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of 32 Super intendent’s Off ice, Community Outreach

*District Office closed on January 16, 2017*

Check it out ................................................................................................................................................. 2

Features ................................................................................................................................................. 3

Community Outreach Stories ............................................................................................................................... 8

State Schools Chief Tom Torlakson Urges “Safe Haven” Designation for California’s 10,500 Public Schools ........ 12

State Superintendent Tom Torlakson Supports National Human Trafficking Awareness Day .............................. 14

Sharmoug signs with New Mexico State (Manteca Bulletin) ............................................................................... 16

Manteca Unified & the $1 billion schools challenge (Manteca Bulletin).............................................................. 17

A HELPING HAND (Manteca Bulletin) ................................................................................................................. 21

Manteca High at crossroads (Manteca Bulletin) ................................................................................................. 23

Going, going — gone digital (Manteca Bulletin) ................................................................................................. 26

THEY EAT VEGGIES (Manteca Bulletin) ............................................................................................................... 29

Nile Garden Panther Pride ................................................................................................................................ 32


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Manteca High FFA Chapter Scoop

See what Manteca High’s FFA chapter has been up

to in their student published newsletter.


Features

French Camp staff participated in an “elf” and

cookie exchange to share some Holiday

cheer! Staff enjoyed the spirit of the

exchanges so much, French Camp said they’ll

be doing it again soon.

French Camp Students in grades K-8 participated in Fine Arts Day

on November 23, 2016. This has become an annual event held on

the minimum day prior to the Thanksgiving break.

Students rotate through classrooms, engage in a variety of

different art activities, and create some wonderful displays!

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French Camp students who earned Perfect Attendance and

Honor Roll during Trimester 1 were honored at a recent

assembly. Students received a certificate and a pin for their

achievements. In addition, monthly Character Counts award

winners were recognized for outstanding character.

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The RYLA program is a wonderful event that fosters

and builds on leadership dynamics to strengthen

tomorrow’s student leaders.

The following students have been selected to attend

the 2017 Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (TYLA)

Conference in February. Congratulations, students!!

MHS- Alyssa Trejo MHS- Taylor Ann Reed SHS- Jacquelyn Brown SHS- Brock Willenbrink SHS- Correa Gonzalez

Joseph Widmer School received

the Bronze award from the

Alliance for a Healthier

Generation due to their concerted

efforts in providing opportunities

for exercise and nutrition

awareness for both students and

staff.

There were many requirements to

meet over the past few years, and

the JW team did a fantastic job! A

big thank you to Mr. Doug Goff,

PE teacher, for leading the charge

and accepting the award on

behalf of Joseph Widmer

Elementary School at the Alliance

for a Healthier Generation

conference in San Diego.


“These chemistry demonstrations

performed by my students are

based on wonders/magic of

chemistry in life. My students

practiced these demonstrations

under my supervision & in

collaboration with San Joaquin Delta

college students with guidelines

from American Chemical Society

(ACS). This show was only possible

due to the great support from our

administration, especially Dr.

Horwood & Mr. Leland. My

students are very willing to do these

shows in our elementary schools, to

get students more interested in the

magic of science!”

-Gurpreet Deol, LHS Math/Science

Teacher

http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=lathrop+high+school+manteca+ca&view=detailv2&&id=FEAE65E8468F07D093D107EE2FC48A06748C80AF&selectedIndex=0&ccid=2IYZHKxq&simid=608011492600972135&thid=OIP.Md886191cac6aaf58493fbc2a14693250o0


Two students from Shasta Elementary have their artwork featured in the 2017 Healthy Air Living Kids’ Calendar, by San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District. Congratulations Adrian Martinez and Christopher Peralta!

http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=Shasta+Elementary+School+Manteca+CA+in+2015&view=detailv2&&id=A5E19CDFF5D8F7A308A2AA4B6ABC93E9288F9C95&selectedIndex=28&ccid=iCe%2bFtDK&simid=608006501839079012&thid=JN.GyuVZgOjMVs9naRdX0PiuA


Community Outreach Stories

Your Unusual Colonial Tradesmen Submitted by: Joe Contreras Community Outreach Intern

On December 20th, the August Knodt library was filled with carpenters, brick makers, and many other colonial tradesmen, that were not your usual colonial tradesmen. The Students of Denise Alexander's 5th grade class stepped back into time to the Colonial trade period in American History, at their Colonial Trades Museum. These 5th grade social studies students picked one of 12

colonial trades. Some of the 12 trades included: printing

office, carpenter shop, brick makers, colonial wig shop, saddlers, blacksmiths, silversmith, show makers,

millinery shops, cabinet shops, and copper manufactures.

Alexander, who is a first year 5th grade teacher, carries on the tradition of the Colonial Trades Museum when

covering the colonial period unit in Social Studies. Alexander explained that her favorite part of the Museum was

seeing her students working well in groups and pulling their own weight. Her second favorite part, was

witnessing her most shy students step out of their comfort zones to present to their peers.

This project involved students utilizing their tablets to research the trade while creating props and a poster board to present to their peers at the Museum. Students had two weeks to complete their project. As you walked by, you could hear the voices of 5th grade students Edgar Velazquez and James Gelisanga in perfect harmony saying, "We use hammers and we build stuff" as they represented a Carpenter Shop. Velazquez and Gelisanga explained that their favorite part of the project was building the props and drawing the pictures. Judith Horton, another 5th grade teacher who participates in the Museum, explained, "Each student creates an artifact that relates to their trade". Students have seen everything from reproductions of colonial tools, wigs, and an actual working printing press. Throughout the day, August Knodt students from other grade levels visited the museum and asked each 5th

grade group a question regarding their exhibit. (For the visitors to receive credit, they had to record the question

asked.) Excitement filled the room of the Colonial Trades Museum, as different students walked from exhibit-

to-exhibit learning about the different colonial trades.

Students present their exhibits to their peers


WRHS Winter Band & Orchestra Concert Submitted by: Joe Contreras Community Outreach Intern The Weston Ranch Community gathered in the WRHS Theater on December 15th for the 2016 Winter Band and Orchestra Concert that included the Junior High Band. For many WRHS Seniors, this was their last high school concert. Senior Alejandro Diaz, who is a member of the percussion section, stated before the concert “I was

very excited for the opportunity to play one last time because it is my last year”. He explained that

learning music is not easy, and that he practices every day to be the best that he could be.

The Junior High Band includes students from Great Valley, August Knodt, and George Kumore, and us under the the direction of Dana O' Dell, a junior high teacher at George Komure. “It was a great opportunity for my students to get prepared for high school band”, said O’Dell.

