To Arden Arcade resident Sandy Welsh the music and dancing at the Sacramento Valley Scottish Games and Festival energizes one’s soul.

One of the oldest and largest festivals in California, the Sacramento Valley Scottish Games & Festival, held in Woodland at the Yolo County Fairgrounds, is April 27-28.

The Sacramento Valley Scottish Games and Festival is the main yearly event the Caledonian Club of Sacramento hosts, which draws up to 20,000 people each year. This fun, family event includes Scottish clans, competitions, music, dance, live history, children’s activities, animals, vendors and more.

Blessed with talented dancers and musicians who work hard to hone their craft to bring joy to others, Welsh who sells advance tickets and mans the gates at the fairgrounds said, the festival is a showcase of a diverse and magical culture.

“I love the people, their values and the music of this diverse and magical culture that is showcased in the Scottish Games. I love that it is a family-friendly event where you’ll find something for every age to enjoy – from the children’s area and youth caber to Celtic fiddles and harps – to Celtic rock – to bagpipes – Celtic animals – to learning Ceilidh (pronounced kaylee) dancing – to historical re-enactors,” she said.

Locally Welsh belongs to the Caledonian Club of Sacramento where she serves as Vice Chief, which means she planned the Tartan Ball last year. She sells pre-sale tickets and recruits volunteers. She also belongs to the Daughters of Scotia and she makes scones for the tea-room at the Games.

To her neighbor, Gordon Scott, whose involvement with the games go back to about 1985, “taking tickets and most things in between,” he said he’s a “sucker” for the games. “Once you get roped in (as a volunteer), you stay in,” he said.

In 1973, Scott went traveled to Ireland, where he decided to buy a kilt. But it wasn’t until years later when he and his wife partook in Scottish country-dance after her coworker who was the chief of the Gaelic club said ‘you have to do this.’ “We went there and enjoyed that,” he said, meeting some fun people along the way.

Like Scott, it was through Scottish Country dancing that Welsh learned so much about Celtic music and became friends with some amazingly dancers and musicians.

“What a huge blessing,” Welsh said, adding that one of her best friends is from Dunblane, Scotland. “She generously shared so much of her culture not only with me, but with everyone,” she said.
Because Welsh loved the music so much, she published a newsletter called “Celtic is Happening” for about five years. The publication promoted Celtic Musicians who performed up and down the coast and in the Central Valley. “I never pretended to know anything…but I sure knew who to refer anyone to who wanted to know more. It was actually through my subscribers that I knew people in Sacramento before we moved here,” she said.  One of those subscribers is the editor of an online Celtic Calendar found on the Caledonian Club website, www.saccallie.org.

When Welsh and her husband Rich came to Sacramento in 2006, she joined the Caledonian Club right way. Rich is a genealogist and works every year at the games in Woodland at the genealogy desk. Through genealogy, he discovered that he, too, is Scottish.

“However, I don’t expect to see him in a kilt anytime soon,” Welsh jokes.

Scott loves how the games have been shared through generations. “I am now seeing young adults with children. I saw them competing in piping and dance and their kids now are competing in those events,” he said.

“I probably get a get kick out of youngest highland dancers. They don’t have the steps down, but they’re out there doing their thing. Seeing them progress each year — it’s always a thrill,” Scott said.

Welsh loves sharing the passion and dedication of everyone involved, whether you’re a piper, highland dancer, athlete, Scottish Country Dancer, fiddler, “Clannie”, organizer, vendor, re-enactor or volunteer. “It takes every talent and skill-set to make this event .. this “Brigadoon” happen.

And everyone is a volunteer. No one is taken for granted.

“We are blessed with talented dancers and musicians who work hard to hone their craft to bring joy whatever performance venue where they appear,” said Welsh.

Working on a Scottish Games committee is a supreme learning and personal growth experience, said Welsh.

“I love working and forging relationships with people who didn’t know they could move that mountain until after it was moved.  I love that we bring, in modern times, an event that has gone on for much longer that 137 years to this generation.  I love when they (the youth) carry some element of it forward. Although we are ‘Brigadoon’ for three days, we bring these same values with us to our jobs and community,” said Welsh.

