council of Teens (ACT) to get involved with the library’s teen services and programming. The ACT is meeting virtually during the Covid closure. Make a difference and earn community service credits at the same time. Find yourself in the Library! Survivors Healing Center

831-423-7601 survivorshealingcenter.org Survivors Healing Center is a safe and confidential place for survivors of child sexual abuse. Our goal is to empower those victimized by sexual abuse and to prevent sexual abuse of children and youth in our community. We provide a safe and supportive healing environment Shifting from sexual violence to a trauma informed culture based on safety, trust, collaboration and empowerment. Thomas Farm Films

P.O. Box 67 Aptos, CA 95001 831-612-6312 thomasfarmfilms.com Located on an organic farm in Aptos, Ca—Thomas Farm Films educates children on how to make movies. From script to screen, our hands-on curriculum promotes creativity, self-confidence, and critical thinking…resulting in short films that will be screened together at local theaters in Thomas Farm Film Festivals! ALL children can learn the craft, as we offer partial & full scholarships for those in need. Teens 15 - 18 years old can apply to be Production Assistants for our summer camps. Must be First Aid/CPR Certified. Apply on our website. Thrive Young Leaders For Teens and Young Adults

831.234.1874 thriveyoungleaders.com Thrive Young Leaders empowers teens and young adults to be true leaders of their own lives, environment and community. We offer 1-on-1 Life Coaching, Mentoring, Academic Coaching and Tutoring, as well as workshops and group Rites of Passage programs. Ultraderm | California Skin Institute

3311 Mission Dr., Santa Cruz 95065 (831) 272-0936 californiaskininstitute.com/locations/ ultraderm-santa-cruz/ There are many opinions on the internet about skincare and ingredients such as salicylic acid, antioxidants, benzoyl

peroxide, or glycolic acid. Ultraderm | California Skin Institute is a premier dermatology practice in Santa Cruz helping teens with their acne, eczema, melasma, and more. Trust our board-certified dermatologists and specialists to take the guesswork out of your skincare routine and customize a treatment plan based on your skin type and needs. We are accepting new patients. Visit our website or call to make an appointment. Walnut Avenue Family & Women’s Center

303 Walnut Avenue Santa Cruz, CA 95060 831- 426-3062 wafwc.org Warriors Group provides youth aged 12-18 with the support they need during their teen years. We provide a safe space for youth to build their self-esteem, learn skills to form healthy relationships, interact with positive role models, and learn to problem-solve around challenges they experience in their life. Through informational workshops, games, and discussions we explore healthy relationships, communication, and self-care while having fun. Once a month, we also host a dance class, movie night, and a culture night! Warriors youth group meets weekly at the Walnut Avenue Family & Women’s Center in Santa Cruz from 5:30 7:00 PM. YMCA of Watsonville

27 Sudden St., Watsonville 831.728.9622 The YMCA offers a variety of programs for young people that combine fitness, education and entertainment while focusing on developing positive self-images and leadership skills. These programs include aquatics and karate classes, Night Hoops basketball league. YouthSERVE

1740 17th Ave, Santa Cruz 831.427.5066 ys@scvolunteercenter.org YouthSERVE is dedicated to connecting youth, ages 11-17, with rewarding community service projects across the Santa Cruz County. Under the direction of adult volunteer leaders, YouthSERVE volunteers contribute their talents to making positive change in our community. Youth Services

709 Mission St., Santa Cruz 831.429.8350 241 East Lake Ave, Watsonville 831.688.8856 scccc.org/youthservices Youth Services is a component of Encompass Community Services that serves families and adolescents by helping them find positive solutions to the wide range of challenges facing youth today. They offer numerous programs at their two locations, some at no cost and others on a sliding scale. There are weekly therapy groups as well as a one-time use program. Youth Services works closely with the juvenile justice system as well as city schools and various community service agencies. Many more services and programs are available, please call or visit the website for more information.

CRISIS PHONE NUMBERS AIDS Hotline 1.800.367.2437 California Youth Crisis 24-Hour Hotline 1.800.843.5200 Domestic Violence 24-Hour Hotline 1.800.799.SAFE 1.800.799.7233 National Runaway Safeline 24-hour hotline-will relay messages 1.800.RUNAWAY 1.800.786.2929 Parental Stress Hotline 831.724.2879 831.426.7322 Sexual Assault 24-Hour Hotline 1.800.656.HOPE 1.800.656.4673 Teen Line Teens Helping Teens 1.800.852.8336 Text TEEN to 839863 Quit Smoking 1.800.766.2888 Suicide Prevention Services 831.458.5300 1.877.663.5433  This is by no means a complete list of all the teen resources and programs in Santa Cruz County. GUiSC is not responsible for any errors or omissions, nor does inclusion in this listing constitute our endorsement of a program. Please call to verify the information listed.

Visit Our Website GrowingUpSC.com

GrowingUpSC.com | MARCH 2021

COLORING PAGE

Submit your coloring entry to editor@growingupsc.com and we will select some for great prizes! You can also mail them to Box 3505, Santa Cruz, 95063

30 MARCH 2021 | Growing Up in Santa Cruz

Maternity care born from humankindness. Your journey to motherhood is a precious time. That’s why Dignity Health – Dominican Hospital’s Family Birth Center is here to support your big day with a customized birthing experience focused on you. From live virtual classes and birth center tours, to our midwifery program and Level III NICU, Dominican Hospital offers the highest level of care in the Monterey Bay area. See for yourself how we’re safely delivering humankindness at DignityHealth.org/DominicanBirthCenter.

GrowingUpSC.com | MARCH 2021

EMPOWERING STUDENTS TO SHAPE THEIR FUTURES WITH CONFIDENCE.

Kirby School is an independent college prep school in Santa Cruz for grades 6-12. Learn more about our inspiring faculty, challenging academic curriculum, and high-quality distance learning opportunities. Enrolling now.

Four Weeks of Filmmaking Camps for Ages 5 to 18

Tuition includes: • Supervised fun on an organic farm for one full week— Monday through Friday 8am to 5pm. • Cool TF Films T-shirt • Hands on filmmaking education making a supercool short film to be proud of • All summer camps films will be screened together at the THOMAS FARM FILMS SUMMER CAMP 2021 FILM FESTIVAL Invite all your family and friends. Fancy dress and Red Carpet. An incredible and memorable event!

WEEK ONE July 12-16 WEEK TWO July 19-23 WEEK THREE July 26-30

20% sibling & multiple week registration discounts We now offer payment plans Partial and full scholarships available to those in need

Join us at an upcoming virtual Admissions event at kirby.org.

Learn to Sail this Summer! UCSC Community Boating Center at the Santa Cruz Harbor Junior sailing classes for ages 8-16

REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN! Each themed box comes with: Hardback Picture Book + Kid-friendly Recipe Card Baking Tool + Project

For a complete schedule of classes and registration information visit

recreation.ucsc.edu/youth/juniorsailing/index.html

or call (831) 425-1164

Come see what we’re mixing up!

www.BookakeryBoxes.com Available as 1, 3, 6 and 12 month packages Coupon good for any length subscrip�on. Renews at standard rate. Expires 12/31/2021

Scholarships available thanks to a grant from the Div. of Boating and Waterways

WEEK FOUR August 2-6

Growing Up Santa Cruz March 2021

Articles inside

Teen Guide

Photo Story

Local News

Teacher's Desk

Parenting

Youth Writer

Birth Matters

Parenting

Tech Talk

Moms Who Make a Difference

Your Home

Calendar

The Year 2035

Local Artist

Locals News

Local News

The Return of Skateboarding