“An extremely liberating and expansive and challenging flight,” said Lauren Godla of DiRT and Glitter when asked what vertical dance is. “A totally new perspective on gravity and reality and what kind of movement is possible.”
Godla has been doing vertical dance for 10 years with several productions under her belt and has shared that experience with youth in Del Norte County through the Roots and Wings Dance Camp.
Continue reading Youth Take to the Trees at Roots and Wings Dance CampPhyllis Goodeill sidles around the desk in her office at the back of the Del Norte County Public Library, stepping between cardboard boxes as she does. Her desk is a mess. Piled high with binders, papers and books, it looks exactly how you’d expect the desk of a busy library director to look: Like there are other things more important than an orderly workspace.
“At this point,” Goodeill says, “I don’t have any answers. We’re all just waiting to see what the fallout will be.”
Goodeill, like many others in the world of non-profit, quasi-government agencies, is waiting for the funding waters to clear. Back in Washington, D.C., programs are being cut with abandon, entire agencies shuttered at a moment’s notice, and it’s up to people like Goodeill to translate all the budget slashing into realities on the ground in the often poor, rural communities where the funding cuts will be felt the most.
“It’s concerning,” Goodeill says, taking her seat behind the desk. “Of all the things they could monitor or investigate, why the libraries? Why the museums?”
Continue reading Library Director Fights To Maintain AccessThumbnail photo: DNUSD’s Nutrition Services Department fresh fish tacos to Del Norte High School students last year courtesy of the Community Food Council’s Sea-to-Market program. | Photo courtesy of Michael Hawkins
(Updated at 8:27 a.m. to correct an error. Julie Carter Bjorkstrand, Del Norte Unified School District’s director of nutrition services, will travel to Sacramento as part of the California School Nutrition Association’s legislative action committee.)
Potential changes to a federal program that offers free meals to socio-economically disadvantaged schools will impact 2.4 million Californian students, but those in Del Norte County won’t be among them, according to Julie Carter Bjorkstrand.
Bjorkstrand, Del Norte Unified School District’s director of nutrition services, also said that a $660 million cut to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Local Food For Schools program won’t impact Del Norte schools.
“It’s actually not going to impact us because I didn’t apply for that grant,” she said. “I didn’t like the reporting. They didn’t have it fully fleshed out and so I didn’t feel all that comfortable applying for it.”
Continue reading DNUSD Spared From Cuts To USDA School Nutrition ProgramsThumbnail photo by Persephone Rose
Del Norte Unified School District is putting four new vans on the road, replacing an aging fleet that drew concerns from parents and staff who said they weren’t safe for students.
But since it will take two or three weeks to be retrofitted to meet the district’s needs, DNUSD is still relying on those older vans, transportation director Chris Armington told the Board of Trustees on Thursday.
Providing an update four months after parents and staff complained of warped brake rotors, leaking brake fluid and school bus seat belts held together with duct tape, Armington said his department had implemented a check-in check-out system for use of the vans.
Continue reading DNUSD Is Getting New Vans, Training New Bus Drivers, Transportation Director SaysThumbnail photo courtesy of Del Norte Unified School District
Though he cast a wide net, Tony Fabricius said he was surprised at how many people showed up to advocate for Sunset High School.
Hoping that his school would be singled out as a Model Continuation High School for a second time, Sunset High’s principal hosted a representative with the California Department of Education last summer.
In addition to combing through its attendance and student achievement data, the CDE rep also met with stakeholders including parents, students and business owners and other community leaders. Fabricius said he sent out 22 invites and was surprised when “something like 20 people showed up.”
Continue reading Sunset High Achieves Model Continuation School Status, Recognized For Field Trip ProgramThis article is a guest submission. To submit your own work for consideration, send your piece to redwoodvoicedn@gmail.com. Thumbnail photo courtesy of Annie Nehmer.
Written and Submitted by Annie Nehmer.
A tidal wave of talent is surging from our very own community! The Tsunami All-Starz Junior cheerleading team, a powerhouse of 15 dedicated local youths, has achieved an extraordinary feat: they’ve earned a bid to the prestigious D-II Summit National Championship in Orlando, Florida!