Welsh’s father (USAF, Ret) and mother (the Irish side) introduced Welsh to her Scottish heritage in 1986 at the Caledonian Club of San Francisco Games and Gathering, Santa Rosa. (That event currently takes place in Pleasanton, CA on Labor Day week end). Both of her dad’s parents came from Old Cumnock (Ayreshire), Scotland in the late 1880’s. They settled in Birch Run, Michigan. She was Sara Kerr; he was Robert Arthur.  Welsh joined Clan MacArthur at the games in 1986.

In 1993, Welsh joined the Campbell Highland Games committee (San Jose). For that organization she did sponsorships, publicity, program advertising sales, coordinated volunteers for the entire event and wrapped her 10-year tenure on the Campbell Highland Games Committee as Chieftain (Executive Director). In 1993 Welsh also started Scottish Country Dancing and joined the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society – SF Branch. Concurrently she served as Secretary of the South Bay Scottish Society, ultimately becoming the Chief of SBSS.

Jesuit soccer was ranked the number one team in the nation this past fall by MaxPreps. Shown here is the MaxPreps Tour of Champions presented by the National Guard. / Courtesy photo

Year in and year out the varsity soccer team at Carmichael’s Jesuit High School is top notch. Some are absolutely dominant, others are just really good. The 2012 version fell into the former category. The Marauders finished the season a ridiculous 27-1-1 and were named the top high school boys soccer team in the nation by MaxPreps, which is essentially the go-to place for everything high school sports.

For securing the nation’s top rank, Jesuit was host to the Army National Guard and MaxPreps founder Andy Beal at Jesuit’s spring sports rally on March 1.

“(The presentation) was pretty cool,” said Jesuit Athletic Director Chris Fahey. “It was the first time that a school in our region was awarded by MaxPreps.”

Along with the recognition of being number one, Jesuit was presented with a banner that will soon adorn the gymnasium as well as a trophy in the shape of a minuteman. More than 14,000 high schools put boys’ and girls’ teams on soccer fields across the country, but only 20 teams (10 boys and 10 girls) will be honored by MaxPreps as part of its Soccer Tour of Champions.

While the 2012 team from Jesuit had all the skill needed to dominate, everyone associated with the team spoke to how tight the guys were as a team.

“They were truly a team. They had a few (college) scholarship players, but the entire team was selfless. They were willing to sacrifice,” said Fahey.

After an early-season 2-0 loss (ironically to Jesuit High School of Portland, OR), the team had a meeting where the players came together and vowed to play better from then on. It must have worked, seeing as how the Marauders won 20 straight games following the meeting.

Jesuit Head Coach Paul Rose was excited about the presentation at the school. First and foremost he saw it as recognition of the effort put in by his players.

“You can have all the talent in the world, but if you don’t work hard you won’t get it done in the end,” Rose said. “It didn’t matter who on our team scored; it just mattered that we scored and the other team didn’t,” he laughed.

Scoring while not allowing the opposing team to score was something that Jesuit did exceptionally well in 2012. The team allowed just eight balls to cross the line in 29 contests. Jesuit held its opponent scoreless in 23 of those games.

Jesuit was the top-ranked team in MaxPreps’ 2011 soccer standings as well, but it was not one of the six schools recognized during the Tour of Champions. In its second year of inclusion on the tour, soccer has gone from six teams recognized in 2011 to 20 in 2012. The MaxPreps website reads that the teams included on the tour “aren’t just good… or great. They are relentless, tenacious and unstoppable.”

With 82 wins, three losses and five ties over the last three seasons, this may be just the first of many visits to Carmichael for MaxPreps and the Army National Guard.

“It brought a smile to everyone’s face when we won (the award),” Rose said. “We’re glad we could bring it back to our area.”

Members of the Sacramento Steampunk Society in costume. // Photos by Connie Ricca

During the day, Jennifer Brown works for a bank, doing a lot of data work and problem solving.

On her off time, Brown has found an outlet for her creativity as a member of the Sacramento Steampunk Society.

