Clayton is gearing up for the16th annual Art & Wine Festival,a two-day party filled with music,food, art, beer, wine, games andhappy crowds.

This year, the festival getsunderway at 10 a.m. Saturday,April 30. With more than 125 artand craft exhibits, visitors willfind both returning favorites andnewcomers to explore.

Co-chairs John Garrett andChance Gernhardt take on theleading roles this year. The

A search of Amazon.com forparenting books brings 37,698choices in paperbacks alone.Advice ranges from what oneexasperated father described asthe “Gulag diet” in HeidiMurkoff ’s “What to Expect”books for expectant and newmothers (sugar is bad, bran is

best) to Vicki Iovine’s more laid-back suggestion in the“Girlfriends Guide” series formoms to not “stand when youcan sit, don’t sit when you can liedown, and don’t stay awakewhen you can sleep.”

Despite the plethora ofadvice, every mother interviewedfor this article – regardless ofage, income level or number ofchildren – was surprised by

something about the experienceof parenting.

None of the moms felt theyalways knew what was comingnext while raising their children:whether it was the intense joywhen she first laid eyes on hernew baby or the exhaustion fromwaiting up for her 16-year-old tocome home on prom night (onlyto have the brat sail on by withnary a wave before sharing her

stories with 2,743 Facebookfriends).

Barbara Goldsmith ofClayton is the mother of fourgrown children, two older boysfollowed by twin, now 19-year-old daughters. She remembersher surprise at her ability to loveeach child individually with suchintensity, without taking away

Backers tout local control,better funding

A push to convert ClaytonValley High School to a charter

school is gaining momentum asteachers and parents look for away out of the crisis in the Mt.Diablo Unified School District.

More than 150 parentscrowded into the ClaytonLibrary last week to learn moreabout converting CVHS from a

MDUSD school to a charterschool. To convert, CVHS wouldwithdraw from the district andbecome a self-governing bodywith full authority to hire andfire teachers, control spendingand determine curriculum at theschool level.

Teachers Pat Middendorfand Neil McChesney are spear-heading the movement, whicharises out of frustrations withpoor academic performance,inconsistent discipline, epidemictardiness and low morale.

“When you compare Clayton

Valley’s Academic PerformanceIndex (API) with other schoolsin the state with similarsocio/economic statistics, we arein the lowest 10 percent of thoseschools,” said Middendorf.“We’re seeing a ‘brain drain,’with some of the best students

leaving for private schools.”A charter school brings all

decision-making to the locallevel, says Middendorf. “We onlyhave to consider the 1,800 stu-dents that we are responsible for.

IT’S YOUR PAPER

www.claytonpioneer.com April 29, 2011 925.672.0500

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DAVE SHUEY

MAYOR’S CORNER

‘Chartering’ a better course

I am my father! We all havethat moment where we realizewe have become our parent,usually when we are telling ourchildren how it was much hard-er in our childhood. “I used towalk to school five miles every-day, uphill both ways in thesnow.”

Well, just like many of you in

Travel from the tropics to Asia on garden tour

CV charter school drive sparks interest

Around Town . . . . . . . . . . . .2

Classified . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

Club News . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

Community Calendar . . . .14

Concert Schedule . . . . . . . .2

Directory of Advertisers . . . .5

Food for Thought . . . . . . .16

Garden Girl . . . . . . . . . . . .17

Letters to the Editor . . . . . .5

Obiturary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Pets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

Safety Zone . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

School News . . . . . . . . . . . .9

Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

Take a Hike . . . . . . . . . . . .16

What’sInside

Meandering pathways, rockfeatures, poolscapes, entertain-ing areas, pergolas, floweringtrees, shrubs and perennialsawait guests on the ClaytonValley Garden Tour.

Sponsored by the ClaytonHistorical Society, the self-guid-ed tour runs 10 a.m.-4 p.m. May6 and 7.

Asian fusion is one of thethemes of Martin and DianeAndrew’s garden. This newergarden incorporates old plant-ings with new installations, cre-ating a balanced environment.Various colored stones generate

visual motion and contrast withthe plants. Lavender walkwayslead to sitting vignettes, wherethe rest of the yard can beenjoyed.

When people love their yard,it becomes a garden. Dee andArt Turrin created theirs withlove and built it with their ownhands. Part-sun perennials makelandscape borders, and the twigarbor hallway to the rear gardenis perfect for wandering.

Kathy and Bill Gray’s gardenhas made the most of everyavailable inch. This yard is in anew development, and issues

NICOLE HACKETT

Specia,l to the Pioneer

TAMARA STEINER

Clayton Pioneer

See Garden Tour, page 6

See Charter School, page 8

Tamara Steiner/Clayton PIoneer

THIS CORNER IN LINDA PINDER’S CHAPARRAL SPRINGS home, showcases ideas for a smallcottage garden. Pinder’s home is one of six on the Clayton Historical Society annualGarden Tour May 6 and 7.

See Assessment, page 13

See Mayor, page 13

See Art & Wine, page 6

See Moms, page 9

DENISEN HARTLOVE

Clayton Pioneer

LOU FANCHER

Clayton Pioneer

From bows to biscotti, Artand Wine covers the basesProposed fire

assessmentvote delayeda month

A measure to rescue fire pro-tection services in East County,including the rural areas ofClayton, will likely go to the vot-ers in June, says fire chief HughHenderson.

The East County FireProtection District BenefitAssessment District needsapproval by a simple majority ofvoters in the district. An annualassessment of $93 per parcelwill raise about $4 million,

TAMARA STEINER

Clayton Pioneer

Surprise! Moms learn as they go CV lacrosseteams play forClough family

Photo by Mike Dunn

CAMERON “CAMMY” BACIGALUPO

was decked out in school col-ors last week as the ClaytonValley High School boys andgirls lacrosse teams “battled”each other in a benefit gamefor teammate Joey Clough andhis family who lost theirClayton home in a fire onMarch 30.

See story on Page 10.

CHARLIE, THE BEAGLE, has hiseye on a tasty biscotti fromMillie’s Boutique Biscotti,owned by Concord residentSherry Guthrie, one of 125vendors that will be at theannual CBCA Art & WineFestival April 30-May 1.

Page 2 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com April 29, 2011

Around Town Claytonians make Clayton cleaner

Clayton is spit-shined and ready for theannual Art and Wine Festival thanks to themore than 120 Claytonians that turned outfor the annual Clayton Cleans Up day onApril 16.

Scouts, families, friends, neighbors andpooches gathered at Clayton’s City Hall,grabbed gloves and giant orange garbagebags and collected trash on trails, in creeks,

parks and neighborhoods.Kids blew up the gloves, making odd-

looking balloon volleyballs with little fingersand batted them back and forth in the court-yard after a barbeque lunch.

The most unusual item found was smallblack dog. CCU crew member, Linda Pindercalled Animal Services, got the phone num-ber of the owner and the small black dogwent home after polishing off a hot dog ortwo.

Clayton PD Officer Daren Billingtongave the kids a police car “tour.” When heopened the trunk, one youngster piped up“Ohhh, dynamite.”

Seizing on the teachable moment,Billington said, “No, not dynamite. It’s aflare.” And the kids got a lesson in highwayemergencies.

Kaitlyn Dunn, Brownie Troop #33065,said the clean up was “really fun” and shewas happy “helping nature survive.” TheTroop earned their Earth Day patch by par-ticipating in the clean up.

Clayton CERT was on hand to help withtrash pickup and talk about disaster pre-paredness.

The annual event is Clayton’s celebration

of Earth Day and welcoming rite of spring.The event is sponsored by the city of

Clayton, the Clayton Pioneer and AlliedWaste with generous donations from Peet’sCoffee, Navlet’s Nursery, Safeway,Gernhardt Poductions and Fresh & Easy.

Photos: 1. Clayton PD officer Daren Billington;2. Volunteers Debbie Mullins and Gregg Manningran the bag pickup; 3. BBQ-meisters chefs HowardGeller, Steve Pierce and Fred Repetto; Browniesfrom Troop 33065- Back: Alexander Leong,Kaitlyn Dunn, Emma Leong, Front: CaelaHetherton and Lexi Cichursk.

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Locks of Love gets Grace’s braids Grace Dausses, 5, had been

growing her hair out for abouttwo years when she saw a story inthe Pioneer about a young girlwho donated her hair to Locks ofLove, an organization that makeswigs for children suffering fromhair loss.

Inspired, she headed for thebeauty shop only to find that hertresses fell short of the 10 inchesrequired for donation.

So, she waited for a fewmonths until her hair reached therequired length, then set up herappointment with Wendy Trimblefrom Permanent Solution inClayton who donated her time tothe cause.

Grace loves her new haircut.“It’s so easy now, she says. “And itdoesn’t hurt anymore to brush it.”

For more information aboutLocks of Love, go to www.lock-soflove.org.

KATHY O’TOOLE, HERB YONGE, DOROTHY BRADT AND SUE ELLIOTT,all of Clayton, were caught reading their Clayton Pioneershigh up in Pinnacles National Monument. The group joined 19other members of the CC Hills Hiking Club for a 3-day hikingtrip to the park for great hikes, good weather and beautifulviews.

Pioneer reaches the Pinnacles

GRACE DAUSSES gets her Locks ofLove haircut from WendyTrimble of Permanent Solution

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A care package sent from hiswife recently caught up withSergeant Major ScottWaterhouse who is serving withthe National Guard in Iraq.Along with the goodies in thebox were the last four issues ofthe Clayton Pioneer.

“I love to hear what is goingon back home,” he says. “Thispicture of me was taken at COB

Adder, Iraq. That’s an old Russianbuilt Iraqi tank behind me.”

SGM Waterhouse is with theNational Guard unit out ofBenicia and arrived in Iraq justbefore Christmas. He will soonbe home on a mid-tour leave.

“I look forward to seeing myfamily and having a meal and acold beverage at Ed’s Mudville.”

April 29, 2011 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer .com Page 3

Around Town

May 7 Cover2Cover Dance band spans five decades of music

May 21 Sun Kings A trip down memory lane with Beatles favorites

June 4 Hot RodsRock and roll from the 50s and 60s

June 18 Unofficial Rolling StonesThey look like the original, strut like the original and rock like the original

July 2 Diamond DaveVocals from classic Sinatra to HipHop

July 16 The Chicago Tribute AuthoritySing and dance to Chicago’s greatest hits

July 30 The Michael Paul BandFive-piece southern/country rock band

Aug. 13 Vocal-ease and The Boogie MenRetro band covers big band and swing to Doo-Wop and Motown

Aug. 27 A Swingin’ Eveningwith Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and the Rat Pack Orchestra

September 10 - East Bay Mudd10-piece dance ban. Powerful horn section

Local Food To GoSupport your local businesses and restaurants.

Takeout or dine in before or after the concert.

Moresi’s Chophouse 6115 Main St., 672 - 1333

Ed’s Mudville Grill 6200 Center St., 673-0333

La Veranda Cafe 6201 Center St., 524 - 0011

Canesa’s Brooklyn Deli 6054 Main St., 852 - 1650

Skipolini’s Pizza 1035 Diablo St., 672 - 1111

Village Market 6104 Main St., 672 - 0188

Johnny’s Int’l Deli & Cafe’ 6101 Center St., 672-1203

Cup O’Jo 6054 Main St., 672-5105

Saturdays6 to 8:30 p.m.

At the Gazebo in The GroveSet up chairs and blankets on the lawn after 4 p.m.

Sponsored by the city of Clayton, CBCAand Allied Waste Services

Concertsin The Grove

Clayton Resident & Broker Owner

4724 Hakimi Court, Concord $398,000Clayton Valley Corridor – 4BD/2.5BA w/open floorplan near shops & commute. Entertainer's backyardw/heated pool. Kitchen w/dbl. oven & Pergo floors.Large master suite & extra closets. HakimiCourt.com

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921 Sylvaner Court, Clayton $669,000Easley Estates – Updated 5BD/2.5BA on huge mani-cured lot. Spectacular Mt. Diablo views from expandedmaster suite w/Trex veranda - steps down to backyard &heated pool/spa. SylvanerCourt.com

52 La Honda Court, Clayton $619,000Regency Meadows – Desirable neighborhood andwell-maintained, bright & open 4BD/2.5BA floor plan.Retreat to your backyard pool & spa with lots of roomfor entertaining. LaHondaCourt.com

5502 Lynbrook Court, Concord $579,000Pine Hollow – Completely upgraded 4BD/3BA hasamazing backyard w/pool, spa, waterfall, tiered gardens& patio w/kitchen. Master suite w/2 closets & customshower. LynbrookCourt.com

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Pioneer brings local news to NationalGuardsman stationed in Iraq

Library Book Sale brings readers and writers togetherWhile digging through the

hundreds of books at theLibrary Foundation semi usedbook sale, a beautiful rosecaught the eye of RachelEttinger, a Cal Poly studentand aspiring writer.

Ettinger was intrigued withthe book “Miss DelacourtSpeaks Her Mind,” a historicalromance, especially when shefound out the author wasHeidi Ashworth, a Claytonwriter.

Ettinger was doubly excit-ed to find out that Ashworth’ssecond novel, “Miss DelacourtHas Her Day” was released inFebruary and is available onAmazon.com and quickly con-

nected withAshworth viaemail.

The nov-els are histor-ical, set inLondon dur-ing theR e g e n c yperiod andhave foundan enthusias-

tic audience in the genre. Ashworth lives in Clayton

with her family and has recent-ly opened “Dunhaven Place,”in the TJ Maxx Center onClayton Road. In keeping withher love of historical details,the store carries collectibles,antiques, furniture and homedécor items.

The semi-annual book sale

grossed the LibraryFoundation over $8,700 andtook 80 volunteers, includingBoy Scouts from Troop 484, toset up and run the sale. Fundsare used to buy books and sup-plies for the library.

