Cabrillo College today announces that it will honor its largest graduating class ever, in a first-ever, virtual graduation ceremony, to be held online on Friday, May 22nd at 4:00 p.m., from Cabrillo’s website at www.cabrillo.edu.

Two Scotts Valley companies are adapting their businesses to new business models and making an impact on the community at the same time. For Performance Vocal, teacher Bobbie Ward started conducting vocal lessons via Zoom, just as teachers and dance instructors are doing all over the county. For Tam Communications, they have produced television commercials for area clients to market on-line stores (Om Gallery) and curbside/to go service (Kianti’s Pizza and Pasta). They also produced pro-bono commercials and social media videos for the Tri-County food banks to help them raise funds to source more food. They are now moving on to other projects for other clients that will help organizations survive and eventually thrive again.

When the shelter in place order was issued, many community members had to largely curtail their ambitions for the coming months. However, two highly ambitious Scotts Valley locals saw this grand intermission as the time to get busy contributing to our community.  Julie Ebert and Lori Rubin, have rolled up their shirt sleeves and setup battle stations with card tables, countertops, and carports to sew masks for at risk populations in our community.  So far, they’ve churned out over 1,000 masks and their plans don’t stop there.  They’ve donated masks to (hang in there, it’s a long list) Visiting Angels, Brookdale Scotts Valley, Driftwood Health Care, Lincoln Glen Manor, Hospice of Santa Cruz County, La Posada Santa Cruz, San Lorenzo Park Apartments, Santa Cruz Support Living, Life Span Cares, Westwind Memory Care, Santa Cruz Post Acute, Elizabeth Oaks Apartments, and El Dorado Center.

In 2002, I was sitting at a table in the toddler room of the Children’s Center of San Lorenzo Valley at Highlands Park with a sweet and inquisitive toddler named Miranda Robinson. She had two plastic cups in front of her. While my own 2-year old was outside eating sand and pretending that plastic dinosaurs could talk, Miranda turned to me and said, “That cup is blue.” I nodded in agreement. “That cup is green,” she said. Again, I nodded. Then she said, “Those cups are similar.” And I knew from that very moment that Miranda wasn’t just another toddler. Even in her tiny OshKosh B'Gosh overalls, with blond curly hair kissing her miniature shoulders, she was bound for greatness.

The saying, “Same stuff, different day” has never felt more apropos. The hours and days are running into each other as weeks of sheltering-in-place leave us yearning for normalcy, and a return for the simple joys of life: lounging maskless on a beach, playing softball or bridge or poker with friends, relaxing into a pedicure, and taking in a good movie. In a theater. With popcorn and strangers and those weird fruit candies that get stuck in your back teeth.

Felton reported its first influenza fatality on November 1 when 36-year-old Frank Biano, whose wife and children had recently arrived from Italy, fell victim.  Dr. Keck, the county physician, paid a visit to the outlying towns of Felton, Ben Lomond, and Davenport, closing down their saloons and poolrooms for the duration of the epidemic.   Despite the precautions, a worker at a Felton lime kiln, aged 29, died a few days later.

When the Scotts Valley Unified School District moved to remote learning in March because of the shelter in place orders, the teachers and staff immediately stepped up.  They earnestly worked to provide all students with necessary materials and access to technology, and sustain academic and emotional support, even from a distance. While considering the stress and impact of COVID-19 on students, staff, and families, teachers have sought to engage students in a positive way, setting up online conferences, office hours, lessons, lectures, and authentic classroom interactions.  Counselors are available to support students and their families with the stresses of sheltering in place and learning at home. Teachers and students alike are creatively tackling curriculum and finding ways to stay connected and interact. 

                  The mysterious malady was arbitrarily linked with Spain, where thousands, including King Alfonso, were infected in the spring.  As might be expected in 1918, some Americans were certain that “this new evil, like other evils of the war, must be traced to German origins.” 

Last week, the Press Banner introduced you to Payson McNett, a Cabrillo instructor who’s using technology and innovation to create masks for local healthcare workers as they combat the COVID-19 pandemic. This week, we get down and dirty with another team that’s helping to make life a little brighter (literally and figuratively) for local residents: the Felton Fire Protection District. Ian Jones, Engineer and Communications/IT Dude, took a few minutes out of his day to enlighten us on the district’s efforts to spread a little cheer during this time of shelter-in-place, and remind us that helpers are just a phone call away.