“It’s that spirit of never got over Halloween – it’s that love of getting dressed up, combined with a love of history and sci fi, and being able to combine all of that together to have fun,” she explains about attracts people to steampunk. “It’s that aesthetic that draws people in because it’s fun and whimsical.”

And on Saturday, Feb. 16, the Society will host a Steampunk Emporium and Swap Meet in the Arden area that will help introduce others to the steampunk culture.

Steampunk 101

So what exactly is steampunk?

According to Wikipedia, steampunk is “a sub-genre of science fiction that typically features steam-powered machinery, especially in a setting inspired by industrialized Western civilization during the 19th century.”

Brown says steampunk is a cross between the Victorian era, when steam power was starting to be used, with modern science fiction. She explains this allows you to take the beauty of the Victorian era and put a modern spin on it. “It gives you free reign to create really anything, from time travel like Dr. Who to anything that Jules Verne would have created in his books,” she says. ““The phrase I hear all the time is it’s a world that never was, but should have been,” she adds.

Lon Lee, a member of the Society for over a year and one of its nine administrators that helps run the group, says adds steampunk is a type of “retro futurism,” where the past is mixed with the future, or the future is mixed with the past. “It’s basically like H.G. Wells’ time machine where you mix the futuristic technology with old values, old styles,” he says. “Anything’s possible.”

Lee says the Sacramento Steampunk Society, which just celebrated its third birthday, is a social group for those interested in steampunk to meet once a month. He says they have more than 1,100 members worldwide – including members in France, Germany, Japan and England – that represent all genders and nationalities and range in age from 4 to 80.

Express Yourself

For those who follow steampunk culture, there’s a variety of ways to express their interest, from literature to art to music. One way many showcase their love of steampunk is through costumes.

A love of Victorian fashion was one of the things that drew Brown to steampunk. An administrator for the group and Society member for more than two years, Brown now enjoys making her own costumes and learning from others in the Society. “There are a lot of people in the group who are excellent at being able to sew and create, so sometimes it’s about finding the right idea and the right person to help you with it, and other times it’s really just finding the great thrift store find that works perfect,” she says.

Lee says most of the Society’s members make their own costumes, jewelry and props. “Some of the costumes, some people spend hours and hours working on just one costume – it’s always interesting to see what somebody comes up with next,” he says. “There are some members that make really exceptional items … It’s inspiring what some of the people do.”

Lee himself was drawn to steampunk due to his artistic background, as a sculptor, painter, photographer and creator of CGI artwork. He says creativity is a main part of steampunk. “It’s individuality – everybody picks and chooses what they like for their style, so nobody looks the same, nobody dresses the same,” he adds.

Letting Off Steam

Although individuality is a big part of steampunk, that’s not to say everyone does not share their tips and tricks on making their own costumes and accessories.

In fact, it’s the willingness of those in the Society to share and help each other out that Brown loves about being a member. She says even if you have an idea that you are not sure how to make, there’s bound to be a member of the group that has the skills to help you accomplish your goal. “Everybody’s just really open about sharing everything, and that has helped me become more creative because somebody sparks an idea that then gives you an idea to do something else,” she adds.

Society members also have an opportunity to learn from each during the group’s monthly meetings, which Lee says are held the first Thursday of every month at the Arcade Library at 6:30pm. While the first half of the meeting is devoted to Society business, the rest of the meeting includes time for members to show-and-tell projects they are working on, plus there is a how-to demonstration lead by a Society member. “So somebody can come in and show how you modify a plastic gun to make it look like a sci fi ray gun, or how you age clothing or make jewelry,” Lee explains.

Members of the Sacramento Steampunk Society in costume. // Photos by Connie Ricca

Brown says the monthly how-to demonstration gives Society members an opportunity to teach whatever they would like, from making photographs sepia tone to teaching swordplay using a walking cane. “It gives everybody an open venue to come in and teach something,” she adds.

Emporium & Swap Meet

Now that steampunk has caught your fancy, how can you learn more?

