Page 7 - Mid Valley Times 5-27-21 E-edition

Thursday, May 27, 2021
Reedley High celebrates 'Senior Sunset' May 21
The View From Here
One of the more popular ar- eas of our newspaper is the “Photo of the Week” section.
Juanita Adame
By Juanita Adame
Mid Valley Times
A large green and black sign with white letters that read, “Congratulations RHS Se- nior Class!! From Sober Grad,” welcomed students to their an- nual sunset barbeque on the afternoon of May 21.
“This traditional event sig- nifies the end of a long and rewarding journey for our se- niors,” said Renee Delport, the district’s public information officer.
“This year our seniors enjoyed a barbeque, played games, listened to music, and they took a lot of pictures with their graduating classmates.”
The sunset barbecue, along with many other year end events were canceled last year due to the shelter in place or- der following the COVID-19 pandemic.
This year as the vaccine campaign continues and CO- VID-19 numbers continue to drop, the state of California has eased restrictions allow- ing events and sports to return.
Delport also added that this year’s sober grad committee came out and provided stu- dents with t-shirts and prizes.
“It was nice to see our se-
Each
week we get a lot of photo submissions from locals. Lo- cals (like yourselves) send us photos of your families, your pets, your accomplishments your milestones, and believe me we love to receive them and share them because we know how special they are to you.
A few months ago, I’d re- ceived in our inbox a photo of a baby boy whose name is Elizandro Diaz.
He has bright blue eyes, chubby cheeks and a big smile. He was just one of the cutest babies I’d seen. Of course baby photos al- ways make our “Photo of the Week.” I responded to the person submitting the pic- ture, in this case it was the baby’s mother. I was letting her know we would run the photo during the week of May 23, which is this week. Thank you! She said.
A month or so after the submission, I was sitting here at work and heard that someone had been shot at the Bravante Produce Plant in Reedley. So of course, I drove to the location which by the time I'd arrived was already sectioned off with yellow crime scene tape.
We later learned that a young man was shot and killed in the parking lot as he returned back to work from his lunch break.
A day or so later the man’s name was released. He was identified as Elizandro Diaz, Jr., 27, of Orange Cove. I remember asking myself why the name sound so fa- miliar. I’d heard the name somewhere I just couldn’t remember where.
As I worked on the de- tails of the story, suddenly I remembered. The baby with the blue eyes had the same name. Could they be relat- ed? I looked at the baby and looked at the victim. They were almost identical.
I reached out to the moth- er again and she confirmed that yes, the cute baby whose photo is just off to the right on this page and whose photo is highlighted as our "Photo of the Week" will grow up without his father.
Gun violence doesn't just affect the victim.
Baby Elizandro turned 1 on May 19. His mother told me that his father's birthday was just one day after his, on May 20.
Reedley Police continue to investigate the shooting. No arrests have been made. Anyone with information is asked to call (559) 637-4250.
Photos Contributed / Danny Jimenez
TimewasspentamongfriendsontheeveningofMay21for theschool'sannualseniorsunsetbarbeque.
Contributed
The Kings River Conser- vancy announced the winners of the first Spring Fling Photo Contest.
The first, second and third place awards were announced for entrants in four separate categories: K-6 grade, 7th- 12th grade, Adult Amateur, and Adult Professional.
This year, the Kings Riv- er Conservancy received 39 entries across all categories. The event was judged by local photographers. First place entrants will receive $100, second place will receive $75 and third place entrants will receive $25.
“We're so pleased photog- raphers of all ages came out to the Kings River to capture the magic of the Kings,” said Deborah Lapp, Kings River Conservancy board president. “We congratulate the winners and applaud all who entered.”
The contest was held in lieu of the annual Spring Fling, usually held each April.
In the future, the Kings River Conservancy plans to hold the contest in conjunc- tion with the Spring Fling, so the Conservancy board en- courages everyone to start photographing now for next year.
The Kings River Conser- vancy is a non-profit organi- zation dedicated to encourag- ing public safety and sound public conservation practices along the Kings River corri- dor from Pine Flat Dam to Highway 99. Their mission is to protect, enhance and edu- cate people about the Kings River.
For more information about the Kings River Con- servancy contact the Kings River Conservancy at 559- 787-9500 or visit www.king- sriverconservancy.org.
Photo of the week
"This event signifies the end of a long and rewarding journey."
KCUSD
niors enjoy the evening to- gether,” she said. “And we wish them all of the best in their fu- ture endeavors.”
Students enjoyed games and prizes as well as food and plenty of photo opportunities.
Registration window now open for SUSD students
'Spring Fling' photo contest winners announced
Photo Contributed
First place winner for the K-6 category was Ivy Parsons with a photo called "Two birds or one?"
Mid Valley Times
The Sanger Unified School District has an- nounced registration dates for their students in grades K-12fortheFall2021 school year.
Dates for registration will be from Monday, May 17 through Friday, May 28, and the school also stated that all returning students must register.
Instructional options will include in person learning
which will follow the tradi- tional calendar and sched- ule.
Taft Academy will have independent study and vir- tual learning options. Hall- mark Charter will will part- ner with parents to educate their students at home co- ordinated with a Hallmark teacher.
For more information on registration at one of the SUSD locations contact the school or visit sanger.k12. ca.us.
Contributed
This photo of Elizandro Diaz, Jr. celebrating his first birthday on May 19 was sent in by his mother, Cindy Diaz. Have a photo you'd like featured? Email juanita@midvalleypublishing.com.