The Junior High Band performed five different songs including Heritage and Reflection by Patrick Roszell, Creatures in the Attic by Brian Balmages, Theme from Star Wars by John Williams, Dark Adventure by Ralph Ford, and Storm Chasing by William Owens. The WRHS Orchestra performed four

different songs including El Toro by Don Brubaker, Brindisi from La Traviata by Giueseppe Verdi,

Christmas Fiddlers on the Housetop arranged by Frank Halferty, and Las Golondrinas by Narcisco Sevilla. The WRHS Concert Band performed four different songs including The Jolly Earl of Cholmondeley from Three Ayres from Gloucester by Hugh Stuart, Rivers from Georgian Suite by Samuel Hazo, March "Folk Songs from Somerset" from English Folk Song Suite by Ralph Williams, and Sleigh Ride by Leroy Anderson.

Joe Barron conducts the WRHS Orchestra

The Weston Ranch Community fill the WRHS Theater


Dalben's Legacy Lives On

Submitted by: Jessica Pablo Community Outreach Intern On Tuesday night at the East Union Varsity Boys' basketball game, Principal Raul Mora honored community and former Board Member, Peter Dalben. Although Mr. Dalben passed in 1990, his legacy and accomplishments live within us not only at East Union, but also within our community. Mr. Dalben was a resident of the Manteca/French Camp area since 1929. In 1942, he worked for the Federal Government at the Naval Annex Depot a Laborer, and served as a member of the Board of Education for twenty-six years. In 1961, Mr. Dalben was commissioned to hold a position on the Manteca Union School District Board, which covered students from French Camp. In 1965, the seven separate elementary school districts that encompassed the Manteca Union School District joined, and formed the current Manteca Unified School District. During his years of continuous service, Mr. Dalben has been very influential in the development of the school district and helped the community thrive from a small town, to the diverse education system it is today. His leadership and continuous guidance sparked countless programs and structural advances. The East Union High School Gymnasium is the pinnacle of his incumbency as a board member. On April 11, 1975, Manteca and French Camp gathered and held a Testimonial Dinner to honor Mr. Dalben for his dedication to both communities. "At that time many had the opportunity to express their appreciation to Mr. Dalben for his many years of faithful service. As a special honorarium that evening, the newly erected gymnasium complex at East Union High school would henceforth be called 'Dalben Center'," stated Mora during his halftime speech. Following Mora's speech, varsity cheer captains, Madison Greenlee, and Camryn Costa awarded Mr. Dalben's children, Gil and Donna, with a bouquet of flowers and a certificate of appreciation for their father's dedication to the Manteca Unified School District.

Gil and Donna smile after receiving a certificate of appreciation on behalf of their late father, Mr. Peter Dalben.


Sierra Kicks off the New Year in London By Carly Cunial Community Outreach Intern

Determination, leadership, and cheer made it possible for four Sierra High School cheerleaders to travel to London for a trip of a lifetime and preform in the New Year’s Day Parade.

A couple of days before New Year’s Eve

seniors Tori Vasquez, Julia Martinez, Karenna Martinez, and junior Malia De Jesus boarded a

plane and flew to London to meet the other cheerleaders, dancers, and drum majors who

would be preparing with them for the parade.

“I am proud of their accomplishments both as a cheerleader and as representatives of Sierra

High,” said Michele Fey, Sierra High School’s head cheer coach.

Over the summer, Sierra HS Cheerleaders attended a summer camp where they had the opportunity to compete

for selection as an All-American Cheerleader to perform in London with other top cheerleaders from around the

world.

The UCA sent the girls a video of an instructor teaching them the cheer

routine so they would know it prior to arriving in London. Before show

time, a two-hour practice included nearly 450 performers.

It rained the day of the parade, but did not stop the show. The

dancers, cheerleaders and other performers cheered through the

streets of London with complete joy.

“Preforming in the rain was a ton of fun, just super cold,” said cheer

captain Tori Vasquez.

When they were not performing,

they were touring the parts of

London. They traveled in “The Tube” and “Coaches” to places like

Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, and Westminster Abby. They took a cruise

down River Thames and watched Wicked in theater.

“It was a wonderful experience and I am so grateful for it,” Vasquez

claimed.


State Schools Chief Tom Torlakson Urges “Safe Haven”

Designation for California’s 10,500 Public Schools REL#16-87 CONTACT: Robert Oakes

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE PHONE: 916-319-0818

December 21, 2016 E-MAIL: [email protected]

SACRAMENTO — State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson today released a letter

encouraging all California public schools to be declared “safe havens” for students and their parents and to

remind families about existing laws that protect students’ records from questions about immigration status.

“Unfortunately, since the presidential election, reports of bullying, harassment, and intimidation of K-12

students based on immigration status, religious, or ethnic identification are on the rise,” Torlakson said in the

letter distributed to county and school district superintendents, charter school administrators, and principals.

“As State Superintendent of Public Instruction, safety is my top priority. And my strongest commitment

to you, your students, and their families is that schools remain safe places to learn. California serves more than

6.2 million kindergarten through twelfth grade students with the most diverse population in the nation.”

The letter encourages all parents and guardians to fully participate in their school communities. Engaged

parents play a key role in helping students succeed on their way to 21st century careers and college, Torlakson

said.

The California Department of Education (CDE) will continue to provide local educational agencies (LEAs)

with guidelines about existing laws that protect student records, including the 1984 Plyler v. Doe U.S. Supreme

Court decision that requires schools to enroll all eligible children regardless of immigration status.

Schools must verify a student’s age and residency, but they have extensive flexibility in what documents

are used and do not need to use pertaining to immigration status. No records can be released to law

enforcement without a parent’s written permission, a court order, or subpoena. Schools should not collect or

maintain any documents pertaining to immigration status, Torlakson said.

Some California schools districts, including the Los Angeles Unified School District and Sacramento City

Unified School District, have declared themselves safe havens and let their communities know they will maintain

a welcoming environment for all students and parents.

mailto:[email protected]


The full letter is available on the California Department of Education (CDE) Public Schools Remain Safe

Havens Web page.

# # # #

The California Department of Education is a state agency led by State Superintendent of Public

Instruction Tom Torlakson. For more information, please visit the California Department of Education’s Web site

or by mobile device. You may also follow Superintendent Torlakson on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.

http://www.cde.ca.gov/nr/el/le/yr16ltr1221.asp

http://www.cde.ca.gov/nr/el/le/yr16ltr1221.asp

http://www.cde.ca.gov/

http://m.cde.ca.gov/

https://twitter.com/cadepted

http://www.facebook.com/CAEducation

http://www.youtube.com/caeducation


State Superintendent Tom Torlakson Supports National

Human Trafficking Awareness Day REL#17-4 CONTACT: Cynthia Butler

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE PHONE: 916-319-0818

January 11, 2017 E-MAIL: [email protected]

SACRAMENTO— State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson today recognized National Human

Trafficking Awareness Day and urged all Californians to learn how they can take action to stop this international

crime.