Lee says the group’s upcoming Steampunk Emporium and Swap Meet on Saturday, February 16, at Great Escape Games on Howe Avenue is a great opportunity to come and see what steampunk and the Society is all about, with about 50 vendors, plus entertainment.

Brown says the Emporium is an artists’ bazaar with a steampunk flair, featuring artisans selling items they have made, including costumes, jewelry, leatherwork, books, and hats.

Entertainment at the Emporium is scheduled to include the Aether Brigade, SwingGoth and Equilibrium Fire Arts. Plus members of a number of groups will be on hand, including the League of Proper Villains, High Desert Steam, Steam Federation, The Great Basin Costume Society, and the Pirates of Sacramento.

And Brown says attendees will have the opportunity to meet New York Times bestselling steampunk author Gail Carriger, who will be holding a book signing from 1:30-3:30 p.m. “We were very excited that she was interested in coming down and hanging out with us since she is a steampunk writer and very well known in the genre,” Brown adds.

Brown hopes those that come to the Emporium and Swap Meet will have the opportunity to find groups the would like to become part of, and will leave with “an understanding a little bit more of what steampunk is and how a lot of it can carry over into normal life,” she adds. “Like a great necklace with gears on it doesn’t have to be just a costume piece – it can also be something you can have in your every day that’s a little different and a little fun.”

For those interested in learning more about the Sacramento Steampunk Society, Brown urges them to join their Facebook group, which can be accessed through their website  http://sacsteam.org/, to stay up-to-date on upcoming meetings and events, and come out to their monthly meetings that are open to the public. “Steampunk is just so welcoming and everybody is so friendly – that’s one of the things that I’m the proudest of our group,” she says.

The Sacramento Steampunk Society meets the first Thursday of every month at the Arcade Library, 2443 Marconi Ave., in Sacramento, at 6:30 p.m. Meeting times and locations may change – visit http://sacsteam.org/ or join their Facebook page for most up-to-date information.

IF you go:

What: The Steampunk Emporium and Swap Meet
When: Saturday, Feb. 16, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Where: Great Escape Games, 1250 Howe Ave., Suite 3A, in Sacramento.
Cost: Free and open to the public
For more information: sacsteam.org

It’s complete. It took almost three years, but the Rio Americano High School mural is complete.

“Markos has gone way above and beyond what we expected,” Rio Band Director Josh Murray said.

Late in 2010 Markos Egure of WesKos Images, was sought out to make the outside of the Rio Band rooms look like what it feels like in the inside- full of music, inspiration and passion.

“I wanted it to represent visually as what I felt when I arrived on the campus and listened to the students play, musically,” Markos said. “I see extreme talent here from youngsters. That was my inspiration to make it as best as it could be with all the time and budget allotted.”

The funds to make this project happen came from a Sacramento River Cats grant and money raised by the Rio Band Boosters. That covered the mural agreement, but Markos’ took it further.

“It was much more elaborate and detailed than we expected,” Murray said. “He was wonderful. It really represents the three main aspects of our program- classical, jazz and the pop and modern music side.”

The painting was originally going to be about 25 percent of the size it is now. But after that much of it was complete, Markos just wasn’t satisfied. So he donated his time, his tools and his hard work to make it perfect.

“My art is very clean and neat,” Markos said. “One of my teachers told my mom, she tells the story now- that when I was in the second grade I would re-write my name until it was perfectly written or until I accepted it. And here I am painting, and I still feel the same way. I want to come out here and paint some more.”

The huge mural has been well received by students, staff and the Rio community. The school prides itself on creativity, the arts and especially its band program. So this just fits.

“I’m ready to go around the other side when Rio is ready to go around the other side,” Markos said. “Let this project grow. We have two more sides. It is under negotiation right now. There might be more for Markos and for Rio.”

In other news for the Rio jazz band, for the fourth year in a row, students are headed to The Big Apple to participate in the Charles Mingus Jazz High School Festival & Competition.

“It’s a really incredible opportunity for the students,’ Rio music teacher Max Kiesner said. ‘They get to investigate the place where jazz lives and breathes in New York City.’