For more information, seewww.claytonlibrary.org.

Clayton manserves in

Afghanistan

1st Lt Daniel Murphy, sonof Patty and Jim Murphy iscurrently serving inAfghanistan with the 649thEngineer Company of Chico,CA. Daniel is a 2004 graduateof Clayton Valley HighSchool. After high school, atattended Sacramento StateUniversity, where he graduat-ed in 2009 with a Bachelor ofScience in Criminal Justiceand a Bachelor of Arts inGovernment. He hopes to behome for Christmas.

A BEAUTIFUL COVER COMPELLED RACHEL ETTINGER to pick up thisromance novel at the Clayton Library Foundation Used BookSale on April 16. She was delighted to discover it was writtenby Clayton author Heidi Ashworth. Rachel’s mother, DianeEttinger looks on.

HEIDIASHWORTH

1ST LT DANIEL MURPHY

Page 4 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com April 29, 2011

Troop 252 cleans up at DVMS

Boy Scout Troop 252 got a jump on EarthDay when they did their own Clayton Cleans Upat DVMS a week early.

Every year the boys, joined by parents andscoutmasters, pull weeds at the school as a wayto thank the school for being their charteringorganization and providing meeting space.

Back row: Heather Grimshaw, DannyCondon, Dan Condon (Scout Master), EdForhan, Evan Forhan, John Wright (Asst. ScoutMaster), Jim Louchis, Tony Thongurai, SarahCondon and Gypsy Condon. Front: MatthewWright

Clayton couple dances their way to CalgaryHusband and wife team

Craig Johnson and Joan Lundahldanced their way to a first placein the Professional CrownDivision at the Calgary DanceStampede on April 16.

During the awards ceremo-ny, they were “white-hatted”and made honorary Calgarians.

The white cowboy hats are asymbol of Calgary hospitality,usually reserved for athletes,celebrities and dignitaries.“Every president, for the past50 years, the Dalai Lama and thePope, to name a few,” says Joan.

Around Town

CLAYTON COUNTRY DANCERS Joan (in yellow)Lundahl and CraigJohnson took a first place at the Calgary Dance Stampede.

6401 Center Street Clayton CA 94517 (925) 524-5100

Drop byfor yourfree gift and enter to win a Napa-inspired wine basket

Featuring local artists’ work in Clayton businesses

Leslie Wilson (watercolorist) original landscape watercolorsAlice Martinez (watercolorist)

original tropical floral watercolors & greeting cardsJulie VanWyk (oils, acrylics, watercolors)

original Clayton landscape paintings & greeting cardsTammy Slezak (miniature thread artist)

original miniature thread bears, afghans, etc.

www.diamondterrace.net

Saturday,April 3010am- 2pm

Tour our model apartment homes today.

“Golden Gate, a view from Baker Beach” by Leslie Wilson

An affordable, independentretirement lifestyle.

Directory of Advertisers

April 29, 2011 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer .com Page 5

Auto

Economy Auto Painting and Body Work . . . . . . .757-2222

Mike's Auto Body . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .689-1739

Construction and Trades

Appliance Repairs by Bruce, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-2700

Belfast Plumbing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .457-5423

Bill Peck Home Improvements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .687-9786

Burkin Electric . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212-3339

Contra Costa Painting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .676-8713

H&L Builders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-4046

Handyman Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .639-4209

J&J’s Final Coat Painting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .625-5849

Smith and Bernal Roofing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-0138

Tipperary Construction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .216-2679

Dentist

Renner, Jason D.D.S. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .689-2800

Rissel, Richard D.M.D . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .689-2800

Dining and Entertainment

Clayton Club Saloon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .673-0440

Ravioli’s Italian Market Place . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .689-3819

Sweet Bakery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-0936

Willows Theatre . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .957-2500

Events

Pacific Coast Farmers Market . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .825-9090

Financial and Insurance Services

Benton, Mureleen - Ameriprise Financial . . . . . .685-4523

Kommer, Paul - Merrill Lynch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .988-2111

Littorno, Richard - Attorney at Law . . . . . . . . . . .672-6463

ProFit Business Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .216-1025

Travis Credit Union . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-800-877-8328

Van Wyck, Doug - State Farm Insurance . . . . . . .672-2300

Funerals

Acacia Cremation and Burial Society . . . .1-877-916-4779

Moore’s Mission Funeral Home . . . . . . . . . . . . .682-1100

Ouimet Funeral Home . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .682-4242

Home and Garden

Abbey Carpet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .686-9901

Clear Splash Pool Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .216-6245

Diablo Lawnscape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .381-3757

Nichols Landscape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-9955

Utopic Gardens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .524-0055

Mailing and Shipping

The UPS Store . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .689-6245

Personal Services

Bella Mia Spa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .680-7792

Pet Services

Monte Vista Veterinary Hospital . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-1100

Pet Suites Inn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .432-7387

Rodie’s Feed and Pet Supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-4600

Real Estate and Mortgage Services

Flannery, Patty - Diablo Realty . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-0541

French, Lynne - Windermere Real Estate . . . . . .672-8787

Klock, Leigh - Coldwell Banker . . . . . . . . . . . . . .212-5593

Laurence, Pete - RE/MAX Realty . . . . . . . . . . . .890-6004

Lopez, Stephanie - Coldwell Banker . . . . . . . . . .932-7329

Mazzei, Matt -Mazzei Realty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .693-0757

Vujnovich, George - Better Homes Realty . . . . .672-4433

Recreation and Fitness

All Out Sports League . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .203-5626

Castle Rock Arabians . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .933-3701

Clayton Valley Bowl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .689-4631

Earthquake Arabians . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .360-7454

Levity Fitness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .890-6931

Retail

Dunhaven Place . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .602-4663

Senior Services

Diamond Terrace Senior Retirement Living . . . . .524-5100

Services, Other

Air Cloud Communications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .260-4119 x 2

Computers USA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-9989

Net Solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-6029

Recycling Center & Transfer Station . . . . . . . . . .473-0180

Travel

Cruise Adventures Unlimited . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .935-7447

Off 2 Hawaii Travel Services . . . . . . . . . . .1-800-675-4050

Travel to Go . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-9840

P.O. Box 1246

6200 Center Street, Suite H, Clayton, CA 94517

TAMARA AND ROBERT STEINER, PublishersTAMARA STEINER, EditorRANDY WENGER, Display Advertising PETE CRUZ, Graphic DesignBEV BRITTON, Copy Editor JAY BEDECARRÉ, Sports PAMELA WIESENDANGER, Administration

STAFF WRITERS: Denisen Hartlove, Jay Hartlove, Lou Fancher,Nicci Shipstead, Pam Wiesendanger, Mike Dunn

We remember Jill Bedecarré - Her spirit is our muse

PIONEER INFOCONTACT US

Tel: (925) 672-0500Fax: (925) 672-6580

Tamara Steinertamara@claytonpioneer.com

Randy WengerRandy@claytonpioneer.com

Send ads toads@claytonpioneer.com

Send Sports News tosports@claytonpioneer.com

Send Club News toclubnews@claytonpioneer.com

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CLASSIFIEDSClassified rates per insertion:Non-profit: $12 for first 30

words, $.20 each additionalword

Individual/non-commercial:$18 for first 30 words, $.30each additional word

Commercial: $48 for first 30words, $.40 each additionalword

To place your classified ad over thephone, call the office at (925) 672-0500 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.Mon.-Fri. Or, you may fax your type-written ad and credit card informa-tion to (925) 672-6580. All classifiedsmust be paid for in advance by creditcard (Master Card or Visa)

We will not accept any ad that dis-

criminates on the basis of race, color,sex, religion, nationality, family statusor disability. The Clayton Pioneerreserves the right to reject any adver-tising we believe is unsuitable.

LET US KNOWWeddings, engagements, anniver-

saries, births and deaths all weavetogether as part of the fabric of ourcommunity. Please let us know ofthese important events. We ask onlythat the announcement be for aClayton resident. You will find theappropriate form for your announce-ment on our Website. Attach yourphoto to the form. Make sure theimage size you are about to send is atleast 3 MB but not bigger than 6MB.The only format we accept is JPG. Youcan also mail or bring your print to theoffice and we can scan it for you.

Also on our Website are forms forsubmitting Community Calendar itemsand press releases for your organiza-tion.

LETTERS TO THE EDITORThe Clayton Pioneer welcomes

letters from our readers. As a generalrule, letters should be 250 words orless and submitted at least one weekprior to publication date. Letters con-cerning current issues will have priori-ty. We may edit letters for length andclarity. All letters will be published atthe editor’s discretion.

Please include your name, addressand daytime telephone number. Wewill not print letters from “anony-mous.”

E-mail your letter in a Worddocument to tamara@clayton-pioneer.com. Letters MUST be sub-mitted via E-mail.

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Letters to the EditorTexas Umbrella Tree toxic

Please take a moment to readabout our frightening and tragicexperience with the fatally toxicTexas Umbrella Tree and ourbeloved dog. These trees, alsoknown as the “Chinaberry Tree”grow all over Clayton. All partsof this tree including the bark,flowers, leaves, berries, and rootsare toxic. Six to eight berries,which look like Garbonzo beans,can be fatal to animals as large asa horse; as few as one or twoberries can kill a child!Symptoms from the poisoninclude vomiting, diarrhea,lethargy, depression, paralysisand seizers. There is no cure; allyou can do is give supportivecare.

On Thursday, “Peanut” ate afew berries from this tree.Fortunately we realized she waspoisoned and got her to a vet in

time to save her with IV fluidsand charcoal to absorb the poi-son. Anti-emetics and ulcermedication were also necessary.We spent a very anxious 36hours and $800 before she start-ed to come back to us. The treethat we sat under with Peanutshades the picnic tables in theback patio area of the ClaytonClub Saloon.

The Texas Umbrella Treewas introduced to the UnitedStates from China as a fast grow-ing shade tree and they are allover town. If your child or peteats any part of the tree, takeimmediate action! You have alimited time before tragic resultscan occur. Please be carefularound these trees with pets andchildren.

Pam Loftus and Lou BarrereClayton

Fountain project disappointing

What’s with all the rocksaround town? I thought it was abit much when the Clayton signat Clayton Rd and Marsh Creekbecame an eyesore when rocksor boulders were “dumped” onthe slope with no thought as tohow to make it look natural.Now we have more of theunnatural placement of bouldersaround the Oakhurst fountain.

...As was pointed out in thearticle by Mayor Shuey (in theApril 15 issue of the Pioneer),“beauty is in the eye of thebeholder.” I agree with that, butfail to see much beauty in theplacement of same-sized pointyboulders placed or spread fromone end to the other, without asense of natural design…I

understand the need to lowermaintenance costs and revealthat Clayton is a “green” com-munity. However, I would wagerthat after all is said and done,“the maintenance of droughttolerant and low maintenanceshrubs with more seasonal colorlandscaping” (City Manager’swords) won’t be much less cost-ly, if any.

… wouldn’t it have beenmore cost effective to replacethe existing grass with the artifi-cial type used in the park underthe statue of the children?

…I for one am disappointedin the planning and expense ofthis project.

Neal R. Van DorenClayton

with privacy have been success-fully tackled. The backyard has asparkling pool, with a beautifulblue tile backdrop. ThePrimavera statue surroundedwith greenery is an excellentfocal piece. Bold-colored cush-ions and market umbrellas add tothe atmosphere.

A resort-like feel envelops thelush tropical paradise landscapeof Jon and Linda Van Brusselen’shome. You’ll forget where youare under the mature palm treessurrounded with deep greenphilodendron and ornamentalginger. Thatched-roof sittingareas provide shade and comple-ment the resort ambience.

The mature garden of Nealand Cathy Richmond is anothertreasure. Many different perenni-als are installed in both the frontand back yards, and this gardenhas something in bloom each dayof the year. There are so manyselections that it will delight evenan experienced plant lover.

Linda Pinder has a small, cot-tage garden and patio that sheaccents with perennials, flower-ing shrubs, wall art and containercombinations. This garden ispacked with ideas for smallerspaces. For the tour, she also willdisplay colorful quilts.

Tickets are $25. Buy four and getone free. Tickets are available at theClayton Historical Museum, at 6101Main St., 2-4 p.m. Wednesday andSunday. Or download an order form atclaytonhistory.org, or stop by R&MPool, Patio, Gifts and Gardens at6780 Marsh Creek Road, Clayton.

Page 6 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com April 29, 2011

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Clayton Farmers’ Marketreturns for the season May 7

Pacific Coast Farmers’Market Association (PCFMA) isgearing up for the seasonal open-ing of the Clayton Farmers’Market next week.

The market will be back inaction with Northern California’sfreshest fruits and vegetables andlive music and activities to enter-tain patrons all summer long.“We’re very excited for thereopening of the ClaytonFarmers’ Market,” said JohnSilveira, Director of PCFMA.“We’ve got some exciting eventsplanned and hope to make this agreat year.”

The Clayton Farmers’ Marketwill open on Sat., May 7 and runevery Saturday from 8 a.m. tonoon on Diablo Street betweenMain and Center Streets.

Grand opening festivitiesinclude a ribbon cutting ceremo-ny with local dignitaries and facepainting for children and a draw-ing for a new cookbook. Thefirst 50 farmers’ market shopperswill receive a free reusable bag.Be sure to look for the new fre-

quent shopper cardto receive greatprizes throughoutthe summer.

The market is ameans for support-ing local Californiafarmers. Whetheryou’re looking forearthy asparagus,flowering orchids,flavorful onions,juicy strawberries,Asian greens, freshseafood, or any otherspring produceitems, you’ll findthem at the Clayton Farmers’Market. More than two dozenCalifornia farmers and otherfood producers are expected tobe selling their goods in the mar-ket on opening day.