“Large cities, small communities, and now schools have become prime hunting ground for human

traffickers,” Torlakson said. “All school community members must become educated and aware of the warning

signs of trafficking. School districts should have policies in place to prevent and intervene in this criminal

activity.”

Schools sites are a prime target for recruiting trafficking victims, according to a 2015 report by the U.S.

Department of Education’s Office of Safe and Healthy Students. The report also mentioned that traffickers often

prey upon students travelling to and from school.

California experienced the nation’s highest number of reported incidents of human trafficking in 2015—

with one-third being minors—according to the National Human Trafficking Resource Center.

A public-private collaboration of non-profit organizations, state agencies, and local government

representatives recently launched Prevention Organized to Educate Children on Trafficking (PROTECT), a

program designed to reduce the vulnerability of the state’s children to human trafficking. PROTECT is being

rolled out to 35 rural California counties over the next three years.

“This type of training and exposure can help increase awareness among teachers, bus drivers, students,

school administrators, and school staff and can potentially save the life of a child targeted by a trafficker,”

Torlakson said.

The California Department of Education is discussing adding Human Trafficking as a topic in future student

health curriculum.



The United States Senate designated January 11 as National Human Trafficking Awareness Day in 2007. In

2010, a Presidential Proclamation declared January as National Slavery and Human Trafficking Month.

For more information about the PROTECT program, visit the Rural County Representatives of California

Web site at rcrcnet.org. For information regarding human trafficking, contact the National Human Trafficking

Resource Center at 1-888-3737-888.

# # #

The California Department of Education is a state agency led by State Superintendent of Public

Instruction Tom Torlakson. For more information, please visit the California Department of Education’s Web site

or by mobile device. You may also follow Superintendent Torlakson on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.

http://rcrcnet.org/

http://www.cde.ca.gov/

http://m.cde.ca.gov/

https://twitter.com/cadepted

http://www.facebook.com/CAEducation

http://www.youtube.com/caeducation


Sharmoug signs with New Mexico State (Manteca Bulletin)

Vince Rembulat [email protected] 209.249.3537 January 11, 2017

Billy Sharmoug referred to Wednesday’s signing to play football at New Mexico State as his second chance.

The 2013 graduate of Manteca High came to the place where his arduous journey began, inking his letter of intent with the Aggies in the MHS library surrounded by familiar faces – his parents, Wes and Shama, along with brother Gus, and Buffaloes coach Eric Reis and his staff.

Sharmoug spent his past two years playing football alongside former Buffalo Isaac McClain at Santa Barbara City College. Prior to that, he spent a year at Division II University of Mary in North Dakota.

“I was unhappy there,” said Sharmoug, who spent that first season out of high school as a red shirt freshman.He was accustomed to being part of a successful program.

In fact, Reis credited Sharmoug’s group at MHS as the ones who helped pave the way for this year’s section championship team. “You guys had left a lasting impression,” he said.

Frustrated with his situation in North Dakota, Sharmoug changed plans after talking to a friend. “My buddy in Santa Barbara said, ‘if you’re going to play football, you might as well play by the beach,’” Sharmoug recalled.

Santa Barbara CC had the coaching and staff for guys like Sharmoug and McClain to get exposure to the big schools. He credited his offensive line coach Dan Levers for helping him along.

A 6-foot-2, 315 pound center, Sharmoug will continue to play center for the Aggies come next fall. He chose New Mexico State over schools such as Alabama A&M and University of Arkansas in Pine Bluff.

McClain has one more year at Santa Barbara CC. Like Sharmoug, he’s attracted his share of Division I schools.

New Mexico State finished 3-9 in the Sun Belt Conference. Next year, the Aggies will play as an independent, taking Arizona State, New Mexico, University of Texas-El Paso, and Arkansas. Sharmoug, for one, is excited about that schedule.

He’s looking forward to the challenge of playing against some of the big schools of college football. “It’s been a long journey (for Sharmoug),” said Reis. “It’s not over yet.” http://www.mantecabulletin.com/section/34/article/140801/

Billy Sharmoug is flanked by his parent, Wes and Shama, while

joined by Kyle Reis (back row from left), Manteca head coach

Eric Reis, lines coach Dan Eavenson and freshman coach

Brian Rohles after signature


http://www.mantecabulletin.com/section/34/article/140801/


Manteca Unified & the $1 billion schools challenge (Manteca Bulletin) January 11, 2017

Ninety-seven years this May voters in what is now known as the Manteca Unified School District passed a ballot measure to form the Manteca Union High School District.

Within days, 19 men in the community borrowed enough money on their own to construct temporary wooden classrooms on the same site that where Manteca High now stands on what was then a spot on the edge of town. The campus consisted of two classrooms, study hall, and library. The wooden structures were covered with tar paper. The roofs leaked when it rained.

A year later on Dec. 31, 1921, voters approved a $200,000 bond to build the campus that included the iconic Manteca High Tower.

Good luck today building a classroom for $200,000 let alone an entire high school campus for 100 or so students.

The current Manteca High campus can trace its building pedigree back to 1949 which is the oldest age of specific structures still in use. Modernizations were conducted in 1993, 1996, and 2002. An additional parcel along Moffat Boulevard was purchased in 2006.

There are 204,919 square feet of facilities on 45 acres. While some of those facilities are 68 years old an audit of structures rated their condition as “exemplary” in the MUSD 2014 Facilities Master Plan.

Manteca High — as well as the Manteca Unified School District and City of Manteca — are at a crossroads.

Manteca High is the second oldest campus in terms of structures that are still in use, after neighboring Lincoln School that dates back to 1947. Lincoln School is almost through a modernization process using Measure G bond money that has brought it into the 21st century. In a tribute to district sensibilities and how taste comes back around including architectural treatment, the original classrooms at Lincoln School now have a modern-industrial look that is all the rage in some quarters.

At the same time, the campus infrastructure put in place for the new multi-purpose room and permanent classrooms replacing portables was done in such a manner to make it easy to add permanent classrooms for another 200 to 300 students.

Manteca High in about five years will undergo a $30 million modernization under Measure G targeting safety, security, and issues such as electrical. It is a drop in the bucket for what needs to be done.

The City of Manteca has 9,700 plus future homes lined up in various stages of approval that can easily take the municipal population from its current 75,000 to 105,000 over the next 20 years. Then there are the multitude of needs and wishes such as a performing art center, recreation facilities such as swimming pools, library, and a rebirth of downtown on the table. Manteca High could be part of the city’s answers to those needs and wishes as well as the reverse.


Manteca Unified — given not just growth in Manteca but elsewhere in the district — is facing the real possibility of its current enrollment of 25,000 students surpassing 30,000 within five to seven years.

Here’s the challenge: How is Manteca Unified and the City of Manteca going to pay for their needs and wants for the next 20 years?

