Page 4 - Sanger Herald 11-22-18 E-edition

St. Mary's senior citizens' Thanksgiving lunch
Carmen Garvis is Fresno County Teacher of the Year
By Jaime Garza
St. Mary's Church
St Mary’s Catholic Church's Agape Youth group served more than 350 meals at the church's community senior citizen luncheononNov.11inthe church'ssocialhall.
The youth group also set up areas for crafts by seniors and for family photos.
The church thanks senator Andy Vidak for his generous donationofturkeysfortheeventandthe KnightsofColum- bus for all their help.
Fr. John Bruno and the entire congregation of St. Mary's Catholic Church wishes everyone a very happy Thanksgiving.
had for the engineering field," said Garvis.
"The best feeling as a teacher is when you see
the students have the ‘aha’ moment. I have witnessed my engineering students reaching many of these mo- ments while working on their assignments and projects.”
Marco E. Franco, Kerman Unified School District, was named School Employee
of the Year and Valerie A. Vuicich, Office of the Fresno County Superintendent of Schools, was named Adminis- trator of the Year.
The Educator of the Year process began in March when FCSS received the nomination packets from school districts.
The judging process began with a committee reading the nomination packets and ranking them. The top applications were given to the final selection committee that narrowed the field to three finalists in each category.
The winners were then chosen by closed ballot.
SANGER HERALD 4A THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2018
Photos by Fr. John Bruno.
Carmen Garvis Herald staff report
Sanger High School teacher Carmen Garvis was named Fresno County Teach- er of the Year at an awards ceremony on Nov. 15 at the William Saroyan Theatre.
The Office of the Fresno County Superintendent of Schools, in partnership with the Educational Employees Credit Union, hosted the annual Educator of the Year event.
“I teach the future of the world and it is my job to pass on this passion I have always
ROTARY LUNCH: For many Sanger seniors the annual event has become a social occasion and an opportunity to show off holiday finery. Continued from page 1A
“If we teach kids while they’re young to serve, they’ll do it for the rest of their lives,” said Scott, Interact advisor for 18 years.
Scott also looks forward to the event be- cause he says the students really get a lot out of it.
“They say things like ‘Oh this person called me mijita and wanted to give me a kiss,” Scott said. “It’s really sweet.”
“It’s a fun day, the seniors all seem to enjoy it,” said Tarascou. “We get there early and are usually down to the wire with getting everything ready to host so many guests at one of our regular Friday noon meetings."
The event is played by ear in terms of when it ends. Rotary club members will stay
until everyone has been fed and people start to leave. In the past, the event has gone until about 2:30 p.m.
On the morning before the noon event,
all the volunteer members come together around 9 a.m., decorate the large room at the community center and make sure everything is ready to start the meeting at noon and to start serving as soon as the regular Rotary opening ceremony of an invocation, a pledge of allegiance and a patriotic song has been completed.
The reporter can be contacted by email at sangerherald@gmail.com or by phone at the Herald at (559) 875-2511.
niors usually attend the event. Immediate past president Gina-Lynn
Cuevas said her favorite part of helping to organize the event is showing the community the true meaning of Rotary’s “service above self” motto.
“It's all about giving back to our commu- nity, giving back to our seniors and serving Sanger,” she said.
The annual Rotary meeting with senior citizens as guests is always conducted in English and Spanish.
For many Sanger seniors the annual event has become a social occasion and an opportu- nity to show off holiday finery.
"No reservations or tickets are necessary.
Just bring your appetite and your sense of humor. It's free and it's filling," said Tarascou.
The Interact club will provide about 20 members to help serve seniors and hand out raffle prizes at the luncheon.
The students love to be a part of these kinds of events, said Sanger High School activities director and club advisor Ron Scott.
COUNCIL: Police Chief Silver Rodriguez was commended by the council for the quick police work that culminated in the arrest of a person suspected of posting a threat on social media "to shoot up" Washington Academic Middle School.
Continued from page 1A
assured the council that it could amend the Measure S spending plan to prevent the fund from being depleted and jobs being lost.
Approximately $170,000 now comes out of the Measure S fund for salaries and benefits for public safety employees. The fund brings in about $2 million in tax revenue each year.
In other council business the council approved new agreements with bargaining groups for the Sanger General Employees and the Sanger Middle Management Orga- nizations.
Police Chief Silver Rodriguez was commended by the council
for the quick police work that culminated in the arrest of a person
suspected of posting a threat on so- cial media "to shoot up" Washington Academic Middle School.
The threat was posted on Nov. 14. Rodriguez told the council that on Nov. 15, "Sanger investigators were able to identify the suspect who posted the threat as a 12 year old Sanger resident. She was ques- tioned and her home searched for weapons. It did not appear she had access to firearms and likely could not have carried out the threat. She was booked into the Fresno County Juvenile Justice Facility on crimi- nal charges related to the threat."
Rodriguez praised the school district's response to the threat, "The police department and school district officials remained in close
communication on this incident and worked collaboratively to bring the matter to a successful conclusion.
"We take all threats to school safety seriously and treat them as credible threats until proven other- wise.
"The police and school district both demonstrated a strong com- mitment to ensure safety at the school campus and ensuring a safe learning environment for all."
The school district's superin- tendent, Adela Jones, in a press release, also had good words for the police, "We are so appreciative of the Sanger police department that worked diligently to solve this case. Please take this opportunity to review your children’s social media
and remind them of responsible media posts."
Earlier, in the council meeting,
a plaque of appreciation was pre- sented to councilmember Melissa Hurtado who will be sworn in on Dec. 3 as a senator representing the 14th state senate district.
She defeated incumbent Andy Vidak in the Nov. 6 election.
The council will soon have to decide whether to fill her position on the council by appointment or by a special election.
The reporter can be contacted by email at sangerherald@gmail.com or by phone at the Herald during business hours at (559) 875-2511.
Chief Silver Rodriguez
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State Senator Elect Melissa Hurtado, second from left, with, L-R, sister Esmeralda and parents Maria Ramirez and Mel Hurtado. The plaque, presented at the Nov. 15 city council meeting, is inscribed, "In appreciation of your dedication and commitment to the Sanger community. Presented to Melissa Hurtado. City of Sanger, Council member, December 2016-December 2018."
Dick Sheppard/Sanger Herald