Certified Farmers’ Marketsare locations that offer onlyCalifornia-grown products solddirectly to consumers by thefarmers that grew, nurtured andharvested the crops. All PCFMAmarkets accept WIC FMNP

(Woman Infant and ChildrenFarmers’ Market NutritionProgram coupons) and EBT (theGolden State advantage foodstamp cards).

For more information on theClayton Farmers’ Market, or to findanother farmers’ market in your area,please contact the Pacific CoastFarmers’ Market Association at(800) 949-FARM or go towww.pcfma.com

Obituary

BeulahMathewsLangford1936 – 2011

Beulah Ida MathewsLangford, 74, passed away unex-pectedly on April 18, 2011.

She was born July 8, 1936 inCedar City, Utah, to Otto Leeand Mildred Emma Mathews.She married Sherman DaleLangford on October 4, 1954.

Beulah and Sherman raisedtheir ten children in Concordand Clayton, California, wherethey were members of TheChurch of Jesus Christ ofLatter-day Saints. Beulahworked as a bookkeeper for anaccounting firm. She was verytalented with her hands andloved to arrange flowers, sew,and quilt, and shared those tal-ents with others in the commu-nity. Her husband Shermanretired from Concord HighSchool after 25 years of teach-ing. In 1995 they left Claytonand moved to Utah where theyowned and operated theVictorian Inn Bed andBreakfast. Beulah continued tocherish the many friends andrelationships she had in Claytonand Concord.

Beulah is survived by herhusband Sherman; her children,Lynn Dale (Susan), Springville,UT, Mike (Deanne) Antioch,CA, Mark (Denise), Kalispell,MT, Allen (Linda), Wilsonville,OR, Lenis (Duane) Rogowski,Lehi, UT, Jeff (Christine),LaGrange, KY, Susanne (Shane)Hill, Kalispell, MT, Dale(Delicia), Coppell, TX, Linda(Matt) Davis, Pleasant Grove,UT, Wayne (Kelly), RanchoCordova, CA; 41 grandchildrenand five great grandchildren.

Funeral Services were heldApril 23 in Springville, Utah.Condolences may be sent to thefamily through a memorial web-site that has been established athttp://www.utahvalleyfuneral.co m / o b i t u a r i e s / B e u l a h -Langford/

Clayton Business andCommunity Association (CBCA)presents the festival, but Garrettinsists it’s a community effort.

“Businesses cooperate andcollaborate, too,” Garrett said.“The Clayton CommunityChurch provides space andDiablo Valley Ranch sends man-power to set up and tear downthe event. No one is paid to puton this event. Everything is runby volunteers.”

Proceeds from the festivalsupport the community. “CBCAbuilt the gazebo in the down-town park, helped redo theClayton sign, donated to theschools, the Blue Star Moms, theClayton Historical Society, thelibrary …,” Garrett boasted,allowing his voice to trail off andthe list to speak for itself.

With his tone changing fromstaid historian to the sound of akid on the first day of summer,Garrett announced thatDiamond Dave will perform onSunday.

“There’ll be the ClaytonValley High School choir onSaturday, there’s Kiddieland, andthere’s a vendor whose teriyakichicken skewers are really great. Ialways try to get those,” headded.

SMALL TOWN FEELING

Brenda Lewis is returning as avendor for the third time. AClayton resident since September2003, she looks forward to meet-ing new people and catching upwith fellow vendors.

“Of all my fairs, this one hasa unique small town feel that isspecial,” she said.

Lewis braids hair and sell dec-orative hair accessories. “I taught

myself to French braid on myown hair in high school,” sherecalled.

In 1999, she started with ahair braiding group atRenaissance fairs and now travelsto shows 25 weekends a year.

Her bows are made from rib-bons and feathers. A nine-linebow is her favorite accessory.Glitter strands and fairy braids,where colorful hair is braidedinto a customer’s own hair, arenew, specialized services she willoffer this year.

Lewis also sells personalizedglassware at her booth.Customized stencil patterns canbe etched into the glass, or winecharms – colorful, beaded ringsthat rest at the base of a wineglass or coffee mug – can be pur-chased. Lewis will have morethan 60 different wine charms indesigns suitable for everyonefrom young sports enthusiasts toadult wine lovers.

BISCOTTI FOR PEOPLE AND

PETS ALIKE

Millie’s Boutique Biscotti isa new addition for the 2011festival.

“We have gone every year tothe Art & Wine Festival since wemoved here,” said SherryGuthrie. “Now that we are a newbusiness, we wanted to make ourdebut in our community festi-val.”

Guthrie was raised in ContraCosta County and her grandpar-ents owned a farm in Concord.In 2004, she and her husbandmoved to a Concord home justacross the border from Clayton.

Biscotti was developed inItaly, and Guthrie, who is Italian,has been adapting an old family

recipe for years. Already distin-guished in the biscotti market,she has earned industry recogni-tion for her vintner’s blend, madeto be paired with red wine, and achardonnay citrus blend to bepaired with white wine.

Recently, the company beganto develop a biscotti for dogs. “Istarted adapting my recipe fordogs after buying specialty dogbiscuits that my pet wouldn’t eat.Our dog lovers biscotti will fea-ture banana peanut butter andapplesauce carrot,” Guthrie said.

An active participant in theClayton K-9 Coalition, a com-munity group that supplies waterat the Clayton Dog Park, Guthriedonates a portion of dog biscot-ti sales to the organization.

THE BIGGER, THE BETTER

Last year, the festival drewenormous numbers – especiallyon Saturday. “We probably aver-aged about 10,000 to 12,000 peo-ple,” Garrett said.

In his opinion, more peoplemeans increased opportunitiesfor supporting communityevents and services throughoutthe year. “Plus, it’s very well con-trolled in that all the entrancesand exits are manned with secu-rity,” he noted.

For Garrett, the pleasure ofthe festival lasts all year.

“Clayton is a small town, in abig town area, right under Mt.Diablo. It’s a great place to raisekids,” he said.

With Diamond Dave andthose teriyaki skewers ahead ofhim, he’s counting down to April30 and hoping for sunny skies.

The Art & Wine Festival runs10 a.m.-7 p.m. April 30 and 10a.m.-5 p.m. May 1 in downtownClayton. Admission is free. For moreinformation, call 672-2272.

Garden Tourfrom page 1

Art & Wine, from page 1

When Christmas is over,most people think Santa’s elvesgo on an extended vacation.Not so.

Behind the gates of theMarsh Creek Detention Facility,about 6 miles from downtown,one of Santa’s chief elves runs adaily crew of 10-17 toymakersas they turn out more than 1,000toys a year for some of thecounty’s neediest kids.

Carefully crafted rockinghorses, brightly painted pull-toys, bicycles awaiting repair anddetailed doll houses line thewalls of the woodshop, whereinstructor Rick Boughton super-vises the inmates who signed upfor the voluntary program.

The detention facility’s“Toyland” is run by the ContraCosta Department of AdultEducation and offers inmates anopportunity to earn credittoward a high school diploma orGED. But more importantly,says Boughton, it gives the mena “sense of purpose” and skillsthey can take with them whenthey leave.

Boughton encourages themen to take a creative approachto the work. Toys rememberedfrom childhood inspired manyof the designs. A dollhousemeant for little girls turned intoa fire station with the additionof a pole down the middle. Anda can of Rosarita refried beansbecame the sound box for thepopular “canjo,” a one string,fretted instrument that comescomplete with instructions forplaying “Oh, Susanna.”

The inmates turn out asmany as 1,200 toys a year for theContra Costa Crisis Nursery, theSalvation Army, Friends Outsideand other organizations that dis-tribute them to at-risk children.Photos of the kids with the toysand thank you notes fill severalscrapbooks on the front table.

“We’re never there when the

kids get the toys,” saysBoughton. “So the pictures tellthe story.”

Very few of the men startthe program with any wood-working experience. Most ofthe inmates are serving shortsentences for DUIs or minordrug offenses and will be in andout of the program in a fewweeks, so Boughton’s team isconstantly in flux.

With inexperienced workers,safety takes front and center,says Boughton. “We really havea perfect safety record. Nothingmore than a few splinters.”

The workshop was recentlythe beneficiary of a large dona-tion to purchase a $3,000 state-of-the art table saw. “You can’tcut yourself with it,” he says.

Boughton gets a “bang” outof watching the men grow inthe program. “First they’redoing it because it’s better thandoing nothing and they’re doingit for themselves. Then prettysoon they begin to do it for thekids.”

Wes Moore will be gone in30 days but is making the best ofhis time in detention. He comesfrom a metal-working back-ground, so working with woodis very different.

“It’s more forgiving,” hesays. “You can do more withwood. It’s a nice change.”

Alongside the toy workshop,inmate Robert Phillips eyes awall lined with dozens of bicy-cles in need of some repair oranother. After fixing the brokenbikes, he runs each one througha detailed safety inspectionbefore he declares them “fin-ished and safe.”

Phillips always wanted toown a bicycle repair shop. “Oneyear, my mama bought me anew bike and I took it all aparton my bedroom floor – everyscrew. She was so mad.”

In March, the Contra CostaCounty Sheriff ’s Departmentnamed Boughton Employee ofthe Year for his work with thewoodshop program. Boughton,a four-tour Vietnam War veter-an, brings 35 years experience inwoodworking to the program hehas served since 2001.

The woodshop is part of abroader program run by theContra Costa Office of AdultEducation and includes classesin substance abuse, computerapplications, landscaping andbasic skills needed to pass theGED.

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Inmates find a sense offreedom in crafting toys

TAMARA STEINER

Clayton Pioneer

Tamara Steiner/Clayton Pioneer

WOODSHOP INSTRUCTOR RICK BOUGHTON plucks out a tune on a“canjo,” one of the handcrafted toys made by the inmates inthe woodshop program at the Marsh Creek Detention Facility.

You may have heard about ahome burglary in Walnut Creek

while the residents were attend-ing a funeral for a family mem-ber. During a recent home bur-glary in Clayton, a neighbor sawthe burglar but thought it wasthe cleaning woman carryingout the laundry in a pillow case.

Both situations may havebeen prevented had someone inthe neighborhood noticed a sus-

picious vehicle and/or people inthe area. Seeing people who donot belong in the neighborhoodmaybe be reason to contact thepolice. Vehicles “cruising” thestreet at a slow speed and goingup and down the block could beconsidered suspicious.

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Page 8 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com April 29, 2011

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The school board has to considerall 36,000 students and 56schools in the district.”

STRIVING FOR LOCAL

CONTROL

The district currently spendsmore than 13 percent less per stu-dent and 2.9 percent less forteachers than the state average,says Middendorf. Faced withmounting expenses and fallingrevenues forcing school closures,layoffs, bigger class sizes andmore furlough days, the schooldistrict is at risk of being takenover by the state.

“It’s a broken system,”Middendorf says.

A charter school would bemore responsive to the needs ofthe students and have greaterflexibility in curriculum planningand class size, according toMiddendorf and McChesney.They were joined at the presenta-tion by consultant Nick Driver ofthe California Charter SchoolsAssociation.

“We want to see class sizeratio reduced from the current32:1 to 20:1,” said Middendorf.

Athletics would be unaffectedby the change, AcceleratedPlacement (AP) classes wouldcontinue and summer schoolwould be part of the calendaryear. Parents cheered whenMiddendorf said students wouldwear school uniforms.

BOARD LOOKING

FOR CONSISTENCY

MDUSD must approve anyapplication for charter status. “Ihaven’t seen a proposal yet,” says

board president Gary Eberhart.“So I don’t have an opinion. Itdepends on how it is set up.”

To gain school boardapproval, the charter applicationmust show a high level of com-munity support and the approvalof a majority of the teachers —in this case 39. The plan mustalso show financial viability.

“We aren’t going to approve aschool that will go broke in fiveor ten years,” Eberhart says.

However, Eberhart is notdeaf to the roar. The charterschool issue notwithstanding, hesays the district has a plan toaddress parents’ and teachers’complaints.

“The centerpiece of the planis a new administration at theschool, which will take form veryshortly,” he says.

Current principal GarySwanson is retiring at the end ofthis school year and several staffmembers will be replaced.

“We absolutely need to have aconsistent approach to disciplineon that site,” Eberhart says. “Wedon’t necessarily need more rules.We just need a consistent adher-ence to the rules in place.”

IMPROVED FUNDING LEVELS

Charter schools are publicschools that receive fundingdirectly from the state and feder-al government instead of theschool district. If CV converts tocharter school status, per studentfunding would increase from$4,900 to $6,240. Additional stategrants are available for facilitiesimprovements and upgrades,which could include a new library

or theater.A five- to seven-member

board of teachers, staff, parents,community members and a non-voting student will govern theschool and appoint a chief exec-utive officer.

Enrollment in charter schoolsis open to all students who wantto attend. Charter schools maynot “cherry-pick” students.Preferential enrollment is givento students within the currentlydefined boundaries. Studentswho do not want to attend thecharter school may attend otherhigh schools in the district.

Charter schools are requiredto meet state academic standards.They also must allow unions. Theteachers on site will determinewhether they stay with the cur-rent union or form a new bar-gaining unit.

According to Middendorf, a“straw poll” taken of the 55teachers present at a staff meet-ing last week showed 32 were“enthusiastically in favor of thecharter conversion,” none wereopposed and the rest were “neu-tral, needing more information.”

The charter school grouphopes to submit the financialprojections and application to theschool board by the end of May.If approved, CVHS would become a charter school beginningwith the 2012 academic year..

Clayton Valley would be thefirst school in the Bay Area toconvert from a district school to acharter school but not the first inthe state. Granada Hills CharterHigh School in Los Angeles,which is serving as a model forthe CV charter group, convertedin 2003 and has seen a 113-pointincrease in its API.