In Manteca’s case its $75 million for recreation facilities, $200 million or so for overpasses and major roads, $33 million for a library, $18 million for a performing/visual arts center, $16 million for a community center, $8 million for a wastewater treatment plant expansion, and real money for water wells, second phase of the surface water treatment plant, and $60 million or so in road maintenance.

That’s chump change compared to Manteca Unified. The price tag for the work needed to modernize existing campuses as outlined in the 2014 Facilities Master Plan is $580 million. Add a new high school at $140 million, toss in six or so elementary schools at $30 million apiece, and figure for inflation and the cost of borrowing and you’re talking about a cool $1 billion plus.

In the school district’s case funding is being knocked out from under it by national developers unwilling to commit to Mello-Roos districts, the lack of state bond money for schools, and the dubious chances existing residents will pass a bond for new school facilities when they are already on the hook for two MUSD school bonds.

It should be obvious Manteca Unified and the city will need to think way out-of-the-box to get the best possible outcome.

The linchpin to leveraging the best possible outcome for future and existing students districtwide as well as future and existing City of Manteca residents may indeed hinge on what is done at Manteca High in the next few years as part of the modernization footprint.

An option that would involve “super-sizing” the Manteca High campus by reconfiguring it and going to multiple story classrooms buildings to accommodate a larger enrollment would avoid the need to cram more students into all existing high school campuses by employing massive use of busing. If done right, it could add educational opportunities and programs currently not available given what a larger campus can leverage.

The city and school district in looking at the Manteca High and Lincoln School campus as well as Lincoln Park that connects the two sites could partner for solutions that serve both entities when it comes to performing arts, recreational facilities, and even parking.

That’s why in the coming months community conversations Manteca Unified is planning to have about Manteca High are important not just to Manteca High but the district and the city as a whole.




EU honors Peter Dalben (Manteca Bulletin)

Lancers’ gymnasium named in his honor

Jason Campbell [email protected] 209-249-3544 January 10, 2017

It had been years since Donna Anderson (Dalben) had been back to Manteca to see how much the area that was such a big part of her youth had grown.

And on Tuesday night, Anderson (Dalben) – now a resident of Placer County – got the opportunity to not only do just that, but also take a stroll down memory lane during a special ceremony at East Union High School honoring her late father, Peter Dalben, for whom the school’s gymnasium was built.

It was only fitting that the ceremony took place at halftime of the basketball game between the Lancers and the Lathrop Spartans – a school that was never even close to existing during her father’s time on the various school boards that oversaw education in Lathrop and French Camp.

“It’s really good to see Lathrop High School playing tonight – that’s something that my father would have loved to see,” Anderson (Dalben) said following the brief ceremony where she and brother Gilbert were presented with a certificate. “It’s definitely a trip down memory lane to be back here and to see how much this place has changed.

“I haven’t been down Main Street yet, but I’m sure that there’s more than one stoplight like how I remember it.”

Peter Dalben – who was inducted into the Manteca Hall of Fame – served on school boards that oversaw area education institutions for almost three decades. H

Dalben served on the French Camp Elementary School board from 1952 to 1966 and was clerk and president for most of those years. From 1961 to 1963 he also served on the Manteca Union High School District board. Then from 1965 to 1975 he served on the Manteca Unified School District board including at least two terms as president.

He was a member of the French Camp-McKinley Rural Fire Protection board and served four years as board president. Dalben also served on the French Camp Municipal Advisory Council in 1981-1982.

Dalben worked for 24 years as a public works shop division director at Rough and Ready island in Stockton. At one time he supervised more than 200 employees including those assigned to government bases in Dixon and at Mt. Diablo. He worked for 38 years as a government employee.

Dalben served three years as the French Camp 4-H Club electrical leader. He was one of the founders of the Twin Cities Little League in 1967 and served on the board for three years.

Peter Dalben’s son Gilbert Dalben, left, and daughter Donna (Dalben) Anderson flank East Union High Principal Raul Mora.


While he passed away in 1990, Anderson (Dalben) said that the gymnasium lives on as a testament to his dedication to the youth of the area – a project that he personally made sure was going to be the best regardless of what that entailed.

“He actually showed up during construction and talked to some of the guys and wanted to know how much more it would have cost to make it even larger,” Gilbert Dalben said. “They told him $40,000, and he found a way to make sure that money was raised so that East Union High School had the biggest gymnasium.

“He wanted to make sure that it was full-sized, and that’s exactly what he did.”

The idea for Tuesday’s ceremony has been planned since school officials had a meeting with the family in November to discuss their feelings towards an effort to name the court after longtime East Union boys basketball coach and athletic director Bill Stricker. An online petition at Change.org was set up to raise awareness of the effort by Ryan Lagomarsino and has since gathered 295 signatures.

According to Anderson (Dalben) the family requested that the naming remain as is with no additions.

Stricker, who was involved with East Union High School for more than 40 years, was inducted in the Manteca Sports Heroes Hall of Distinction.

To contact reporter Jason Campbell email [email protected] or call 209.249.3544.




A HELPING HAND (Manteca Bulletin)

Data shows Antone Raymus’ idea paying off big for kids

Dennis Wyatt [email protected] 209-249-3519 January 9, 2017

The late Antone Raymus liked to say he didn’t just build homes. He built communities.

And nowhere is that legacy living on with as much impact as the community-based non-profit Give Every Child a Chance free tutoring program.

Launched 20 years ago this October, GECAC served 67 struggling students with one-on-one tutoring during the initial school year it was up and running. Today there are more than 4,000 students being helped during any given week in Manteca, Lathrop, Ripon, French Camp, Weston Ranch, Tracy, and Banta. There are now 200 paid staff and 300 volunteers with a budget of $2.5 million cementing it as the Manteca area’s leading non-profit organization.

The last annual evaluation covering the 2015-2016 school year conducted by the San Joaquin Community Data Co-op shows that GECAC continues to deliver quantifiable results.

The effort to judge GECAC’s effectiveness in the last academic school year sampled the grades of 974 students involved in the various programs. Of those, 83.4 percent showed academic improvement in at least one subject and 82.5 percent in any primary subject.

Raymus was almost obsessed with the idea of finding a way to make sure every child had a chance to make it in life after he was part of a Manteca Kiwanis group touring the California Youth Authority prison north of Manteca. On that tour he saw a frustrated young man start throwing things in a shop class.

That prompted him to start thinking about how kids get into such a positon.

Raymus was looking for a way to prevent youth from ending up incarcerated. He figured if they could do better in school and felt better about themselves that it would produce results.

He would tell people about his own experience as an immigrant boy working on a farm while attending school in rural Manteca. He was struggling with school work and was getting discouraged to the point of wanting to quit until a teacher took time to work with him one-on-one after school. Raymus recalled not only did he start grasping concepts but it made him feel better about himself and gave him the impetus to try even harder.

