Well, the sun is going down earlier every day, and the leaves are definitely falling. But the students in your Scotts Valley schools are not slowing down — they are charging ahead.
Ultimately, every student must own their personal success, but their growth would not be possible without our hard-working teachers and staff. Each year, Assemblymember Gail Pellerin brings together community members, service providers, health advocates and local leaders for Care Fair, a resource fair dedicated to health, self-care and local support dedicated to mental wellness, connection, healing and support.
This year, Assemblymember Pellerin honored 15 Mental Health Heroes from across Assembly District 28. Each of these remarkable people was nominated by someone whose life they’ve touched. This year’s Mental Health Heroes are students, neighbors, advocates and professionals. We are very proud that Katherine Feickert, a staff member at Brook Knoll Elementary, has been selected as one of these honorees.
October serves as College and Career Readiness Month. While the high school spends much of its year supporting students in understanding both college and career tracks, research shows that students of all ages benefit from thinking about their future. During this time, we host “career days” where community members come to our schools and share about their career experiences. We also schedule visits to Cabrillo College and UCSC at appropriate times in the year, to get our students thinking about their educational futures. Scotts Valley High also hosts a Trades Day to help students consider many interesting careers that don’t require a college degree.
October also marks the start of our Community Connections Calendar theme, Voices and Visibility and the beginning of LGBTQIA+ History Month. The purpose of the commemorative month is to recognize the impact that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals have had on history locally, nationally and internationally. In 1994, a coalition of education-based organizations in the United States designated October as LGBTQIA+ History Month. This is an important acknowledgment, as we know that learning about LGBTQIA+ issues from a formative age will allow LGBTQIA+ youth to feel less isolated. Multiple studies have shown that students’ academic success is strongly improved when they can see and hear about the success of “people like me.” Moreover, non-LGBTQIA+ children can learn how to become good allies with their peers as they get older.
At last month’s public meeting of the SVUSD Board of Trustees, a Resolution was passed in support of the Annual Week of the School Administrator, which we just concluded Oct. 12-18. It’s never a bad time to appreciate the principals and other educational leaders of your schools and the district. They are dedicated individuals who have chosen lives of public service to sustain and improve the lives of our students, their families and this community. Our administrators must be ready to take on whatever challenge the new day brings, and we are so thankful to have an experienced and caring group here every day to do so.
I know there’s been a fair bit of talk about e-bikes in our town lately. E-bikes can be an amazing way to get around town, especially for folks who need a little help tackling our hilly terrain. They also can represent a safety concern when we put kids on bikes with a lot of power and little training. This is a community issue that should involve parents, kids and public agencies. To that end, Scotts Valley Unified and the Scotts Valley Police Department have partnered to help educate our students on how to operate e-bikes safely. An officer of Scotts Valley PD recently presented safety tips at a full student assembly at Scotts Valley Middle School.
Furthermore, the SVPD is working on a training program that they can administer at our secondary schools, where students earn a certificate and sticker that demonstrates they understand how to drive an e-bike safely on our streets. Once this program is ready, Scotts Valley schools will require that all e-bikes parked on campus must have a safety training sticker. We look forward to partnering with parents and their students to ensure that every student takes this training, so they can enjoy the benefits of e-bikes and operate them safely and courteously on our streets.
If you’re looking for a fun evening to enjoy budding theatrical talent, then look no further than Scotts Valley Middle School’s “High School Musical Jr.” Performances will be held on Friday, Nov. 6, and Saturday, Nov. 7, at 7 p.m. Tickets are available at cur8.com by searching for “Scotts Valley.”
If you haven’t had a chance to attend a SVHS Falcons football game at Harbor High, there are still a few games left. Check out our full Fall Sports schedule at svhsfalconclub.com.
Roger Snyder is the Board President of Scotts Valley Unified School District. He may be contacted at rs*****@*************sd.org.