Forget the pom-pom stereotypes. These young athletes are fierce competitors, spending countless hours perfecting their routines, building strength, and fostering unwavering teamwork. Their dedication has paid off, as they’ve proven themselves among the best in the nation. This isn’t just a hobby; it’s a demanding, high-energy sport that requires discipline, precision, and heart.
“We are incredibly proud of these athletes,” says Coach Coco Soule, the team’s enthusiastic coach. “They have poured their hearts and souls into this season, and their hard work has truly shone through. Earning a bid to Summit is a dream come true, and we are thrilled to represent Del Norte County on the national stage.”
Continue reading Tsunami All-Starz Ride a Wave of Success: Local Junior Cheer Team Earns Coveted Nationals Bid!Thumbnail photo by Amanda Dockter
Though a contractual stalemate between Del Norte Unified School District and the local teachers union appears to be thawing, staff and parents vented their ire to trustees for approving preliminary layoff notices more than a week ago.
One instructor, O’ Me-nok Learning Center fifth-grade teacher Chrystal Helton reminded the Board on Thursday that those pink slips were sent to library technicians and paraprofessionals — classified staff members — in addition to teachers.
Helton pointed out that the last week to issue those layoff notices disrupted “entire school communities.” Since no one had accepted her invitation last week to visit the K-6 school in Klamath, Helton brought her students’ voices to trustees, saying “I am their voice tonight.”
Continue reading DNTA, DNUSD Reach Tentative Agreement Though Emotions Are Still Raw Over Pink SlipsThumbnail: Del Norte County service providers worry about the fate of federal dollars that fund nutritious meals for senior citizens, advocates for foster youth and easier access to healthcare for those who are homeless. | Photo by Persephone Rose
Charlaine Mazzei says the uncertainty surrounding whether or not the federal dollars her organization relies on is more worrying than a freeze itself.
Mazzei is the executive director for the Del Norte Senior Center and Del Norte Mission Possible. Part of the Community Action Partnership of Del Norte, those organizations rely on federal dollars to feed and house the elderly and provide access to healthcare for individuals experiencing homelessness.
All told, the Community Action Partnership receives $2.15 to $2.4 million in federal dollars annually to provide those services. Without more definitive information about the Trump administration’s attempt to freeze federal grant funding, Mazzei says it’s difficult to plan for their potential loss.
“If you told me your program’s going to get a 20 percent cut, I can plan for that,” she told Redwood Voice Community News last week. “If we say this program’s going away, it’s not going to be fun, but I can plan for that. I don’t know how to plan for, ‘We don’t know what’s going on.’”
Continue reading Del Norte Service Providers Are In Limbo Over The Federal Dollars That Feed Seniors, Support Foster Youth And Make Accessing Healthcare EasierJoe Hamilton Elementary School | Photo by Amanda Dockter
Molly Sherman donned her parent hat when she told trustees that she was debating whether or not her daughter was going to Crescent Elk Middle School next year.
A third generation Del Norte Unified School District educator, Sherman sent her kids to Uncharted Shores Academy due to choices the district made in the wake of COVID-19 that she said weren’t best for students.
She began to have a change of heart after seeing things improve, but on Tuesday, with several of her colleagues set to receive pink slips, Sherman told trustees that her daughter likely wouldn’t go to Crescent Elk, the school she taught at for 13 years.
“I love this district. I love our schools,” said Sherman, chair of the math department at Del Norte High School. “I have loved every program I have gotten to be a part of here. But if you continue to make bad choices, she’s not going to sit in a classroom of 35 kids with brand new teachers that don’t know if they’re going to have a job.”
Continue reading DNUSD Moves Forward With Preliminary Pink Slips Amid Outcry From Parents, Staff, Students“I have a lot more hope for the future,”
J.Rowe, one of the three guest teachers participating in Sunset High School’s Poetry Out Loud competition, came from the Sacramento area to teach poetry to local students. She is a social activist and spoken word artist who explores themes of empowerment, social justice and love through her poetry. The students at Sunset High have a lot of big ideas and the courage required to put those ideas into motion, she says.
“These students I’ve been blessed to work with are very much ahead of their time.” Rowe told Redwood Voice Community News at the Poetry Out Loud Open Mic event Friday.
Continue reading Del Norte High’s First Poetry Out Loud Champion Advances To State Competition
