Page 7 - Reedley Exponent 2-28-19 E-edition

The Reedley Exponent PB anorama
Catch up on the latest senior news and updates happening in town
See B2
Section | Thursday, February 28, 2019 www.reedleyexponent.com
Awards Gala entertainers hit all the right notes
Reedley (Fresno County) CA 93654
The View From Here
Two sig- nificant events happened just days apart in the city of Reedley last week.
The first
was the Busi-
ness and
Community
Awards Gala on Feb. 23, hosted by the Greater Reedley Chamber of Commerce.
The event was held at the stu- dent center at Reedley College and filled the center with every- one from high school students to Reedley's retirees.
Some highlights of the evening included honoring the late Pam Melville with the Hall of Fame Award.
Debbie Tingley accepted the award and spoke on behalf of the family. Personally, I never had the opportunity to meet Pam, but from what I hear, she sounded like a great person.
Danny Jimenez was also rec- ognized as this year's citizen of the year. Unlike Pam, Danny is some- one whom I do know, and have talked to on occasion.
One particular memory that stands out in my mind about Dan- ny's perseverance and unwilling- ness to quit was the "Paint the R" project that both he and I partici- pated in.
Before that day, Danny and I had exchanged emails, but I do believe this was the first time we'd actually met in person.
For those who are not familiar with the "Paint the R" project, this was put together by Shirley Ito. The idea was to have a group of students and community members volunteer their time to hike up the mountain with paint cans and paint brushes en tow, and restore the large "R" that overlooks Reedley.
I will remind everyone again that the climb up Campbell Moun- tain was not easy by any means. My husband and I volunteered to climb up the mountain.
He was fresh from the fire academy and in really great shape, so he had no problems climbing the mountain with ease. He was able to haul a couple of paint cans as well as his backpack. I on the other hand was not as fit, however I was able to make my way up to the top.
Danny was part of the group. As the day went on, the group scat- tered, some people climbed faster than others so not everyone was together anymore.
Once we arrived at the top and admired the gorgeous aerial views, we painted a bit, then decided to head back down.
On the way down I ran into Danny. He was a bit disheveled, and told me he had lost his camera. I was devastated for him because I know how important our equip- ment is to us. He told me he was going to continue looking for his camera, and we said our goodbyes.
I figured that Danny would find his camera then call it a day and head home.
A few days after the climb, I talked to Danny again. He told me he never found the camera he lost however he did finish the climb.
I really believe that persever- ance like Danny's is one of the rea- sons why I respect him so much and feel he was definitely de- serving of the Citizen of the Year award.
Danny, you play a huge role in this community and make a differ- ence to those who meet you, keep up the great work!
Another event that took place on Feb. 25 was the flag lowering ceremony honoring the lives of Reedley Police Officer Javier Be- jar and Fresno County Sheriff's Deputy, Joel Wahlenmaier.
They say everyone remembers where they were when a signifi- cant event like this comes in and changes the course of history. This awful day was no exception.
I was about two weeks into my new job at the Sanger Herald. At the time I'd only ever "studied" journalism. I never had officially covered a story. I remember re- ceiving a call from Sanger Herald
See COLUMN page B2
Juanita Adame
ABOVE: From left, Jeff Lusk and Joseph Ham danced along with the classic song "Under the Boardwalk" by Thomas Hayes.
TOPLEFT: Fromleft,MegClarkandStaceyHalldancedastheyperformed"Proud Mary" during the annual Business and Community Awards Gala on Feb. 23.
FAR LEFT: Stacy Hall danced and sang along to one of the musical selections dur- ing the Awards Gala.
MIDDLE: Thomas Hayes singing along to "Under the Sea."
LEFT: Courtney Cowin danced along with the group during the event.
Photos by Juanita Adame / The Exponent
Best selling author, Meg Wolitzer will visit Reedley
Contributed
The Reedley College Literary Arts department will be hosting au- thor Meg Wolitzer.
Wolitzer has written several New York Times Best Sellers includ- ing; "The Interestings," "The Wife," the "Ten Year Nap," and "The Female Persuasion" as well as several other books.