Charter schools are a growingmovement. In 1993, there were31 charter schools in California;in 2010, there were 912. Most arestart-ups.

The complete Power Point presenta-tion given at the information meeting isposted on the group’s Website athttps://sites.google.com/site/clayton-valleycharterhighschool/home.For moreon the charter school movement, see storyby student reporters Taylor Tovrea andSarah Rosen on page 8.

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from the others.“I think I thought when

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and 6-year-olds under her careto read “Cat in the Hat” andraise their hands before speak-ing in class

She was pleased to find sheenjoys her children every bit asmuch as adults as when theywere cuddly kindergartenersthemselves.

“The happy surprise withmy daughters as they get to bewomen is we’re becomingfriends,” she said, smiling. “Ohmy goodness, it’s like they take

the place of my best friends. …Having them go from thesebabies that I have to maintain,they’re becoming like myfriends, and it’s wonderful.”

Anna Chan, also known asthe Lemon Lady, juggles a busylife with feeding the hungry(and teaching others to followin her footsteps) along withparenting her 4-year-old daugh-ter Ava. Although she appearscalm, she professed to beingamazed at how moms are ableto multitask.

“I’m surprised mommiesmanage when you’ve only got24 hours a day,” she said. “Youbecome a fantastic juggler. Youmanage to fit one more thing,in addition to the 999,000things you’re already doing. Youjust do one more thing.”

Many mothers of multiplechildren spoke of the “justwhen you think you’ve got itfigured out” aspect of parent-ing. Kelly Tuohey, the motherof three girls, ages 11, 7 and 4,found that although she’s wild-ly in love with all three of herchildren, parenting her thirdand youngest daughter was adifferent experience.

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Local mom Juliana Basil andher husband Michael have a 3-year-old daughter, Olivia, andare expecting another on Aug.6.

“Parenting is all trial anderror,” she said, noting thatevery day brings new surprises.“What works one day may notwork the next.”

Basil remains unimpressedby the idea of parenting to per-fection. “It’s OK to let mydaughter walk around in aprincess costume all day long,”she said. “There’s no such thingas a perfect mom. But there’s alot of good ways to be a goodmom.”

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More than 184 womenattended the club’s 6th annualFestival of Tables and Fashionon April 2.

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Clayton Valley is on quitethe roll this year – with thechoirs’ success at the HeritageFestival in Seattle just the latestaccomplishment.

With director ElizabethEmigh on maternity leave, herhusband Chris took over asinterim director for the March31-April 4 trip.

Performing “Dirait-On,”“Walking on the Green Grass”and “Agnus Dei,” the CV con-cert choir earned the gold medaland was put on the list for the2012 New York Invitational.This was the first time the choirhad earned first place in severalyears.

“After hearing we won, wescreamed a lot. I remember oneof our members ran down thelength of our tables, screaming,

and giving us all high fives,”recalls concert choir memberand CV junior Allie Robison.“We weren’t expecting it at all,so when they were awarding

the silver and bronze awardsand didn’t hear our school, wewere like, ‘Wait, we got gold?’Then we just exploded intocheers.”

The women’s ensemble per-formed “Hotaru Koi,” “InRemembrance” and “Psalmo150.” After having won goldfor 13 years in a row, theensemble was disappointed tobe awarded silver. “We were allstill so excited the other choirshad done so well this year,though,” notes Jenna Van Vliet,a CV junior and women’sensemble member.

The show choir performed“Zombie Jamboree,” “TheSong of Purple Summer” and“Jai Ho,” earning yet anothergold medal. CV junior, showchoir member and longtimeballet dancer Janai Goodwinpulled out her pointe balletshoes to accompany the choiras they sang “The Song ofPurple Summer.” After a stun-ning performance, Goodwinwas given the Maestro Award.

“When they announced thatI had won the award, I shakilystood up, thinking, ‘Oh mygosh! This is not real life!’ ”says Goodwin. “People huggedme and took my picture, andCV people are just cheeringand going crazy. It was awe-some. I just couldn’t stop smil-ing.”

Clayton Valley High School’scampus came alive April 15 withthe colors of a variety ofnationalities, ranging fromScottish to Mexican.

Many carried flags or worepatriotic T-shirts representingtheir heritage in the culminationof Multicultural Spirit Week.Many major cultures were rec-ognized leading up to the annu-al assembly on Friday.

Students entering the gymwere surrounded by illustrationsand symbols of cultures fromaround the world, appropriatelyreminiscent of Disneyland’s

“Small World” ride, this year’stheme. Flags dripped from theceiling and brightly coloreddrawings and streamers set thescene.

Senior Multicultural Clubmember Cheryllyn Brock wasglad to be able to participate inthe festivities by helping deco-rate.

“It was tedious work,” shesaid, “but being able to help outwith my friends and hearing allthe positive feedback afterwardmade it well worth it.”

Seniors Jodie Cabral andEllen Noh, Multicultural Clubpresidents, hosted the smorgas-bord of ethnic events, providingcultural facts to make the assem-

bly educational and informativein addition to an entertainingalternative to class. Latin, balletand modern dancing, colorguard and Filipino, Hawaiian,Korean and Disney serenadesmade for a unique assembly.

Old favorites like thePhantom Dancer and Tahitiandancing returned and studentgroups such as the women’sensemble and the competitioncheer squad performed as well,adding school spirit to the mix.

While so many new acts keptthe audience entertained and sur-prised for most of the show, oneact really got people’s attention.

Clayton Valley High’s LinkCrew embraces the core valuesof Do the Right Thing (DTRT)while helping incoming fresh-men transition to high school.

DTRT is an ongoing, broad-based community program cen-tered on accepting and practic-ing six personal values: respon-sibility, respect, kindness, self-discipline, integrity and courage.The city of Clayton is encourag-ing residents and local schoolsto adopt the program.

The goal of Crew Link is towelcome freshmen to the cam-pus and encourage them tothink about the path they willfollow during the next fouryears and what it takes to be suc-cessful in high school. LinkCrew trains CVHS juniors andseniors to be mentors and advi-sors and to act as positive rolemodels. They meet with allfreshmen during gym class atleast once a month during theschool year.

Sunny Shergill, Link CrewWebmaster, remembers feeling alack of connection when heentered CVHS. He appreciatesthe opportunity to help new stu-dents make the transition moresmoothly.

About 35 students are cur-rently dedicated to the mission,supported by faculty advisorsKat Marzel and Hosay Jamili.Marzel and Jamili are enthusiasticabout how the DTRT programhas given Link Crew members afocus and common language

from which to emphasize theimportance of accepting andreflecting good personal valuesas they help the freshmen devel-op into responsible citizens.

Link Crew’s incorporation ofthe tenants of DTRT is furtheraffirmation of the overallimportance of the DTRT pro-gram at CVHS. All students areexposed to DTRT in some fash-ion in the classroom, on campusand by way of the faculty’s com-mitment to the program.

For Link Crew memberMaggie Trees-Keenan, it allbegins with respect. “Link Crewuses the elements of DTRT toteach students responsibility andhow to take the initiative inshaping their own lives,” shesays.

April 29, 2011 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer .com Page 9

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CV campus abuzz with charter chatter

New approach at assemblymakes a world of difference

Students who walk the paint-chipped hallways of ClaytonValley High School often feelneglected. It’s no wonder – withgrowing frustration among stu-dents and teachers, packed class-rooms and reminders of con-stant budget cuts.

However, recent discussionsabout converting CVHS into acharter school has perked upboth students and faculty andset the campus abuzz withdebate.

Talk of nearly a 30 percentincrease in funding per student,freedom from the Mt. DiabloUnified School District andoverall campus improvementshas many people excited andhopeful.

“I think having my youngersisters go to Clayton Valley as acharter school would be benefi-

cial, simply because there wouldbe a higher standard set for stu-dents,” said junior KayleeAndrews.

However, the support ofsome is being offset by the wor-ries of others. Based on hisexperience, chemistry teacherKen Cambier has doubts.

“The charter schools that I’vebeen a part of have been manip-ulative and deceptive,” he said.“If I thought this could work,then I’d be first in line to supportit. But these types of schools arerun by hidden agendas and thatmakes me skeptical.”

Teacher enthusiasm for theproposed conversion is alsoinhibited by concerns about theschool district’s role.

“We would love to know thatthe district is in support of usmaking a better decision for thestudents and the school, butwith all the uncertainty for nextyear, it’s still unclear whether

that support is going to happenor not,” said one teacher whoasked not to be named.

“At this point, job security isa main concern for a lot of peo-ple. And with the uncertainty ofunion and district support, theyare trying to determine howthey would all be protectedwhen the dust settles, myselfincluded.” explained anotherCVHS teacher who also askedto remain anonymous.

“Currently, the district setspolicy for just about everythingin our schools, leaving littlepower to administrators andteachers and virtually none toparents. Perhaps such fearswould be alleviated in a charterschool environment, wheredecisions are made by a culmi-nation of staff, parents and stu-dents.”

Aside from these uncertain-ties, the teacher “couldn’t bemore excited” at the prospect of

CV’s transformation into a char-ter school.

Both teachers are supportiveof the concept. “I can’t think ofanything better that could hap-pen to a teacher in terms ofhaving input in the environmentand curriculum of a school.”

Many teachers are encour-aged by the thought of moreinvolvement and input. Afterbeing “dictated to” by the dis-trict for so long, many find itappealing that their time invest-ment would help produce a cre-ative, inspiring and innovativelearning environment.

“It almost sounds too goodto be true,” said junior LauraMinorsky, expressing what manystudents on campus are thinkingas the conversation continues.

“But then again,” she added,“we have nowhere to go butup.”

Student reporter Sarah Rosencontributed to this story.

TAYLOR TOVREA

Clayton Pioneer

SARAH ROSEN

Clayton Pioneer

BOB STEINER

Clayton Pioneer

Clayton Valley High SchoolVolunteers are needed for

Grad Night, to be held June 7 atCentre Concord. Anyone overthe age of 21 may help withentertainment, working in thecasino, food service, securityand more.

For more information, con-tact Michelle Eberhart at 798-3967 ormichelle.eberhart@gmail.com.Or visit cvhspfc.com.

SchoolNews

Link Crew ‘does theright thing’ with mentoring program

MORE THAN 35 CVHS STUDENTS ‘do the right thing’ in helpingfreshmen fit into the high school culture. The students aremembers of the Link Crew, part of the character building pro-gram embraced by the schools, the city and the police depart-ment.

Clayton Valley choirs topped off a stellar year at the Heritage Festival in Seattle this month. Thechoirs walked off with two golds and one silver medal. Choir director Elizabeth Emigh was onmaternity leave, so husband Chris Emigh took over duties as interim director.

TAYLOR TOVREA

Clayton Pioneer

CV choirs bring home two golds, a silver

Coaching high school sportscan bring rewards – often of theintangible variety – to thewomen and men who take onthat daunting task.

Most coaches aren’t teachersat the school and probably don’teven earn minimum wage if thenumber of hours spent plan-ning, practicing and competingare divided into the paltry paythey receive. To make it worth-while, there has to be a largeamount of personal satisfactionand the knowledge that thecoach is making a difference inthe lives of the student athletes.

There are also those raretimes when a team or individualathlete does extraordinarythings. For Clayton Valley HighSchool alumnus and boys vol-leyball coach StephenCoddington, this is one of thosetimes.

Outside hitter MitchellD’Angina is being counted onto lead the Eagles to their thirdstraight berth in the NorthCoast Section playoffs. The 6-6senior is literally and figurativelyhead and shoulders above mostteammates and competitors.

“I have always dreamed of

having a player of Mitchell’s cal-iber. It’s fun watching him playthis year,” Coddington says.“Against Berean Christian lastweek, he made a back row attackand made contact with the ballabout five feet past the 10-footline to complete the kill andlanded at the net. It was a legalplay. That is skill on anotherlevel.”

For D’Angina, it’s been anequally exciting time. He wasaccepted to Brigham YoungUniversity last week and invitedto walk-on to the Cougars vol-leyball team, currently rankedNo. 2 in the NCAA. A day aftergetting his college acceptance,he helped CVHS defeat BereanChristian in four sets. His statline included 21 kills, 21 digsand five aces.

“It’s been a great experienceto be able to bring our team upto a higher level of play and tobe able to compete with some ofthe top teams,” D’Angina saidbefore the Berean match. “We

need to learn to play as a teamand bring each other up (inorder to compete at NCS).”

He has been concentratingfully on volleyball while playingclub for the Diablo ValleyVolleyball Cobra Kai 18 team.

The CVHS team lost six sen-iors so had to fill in with a lot ofnew players. “Even with thisrebuilding, we have high expec-tations to be competitive withthe league’s best teams and gofor a Diablo Valley AthleticLeague title,” Coddington says.“We should also make the NCSplayoffs for a third year in arow.”

Seniors libero ClarkStratford and outsidehitter/opposite Austin Woodsgive D’Angina strong supportand this year’s team veteranleadership. A quartet of juniors– setter Cole Willardson, defen-sive specialist Dalton Mooreand middle blockers Taylor

Three weeks to the day afterthe March 30 blaze at theClough home, the boys and girlslacrosse teams lined up beforean enthusiastic crowd at ClaytonValley High School for a benefitgame.

Boys and girls high schoollacrosse have different rules, soto even the playing field theboys agreed to play by the girlsrules and use girls sticks, whichhave a much shallower net.Keeping it all in fun, the boysshowed up at GonsalvesStadium in practice jerseys –complemented by red girlslacrosse skirts. Playing for thegirls team, boys varsity goalieTroy “Pretty in Pink” Carlsontook it one step further andadded pink tights to his ensem-ble.