For years he mulled various ideas in his head thinking a movie or someone writing a book might do the trick.

Then in collaboration with a longtime friend and former Manteca High teacher — the late Bob Camden —he came upon the idea of a free one-on-one community based tutoring program.

Sequoia School After School Advantage Program site coordinator Sam Latreille goes over details of the “snowstorm in a jar” science project.


Not only did he bring various community leaders together to launch GECAC but Raymus bankrolled it with $300,000.

His investment paid off handsomely given GECAC is closing in on having made positive impacts on the lives of almost 50,000 youth.

The 2005-2016 student data results are the strongest by far in the nine years participating students’ grades have been surveyed. In the initial sampling conducted for the 2007-2008 school year, 77.7 percent of students involved in GECAC experienced academic improvement in any subject while 78.3 percent saw academic improvement in any primary subject.

In terms of specific subjects, 41.1 percent of GECAC students improved in math, 39.9 percent in reading, 43.2 percent in writing, 42.9 percent in science, 78.6 percent in history, and 39.8 percent in spelling.

Of those involved in one-on-one tutoring, 82.2 percent showed academic improvement in at least one subject, 100 percent of those in the Homework Assistance Program improved academically in at least one subject and 84.1 percent of those in the After School Advantage Program improved academically.

Student responses show 79.5 percent said their grades have improved, 77.2 percent said their self-esteem and confidence had improved, 80.4 percent said their attitude toward school work and homework had changed, 77.9 percent said they could work independently more often and 75.2 percent said their dally school attendance improved as the result of their GECAC experience.

Surveys of teachers and parents regarding GECAC participants’ performance and attitudes mirror the results of the student survey. http://www.mantecabulletin.com/section/1/article/140741/

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Manteca High at crossroads (Manteca Bulletin) Modernization could set stage for major expansion

Dennis Wyatt [email protected] 209-249-3519 January 2, 2017

How $30 million in Measure G bond receipts is spent to modernize Manteca High has the potential to reverberate far beyond the 98-year-old campus.

And it could hold the key for not only avoiding classroom overcrowding for the foreseeable future as Manteca Unified struggles to accommodate an avalanche of growth but it could also create educational opportunities that currently do not exist in the school district.

It is why in the coming months District Superintendent Jason Messer is planning a series of meetings reaching out to various constituencies that have a stake in various modernization options that could be pursued at Manteca High. Then, when the input is gathered, the Manteca Unified board will make what could arguably be the most critical facility decision made in the district’s 50-year history.

And while actual physical modernization work may not start on Manteca High for four years given it is in the third phase of Measure G projects following the Neil Hafley, French Camp, George McParland, New Haven and Nile Garden elementary campuses that will be tackled next, how a potential Manteca High modernization decision ties in with growth as well as the complexities of the campus site itself and issues surrounding will require an inordinate amount of sounding out with the community and sorting through multiple options.

Growth needs & modernization

Manteca Unified has two major issues coming together at the same time — the need to modernize and improve the security as well as safety of Manteca High plus deal with growth mostly south of the 120 Bypass. That growth could balloon district enrollment by 20 percent over the next four to five years.

The Manteca High campus was rebuilt in 1949 with new structures and modernizations taking play in 1993, 1996, and 2002. It consists of a 45-acre campus split by Garfield Avenue. There are numerous program deficiencies related to structures including a gym that can only hold a third of the student body at any given time.

The district owns land on Tinnin Road designated for a new high school. The cost to build a high school campus for 1,500 to 1,800 students is pegged at $140 million plus. The big ticket items are extending infrastructure to serve the campus and support facilities such as a gym, football field, swimming pool, and such.

Principal Frank Gonzalez, left, and Aaron Bowers with district facilities discuss the

Manteca High campus-- HIME ROMERO/The Bulletin


The district is at 96 percent capacity and lacks roughly a third of the funding to build any new school. That missing third reflects a combo of state and local bond money. None of the Measure G bond can be used for construction to accommodate growth. At the same time, the state school bond passed in November is not expected to yield funding for new schools per se.

The likelihood of Manteca Unified pursuing another bond with taxpayers still paying on two existing bond measures isn’t considered a possibility in the near future. That leaves Manteca Unified with only two funding sources for new construction: Mello Roos taxes or some other financial mechanism developers might be willing to put in place and growth fees assessed on new housing on a per square footage basis.

With elementary schools costing $25 million to $30 million apiece, it is prompting Manteca Unified to look at all potential scenarios.

Almost 80 percent of all growth in the district could come from south of the 120 Bypass. The two closest high schools are Sierra High and Manteca High.

While busing to Weston Ranch, East Union, and Lathrop are options it would be only short-term temporary or could end up adding portable classrooms and overloading campuses. Lathrop High also has potential growth to address in that community although the volume is not as imminent as it is in South Manteca.

Sierra High could accommodate some additional permanent classrooms.

And while none of the $30 million earmarked for Manteca High Measure G work can go to house new growth, how it is spent and the campus configured could play a key role in accommodating that growth.

Manteca High could have multiple-story classroom buildings but to do so would require several significant things to happen including getting the city to turn over a segment of Garfield Avenue to the school district, reorienting the front of Manteca High to Moffat Boulevard and for Manteca High to build two or three story classroom buildings.

It would also mean Manteca High would be different as it would have a much larger enrollment.

Messer noted the district is not likely to build a cookie cutter campus when it does build the city’s fourth high school on Tinnin Road as the campus configuration used at Sierra, Lathrop and Weston Ranch would not reflect the high school facility needs of a high school in the 2020s and beyond.

Manteca High by going up with multiple story classroom buildings could perhaps accommodate 2,500 plus students. In doing so it would allow the offering of programs and classes that could not be offered at a campus of 1,500 students.

Such a move though would break the 50 year tradition of having all high schools the same size roughly in enrollment.

That would mean the 50-year rivalry between East Union and Manteca high schools would no longer include league match ups as Manteca High would be too big to be in the same league with any other high school in the district.


It is why one of the groups Messer want to seek input from are Manteca High alumni.

Another is backers of an effort to bring back the old Manteca High tower in some form. A move to multiple story classroom buildings would likely make that feasible.

Educators and students also would be asked for input as well as the surrounding neighborhood, downtown and the City of Manteca.

Messer noted with the campus’ proximity to downtown and the transit station as well as Lincoln Park there are a lot of potential partnerships between the city, community, and school district.

One of them is parking.

“Most of the time we need parking (for school) is not the same time it is necessarily in the biggest demand for downtown,” Messer said of possible city use of parking lots.

Mayor Steve DeBrum has noted he has talked with the district about things such as possibly making the performing arts center that faces Yosemite Avenue a partnership between the school district and city to provide Manteca with a community performing arts center. Again, most of the times of use would not conflict.