She will visit Reedley College on Mar. 7. The event will begin at 7 p.m. in the college cafeteria and will include a reading as well as book signing and question and answer forum. VIP Tickets will be available for $25. Donations are also accepted, suggested $5 for general public and $2 for students.
The Literary Arts Speaker Se- ries in the past has welcomed au-
"Author of
The Interestings, The Wife, and other best selling books will be in town."
thors such as T.C. Boyle, Richard –– Blanco, Phil Levine, and Joyce Carol
Oates. Meg Wolitzer’s visit promises to be an engaging evening.
The Female Persuasion is one of Wolitzer's recent books. It is a nov- el that asks the audience to engage with issues of gender, sociopolitical power, and personal fortitude.
Wolitzer writes of one of her characters, “All written words danced in a chain for her.”
For more information on this event, email rc.litarts@reedleycol- lege.edu. Include the name and the number of tickets requested for pur- chase.
Will call tickets will be available from 6:30pm at the door. Checks can be mailed to to RC Literary Arts, 995. N. Reed Avenue, Reedley, CA 93654.
Photo Contributed
ABOVE: Meg Wolitzer has written sev- eral best selling books.
Local FCCLA chapter wins big
Contributed / The Reedley Exponent
ABOVE: From left, first place finalists Ashley Lopez, Dayana Michel, Liliahna Bedol- la, and Zuheidi Del Rio.
Contributed / The Reedley Exponent
Contributed
The Reedley High School chap- ter of Family, Careers and Com- munity Leaders of America or FC- CLA, traveled to Central West High School on Feb. 23 for the FCCLA Competitive Regional Event.
The region qualified for the state competition is an event where students competed in "STAR" events or Students Taking Action with Rec- ognition.
They were scored by a panel of judges on their oral presentations, display boards, portfolios and writ- ing samples.
Ashley Lopez a junior at Reedley High, placed first in the "Illustrated Talk" category. Ashley's topic was on "E-Cigarettes-The flavor trap" and emphasized on how the tobacco in- dustry is targeting younger students with candy flavored products.
Dayana Michel, a Reedley High sophomore, placed first in the "Pro- mote and Publicize FCCLA" topic.
Her topic focused on learning how to promote a campaign for public awareness through technol- ogy and social media.
Zuheidi Del Rio, also a sopho- more at Reedley High placed first in her topic "Sports Nutrition."
Liliahna Bedolla, another Reed- ley High sophomore, placed first in the Chapter Service Project. Her service project focused on the dan- gers of teen drinking and driving.
The Reedley High chapter was also recognized for their group proj- ect "Taking Down Tobacco."
The chapter was one of three high schools in the nation to be rec- ognized and awarded a $1,000 grant from the campaign for Tobbaco- FreeKids.org, and also received a $100 grant from the FCCLA.
ABOVE: Bryanna Rivas, a graduate of San Joaquin Memorial earned top honors at the University of San Diego, a Catholic university.
Former Reedley student earns top honors in first year of college
Contributed
Former San Joaquin Memorial High School School student, Bryan- na Rivas earned top honors at the University of San Diego, a Catholic university, for the 2018 Fall semes- ter.
The university recognizes stu- dents who have a grade point aver- age of 3.65 or higher.
Rivas attended Silas Bartsch K-8, Navalencia, as well as Center- ville's K-8 school.
She was one of 5 students who attended World Youth Day in Kra- kow, Poland during the summer of 2016. The event is considered a spir- itual gathering for Catholics around the world and it is held every two to three years in various countries.
Rivas attended the event with five other teens all from St. An- thony of Padua Catholic Church in Reedley.
“Seeing people my age with the common goal to serve God and fol- low Jesus strengthened my own faith,” Rivas said in 2016.
After completing her studies at San Joaquin Memorial, Rivas moved to San Diego to continue her studies at the college.
The University of San Diego is a Catholic university and has more than 8,000 students from around the world who attend.
According to a statement from the school, they are the youngest independent institution on the U.S. News and World Report list of top 100 universities in the country.