When CVHS lacrosse playerJoanna Fan heard about the firethat consumed the Clough fam-ily home in Clayton, she talkedto some of her Eagles team-mates about something theycould do to assist. The Coughs’oldest son Joey is a new memberof the Eagles varsity this spring.

The girls came up with theidea of having a benefit lacrossegame against the boys team.After checking with coaches,school administrators and ath-

letic director Pat Middendorf,Joanna and her teammatesquickly put their idea into actionfor the first-ever contest.

The girls baked homemadegoodies and produced com-

memorative T-shirts to sell tofans to raise additional funds.Both Eagle mascots came out tocheer on the teams.

The girls raced to a 4-0 leadin the first half, but things did

not go without incident. Theboys forgot that the girls play byno-contact rules and inadver-tently knocked a few of the girlsto the ground, resulting in heavypenalties for the boys team. By

halftime, the boys started to fig-ure out how to work the girlsequipment and came back tolead 5-4 at the break.

The second half opened withthe draw between sister and

brother Amanda and AaronCalimlim, with Amanda assistingwith the goal. The teams tradedgoals, keeping the score tightwith Megan Abcede, SamanthaHealy and Kera Prell putting it inthe net for the girls. BothCarlson and Tyler “Hope theDress Doesn’t” Falls scored twogoals for the girls team, but inthe end the boys prevailed 9-7.

Joey Clough was sick anddidn’t play in the benefit. “Theevent turned out really good,”he said after the game. “A lot ofpeople came out and it was a lotof fun. It’s really nice, reallyhelpful, really moving.”

The event ended with bothteams lining up at midfield forthe “Honor the Game” hand-shake. Afterward, all the playersgathered to take commemora-tive group pictures.

“It is inspiring to witnessyoung people take the initiativeto come together, lose theirinhibitions and stereotypes tomake this event a success and apositive impact on many peo-ple’s lives,” said boys coach MattHill. “The first girls vs. boysbenefit lacrosse game was somuch fun that we will definitelycontinue the tradition in years tocome.”

Michelle Hill and Mike Dunncontributed to this story.

Page 10 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com April 29, 2011

Clayton Sports

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Lacrosse teams playfully join for benefit game

Photo by Mike Dunn

THE ACTION WAS GENERALLY FAST AND FURIOUS but the smiles were also plentiful when the Clayton Valley High boys and girlslacrosse teams took the Gonsalves Stadium turf for a benefit game to assist the family of boys player Joey Clough. Participantsincluded, from left, Allie Robison, Amanda Calimlim, Cody “Nothing Under the Skirt” Anderson, Aaron “Anna” Calimlim, JoannaFan, Travis “Cookie” Kohlmeyer (back) and Sara Okimoto. Fan initially came up with the idea for the benefit and did much ofthe legwork to make it happen.

Photo by Mike Dunn

SOPHOMORE TYLER SUN (CENTER JUMPING) OF CLAYTON AND SENIOR

OUTSIDE HITTER MITCHELL D’ANGINA (8) helped the Eagles sweeprivals Concord in three sets last week with 11 kills as ClaytonValley won its 10th game of the volleyball season.

D’Angina taking Eagles volleyball team, coach to new heights

See Volleyball page 12

MITCHELL D'ANGINA

U16 boys deniedtitle due to rainout

Diablo Futbol Club’s under15 and under 16 boys soccerteams continue to make theirmark on a regional and nationallevel. They both are now rankedamong the top 50 teams inAmerica after outstanding tour-nament and cup results thisspring.

Diablo FC 95 just earned atrip to the USYSA WesternRegionals June 20-26 in Boiseafter reaching the championshipgame of CYSA State Cup forthe third successive year. CoachJohn Badger’s team lost the U15finale two weeks ago 2-0 toSanta Clara Sporting 95, thesame team that beat the localclub powerhouse all three yearsin the state cup championshipmatch.

Because of the wildcarddraw, both CYSA State Cupfinalists earned spots in theWestern Regionals. Championsfrom the 12 western states alongwith two wildcard teams andtwo Far West Regional Leaguefinalists make up the 16-teambracket. Diablo FC will be fac-ing the state champions fromOregon, New Mexico and CalSouth in their round-robinbracket, where two teamsadvance to the regional quarter-finals.

Diablo FC 95 won its firstfour state cup games in fairlyeasy fashion by a combined 15-2 score. In the semi-finals, witha regional spot at stake, the localteam and Mission Valley United95 Black of Fremont battledthrough a scoreless game andtwo overtime periods. The resultwas determined by penaltykicks, with Diablo FC scoringgoals by Edgar Damian,Trenton Matson, T.J. Hogan andKian Maghsoodnia. GoalkeeperAndrew Konstantino thenstopped two spot kicks byMission Valley, putting DiabloFC back into the cup finals forthe third time.

Diablo FC 95 had defeatedSanta Clara Sporting 95 in thesemi-finals of the SCSInvitational last summer enroute to the championshipthere, but they weren’t able toduplicate that result in the statecup finals.

Also on the Diablo FC 95

Coach Chance Gernhardt isrelying on a core of upper class-men to use one of two avenuesto gain a North Coast Sectionberth for the Clayton ValleyHigh School golf team.

The Eagles can earn a post-season invitation by winning theDiablo Valley League regularseason or a May 2 league tour-nament at Boundary Oak inWalnut Creek.

As the coach expected, theEagles are battling College Parkand Northgate for top leaguehonors. Gernhardt was pleasedwith his team’s efforts in split-ting home and away non-leaguematches with St. Patrick-St.Vincent of Benicia.

Returning senior golfersGarrett Dane and Stuart Bredellhave been the low scorers forthe Eagles as they chase DVALfavorites College Park andNorthgate. Classmates JackLoflin and Kenny Johnson arenew to varsity this season but

have posted some solid scores.Juniors Daniel Maraccini

and Sam Marchant also havegenerally been among the fivelowest scorers for the Eagles.Rounding out the Eagles squadare freshmen Eric Carlson andKevin Cuff, sophomore WyattDane and juniors NickGasparro and Brin Owen.

Two years ago, the Eagleshad an all-DVAL golfer infreshman Domenic Mazza. Lastseason, Mazza switched hisspring sports attentions to base-ball and is in the starting rota-tion for the first-place Eaglesbaseball team. Although heplayed in a couple non-leaguegolf matches this year, Mazzadoesn’t figure in the Eaglespost-season drive while he ispart of a CVHS baseball teamcurrently ranked second in theEast Bay.

Bryan Bredell is assistingGernhardt with the Eaglescoaching duties this year. TheNCS qualifying meet at SunolValley Golf Course is a weekafter the DVAL championships.

April 29, 2011 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer .com Page 11

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offered by All Out Sports League at Clayton Community Gymis accepting reservations now for junior golf clinic, youth bas-ketball and volleyball leagues, summer day camp, cheer camp,indoor floor hockey league and flag football camp. Summer pro-grams run between June 13 and Aug. 20.

For more information call (925) 203-5626 or to register forany program offered by All Out Sports at the gym, visit allout-sportsleague-clayton.com.

10TH ANNUAL CLAYTON VALLEY

YOUTH FOOTBALL CAMPThe 10th annual Clayton Valley youth football camp runs

June 20-24 at Gonsalves Stadium on the Clayton Valley HighSchool campus from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. It is for boys and girls enter-ing third through ninth grades.

Head football coach Herc Pardi, defensive coordinator JerryCoakley and the Eagles coaching staff and players provide fun-damental instruction and daily full contact competition. There isa trainer on site. Each participant gets a camp shirt and writtenevaluation. Cost is $125, plus a refundable $75 equipment fee.

For more information, email herc_pardi@hotmail.com, call(925) 682-7474 ext. 3115 or pick up a brochure at the CVHSfront office. Deadline to apply is June 9.

CLAYTON VALLEY FALCONS CHEER, FOOTBALL

SIGNUPS OPENClayton Valley Falcons cheerleading and football signups are

now open online at cvaafalcons.com. Football is open for play-ers 7-14 years of age while cheerleading begins for five-year-olds. There will be two walk-in sign up days in May and June.The next session is Thursday, May 12, from 6-8 p.m. andSunday, May 22, from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. at Mountain Mike’s Pizzanext to Clayton Bowl in Concord. Complete information on theFalcons football and cheer programs is available atcvaafalcons.com.

CV BASEBALL SCHEDULES SUMMER CAMPTwo-time DVAL champion Clayton Valley High Eagles

coaches and players will present their annual Summer BaseballCamp June 13-30 at the Concord school. The program eachweek is Monday through Thursday for boys and girls 7-15, frombeginners to advanced players. Camp Director Bob Ralston sayscurrent college players and student coaches from Clayton Valleyprovide positive role models and give hands-on instruction.

For more information or to register for summer camp, call682-7474 ext. 3115 or visit eaglebaseballacademy.com.

DIABLO FC UNDER 8 ACADEMY BEGINS MAY 3A new comprehensive soccer program for girls and boys 6-8

years of age is being introduced with the Diablo FC U8Academy. The first of four groups of sessions runs on Tuesdaysand Thursdays from May 3-June 2 at Boatwright SportsComplex in Concord. Camp Director Brian Voltattorni says theAcademy is a developmental soccer program that will includepsycho-motor skills, coordination exercises, technical trainingwith the ball and free play. The Academy is scheduled so thatplayers can also participate in an AYSO recreation program dur-ing the fall. For complete details and to register visitdiablofc.org.

MT. DIABLO SOCCER OFFERS FALL LEAGUE

ONLINE REGISTRATIONThe local AYSO recreation soccer program is offering con-

venient online registration for the first time in its 31-year histo-ry. Mt. Diablo Soccer encourages families with children 4 -18years of age to visit its website at mdsoccer.org and sign up now.Children must be at least four-years-old by July 31, 2011 to playthis fall season. For more information email Mt. Diablo Soccerat fall@mdsoccer.org. Information on fees and volunteerrequirements are on the website. Team practices begin as earlyas Aug. 1.

Sports Shorts

JAY BEDECARRÉ

Clayton Pioneer

JAY BEDECARRÉ

Clayton Pioneer

Photo courtesy Diablo FC

DIABLO FUTBOL CLUB’S UNDER 15 BOYS SOCCER TEAM IS CURRENTLY RANKED #15 in the United Statesand is going to the USYSA Far West Regionals June 20-26 in Boise, Idaho after reaching thechampionship game of CYSA State Cup for the third successive year. The team includes, frontrow from left, Edgar Damian, Jonathan Silvan, Ryan Ringelstein, Reymond Velete, MarioMatute, T.J. Hogan, Israel Murguia, Kian Maghsoodnia; second row, Mikie Guerrero, EstebanBerumen, Derek Wilcox, Andrew Konstantino, Trenton Mattson, Javier Valencia, Isaiah Dargan;standing Juan Velazquez and coach John Badger.

Photo by Mike Dunn

SENIOR GARRETT DANE HAS

been a low scorer most ofthe season for the ClaytonValley High golf team as theEagles try to overcomefavorites College park andNorthgate and gain a NCStournament placement.

Clayton Valley golf teamdriving for NCS berth

See Futbol, page 12

squad going to Boise are IsaiahDargan, Esteban Berumen,Michael Guerrero, MarioMatute, Israel “Izzy” Murguia,Ryan Ringelstein, Jonathan“Sho” Silvan, Javier Valencia,Juan Velazquez, ReymondVelente and Derek Wilcox.

Last month, Diablo FC 95

went to Nevada and won theLas Vegas College Showcasetournament, going undefeatedwith wins over teams fromColorado, Arizona, Oregon andCal South.

The club’s U16 boys team,coach Marquis White’s DiabloFC 94, hoped to follow up on its

championship in the 12th annu-al Diablo Cup when the teamtraveled to San Diego for theNomads Coaches Showcase lastmonth. The team earned achampionship game berthbefore wet weather forced acancellation of the finale. Thetwo finalists, Diablo FC 94 andNevada’s No. 1 team Las VegasPremier 95 White, went directlyto penalty kicks. Las Vegas won

the shootout and the title 3-1.Diablo FC 94, which had

won the prestigious Surf Cuplast summer in San Diego, drewone and won three games toreach the Nomad semi-finals.They came away with a 1-0 winover San Diego Surf Whitebefore suffering the disappoint-ment of not being able to playthe final game.

After these strong springresults, Diablo FC 95 is nowranked 15th nationally in U15boys while Diablo FC 94 movedinto the U16 top 50 inGotSoccer’s national ratings.

Diablo FC’s spring tourna-ment, the Diablo Cup, provedbittersweet for the local club. Inthe four girls brackets, a DiabloFC team reached the champi-onship game in every age groupyet all four teams lost in thefinals by a single goal. On theboys side, Diablo FC 94 won theU16 bracket by defeatingNevada’s No. 3 team, SagebrushSC Vipers Red, while Diablo FCwas also second in U18 and U14age groups

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Futbol, from page 11

Volleyball,from page 10

Wingard and McKay Blatter –also are playing key roles.

Coddington won’t be losingthe D’Angina name from hisroster anytime soon, with fresh-man outside hitter Matthew fol-lowing in his brother’s footsteps.Another frosh, Garrett Blatter,is a defensive specialist andsophomore Tyler Sun is anopposite on the varsity team.

Last year, the Eagles not onlychased powerful Northgate inthe DVAL title race but thenfaced off again with theBroncos in the first round ofNCS playoffs Division II –where CVHS lost a four-setmatch. The previous year, theylost in four sets to Las Lomas atNCS.

“Northgate is again the classof the league. College Park has avery good team this year and ismaking a lot of noise. We willfinish somewhere in the topthree places in league. If every-thing comes together with thisteam, we have a chance to winor share the title,” Coddingtonsaid of the Eagles, who were 5-1 in league through last week.NCS begins May 17.

The fifth-year coach has fel-low alums “Dice” Armstrongand Thuan Nguyen on hiscoaching staff.

