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.

For many years, Aunt LaLi’s Mobile Café has been an integral part of Arcangeli’s birthday parties.  While a cog was recently thrown into the party wheel, the family knew they simply they could not break from tradition for Bobby’s thirteenth birthday this year.  Drive by birthday’s are becoming the new norm, so it was quickly decided for Aunt LaLi to head the parade and provide socially distanced ice cream to all of the participants.  The party was a “so heartwarming and a big success,” and the Press Banner wishes Bobby a very happy birthday!

We had so much fun at our Virtual Read to Achieve Assembly last Thursday, that we have decided to introduce our Virtual Math Warriors program, as well! Join us this Thursday, April 23 at 3:00PM PST on Facebook Live, as Santa Cruz Warriors In-Arena Host, Jon Root, leads us through a Virtual Math Warriors Assembly, presented by Kaiser Permanente. Jon will show his work to find the correct answers to two basketball related math problems, starting off with a question for the younger grades and working his way up to complete a question for the older grades. Math Warriors is a creative educational program that utilizes basketball to build excitement for math problems among students. Coupling hoops and numbers in the classroom provides students with a fresh and positive perspective on mathematics!