Juniors Taylor Mesich (tenor saxophone), Andrew Stephens (trumpet), Joey Cozza (piano), Jeric Rocamora (bass), Emery Mesich (alto saxophone), Harrison Smith (trombone) and seniors Paul Slater (drums) and Henry Lunetta (electric guitar) will represent the high school at the Manhattan School of Music from Feb. 15-18. While the students are there, they will have the chance to tour the city, visit some colleges and mingle with some of the best professional and high school musicians in the country.

Students in the Youth Training Program of the Nor-Cal Woodturners. Photo courtesy Nor-Cal Woodturners.

Ten years ago, Ted Young decided he needed a hobby after he retired.

He decided to take a class in woodturning – a type of woodworking where pieces of wood are turned on a piece of equipment called a lathe, and the wood is shaped using various tools into a number of different objects, such as bowls, pens, and vases.

One class turned into more classes, and now Young says woodturning is his major activity. “Before I retired I was an engineer designing medical devices, and so I’ve got those creative juices that I have to continue to let out,” he explains.

Then seven years ago, Young found the Nor-Cal Woodturners, Inc. – a club of currently 128 woodturning enthusiasts in the Sacramento area that meets in the Arden area – and found not only a group of like-minded individuals, but also an opportunity to give back by volunteering to teach local kids a new skill.

Students in the Youth Training Program of the Nor-Cal Woodturners. Photo courtesy Nor-Cal Woodturners.

Learning Curve

About two year ago, Young found himself wanted to do something for the community. With the support of the Sacramento County Board of Education, in July 2011 Young launched a one-month summer program that since has turned into a weekly elective class at both Leo A Palmiter High School and Elinor Lincoln Hickey Junior/Senior High School.

Now in its second year, Young says the two-hour classes are held every Friday. About five to seven students from Hickey come in the morning, and the same amount from Palmiter come in the afternoon. Young adds the classes are so popular with the students, there is normally a waiting list to attend the classes.

Lauren Roth, principal of Leo A. Palmiter High School, says her students are enjoy the woodturning class as they are very interested in working with their hands and producing a product. “On Monday they talk about what they’re going to make on Friday – they’re very enthusiastic about this class,” she adds.

Young says he has about 35 members of Nor-Cal Woodturners that volunteer with him through the program, allowing the students to work on a project one-on-one with a volunteer woodturner coach. “We try and do projects that they can finish in one session because they just love to leave with their finished object that they made that they can take home and show their family and friends,” he adds.

And some objects the students make – such as wooden pens and bowls – are also sold at Palmiter’s Farmers Market, held every Thursday, Roth says. “They’re beautifully done – I have to say our students are getting better and better at it,” she adds.

In addition to volunteers, Young has also received donations from his fellow club members. After starting his program out with four lathes and a small amount of tools, through donations he now has lathes and “all the tools that we need.”

Young also recently received a grant from his group’s national organization, which he is using to purchase safety equipment and kits the students can use to make wooden pens.

A woodturning by Nor-Cal Woodturners members Richard Bell. Photo courtesy Nor-Cal Woodturners.

Bringing a Passion

Through learning woodturning, Young says it gives students a chance to learn by using their hands, and it teaches them patience. “It is a process that you have to have patience to do it,” he says.

Roth agrees, and says learning process is the most important thing. “I think today our students tend to want to have things right away,” she explains. “They have to learn that there’s a process in learning and advancing in a profession and in a field.”

Additionally, Roth says the woodturning class also gives students the opportunity to apply math concepts, learn how to work as a team, and learn safety on the job. Plus the class has helped motivate students to come to class as they need to have a positive attendance of 85 percent or better to attend the class each week.

Overall, Roth says the Nor-Cal Woodturners are “wonderful” as they bring a passion for woodworking to the students. “I think it’s just a great mentoring program as well as learning the craft, and it’s just excellent,” she says. “I’m just so grateful that they’re able to come to our school every week.”

A woodturning by Nor-Cal Woodturners members Gene Kelly. Photo courtesy Nor-Cal Woodturners.