Puppeteer is a curious andfun loving boy who is always onthe go. He will thrive in anactive home where he canreceive physical as well as men-tal exercise. Going to trainingclasses is a great way for littlePuppeteer to bond with his newfamily members while meetingnew people, socializing withother dogs and brushing up onhis manners..

The adoption fee for adultdogs is $225 and includes 60percent off one 7-week dogtraining session.

Portia is a beautiful little girlwho enjoys gentle pets and lotsof opportunities to snuggle!Could she be the purr-fectmatch for your family?

The adoption fee for adultcats is $50.

Meet your forever friend atTony La Russa’s Animal RescueFoundation, 2890 MitchellDrive, Walnut Creek, duringadoption hours: 3 to 7 p.m.Thursday and Friday, Noon to 5p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Theprimary caretaker must be pres-

ent to adopt. ARF also encour-ages kids 16 and younger andcanine family members (dogadoptions only) to be presentduring the adoption process.

Would you like to be part of theheroic team that saves the lives of res-cued dogs and cats? Can you shareyour talents to connect people and ani-mals? ARF volunteers are making adifference! For more information seeour website, www.arf.net, or call925.256.1ARF.

PORTIAPUPPETEER

Puppeteer and Portia areARF’s Adoption Stars

Dogs, like humans, are oneof a few unique species thatengage in play far beyond theend of their childhood years.And watching them play can bea great spectator sport.

Like human games, dog playhas rules that must be followedfor fairness, and some playersare more skilled than others.The more you know about dogplay behavior and what theirbody signals mean, the moreenjoyment you will get out ofwatching the game.

Almost all animals play asjuveniles; it is a crucial part ofdevelopment. By definition, playis a rehearsal of key survivalbehaviors. Dog play is made upof four of these behaviors:

fighting, fleeing, feeding andmating. What distinguishes playfrom the real survival behaviorsare special cues that dogs pro-vide one another, called meta-signals. Meta-signals are bodymovements, gestures and activi-ties that signal a dog’s playfuland harmless intentions despitehis behavior, which looks likehunting or fighting.

For instance, play bows andpaw raises are signals typicallyused to instigate a play session.Healthy, friendly play interac-tions have both dogs offeringfrequent meta-signals. Whenmeta-signals are absent, they areconspicuously absent, and whatstarts as play can quickly turnsour.

Both parties should alsopause frequently during play.This helps bring rowdy playback down to a reasonable leveland allows dogs a brief pause toliterally “shake it off ” andremember that they are justplaying.

A crucial component of safeplay is a dog’s ability to restrainhimself and to act with meas-ured force. A bite is a play biteand does not hurt the other dog.

Adult dogs who roll over andallow a puppy to wrestle on topof them are also exhibiting self-restraint: the adult dog couldeasily overtake the puppy, butchooses not to for the sake ofplay.

During play, dogs’ bodiesshould be loose and wiggly, theirmovements bouncy, exaggerat-ed and a little sloppy. Thisdemonstrates that the dog hasno intention of doing harm oracting aggressively. A dog that isintent on harming conserves his

energy and focuses exactly onthe task at hand; there is nobouncing around when the huntis on.

The tendency of dogs tocontinue play into adulthoodmay explain why we as humans

cherish their companionship sodearly: We’re just two fun-lov-ing, playful species that knowhow to have a good time.

Dogs know that playtime is just a game

ELENA BICKER

PET PALS

Elena Bicker is the Executive Directorof Tony La Russa’s Animal RescueFoundation. She can be reached at (925)256-1ARF (1273)

town, we have kids either enter-ing or rapidly approaching highschool and there is considerableconcern about the quality oftheir school experience. Horrorstories come second, third andfourth hand about bullying,drugs, “romance” (in quotesbecause it has more meaningthan that, but this is a familypaper), unsafe and unclean con-ditions, etc. at Clayton ValleyHigh School. As a graduate ofCVHS and with a child set toenter high school next year, I amconcerned. But a ray of light hasentered this tale with theannouncement of the potentialfor CVHS to become a charterschool (“CVCHS”).

Since the first meeting I wasasked to come to about planningthis charter, where I knew noth-ing, to today where multiplepublic meetings have takenplace and the plan is in full plan-ning stage (see accompanyingarticle with more details), theexcitement is palpable in thecommunity. At a meeting onMonday, approximately 150people packed our library meet-ing room to hear the teachersbehind this movement and acharter consultant outline theirvision and discuss the pros andcons of a charter school. Theinterest in improving CVHS was100 percent and it appeared thevast majority were behind thecharter idea. To be fair, not allquestions were answered toeveryone’s satisfaction and the

plan specifics are still beingworked out for budgeting,administration, teaching stan-dards, contracts, etc. But thatdid not appear to dampen thecrowd’s enthusiasm for the idea.

What was clear was that acharter school would increasethe per student amount ofmoney given to the school. Itwould be locally administeredand would include specific anduniform codes of conductgeared toward restoring respectand following rules to make iteasier for the teachers to teach.The loudest cheers and applausecame when the crowd wasinformed that uniforms can beimplemented to eliminate issueswith inappropriate fashions andany gang identification.

In short, charter schools aregrowing in California, andCVCHS could act as a shiningexample for the Bay Area.Granada Hills Charter HighSchool in Southern Californiahas a 99 percent graduation ratewith 98 percent of their gradu-ates attending college of somesort. Attendance rate is 98 per-cent and the school has top API(Academic performance index)scores. Clayton Valley organiz-ers envision the same results for

our kids with a charter school.What is most amazing to me

is that in over a decade ofinvolvement in politics inClayton, every issue has hadboth proponents and detractors.The lone exception —CVCHS!That is unheard of in politicsand I think proof of the sound-ness of the idea and the need toimprove existing conditions atCVHS.

As this moves forward, it willbe vital for all interested parents,even if your child is only a tod-dler, to inform themselves andto make their support heard tothe teachers at CVHS and to theMt. Diablo Unified SchoolDistrict, which will be decidingwhether to approve the charter.

To this end, please go toFacebook and search “ClaytonValley Charter High School” ort ohttps://sites.google.com/site/claytonvalleycharterhighschoolto learn more and show yoursupport. You may also email meat shuey@rankinlaw.com.

As John F. Kennedy oncesaid, “Our progress as a nationcan be no swifter than ourprogress in education. Thehuman mind is our fundamentalresource.”

Email the mayor atshuey@rankinlaw.com

Sophomore Mandalyn Savage’sdance performance turned intoa creative two-person routinewhen Ted Hall leapt from hisfront row seat in the bleachersand joined in.

“It was pretty exciting whenTed jumped out of the standsand started dancing,” said junior

Taylor Wingard, “I wasn’texpecting it at all.”

“I loved jumping out of thestands and surprising people,”said Hall, a junior. “It was fun tobe able to experience the assem-bly as both a performer onstageand from the stands as a mem-ber of the audience.”

The Latin dancing perform-ances also created buzz. Bothcouples, one of current studentsthe other of alumni gone pro,danced with spice and drama.But what really kept students’attention was how the menthrew, flipped and held theirpartners repeatedly in suchcrazy ways.

This level of intensity andsuspense was also found in thecolor guard act, which took on

an extreme and rock ’n’ rollangle. For junior Ryan Dodge,this was the favorite act.

“I thought the color guardact was interesting,” he said,“and it had good music.”

Overall, the assembly washailed as a massive success forstraying from the traditional.“This was the best rally we’vehad so far,” Wingard concluded.

enough to close the $2.8 milliondeficit facing the district nextyear.

The assessment was original-ly set to go before the EastCounty Board of Directors atthe April 4 meeting, but the engi-neer’s report was incomplete.The report will be presented atthe May 2 meeting, saysHenderson.

“We want to be sure we havea prudent, fully defendableassessment before we move for-ward,” Henderson says.

If approved, the assessmentwill provide sufficient funding tokeep open all fire stations in thedistrict, including the MarshCreek Sunshine Station that wasthreatened with closure duringthe non-fire season months.During the fire season, the sta-tion is operated by the state.

The plan will also provide forfull staffing at all of the stationsand will begin a paramedic pro-gram. The district currently relieson ambulances for life-savingservices.

Henderson expects the boardto approve the engineer’s reportand call for the election at theMay 2 meeting in time to mailout ballots by the June 16 dead-line. If passed, the assessmentwould be on the 2011-’12 taxroll.

The assessment affects prop-erty owners in the rural areas ofClayton along Marsh Creek andMorgan Territory roads.

FIRE INSURANCE NO

LONGER A CRISIS

Last year October, EastCounty Fire closed the SunshineStation to save the district the$366,000 it pays CalFire to staffthe station during the non-fireseason..

A grassroots reaction fromClayton’s rural property ownersforced East County to reconsid-er and they drew from reservesto reopen the station November1.

With the Sunshine station injeopardy, homeowner insurancerates began to double and triple.Several homeowners were can-

celled by insurance companiesthat followed InsuranceStandards Office stiff underwrit-ing guidelines requiring homes tobe no further than five milesfrom a fire station. ISO alsoimposes heavy staffing require-ments that the district cannotmeet.

State Farm Insurance, how-ever, sets their own underwritingguidelines and does not use theISO standards, says local agentDoug Van Wyck.

“We’ve been writing policiesout there for 30 years and contin-ue to do so,” he says.

“As long as property ownersin wildfire areas clear their prop-erties and are in compliance withlocal fire codes, we have noproblem insuring rural proper-ties.”

Van Wyck is in the Village Oaksbuilding, 6200 Center Street, Clayton.For more information call (925) 672-2300.

For more information on the bene-fit assessment district, including theagenda and staff reports, go towww.eccfpd.org. Board meetings are at6:30 p.m. at City Hall, 3231 MainSt., Oakley.

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Safety,from page 7

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Assembly, from page 9

It is important that neigh-bors know the people who areexpected in the area, such ascleaning and gardening work-ers. I know that my neighborshave their lawns mowed onTuesday or Friday. If I seesomething other than a redpickup across the street onTuesday morning, I may beconcerned.

In Clayton, the PoliceDepartment coordinates aNeighborhood Watch Programthat could be of benefit for allneighborhoods. There havebeen a number of presenta-tions for Clayton residents inthe last few years. Most recent-ly, there were presentations forBlack Diamond residents andin Peacock Creek.

On Nov. 19, 2010, thePioneer article “NeighborhoodWatch gets results in PeacockCreek” documented the suc-cess of implementing some ofthe recommendations in aneffort to reduce undesiredactivity in the neighborhood.

During NeighborhoodWatch presentations, whichtake about 1½ hours, there arediscussions about suspiciousactivity and suspicious vehi-cles, home security, solicita-tions, reporting informationand identity theft. Also dis-cussed are some of the latestscams taking place.

One great benefit of hav-ing a Neighborhood Watchmeeting is the opportunity tomeet and know your neigh-bors. If you know your neigh-bors and exchange informa-tion about who is “authorized”in the area to do gardening,home maintenance, etc., or justvisiting for a period of time,then residents are aware ofwho should or should not bein the neighborhood.

If you want to have a meeting inyour neighborhood, contact theClayton Police at 673-7350.

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Pioneer

Clayton Community CalendarPLEASE SUBMIT YOUR CLAYTON COMMUNITY CALENDAR EVENTS BY 5 P.M. MAY 4 FOR THE MAY 13 ISSUE. ITEMS MUST BE SUBMITTED BY EMAIL TO calendar@claytonpioneer.com

IN CLAYTONApril 30-May 1Clayton Art & Wine FestivalPremium wine and beer, 125 arts and crafts exhibits, Kiddieland andlive entertainment. 10 a.m.-7 p.m. April 30 and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. May1, Main Street. Free admission. Sponsored by the Clayton Businessand Community Association, with proceeds supporting communitygroups and projects. 672-2272.

May 1“Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep North”An award-winning documentary in which producer/director KatherineBrowne tells the story of her forefathers, Rhode Islanders who werethe largest slave-trading family in U.S. history. 1 p.m., followed bydiscussion. St. John’s Episcopal Church, 5555 Clayton Road. Free.672-8855.

May 6-7Clayton Gardens TourSponsored by the Clayton Historical Society. Self-guided tour of sixgardens begins at the Clayton Museum, 6101 Main St. 10 a.m.-4p.m. rain or shine. $25, or $30 at the door. Fifth ticket free. Purchasetickets at the museum or R&M Pool, Patio & Gardens, 6780 MarshCreek Road. 672-0240 or claytonhistory.org.

May 7, 14, 21, 28Farmers Market8 a.m.-noon Saturdays, Diablo Street between Main and Centerstreets, downtown. pcfma.com.

May 7Cover2Cover ConcertThe high-energy dance band kicks off the summer Concerts in TheGrove with a variety of music spanning five decades. 6-8:30 p.m.,Grove Park, downtown. Set up chairs and blankets on the lawn after4 p.m. Free. For a complete concert series schedule, see Page 3.

May 30Memorial Day ProgramPresented by VFW Post 1525, 10 a.m.-noon, downtown flagpole,Main and Oak streets. Free. Call Pete at 682-6533.

EVENTS/ENTERTAINMENTApril 28-May 15“The Lady With All The Answers”An evening with Ann Landers presented by CenterRep. Thursdaysthrough Sundays at the Lesher Center, 1601 Civic Drive, WalnutCreek. For tickets call (925) 943-SHOW (7469) or purchase online atwww.centerrep.org

April 29-May 21“Visiting Mr. Green”A funny and heart-warming story of a retired man and a young cor-porate executive. Presented by Diablo Actors Ensemble. $10-$25.1345 Locust St., Walnut Creek. diabloactors.com.