A larger campus would likely allow Manteca High to get a bigger gym. Messer stressed the final decision rests with the school board.

He added it will take a lot of input and running various scenarios to see what would be best for the education of students as well as the community and what the district can best afford to build for high school facilities while at the same time building new elementary campuses by maximizing available funds.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email [email protected]




Going, going — gone digital (Manteca Bulletin) Manteca Unified rates efforts with classroom tech so far as B+

Dennis Wyatt [email protected] 209-249-3519 December 28, 2016

Manteca Unified is no longer Going Digital.

The school system with 24,000 students has — as Superintendent Jason Messer puts it — gone digital.

“It is basically another tool for teaching,” Messer said.

And when that tool — as defined by electronic devices — was distributed nearly two years ago to every student it was done so not with specific marching orders from the top down, but rather from the classroom up. The strategy was not to force a cookie cutter approach on employing technology wedded with digital personal devices but to offer general guidelines to allow teachers to use the devices as they deemed appropriate to drive home lessons and open more doors to students.

“The effort at this stage is a B+,” noted Deputy Superintendent Roger Goatcher.

The grade is based on several things including addressing early hardware flaws primarily defined by broken screens and mechanical issues, impact on student learning, teachers and school sites creating lessons attuned to the idea and principles of 21st century learning, and having needed tech support in place.

How the devices have transformed and enhanced learning might be best illustrated through how they have invigorated the learning process involving specific disciplines.

Goatcher noted during site visits to special education programs, as one example, he has observed primary students collaborating on making power point presentations. In one setting it was about a favorite animal.

“The magic of these group projects (using the devices) is the collaboration that occurs within these student groups,” Goatcher noted. “The emphasis was not on the technology they were using; it was on the conversations they were having about hat aspects of the animal they wanted to showcase, what pictures others would like to see about the animal and what would they say to the class about the animal. The technology was only a tool they used to show all the other more important work they did. Technology was the tool that helped them have a stronger voice in the classroom.”

Goatcher noted that working at home for many students is a challenge that technology is helping address. He added that it can often turn into a chore for parents as well as students.

New Haven School fifth and sixth graders in teacher Tiana Houx’s class work on their devices.


Speaking on a more personal level, Goatcher said he was happy to “see an increase in excitement and more of a willingness” from his son to do his homework thanks to it being delivered through technology.

“The use of the device in reading has brought a new level of interest that he has not had before,” Goatcher said. “He has asked to do more reading and when certain areas began to get too difficult, the ability to read sections and to have other sections read to him, allowed for him to stay at the age group level instead of moving down levels and getting somewhat lower.”

Some of the software employed in Manteca Unified classrooms via the devices allow students to scale back to a level that is easier for them to comprehend and then move forward at their own pace or to ratchet up the difficulty when they are ready. That way a teacher with 24 students of varying abilities can tailor instruction to individuals such as with reading.

“With math, it became more like a game and he began wanting to jump on the device and do more math, “Goatcher said of his son. “As a parent, these small victories remind me why we need to press on in welcoming technology as a tool in our methodology toolboxes. Twenty-first century learning in our public schools is critical for our future ready students.”

Settling into replacement & updating routine

While a $30 million price tag was placed on Going Digital, Messer noted that wasn’t spent all in one year. A large chunk went to putting a backbone system in place that could handle the demand, have redundancy, be secure, allow software updates with ease, and employ hardware that is as bullet proof as possible.

“Redundancy is extremely important when you are using technology in a classroom,” Messer said. “If it (the Internet goes down) you can’t use it to teach.”

The district has Tech Champions as well as Tech Experts, and tech program coordinators at various school sites to keep tech up and running.

The district now has at any given time less than 1 percent of the students — or 240 max spread across 40 campuses ranging from elementary to high schools — with device problems. On most days, though, it is only a handful.

Problems run the gamut from students forgetting to charge devices to broken screens. Most problems are resolved the same day. But if it takes longer, loaner devices are available so the students stay connected to digital learning.

In a way, it is much more effective than simply relying on textbooks. If a student loses a textbook and there isn’t an extra one, it could take weeks to get a replacement.

As for replacing devices, Manteca Unified has started a three-year cycle. That means it is an annual cost of perhaps $3 million as opposed to the initial $12 million initial one-year expense to buy 24,000 devices.

The emphasis on student safety has prompted the district to be diligent when it comes to keeping an eye out for issues that require firewalls or restrictions that will block content as well as block access to certain parts of the devices. That has led to some slowdowns in fixing or updating some of the student devices.


What’s up next regarding the devices and learning

One of the things coming next year will be a “typing agent” software program for first through eighth graders. It is age appropriate software that focuses on the fundamentals of touch typing to allow students to become more proficient on the computer.

Help with touch typing has been a repeated request of teachers who believe it will better prepare students for the transition to college as well as careers.

The district is continually evaluating hardware. They have currently settled on the Dell 3160 device for this school year and next fiscal year. The device was picked as it allows students to capture the benefits of a tablet device by having a touch screen mechanism along with a full size keyboard that allows students to utilize keyboarding functions.

Manteca Unified is continuing to design curriculum that recognizes lesson design as the most effective element of teaching practices. To that end technology is being made available to teachers to incorporate as they see fit to help students each goals. That is being done while keeping four objectives in mind: critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and student choice/ownership of work and standards.

Goatcher added that having teachers lead the way with where, when, and how technology is interwoven with lesson plans continues to pay dividends.

“We often hear of teachers coming up with wonderful ideas on how to use technology in creative way to help students understand the basic concepts or standards of the classrooms,” Goatcher said.





THEY EAT VEGGIES (Manteca Bulletin) Manteca Unified students vote with their stomachs

Dennis Wyatt [email protected] 209-249-3519 December 23, 2016

Eating their veggies is something that the 20,000 plus Manteca Unified students that dine on school lunches take to heart.

Observe a fruit and vegetable bar in any district cafeteria — either on the elementary or high school level. Students are snapping up everything from apple slices to carrot sticks and even offerings such as kiwis, blueberries and kale that wouldn’t have been within a mile of a school lunch program 20 years ago.

Then take a look at what is going into the orange food waste cans — very little edible produce

It might have something to do with the fact their fellow students are growing roughly a fifth of the vegetables used throughout the year.

It could be due to how the nutritional services staff has gone out of the way to create menus that are healthy and tasty.

Or it could stem from the ongoing effort simply not to feed but to educate given how Manteca Unified views nutritional services as a partner in the learning process.

School farm, seven campus gardens growing produce

Whatever the case, Manteca Unified consistently is setting the standard in nutritional services. And nowhere is that more evident than though the district program that employs 12 ag students at the school farm as well as harnesses student gardens at seven campuses such as Lincoln and Sequoia schools to raise vegetables for student lunches.