Bowls & Trees

The Young Training Program is not the only way the Nor-Cal Woodturners give back to the community.

According to President Chris Smith, for the past few years the club’s members have been donating bowls to the Empty Bowls fundraiser for the River City Food Bank. Attendees to the fundraiser can select a handmade bowl made by a local student or artist to take home.

“It’s a way for us to help support the local food bank and their fundraiser and give back to the community,” he says.

Young says Nor-Cal Woodturners donated over 100 bowls to the 2012 Empty Bowls.

According to Eileen Thomas, executive director of River City Food Bank, the wooden bowls donated by the Nor-Cal Woodturners are “beautiful” and “classy,” and bring diversity from the large amount of ceramic bowls normally available at the event.

“We want to make sure that we have something for everybody, so we’re just thrilled that they’re doing that,” she says. “I’m just very grateful for their artistic ability and the fact that they share it with all of the community through this event.”

And Smith says the Nor-Cal Woodturners is active with the Sacramento Tree Foundation’s Urban Wood Rescue Program, where the group works with the foundation to keep some of the trees the city cuts down out of landfills by distributing the logs to club members who turn “firewood into art.”

“This is a hobby that if you had to buy all the wood you get can be very expensive, so for us if we can get free wood, that’s great, and it’s basically a win-win (as) the city gets to keep the stuff out of the landfills,” Smith explains.

Plus Smith says members pay the Sacramento Tree Foundation back for the wood either through monetary donations or by donating a woodturning to the foundation.

Join In

Interested in learning more about woodturning?

Smith says come to a meeting and don’t be afraid to ask for help, as the group offers a number of ways to learn from demonstrations at their monthly meetings, to a Mentor Program that members can use to upgrade their skills or learn a brand new technique.

“Our goal is to expand the knowledge of wood turning out there to people who haven’t seen it or haven’t experienced what wood turning is, and then to have an outlet for people who know a little bit about it (to grow their) skill level,” Smith explains. “What we try to do is give people that little bit of information, that little knowledge that will help them to succeed at creating what they want to make when they’re woodturning.”

The Nor-Cal Woodturners meet on the fourth Tuesday of each month (except in November and December) at Leo A. Palmiter Junior/Senior High School in Sacramento, from 7-9 p.m. For more information, visit norcalwoodturners.org.

corrie@valcomnews.com

The seniors at Carmichael Oaks who take Ginger White’s sign language class. // Photos by Monica Stark

Every Wednesday for the last month or so, a group of about 5-10 seniors varying in age from 79 to 98 at Carmichael Oaks gather for an informal hour-long sign-language class. Taught by 82-year-old Ginger White, the students listen intently to the lesson.

White passes out handouts showing pictures of the signs she wants them to learn over the course of the hour and goes through the list one by one. Going over words like “what, when, where, light and question”, White has the students answer questions using the new vocabulary.

Since White is deaf herself, she has the help of Carmichael Oaks employee Laurie Taylor verbalize what various signs mean if a student has difficulty following along.

Lola Chan enjoys practicing her signing skills. // Photos by Monica Stark

Students say how much fun they have with each other. One of them, Lola Chan, 86, said she used some of the signs over Thanksgiving. Hard of hearing, Chan uses a caption phone and looks forward to practicing her skills more often. She spends some of her time watching sign language videos on the Internet to help practice.

“(Signs are) really just the same as the thing is. You’re just showing it,” Chan said.

Another one of the students, Ica, is 98 years old, is legally blind and has arthritis in her hands. She has learned just as much as any of the other students.

Asked why she decided to teach the class at the senior home, White said she wanted a challenge.

The seniors looked around at each other and one just blurted out what was on all their minds: “What? We’re a challenge?”

Then they all started to laugh.

With a chuckle, White held out a zipper, which is her way of telling her students to shut their mouths and listen. “(The zipper) is only for Lola” she said and everybody laughed again.

After the laughter subsided, it was back to work learning more signs.

Students said they enjoy learning a new language and think White is a fantastic teacher.

“She has a good sense of humor. She knows how to deal with us,” one said.