April 30Astronomy Program“Are We Alone? A Discussion of Alien Life.” Sponsored by the Mt.Diablo Astronomical Society. 7 p.m. (but enter the park at least 45minutes earlier), lower summit parking lot, Mt. Diablo. $10 parkentrance. 837-2525 or mdas.net.

Through April 30“Twelfth Night, or What You Will”Butterfield 8 Productions in Concord presents this Shakespearefavorite adapted for alternating all male and all female casts. Tickets$12-18. Purchase online at www.brownpapertickets.com or call (925)838-3006.

Through April 30“To Kill a Mockingbird”Center Repertory presents the timeless classic about ignorance, preju-dice and integrity. Lesher Center for the Arts, 1601 Civic Dr., WalnutCreek. $36-$42. 943-SHOW or centerrep.org.

May-SeptemberSummer Concert SeriesMusic and Market Series, noon-1:30 p.m. Tuesdays May-June. Blues,6:30-8 p.m. Tuesdays in July. Music and Market Series, 6:30-8 p.m.Thursdays May 5-Sept 15. Special events: Mother’s Day 2-4 p.m. May8, Father’s Day June 19, 4th of July, National Night Out Aug 2.Todos Santos Plaza, downtown Concord. Free. 671-3464.

May 6, 7“Cosmos: A Musical Journey Through the Elements”Featuring Tapestry vocal and hand bell ensemble. 7 p.m. May 6,United Methodist Church, 1543 Sunnyvale Ave., Walnut Creek.Followed by a pie party. 7 p.m. May 7, First United Methodist Church,1600 Bancroft Ave., San Leandro. Refreshments following. Freeadmission, with a free-will donation for Smile Train. www.tapes-tryringersandsingers.org.

May 12-June 4“Chicago”The Willows presents this award-winning musical of flash, sass andtabloid murders. Campbell Theatre, 636 Ward St., Martinez. $22-$32. 798-1300 or www.willowstheatre.org.

May 13-22“The King & I”The Vagabond Players and El Campanil Children’s Theatre presentthe Rodgers and Hammerstein musical. El Campanil Theatre, 602West 2nd St., Antioch. 689-3368.

May 14“America’s Got Talent” Comes to TownFinalist Lawrence Beamen joins area resident Art Watkins for a bene-fit concert for St. Bonaventure’s new Youth Ministry Center. 7:30 p.m.,5562 Clayton Road, Concord. $25, or $10 for children 12 and under.Free child care. Brownpaperticket.com.

May 15Diablo SymphonyViolinist Linda Wang with works by Tchaikovsky and Brahms. 2 p.m.,Lesher Center for the Arts, 1601 Civic Dr., Walnut Creek. $12-$20.943-7469 or lesherartscenter.org.

May 18River Rock Casino TripMeet at 8:45 a.m. at Diamond Terrace Retirement Community, 6401Center St., Clayton. Return home at 6 p.m. $25, includes $5 foodcoupon and $20 gaming coupons. RSVP to 524-5100 by May 4.

June 16“Europe Through the Back Door”Travel writer Rick Steves headlines the Contra Costa County Library’sSummer Reading Festival. 7 p.m., Lesher Center for the Arts, 1601Civic Dr., Walnut Creek. $10. 943-SHOW, lesherartscenter.org orccclib.org

FUNDRAISERS

April 30United Mt. Diablo Athletic Foundation Vegas NightTo raise money for all sports in the Mt. Diablo Unified School District.6 p.m.-midnight, Concord Hilton, 1970 Diamond Blvd. $50, includesdinner and gambling chips. www.unitedmtdiabloathletics.org.

May 7E-Waste Drop-OffTo benefit 2011 Grad Night at Clayton Valley High School. Donatemonitors, computers, laptops, TVs, stereos, copiers, fax machines,DVD/VHS/CD players, cell phones, car batteries, cardboard, metal,paper products. Other items accepted for minimal fee. 10 a.m.-4p.m., CVHS, 1101 Alberta Way, Concord. rapidrecycle.net or 671-8008.

May 14Clayton Valley Garden Club Plant Sale8 a.m.-1 p.m., Endeavor Hall, 6000 Center St., Clayton. 672-5079.

May 14Music Festival Showcase and BenefitMt. Diablo Music Foundation presents music students from all levelsof MDUSD schools in a fundraiser to benefit the music programs inthe MDUSD schools. 2 p.m. at the Sleep Train Pavilion

May 15Animals on BroadwayA benefit for Tony La Russa’s Animal Rescue Foundation (ARF). One-mile pet walk, pet wellness fair, adoptions. 10:30 a.m.-4 p.m.,Broadway Plaza, Walnut Creek. Free admission. arf.net or 296-3118.

May 19“Jog for Japan”A walk/jog-a-thon at Pine Hollow Middle School to donate toJapanese earthquake/tsunami victims. Make checks payable to RedCross and bring to the school office, 5522 Pine Hollow Road,Concord. 672-5444, ext. 5500.

May 26Skipolini’s/Grad NightTo benefit the June 7 Grad Night at Clayton Valley High School. 1033Diablo St., Clayton. Print flier at www.cvhs.mdusd.org.

SCHOOLS

May 5Family Game NightLive interactive “Jeopardy,” plus math and strategy games for currentand incoming middle school students and their families. Chips, salsaand beverages. 7 p.m., Diablo View Middle School Multi-Use Room,300 Diablo View Lane, Clayton. Pamandleonhall@aol.com.

May 10, 24Mt. Diablo Unified School District Board7:30 p.m., 1936 Carlotta Dr., Concord. mdusd.org.

June 12Retirement Party/St. Agnes School PrincipalTo honor Karen Mangini’s 21+ year commitment. Mass at 1 p.m., St.Agnes Church, 3966 Chestnut Ave., Concord. Dinner reception, 6p.m., Concord Hilton, 1970 Diamond Blvd. $35, $25 young adults.RSVP by June 6. stagnesconcord.com or call Lisa at 586-7647.

CHURCHES & RELIGION

May 6Baha’is of ClaytonAll are invited to an evening of interaction and fellowship. The talk is“Which is Right: Science or Religion?” with speaker EdwardLangthorn, a lawyer, engineer, teacher and researcher. 7:30 p.m.,Toloui residence in Clayton. Free. 672-6686.

May 18Concord United Methodist WomenDiscussion of the Layette Project with Barbara Cotton. 10 a.m. meet-ing, 11 a.m. program, noon luncheon. Bring an item for babiesunder age 1. 1645 West St., Concord. RSVP to Linda at 510-758-4837.

AT THE LIBRARY

The Clayton Library is at 6125 Clayton Road. Programs are freeunless otherwise noted. 673-0659 or claytonlibrary.org.

May 9, June 13Book Club Sunny Solomon leads a discussion. Anyone welcome to join the club.May 9: “Still Alice” by Lisa Genova. June 13: “Breakfast at Sally’s:One Homeless Man’s Inspirational Journey” by Richard LeMieux. 7p.m.

Through May 10Patty CakesStory time for babies to 3-year-olds. Child attends with caregiver.Drop in 11 a.m. Tuesdays.

Through May 17Paws to ReadChildren in grades 1-5 who have trouble reading can read aloud to atherapy dog. 4-4:25 or 4:35-5 p.m. Tuesdays. Registration by a par-ent required.

Through June 2Picture Book TimeStory time for 3- to 5-year-olds. Child may attend without caregiver.Drop in 11 am. Thursdays.

CITY MEETINGS

May 3, 17Clayton City Council7 p.m., Hoyer Hall, Clayton Library, 6125 Clayton Road. 673-7304 orci.clayton.ca.us.

May 10, 24Clayton Planning Commission7 p.m., Hoyer Hall, Clayton Library, 6125 Clayton Road. 673-7304 orci.clayton.ca.us.

CLUBS

Clayton Business and Community AssociationMeets 6:30 p.m. last Thursday of the month, except holidays,Oakhurst Country Club, 1001 Peacock Creek Dr., Clayton. Call Sueat 672-2272.

Clayton Valley Garden ClubMeets 7 p.m. second Wednesday of the month, Diamond Terrace,6401 Center St., Clayton. On May 11, Laura Allen will talk about theuse of gray water. Contact Nancy at 673-3522 or claytonvalleygar-denclub.org.

Clayton Valley Woman’s ClubMeets 9:30 a.m. second Tuesday of the month except July andAugust, Holy Cross Lutheran Church, 1092 Alberta Way, Concord.672-1163.

Clutch Busters Square Dance ClubMeets 7:30 p.m. Thursdays, Willow Pass Community Center Hall,2748 East Olivera Road, Concord. Contact Karen at 686-3774.

Concord Stompers Square Dance ClubMeets 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays, Willow Pass Community Center, 2748East Olivera Road, Concord. Call Jennie at 672-9676 orangelfire.com/id/stompers.

Contra Costa Chess ClubMeets 6:30-9:30 p.m. Thursdays, Starbuck’s, 1536 Kirker Pass Road,Clayton. Players of all ages and skill levels welcome. Contact Mike at639-1987 or uschess.org.

Contra Costa Genealogical SocietyMeets 7 p.m. second Thursday of the month, LDS Church, 1360Alberta Way, Concord. cccgs.ca@gmail.com.

Contra Costa Mineral and Gem SocietyMeets 7:30 p.m. second Monday of the month, Centre Concord,5298 Clayton Road. 779-0698 or ccmgs.org.

Creekside Artists GuildMeets 7-8:30 p.m. second Wednesday of the month, Library StoryRoom, 6125 Clayton Road, Clayton. All artforms and both emergingand experienced artists welcome. Contact Arlene at 673-9777 ornielsenjanc@aol.com. creeksideartists.org.

Diablo Valley Democratic ClubMeets 7-9 p.m. third Wednesday of the month, Ygnacio ValleyLibrary, 2661 Oak Grove Road., Walnut Creek. 946-0469 ordvdems.org.

East Bay ProspectorsMeets 6:30 p.m. first Thursday of the month, Oasis ChristianFellowship, 2551 Pleasant Hill Road, Pleasant Hill. Clayton residentDouglas “Pucky” Junghans is the founder. 672-1863 or eastbayg-paa.webs.com.

Knights Of Columbus, Concord Council 6038Meets 7:30 p.m. first Tuesday of the month, St. Bonaventure Church,5562 Clayton Road, Concord. Officers meet third Wednesday at St.Agnes Church, 3966 Chestnut St., Concord. Contact Rayce at 683-9717 or rayce@aol.com.

Rotary Club of Clayton Valley/Concord SunriseMeets 7 a.m. Thursdays, Oakhurst Country Club, 1001 PeacockCreek Dr., Clayton. Includes breakfast and a speaker. 566-8166 orclaytonvalleyrotary.org.

Scrabble ClubMeets 11 a.m.-4:30 p.m. second and fourth Saturdays of the month,Carl’s Jr. Restaurant, 1530 Kirker Pass Road, Clayton. All ages andskill levels welcome. $3 fee. Call Mike at 639-1987 or scrabble-assoc.com.

Sons In Retirement (SIRs)Branch 19 meets 11:15 a.m. first Thursday of the month, CrownPlaza Hotel, 45 John Glenn Dr., Concord. 429-3777. Branch 146 meets 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. second Thursday of the month.Boundary Oaks, 3800 Valley Vista Road, Walnut Creek. Call Jack at933-7998 or sir146.com.

Soroptimist International of Diablo VistaMeets 12:15 p.m. second, third and fourth Wednesdays of the month,September-June, Sizzler, 1353 Willow Pass Road, Concord. ContactNicole at 692-2224.

Veterans of Foreign WarsBreakfast 8-11 a.m. second and fourth Sundays, 2290 Willow PassRoad, Concord. Eggs, pancakes, sausage, beverage. $4, $2 childrenunder 12.

Word Weavers ToastmastersMeets 7-8:15 p.m. Mondays, 4756 Clayton Road, Concord. Visitorswelcome. Contact Marion at 686-1818 or marion48@live.com.

Page 14 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com April 29, 2011

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Swing from the ceiling or climb asilk rope when Levity opens in May

In her black Pilates pants,with no concern about the dustand dirt on the ground, IlimaHeuerman knelt side-by-side withthe flooring man.

He had a question aboutinstalling the thick, two-tonehardwood floor in her new fit-ness studio. It was easy to imag-ine her gaining clients’ trust andguiding by example as they workthrough a new movement in theirfitness regimens.

Growing up, she says she wasa bookworm. But she learned tosurf at a young age and loved thefeeling of freedom it brought her.It is easy to see from her leanphysique that she has always beenan athlete.

Her outgoing nature makesathlete more believable thanbookworm. She greets peoplewith a big hug, a “hey, goodlookin’ ” in her silky voice and anelectric energy that sizzles.

Levity, Heuerman’s fitnessstudio in downtown Clayton,debuts with an open house onMay 1 during the Art & WineFestival and regular business thefollowing day.

Heuerman grew up in Hawaiiand the Bay Area. She attendedcollege at the University ofSouthern California, experiencingfreedom to its fullest – not onlybeing a student on her own, butwith exposure to different sports.She joined the women’s rowingteam and completed her biologi-cal sciences degree in 1997.

Heuerman married firefighterhusband Chris the year after col-lege and worked as a humanresources coordinator. She gavebirth to son Taylor in 1999 and

daughter Chrystina in 2001.As a stay-at-home mom with

a craving to continue her exercise,Heuerman took kick-boxing les-sons and worked out in her hus-band’s home gym. She does notlike traditional gyms because theyare “crowded, impersonal, (had)broken machines, unknownmachines …I also wanted to dothings, select equipment I nevertried,” Heuerman says.

Friends encouragedHeuerman to train others fromher private gym, so she startedTraveling Trainers in 2008. Thebookworm re-emerged andHeuerman earned numerous cer-tifications.

“I gotta know why I’m doingit,” Heuerman says about under-standing the mechanics of differ-ent movements and exercises.