“Some kids are excited knowing another student who helped grow the vegetables (and look forward) to easting them,” said Patti Page who serves as the director for nutritional services.

The Farm to School effort to help feed students was started in 2010. It now grows some 15,000 to 18,000 pounds of vegetables annually that are incorporated at least once a week into food served in district cafeterias. That supplements $500,000 a year spent on produce and another $125,000 worth of produce obtained through government surplus programs.


The program has been selected to receive a Golden Seed Harvest Award at the California Farm to School & Garden Conference March 27-29 in Modesto.

It is the latest in a string of awards honoring the mullti-faceted effort of the nutritional services staff at Manteca Unified. The Joshua Cowell School cafeteria staff team that came up with a recipe in partnership with Modesto chef Bryan Ehrenholm and Sierra High culinary student Cameron Hutchinson several years back that made it to the final round of judging by the White House chef at the American Culinary Academy in Texas.

The Cowell School entry was in the vegetable category and was designed as a side dish for serving with a number of entrees such as grilled chicken and roasted turkey. It employed valley grown butternut squash, jalapeño and red peppers, black beans, red quinoa, plus granola. The Central Valley Harvest Bake has 125 calories per half cup serving with 16 percent of the calories from fat, 3 percent from saturated fat, and 16 percent from sugar.

But even more impressive than garnering the attention of First Lady Michelle Obama who oversaw the contest, it was a healthy dish that passed muster with young children who can be finicky eaters.

While many districts struggle to connect kids to healthier food at school it hasn’t been an issue for Manteca Unified. Besides actively seeking student feedback and devoting significant energy to create appealing and new entrees and side dishes, a lot of common sense is applied.

Cutting fruit up reduces waste

“We found that cutting up fruit is a good way to get kids to eat fruit and reduce waste,” Page noted. “Students with braces or who have two front teeth missing find it hard to bite into a whole apple.”

Essentially MUSD doesn’t view students as captive lunch customers. Instead they keep looking for ways to constantly improve the menu as well as put themselves in the shoes of a student.

Nutritional services isn’t just viewed as the department that runs the cafeteria. Instead they are thoroughly integrated into health and fitness education in addition to providing the opportunity for high school students to earn and learn about raising food crops and supplying customers which in this case is Manteca Unified.

Page noted nutritional services has landed a grant that will help the school farm obtain bees and learn how to care for colonies. Besides producing honey, they will be used to pollinate the school farm’s almond orchards each February to save the district $5,000 a year.

The approach Manteca Unified uses is based on the premise a good nutritional services program is just as important as good classroom programs. Page noted students that are not hungry and benefit from good nutrition behave better in class, pay more attention, and have an easier time grasping school work.

Manteca Unified is also a cut above many other school districts when it comes to the business side. Nutritional services is not a drain on the general fund or the federal’s free meal funding for needy students.


The reason why Manteca Unified — more so than the vast majority of school cafeterias in the country — is generating enough money from kids who don’t qualify for free or reduced meals is due to creations such as the Central Valley Harvest Bake. The food is so tasty that Manteca Unified has a higher than normal percentage of students who actually elect to eat in the school cafeteria therefore generating sufficient revenue to keep the nutritional services in the black without dipping into federal funds earmarked for free or reduced meals to cover the cost of feeding non-qualifying students.

Page said the secret to taking nutritional services to the next level is how change is approached.

“People have a fear of taking steps backward when they try something new,” Page said. “We pivot instead.”

By that she means if a challenge proves daunting initially the staff will look for ways to work around it to move toward a goal.

Page said one of the biggest changes since she started in school food service in 1990 working as a part-time dishwasher two hours a day at Tracy schools are student options.

Back then there was only one entree offered on any given day with a side dish a serving of vegetables. On any give day Manteca Unified offers three to five choices for the entree and multiple side dishes along with the veggies, fruits, and salad bar.

“Students have a lot of choices,” Page said. “That is one reason why (nutritional services is so effective).”





Nile Garden Panther Pride

baked potatoes, and salad. All of the officers decorated the cake and we did a gift ex-change. Another activity was drawing a silhouette of each other and writing a few words that describe each officer. Around the campfire we sat and each one read out loud what was written inside there silhouette. We also made s'mores and shared the different snacks that every-one had brought. On the last day of Officer Retreat the advisers prepared breakfast. After breakfast we talked about t-shirt designs and oth-er activities. For the last activ-ity we were divided into groups of two and we had to come up with a song that was related to agriculture. After presenting, we packed our belongings and stop by Taco Bell on our way home.

This year we went camping at Woodward Reservoir for officer retreat. Officer Retreat begin with a team bonding activity. We were divided into groups of two and each group was given a different amount of money. With that money each team had to buy food to make either breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Arriving at the res-ervoir we set up the tent and unloaded the truck. Ryean and Kaitlynn made a delicious dinner which consisted of bacon wrapped hot dogs, beans, and salad. The day ended with each officer shar-ing a few things that is mean-ingful to them and all of us decorating our memory box-es. The following day, Litzy and I made eggs with chorizo and hash browns. After breakfast we started to plan the different activities and

community services for the entire school year. Then we did a team bonding activity. In this activity, all of the offic-ers except for one were blindfolded. The officer that

was not blindfolded had to lead the rest of the officers through different paths. For lunch Tralynn and Alexandra made ham and pineapple kabobs. After lunch we went swimming in the lake which was very nice because it was a hot day. Mrs. Nolan and Mrs. Martinez prepare din-ner. Their family came over and together we ate tri-tip,

Like scrapbooking? Want to

be involved? Need an activity

point? Join the scrapbook

committee! Scrapbook seeks

to prepare students to docu-

ment the history of the chap-

ter by using different forms of

media. Once the scrapbook is

done we submit into an FFA

contest with many rules.

Scrapbook is supervised by

Mrs. Martinez. Scrapbook

meets the 2nd and 4th Tuesday

of the month after school in

Ag.1. Come by, have fun, be

involved, and earn an activity

point!