Carmichael Oaks is located at 8350 Fair Oaks Blvd., Carmichael. For more information, call 248-5715.

editor@valcomnews.com

Students enrolled in the Regional Occupational Program Culinary Arts course showed the food preparation and service skills they learned under chef instructor Jeff Zahniser. // Photos by Monica Stark

On Oct. 25, local educators and civic leaders helped celebrate the 14th annual grand opening of one of Sacramento County’s best-kept fine dining secrets: the Culinary Arts Café, where students at Leo A. Palmiter Jr./Sr. High School and Elinor Lincoln Hickey Jr./Sr. High School are the driving force of weekly Thursday lunches.
During this grand opening, patrons were treated to a lunch of green salad, grilled Moroccan chicken with green couscous and Mediterranean vegetables. Many of the ingredients used by the student chefs are grown at a vegetable garden maintained by students.
The Culinary Arts Café serves lunch on specific Thursdays from noon to 1 p.m. Reservations are required and a calendar is available at www.scoe.net/culinarycafe, listing the days the Café is open and what food is being served.
Students enrolled in the Regional Occupational Program Culinary Arts course showed the food preparation and service skills they learned under chef instructor Jeff Zahniser.
The Culinary Arts Café is a “school to world” partnership between educational programs within the Sacramento County Office of Education, ROP, and Special Education Department, drawing on the expertise and support of other SCOE staff and students. It serves students from throughout the county. The Culinary Arts Café offers students the opportunity to learn skills necessary for success in the food services profession.
“The biggest challenge for these kids is just showing up to class,” said Tim Herrera, SCOE director of communications.
Herrera said it’s a big deal for the students to ask customers if they’d like something to drink, adding that some of them get nervous when they call to confirm reservations. “Just interacting with strangers can be difficult for them,” he said.
But he also said programs like these are something students look forward to, helping their attendance. Herrera said parents have been supportive of the culinary classes because they know their kids will make them dinner.
In fact, Zahniser sends the kids home with the homework assignment to make the family dinner and to get someone to say that it was good. Students are also required to print out the recipes they used.
That positive experience can undoubtedly be much needed because of the multiple challenges these students face.
Zahniser said on a day-to-day basis, all these kids have multiple challenges. He tries to provide a lot of individual attention and find ways for them to win because they never get opportunities to win.
“They are always told you’re a bad kid, you’re no good in school. You’re no good at anything and I want you out of our house. They come here and all of a sudden, wow, the press is here. They put out this meal and all of a sudden, they are looking at me,” Zahniser said. “Someone actually said, ‘hey, I did a good job today.’ Finding opportunities is huge for these kids,” he said.
Zahniser said he loves working with these kids. His job couldn’t be any more gratifying. “I was one of them,” he said. “I wasn’t a good student. I was in trouble all the time,” he said.
Zahniser’s dad was an airline pilot who knew a chef from his business. This cook took the young Zahniser under his wing. Working with the chef at a hotel, Zahniser found the restaurant business a place where he could turn himself around. “It was a place I felt I knew what I was doing,” he said.
Zahniser ended up getting a job at Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts. “I found out there I had a knack at helping students who weren’t the best students. I had a way with talking to them.”
After working there, he started a program at Rite of Passage Charter High School in El Dorado Hills, where he started a culinary arts program, which he said was successful until funding for the program ran out of money. Some of the students who graduated from that program are now working at the Ahwahnee Hotel in Yosemite; and one is a sous chef at Bonny Doon Vineyard’s restaurant in Santa Cruz. “He was a methamphetamines addict. Now he’s doing great. That’s the kind of success I want to bring to this school.”
While the students have special needs, many of them who have been successful in the culinary arts program have been placed in jobs at Sacramento area restaurants. Currently, some of the culinary students at Leo A. Palmiter Jr./Sr. High School and Elinor Lincoln Hickey Jr./Sr. High School work at Johnny Rockets and in the past some have worked at Brookfields Restaurant in Rancho Cordova.

