Page 9 - Reedley Exponent 10-25-18 E-edition

The Reedley Exponent PB anorama
Students spend time with parents during 'Donuts with Dad' event
See B5
Section | Thursday, October 25, 2018 www.reedleyexponent.com
Halloween is coming to downtown
Reedley (Fresno County) CA 93654
The View From Here
As the weather begins to change, ma- ny more fall theme events are taking place in the city of Reed-
ley.
One of
the events
that I was
able to visit
was the an-
nual Kings Canyon Unified Dis- trict Fair. It was held at T.L. Reed School on the evening of Oct. 16.
While there I had the opportu- nity to speak to some wonderful ladies who were at a booth rep- resenting Washington Elemen- tary's Leadership After School Program.
The girls I met were: Jacque- line Torres, Minerva Valdovinos, Joanna Lemus, and Yajaira Bo- nilla. They were all so kind and courteous to me.
I began to interview Yajaira and she was telling me they were there to raise money for a trip to Disneyland for their students. She said they had many people come by and pick up some of the deli- cious food they had for sale: pork sliders and nachos.
Yajaira is extremely passion- ate about her role with the after school program. She told me it was rewarding to see their hard work being recognized and they couldn't wait to give students the trip they deserved.
After I finished my interview with the girls, a large crowd of people grabbed my attention.
The crowd was surrounding something. They gave me the impression this thing they were looking at was pretty interesting.
From a distance I couldn't tell what it was, but as I moved closer, I noticed it was a large telescope.
Derek Bergthold was at the front of the line directing the crowd. "Ok, who is next, let's look at some planets!" he said.
I learned that Derek is a teacher at Reed, and he's also someone who is fascinated by outer space.
As we started talking, he men- tioned that he'd like to reach out to other local astronomers in the area and possibly go star gazing, or share ideas and thoughts about the various planets in our solar system.
So if anyone is interested, he'd love to meet you. There's a quote I came across that reads; "Two possibilities exist: Either we are alone in the universe or we are not. Both are equally terrifying."
As I looked through the large telescope, I was able to see the planet Saturn and its rings. I did not think I'd be able to observe a planet that's light years away at a school carnival, but I did, and it was pretty amazing.
See COLUMN page B2
Juanita Adame / The Exponent
ABOVE: Brightorangesignslike
the one pictured are posted around town reminding residents about the city's annual Trick or Treat event tak- ing place on Oct. 31 from 3-6 p.m. onGStreetindowntownReedley. For more information contact the Reedley Downtown Association at 559-856-1222
Juanita Adame
Photos by Juanita Adame / The Exponent
ABOVE: LocalslookthroughalargetelescopeattheKCUSDFaironOct.16.
ABOVE RIGHT: Joanna Lemus, Yajaira Bonilla, Minerva Valdovinos and Jacque- line Torres posed for photos in front of their booth representing the Washington Elementary School ASP.
RIGHT: Folkloric dancers performed during the fair at T.L. Reed School.
By Juanita Adame
Juanita@midvalleypublishing.com
The night was clear and cool, the food was good, and the music was even better.
These were the factors that could have brought out an estimated 2,000 people to the Kings Canyon Unified District Fair on the evening of Oct. 16. "Our overall theme of the event was Harvest Celebration," said Re- nee Delport, communications officer for the district.
"And most of our booths did a great job incorporating that theme
into their displays. Our Educational Support Center booth gave away 500 pumpkins to students, It was a lot of fun!"
Along with the more than 50 vendors from local schools as well as the various amounts of food and prizes, there also were musical per- formances by Orange Cove High, the Citrus Mariachi Band, Reedley High School's Folkloric Dancers, VAPA Students, and choirs from Orange Cove High and Reedley High as well.
Yahira Bonilla was at the event working one of the food booths that represented the Washington Elemen-
"This was our first time participating, everything was new and chaotic, but we loved it."
– Yajaira Bonilla Booth vendor Washington ASP
tary ASP Leadership Club, an after school program that offers support for students.
"This is our first time participat- ing in the Kings River Carnival," said Bonilla. "Everything was new, every- thing was chaotic but we love it, it's really fun."
The leadership club was raising money to take their students on a trip to Disneyland at the end of the school year, Bonilla said they were quickly selling out of the pork sliders and pork nachos they'd been selling.
Just a few feet away students
See FAIR page B5
File Photo
ABOVE: From left, Alexis Gomez dressed as a Pirate and Theresa Al- varez as a prom queen during a past Halloween event.
KCUSD: Fair was overall a success
Helping their future students succeed in college
Latino Faculty and Staff Association hosts fundraiser dinner, dance, and auction
Juanita Adame / The Exponent
ABOVE: Luis Morales, president of the Latino Faculty and Staff Association, spoke with guests during the fundraiser dinner on Oct. 19.
FAR RIGHT: Several photos welcomed guests to the event at the Kings River Win- ery.
By Juanita Adame
Juanita@midvalleypublishing.com
Newly named president of the Latino, Faculty and Staff Associa- tion, or LFSA, Luis Morales stood inside the wine tasting room of the Kings River Winery on the evening of Oct. 19 and said he has officially come full circle.
"As someone who was raised in Orange Cove," he said.
"I grew up with a lot of differ- ent barriers to my success, and if it wasn't for the kind educators and counselors who really took an inter- est in me, I wouldn't be in the posi- tion that I'm in today."
Once a young student from Or- ange Cove, Morales is now at the helm of the LFSA serving as the or- ganizations newest president.
"The Latino Faculty and Staff As- sociation, we are a group of profes- sionals who advocate for Latino is- sues and higher education," he said. "In addition, we also like to promote Latino culture. One of our main ac- tivities is raising funds for disadvan- taged students which is the purpose of our wine tasting event tonight."
Morales was greeting guests at the fundraiser and said all the mon- ey raised for the evening will help students advance their educations and careers.
"One hundred percent of the pro- ceeds from this event go to scholar- ships for students at Reedley Col- lege, Madera Community College Center and Oakhurst Community College Center," he said. "We have appetizers, we have an opportunity drawing, a silent auction we have a photo booth and we're also going to have some salsa dance lessons later tonight"
Morales graduated from Reed- ley College as well as Fresno State University.
"I graduated with a Masters in Criminology and a Masters in Coun- seling so I'm currently a counselor for Reedley College for the EOPS program I work with first genera- tion low income students and stu-
See LFSA page B2