Officers on the Go!!! By Sky Cuevas

I N S I D E

T H I S I S S U E :

Cooperatives 2

Ag Fest 2

O/C results 2

Giving Back 3

Football Con-

cessions

3

Invitational 3

Save the

Date

4

Scrapbooking By: Litzy Flores

Manteca FFA Chapter Scoop D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 6 V O L U M E 1 , I S S U E 1

S P E C I A L

P O I N T S O F

I N T E R E S T :

Cooperatives

Ag Fest

Giving Back

P A G E 2

“Students Learn

how to manage,

care for , and

learn how to

manage livestock

first hand”

Ag Fest by Kaitlynn Tarango

Opening and Closing Contest

Cooperatives By Ryean Blanco

The Cooperatives include the

goat and sheep cooperative,

Serama co-op, rabbit co-op,

and (brand new to the district)

pig co-op. These cooperatives

are open to the entire district

and are a completely free pro-

gram for students to learn

how to manage, care for, and

learn about livestock first

hand. I personally am involved

in the goat and sheep cooper-

ative, and the Serama Cooper-

ative. I have been involved in

the goat and sheep co-op for

two years now and I have

learned an intangible amount

of great knowledge and expe-

rience, I have shown sheep

two years in a row at the

Grand National Livestock Ex-

position at Cow Palace. I have

become part of the Serama co-

op and I have two chickens at I

house at the poultry barn

where I learn about poultry

production, breeding, and

housing. I have attended many

of the other cooperatives and I

have learned so much about

livestock and all the care that

comes with it. These Co-ops

opened new doors for me and

those within the program, we

get to work alongside other Ag

teachers, supervisors, and

students from all the schools

in the district, to further our

understanding of how to work

together in an agricultural

environment. The co-op

meetings are as follows: Rab-

bit co-op is every other Tues-

day, sheep and goat is every

Thursday, pig is every Wednes-

day, and Serama co-op has pre

-determined dates posted in

the ag building!

28th at the Stockton Fair

Grounds. The opening and

closing team consist of a

President, a Vice Presi-

dent, a Secretary, a Treas-

urer, a Reporter, and a

Sentinel.

They did a fantastic job at

Opening and Closing is

what happens at the begin-

ning of a meeting and at

the end of a meeting.

Three teams of FFA

members represented the

Chapter by going to the

contest On September

the contest and best of all

they tried their best.

Chapter Officer Team

received Gold, Open

Team earned a Silver and

the Greenhand Team re-

ceived Gold

GOOD JOB O/C TEAMS!!!

pigs, and steers. They all

spent numerous hours out

at the district farm every

week, going twice a day

depending on the breed of

livestock, just to make sure

their animals were happy,

healthy, and ready to go to

fair in June.

SHEEP: Ashlie Seibler,

Ryean Blanco, Larissa Ford

SWINE: Paige La Due, Josh-

ua Craighead, Brandon

Craighead, Kate Botell,

Francisco Cebreros, Kait-

lynn Tarango, Nicholas

Creighton

STEER: Tralynn Simerly

This past summer, on June

13 through June 18, Ag Fest

took place at the San

Joaquin county fairgrounds.

Many students from Man-

teca high showed and sold

livestock through FFA dur-

ing this week. Our students

spent months raising ani-

mals such as sheep, goats,

M A N T E C A F F A C H A P T E R S C O O P

Giving Back by Alexandra Samson

P A G E 3 V O L U M E 1 , I S S U E 1

In the last couple months we

have given back a lot to our

community. In many different

ways our chapter has come

together has a whole to make

our city a better place. We have

most recently adopted a family

for Christmas. Our chapter all

comes together and donates

many presents and clothes for a

family that may not be able to

provide presents for their fami-

ly this Christmas. Earlier in the

year we collected clothes for

our own closet there at Mante-

ca High. We have also had a pet

drive where students could

bring toys, food and other sup-

plies for our local Delta Humane

Society animal shelter. Our very

first community event that we

did this year was we all came

together as a chapter and

packed zip lock bags full of toi-

letries such as deodorant, tooth

paste with a tooth brush, and

shampoo/conditioner. These

few items were passed out

around our city to men and

women who are homeless and

may not have these simple ne-

cessities on a daily basis. By

doing this we really wanted to

give back. So many in our com-

division. The open team

can be made up of any ag

student in grades 9-12.

Manteca FFA won First

place in the open division

and had high score individ-

ual for President, vice pres-

ident and treasurer. The

team was made up of the

following students Presi-

dent: Catherine Ordonez,

On November 16th MHS FFA

participated in the Sierra FFA

Opening/Closing Invitational

Contest. The Opening/Closing

Contest consists of 6-person

teams, who recite the Official

FFA Opening and Closing Cere-

monies. Teams are scored on

their presentation, memoriza-

tion and team unity. MHS FFA

competed in the open team’s

Vice President: Larissa

Ford, Secretary: Savanna

Gonzalez, Treasure: Jes-

sica Ryans, Reporter:

Jessica Hillman, and Sen-

tinel: Juan Chipres. Con-

gratulations and Great

Job!

offered hot chocolate and Hal-

loween decorated cookies. The

money we make from our con-

cessions goes back into our

chapter to help fund other

events we hold for our commu-

nity or our members as well as

helping to cover costs for our

conferences, conventions and

chapter ceremonies. We greatly

appreciate all who supported us

this season we look forward to

serving you guys next year!

The Manteca FFA Chapter held

football concession stands at

each of the home football

games. At these concessions

our stand sold; tri-tip sandwich-

es, linguica sandwiches, chips,

lollypops, sodas, waters, lemon-

ade, and tea. Toward the end of

the league season we also

Football Concessions by Tralynn Simerley

Sierra FFA Invitational

We greatly

appreciate all

who supported

us this season

we look

forward to

serving you

guys next year!

January

4th-4 on the floor puppy raising meeting 7pm

5th—Bright Eyes Guide Puppy Raiser meeting 7pm

9th– Back to school

10th—Scrapbook Meeting

12th –Coffee fundraiser orders due

18th—Delta-Cal Sectional Speaking Contest

24th– Scrapbook meeting

27th– District Greenhand Conference

December

14th– Chapter Meeting

14th-Adapt-a-Family Items Due

15th– Coffee Fundraiser Starts

17th—MHS Beef Fitting Clinic

19th– Secrete Santa De-liveries

20 & 21– Finals

February

1st– 4on the floor puppy rais-ing meeting

2nd– Bright Eyes puppy raising club meeting

3 & 4—MFE/ALA Conference

7th—Scrapbook meeting

9th—Livestock meeting at the District Office

10th—regional Speaking Con-test

21-24th—National FFA Week

21– Chapter meeting

450 East Yosemite Avenue

Manteca CA 95336

Phone: 209-858-7340

Fax: 209-

E-mail:

Heather Nolan

[email protected]

Amanda Martinez

[email protected]

Mark Chaffin

[email protected]

Manteca High School

Agriculture Department

Save the Date!!!!

Learning by Doing!

The purpose of the Agriculture Department is to make a

positive difference in the lives of our students by developing

their potential for premier leadership, personal growth and

career success through Agriculture Education.

When a student is enrolled in an Agriculture class they are

members of the National FFA Organization which is the

largest youth organization in the U.S.!!! Being a member of

the National FFA Organization opens up the opportunity

for your son/daughter to participate in numerous inter and

extra-curricular activities

http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=FFA&view=detail&id=38FD93D13F025FABFDE3EDA2DE2ADAEE30FE8720&first=1

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