Shirley Ruth Payne // Photo by Monica Stark

Shirley Ruth Payne is proud of her heritage. Tracing back her ancestry, the 86-year-old Atrium resident has come to find out she is a descendant of Mayflower boarders.

After many trips to the San Francisco Genealogy Family History Library, Payne said she found seven ancestors, some on double genealogy lines tracing back to the 1620 Mayflower voyage to the New World.

An up-to-date member of the Mother Lode Colony of the Society of Mayflower Descendants, Payne said she hasn’t gone to many of the Folsom-based meetings, but she is proud.

Hanging on her wall, are a few framed certifications verifying her lineage: one from The General Society of Mayflower Descendants and another from the Alden Kindred of America.

Payne has even been to Plymouth a few times to visit relatives who live in nearby Carver. Excited as she was to tell them about their heritage, she said not many were interested. She said her son is not too impressed either, but she’s hoping to encourage her granddaughter to take some interest.

“I wish I would have known in school, because I was interested anyhow. I like to read. I used to go to the library and check out as many as they would allow,” she said.

Dressed as a Pilgrim and holding a model of the Mayflower during the photo shoot, Payne described her outfit as a “big long-sleeve Moo Moo” with a bonnet and cuffs.

Born in Somerville, Mass., Payne had a troubling childhood. Her mother died when she was 2 years old and later the impressionable girl ran away from home to live with her father’s relative. Intent on earning her high school diploma, she arranged with the superintendent of schools to work half a day and go to school the other half.

Those survival skills Payne learned as a young child arguably have helped her today. She now spends her day taking care of herself – mending clothes she once sewed herself, reading magazines, keeping her apartment tidy and keeping in touch with her only living son who lives in Las Vegas.

Volunteers participated in the 11th Annual Tree Planting and Care event where they planted trees in Arden Park neighborhoods. This is one of dozens of re-greening efforts throughout the county with the Sacramento Tree Foundation’s NeighborWoods Program.
Lunch was provided.

“That’s one half step for band, one chromatic scale for bandkind.”

Elementary and middle school musicians are invited to join the Rio Americano High School Band on Friday Nov. 9 for Playathon, a 17-hour musical marathon. / Photo courtesy

Elementary and middle school musicians are invited to join the Rio Americano High School Band on Friday Nov. 9 for Playathon, a 17-hour musical marathon.

This 32nd annual event features all seven of the school’s jazz and concert bands in addition to soloists and combos from the Small Ensemble program. Playathon benefits Rio’s comprehensive music program, serving all levels of musicians. Band students from middle and elementary schools are encouraged to attend from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. to play along with Rio Band.

The world of outer space—real and fictional, is the year’s theme. All attendees are welcome to wear costumes representing their favorite outer space characters. A carnival with outer space themed games and food is free to elementary and middle school musicians from 3 to 8 p.m. The community is invited to attend free evening performances scheduled from 6 to 9 p.m. in the cafeteria of the school located at 4540 American River Dr.

The Rio Americano High School band program, under the direction of Josh Murray and Max Kiesner, provides the highest quality high school music education.

In September, Rio Band students performed at the Monterey Jazz Festival, Rio’s 16th appearance at the famed jazz event. This honor is awarded annually to the top 3 high school jazz bands participating in the Monterey Next Generation Festival occurring the previous spring.

In spring of 2012, Rio’s A.M. Jazz Ensemble was among a small number of finalists invited to perform at New York City’s Lincoln Center during the Essentially Ellington Jazz Festival, a musical event drawing entries from across the U.S. and Canada, and received high praise from a discriminating panel of judges and an enthusiastic audience of jazz lovers.

Rio’s Honors Concert Band was the first Performing Arts course granted honors status in California. Rio’s bands have performed in Japan, China, Australia, Argentina and Spain, and are planning a tour of Italy in 2014.

Tax-deductible donations to the Rio Americano Band Boosters (Federal Tax I.D. # 680018985) will help with the many band program expenses not covered by the San Juan School District budget.

For more information about the Rio Band program and Playathon, contact Josh Murray at 971-7512, jomurray@sanjuan.edu, or visit www.rioband.net.