In March 2010, Heuermantoured Clayton’s Flora Squarelooking for space for the trainers.

She was inspired by the morethan 16-foot-high ceilings andcreated a vision to optimize thespace.

Heuerman prides herself thatLevity is not a gym; it is a fitnessstudio. Clients do not do self-paced, machine-based workoutsbut instead meet with a personaltrainer to create a custom programand work in ratios of two to threepeople with one trainer, depend-ing on the type of training.

Clients use their body as lever-age to reach health goals. Thissummer, they will have the uniquechance to try aerial arts – trapezeswinging and silk tissue climbing.

Heuerman has four peoplecurrently on staff, and she trainedthem all herself.

Client-turned-trainer JeanineDeSoto met Heuerman whenDeSoto and her mother, AnnNapolis, took Heuerman’s bootcamp training class to battle some

physical ailments. She attributesher success to Heuerman’s abilityto make clients feel comfortableby breaking goals into realisticsteps.

DeSoto continued trainingwith Heuerman and is studyingfor her personal training certifica-tion to start as one of Levity’strainers when the doors open inMay. DeSoto says there “willalways be something for everyonewho walks through the door.”

Despite painful arthritis attimes, Napolis is able to enjoycycling as a result of boot campand continued training. “I loveIlima,” Napolis says ofHeuerman’s ability to not onlymake clients feel comfortable,but to push them according totheir ability.

In the midst of checking theprogress of the sponge and hard-wood floor installations at thestudio, Heuerman races from onethought to the next. Levity is atesting ground to challenge her-self to branch out. She has plansfor a summer youth program andWebcast.

“I love this business,”Heuerman says. “The physicaltranscends to the inside. I seepeople really feel their betterself.”

Motivating people to takeaction is her inspiration, reflectedin Levity’s mantra: “Upliftingyour body, mind & spirit.”

And to keep that feeling offreedom, Heuerman says, “I’ll behere, swingin’ from the vine.”

Visit Levity during the Art &Wine Festival, 1-4 p.m. Sunday, May1. Opening day is May 2. The studio isat 1026 Oak St., Suite 202, Clayton.For details, call 890-6931 or go tolevityfitness.com.

PAMELA WIESENDANGER

Clayton Pioneer

Tamara Steiner/Clayton Pioneer

Ilima Heurman is poised to open her new Levity Fitness Studioin Flora Square on May 1. The studio will offer traditional fit-ness classes and training along with a chance for clients to tryout new things like trapeze, exotic dancing and kickboxing.

May 1, or May Day, is anancient Celtic tradition thatbegan in England and spreadthroughout most of Europe.

The Beltane rituals celebrat-ed fertility and renewal withbonfires, feasting and dancing.When the Romans conqueredBritain, they brought their owntradition of the festival ofFloralia to honor the goddess offlowers. The beribbonedMaypole dance evolved fromthe mix of the two cultures.

During the EnglishReformation in the 1600s, fes-tivities having pagan roots weresuppressed. It is not surprisingthen that May Day traditions didnot make it to American shoreswith the Puritans and their kin.

Elsewhere on the Europeancontinent, however, May Dayremains a celebratory daymarked by bonfires and festi-vals. In Germany, Maiwein is atraditional beverage. Youngwine is enhanced with an herb,sweet woodruff. Sometimes it’sa wine punch flavored withherbs, fruits, berries and flowers.Sima, a version of mead, isserved on May Day in Finland.

The Finns love to celebrateMay Day with tippaleivät, whichresembles a miniature and less-sweet version of county fairfunnel cakes.

TIPPALEIVÄT

2 eggs1 T. sugar¾ tsp. salt¾ c. milk1½ c. flour½ tsp. vanillaOil, for fryingPowdered sugar, for dusting

Mix the eggs and sugar untiljust combined. Add the otheringredients, except for the oiland powdered sugar, and stirinto a smooth batter.

Heat the oil (about 2-3 inch-es deep) in a deep saucepan untilit reaches 375°.

Put the batter into a pastrybag fitted with a small-holednozzle. Squeeze the batter in athin band into the hot oil. Movein overlapping circles to form anest-like cookie 3-4 inches indiameter.

When the cookies haveturned golden brown, removeand drain on paper towels.

Dust room-temperaturecookies with powdered sugar.

In Italy, May Day foods char-acteristically have “seven” ofeach ingredient. For example, inAbruzzo, a soup by the name of“The Seven Virtues” is madefrom leftovers in the pantry. It’sbasically a jazzed-up version ofminestrone.

MINESTRONE LE

SETTE VIRTU

Serves 67 kinds of dried beans7 kinds of fresh vegetables

(this recipe calls for onion, gar-lic, fennel, artichokes, favabeans, carrots and green beans)

7 freshly minced herbs (basil,sage, oregano, thyme, marjoram,parsley and mint*)

7 c. stock (made from left-over meat)

7 kinds of leftover driedpasta (1-2 T. each)

Olive oil

Salt and pepper to tasteChopped parsley and

Parmesan cheese for service

Soak ½ c. mixed dried beansin cold water overnight. Rinse,drain and set aside.

Preheat a large soup pot overmedium heat. Add 2 T. olive oiland 1 chopped onion. Saute theonion, stirring occasionally, until

it is tender and translucent. Add2 cloves minced garlic and sauteuntil fragrant, about 30 seconds.Add one chopped bulb of fen-nel (discard the fronds) and theprepared beans.

Add the stock and bringsoup to a boil. Reduce to a sim-mer and cook for 45 minutes, oruntil beans are almost tender.

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April is Earth-Day month, which neatly coin-cides with prime wildflower season on MountDiablo. There’s no better time to get outside andenjoy your own backyard. Before you go, youmight want to check out “Audible MountDiablo,” a series of electronic field guides fromSave Mount Diablo, Mt. Diablo InterpretiveAssociation and the California State ParksFoundation.

The free guides, offered by Save MountDiablo, Mt. Diablo Interpretive Association andthe California State Parks Foundation, can bedownloaded to an iPhone, iPod or other MP3player.

Modeled after the best museum audio guides,“Audible Mount Diablo” combines lively inter-

views and music with the rush of wind and thechirps, howls, and growls of wildlife. Expertsheighten visitors’ appreciation of the sights andsounds, tell tales of the mountain’s past, and sug-gest what to look for around the next bend.

“These tours are great aids to exploringMount Diablo,” says Save Mount Diablo’s JulieSeelen. The tours include “Introducing, MountDiablo”, “Grand Loop Tour” and the “MaryBowerman Tour.”

The tours are all free at www.savemountdia-blo.org (click on Activities, then Hikes and Trails)or www.mdia.org (click on “Audible MountDiablo”).

A GPS-enabled version of the Grand Looptour is also available at EveryTrail.com.

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May Day a European tradition

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Hikers look towards the Summit Loop in Mount Diablo’s Back Canyon

LINDA WYNER

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

See Food, page 17

Advertise in the Pioneer

TIPPALEIVÄT

Add 2 fresh, frozen orcanned artichoke hearts, cut into½-inch dice, 1 c. blanched andpeeled fava beans, 1 diced carrotand ½ c. cut green beans.Continue to simmer the soupuntil the rest of the vegetablesare tender, about 15 minutes.

Add the pasta and 1 tsp. ofeach herb. Simmer another 10minutes or until the pasta is aldente. Taste and add salt andpepper to your preference.Serve hot with a sprinkling ofchopped parsley and Parmesancheese.

*If using dried herbs, use ½tsp. each.

Another May Day traditionaldish comes from the Piedmontregion of Italy. It, too, incorpo-rates the “seven virtues.”

HERB FRITTATA

(Frittata primaverile verdealle sette erbe)

Serves 21 T. olive oil2 shallots, finely minced2 tsp. each minced sage,

parsley, thyme, basil, mint, mar-joram and oregano*

4 eggs, beaten with 1 T.water

Salt and pepper¼ c. Parmesan cheesePreheat the oven broiler.Preheat an oven-ready 10-

inch non-stick skillet over medi-um heat. Add the olive oil andshallots and saute until shallotsare wilted. Add the herbs andsaute for 15 seconds to releasetheir aroma. Pour in eggs andsprinkle with a pinch of salt and

pepper. Stir to distribute theherbs and shallots.

Cook the frittata, occasional-ly lifting the edges and allowingthe liquid egg to spill under.When the frittata is set but stillmoist on top, sprinkle withParmesan cheese and transferthe skillet to the broiler. Broiluntil the cheese has browned.Serve immediately.

*Oregano is used in thisrecipe as a substitute foramarelle. Known as mugworthere, it is generally not recog-nized in the United States as aculinary herb.

There’s a list of plants I con-sider mom-worthy – ones Iwould have my own mothergrow.

They are sturdy, showy, sim-ple plants that look good withminimal care. My parents travelbut they like their Clayton Valleyyard to look good, so here iswhat I have my mother grow inher landscape and garden.

Cestrum Newellii, RedCestrum, is an evergreen shrub

with an exceptionally longblooming season. The flowersare tight clusters of burgundytubes that the hummingbirdscan’t resist. Cestrum Newelliihas dark green foliage with atouch of red.

You can expect it to grow 5-8 feet tall and 3-5 feet wide.Plant in full to partial morningsun against a fence or the home.This evergreen makes a nicebackdrop and focal planting.

SAGE ADVICE

Yellow-blooming Jerusalem

Sage is a must-have for anyone.This evergreen is incredibly sun-hardy and has large, arrow-shaped leaves of gray. FromMay to July, yellow whirls oftwo-lipped flowers extend tallerthan the foliage – creating a can-delabra effect. The bloom isdramatic and interesting.

Jerusalem Sage is nice plant-ed by the poolside because beesaren’t too attracted to the yellowflowers.

Arbutus Marina makes anexcellent focal planting or hill-side installation. It is commonlycalled a strawberry tree. Thismini tree is robust and needssome room to stretch to itspotential. It will eventually reach12-15 feet tall and almost aswide.

If you clean up the bottomthird of this shrub, you willreveal its beautiful red, peelingbark. I like to call this its legs.Arbutus Marina is uplight wor-thy and makes an interestingspecimen for a landscape.

COLORS OF THE DAY

Daisy-shaped ArctotisPeachy Mango is a showygroundcover with a little body.Large, circle-shaped growth canreach 3 feet wide and lends itselfto larger beds and strips.Arctotis is available in many hotcolors to reflect any gardeners’personal choice.

This is another sun lover thatdoes better when occasionallydeadheaded. My mom has itplanted with her Jerusalem Sageand roses. It really makes a nicecollection.

Phormium add a grass-liketouch to the landscape.Phormium Platt’s Black is a sta-ble selection flax that reaches 2-3 feet tall and wide. The dark,purplish-bronze foliage can real-ly stand up to the sun.

Platt’s Black adds interestand texture to shrubs and flow-ers. Highlight stretches of gar-den beds with repeated installa-tions of this phormium, or usein containers for vertical interestsurrounded with colorfulMillion Bell Petunias.

SPIKE IT UP

The tall blue spikes of flow-ers from Salvia Indigo Spiresexplode with bloom Junethrough October. This selectionof salvia is definitely mom-wor-thy. Bees and butterflies visitthis perennial all day long.

Since the Indigo Spiresblooms so long, it makes for agreat front-yard landscapeinstallation. The flower is a per-fect accessory to spring-bloom-ing shrubs.

Summer-flowering CrapeMyrtle trees are easy to care for,have showy flowers and season-al fall color. When supported

with evergreen grasses orshrubs, the Crape Myrtle treemakes a perfect focal plantingfor a mini garden area.

Petal drop makes the CrapeMyrtle not pool-friendly, soinstall accordingly.

Perennials planted in con-tainers with drip system waterbring interest to patio areas. Ihave learned that incorporatingmultiple plants in larger contain-ers works best. This way, whenone plant isn’t blooming, thereis always another to take itsplace.

Depending on the size ofthe container, consider yours anabove-ground garden. Sunnyplants that like to be grown incontainers are sedum, iris, core-opsis, penstomen and kanga-roo’s paw. If the container islocated in more shade, useplants like hosta, impatiens,begonia, painted fern, helle-bores and abutilon.

I always try to include at leastone thriller or tall plant, plus acouple fillers or medium-sizedplants and a spiller or two toaccent the container. The moreyou install, the greater the con-tainer will look. If plants over-grow the pot, put those in theground.

Happy Mother’s Day.

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Linda Wyner, a local attorney andfoodie, owns Pans on Fire, a gourmetcookware store and cooking school inPleasanton.

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Food, from page 16

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$59.99

$69.99

Get 1 FREEwhen you buy

1 15# bag$18.99

Get 1 FREEwhen you buy

1 30# bag$34.99

Plus get a free gift

$29.99/bag (Reg.

$38.99)

$10 Off/bag

$10 Off/bag

1 FREE Ear Cleaner

4 oz.

bottle

$24.99/bag (Reg.

$34.99)

$17.99 (Reg.

$21.99)

20% Off All Bird

Cages

$24.99/bag (Reg.

$34.99)

$29.99/bag

FREE pre-filledBBQ propane tank

Med. Starter

Kit #82938

Sm. Starter

Kit #82933

Breeder’s ChoiceAvoderm Chicken

& Rice, Lamb & Rice

30# bag or Lite, 28# bag

(Reg.

$34.99)

Starter Kits include:

Tropimix, cage paper, Millet,

cuttlebone, Prime supplement

& bird care guide

5# bag of Avo Dermdog or cat food

Eukanuba tote bags

Super Pet bird cages

Nutro T-shirts

Holistic Select DogFood measuring cupsand can cover for dog food

7 pack of dry packtraining pads

Blue Buffalo coffee cups

Durvet Apple-flavoredHorse Wormer

Durvet Doggiwags

*Limit one item per family