Page 9 - Reedley Exponent 1-3-19 E-edition

The Reedley Exponent PB anorama
All the latest events and updates with the Senior Center
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Section | Thursday, January 3, 2019 www.reedleyexponent.com
A year in review, looking back at 2018
Reedley (Fresno County) CA 93654
The View From Here
I hope ev- eryone had a wonderful New Year's Day celebra- tion. Now that the holidays are over we can finally re- turn to some sense of nor-
Juanita Adame
January 2018
ABOVE: The Reedley Drama Club held its 2017 December meeting at the Safari Club in Dinuba and enjoyed a holiday concert performed by the Reedley High School Madrigals, under the direction of new director David dela Concepcion. Also, Yvonne Hansen sang a song in memory of Virginia Houtby, an honorary club member who had recently died. Drama Club members who attended the meeting. Front row (from left) are Linda Gavroian, Priscilla Ketscher, Vicki Tout, Nadine Bartsch, Lee Powell, Yvonne Hansen, and Ginger Bull. Middle row (from left) are Diana Bulls, Patti Valdero, Mary Ann Regier, Nilene Lee, Carol Just, Joyce Huebert, Pat Robertson, Hilda Warren, Suzanne Fillmore, Cheri Witter-Lawrence, Sheri Parkinson, and Denny Mason. Back row (from left) are Penni Johnson, Mary Thonesen, Pat Huebert, Connie Brooks, Kennieth Nasalroad, Bethany Jost, and Linda Penner.
malcy.
The beginning of a new year is
an opportunity for me to set some new goals and make some positive changes in my life.
When I make a resolution, I try to make it simple and small, yet ef- fective.
I notice that sometimes if I make my goal to big, I set myself up for failure. So I like to start small and eventually those small steps will make a bigger differ- ence, and lead me to make a bigger goal next time.
One of the goals I have set out for 2019, is walking my dog on a daily basis. I do take her for walks but it's a hit and miss. Some days we're up for it, other days we're not.
When she doesn't want to go for a walk, she lets me know by running and hiding under the bed. Other days when she is ready to go, she'll wait by the door. She is potty trained so she lets me know when she needs to go outside, how- ever she could use more of the long walks for the exercise.
Once we're outside, she really enjoys her walks. Since she's an inside dog, she doesn't exercise as much as our outside dogs.
To be honest, I don't exactly enjoy walking her, especially in the winter. It's cold, and some- times she loves to take her sweet time sniffing every blade of grass and tree trunk along the way. So most of the time, the walks are solely for her benefit and because she enjoys them so much, I want to make it a point to take her out more often.
Another resolution I plan to work on is putting my phone down and just enjoying what's around me. Sometimes we tend to become caught up in Facebook and all the other social media apps that some- times present a false sense of ful- fillment and happiness.
What's important is the mo- ments you can enjoy without the use of your phone. I notice that I feel a lot of stress and negativity when I'm on Facebook. I tried de- leting my personal Facebook ac- count in the past, and just didn't have the will to do it. Also Face- book doesn't exactly make it easy to permanently delete the account.
Last year, I decided I was go- ing to walk away from Facebook for good. I went to delete it and was given no option for permanent deletion. I was a little puzzled be- cause I didn't believe it would be so difficult to rid myself of it. That was when I realized how much of a grip Facebook has on our society.
I've often heard that Facebook is the "junk mail" of social media apps. And I believe that's true.
Often times, I see such ridicu- lous posts on my timeline mostly advertisements that make me won- der how they got there in the first place.
My advice is, if you haven't fallen into the Facebook trap, don't create an account. There are many more social media apps that allow us to connect with friends and see the latest news, without the added stress of all the junk mail attached to it. I enjoy Instagram, (even though they are owned by Face- book) it's mainly just photographs. I also like Pinterest, but by far my favorite app right now is Reddit.
Reddit is good because ev- eryone on Reddit is anonymous. I mean you could create an account with your name, but it's not re- quired. And, because everyone is anonymous, everyone is more hon- est with their opinions. I like that.
So, those are just a few of my resolutions for 2019. I also want to be more kind to others and kind to myself.
We've dedicated the following two issues of the Panorama section
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File Photo / The Exponent
ABOVE: David dela Concepcion be- came the new chorale music teacher for the Kings Canyon Unified School District. "This is so much fun. I love it," he said. "This is what I'm living for. It's great. You get to sing every day. You get to help kids make music and grow. You get to see them develop over time and hopefully have an im- pact on them."
ABOVE: The Reedly High School's Navy Junior ROTC unit's 150 students stood for the public inspection exer- cise back in January 2018 on the field of the high school stadium. Parents and other supporters in the stands braved the cold morning weather as retired U.S. Navy commanders watched the student cadets. The ex- ercise included presentation of the colors by the color guard and an exer- cise executed by an armed drill team.
File Photos / The Exponent
ABOVE: The city's Community Services Department held a Disney themed family dance night with sponsorship from the Rotary Club of Reedley. Attendees were encouraged to dress up in costumes or clothes that reflect the themes.
RIGHT: The bell atop the St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church in downtown Reed- ley stopped working in mid-January 2018. Parish leaders launched a $20,000 fundraising campaign to pay for its repair. The parish also set out to repair the four clocks on the tower. The cornerstone for the original St. Anthony was laid in 1907, according to the church's website. It was dedicated on a Sunday morn- ing – May 21, 1911.
March 2018
FilePhotos /TheExponent
ABOVE: The Academic Decathlon team from St. La Salle Catholic School earned top awards at the Fresno Diocese Catholic Junior High School Academic Decath- lon competition March 3, in Bakersfield. The event was held at Garces Memorial High School.
RIGHT: Jefferson Elementary launched an afterschool program focused on a simple, friendly gesture, saying "hello." The program was called "Start with Hello Week." The goal was to keep youngsters connected and involved, which enhanced their abilities to succeed in school.
April 2018
ABOVE:SeniorsattheReedleySeniorCenter,celebratedEasterbymaking Easter baskets, coloring eggs and going on an Easter egg hunt.
LEFT: MembersofthefolkloricodancetroupefromReedleyHighSchoolareseen at a previous Reedley Fiesta Parade.
File Photo / The Exponent
ABOVE: Sandra Juarez, then a senior at Orange Cove High School com- peted in a district contest on April 28 in Lemoore. It was the fourth level of competition in the Lions Club event.
February 2018
File Photo / The Exponent