Page 9 - Reedley Exponent 3-7-19 E-edition

The Reedley Exponent PB anorama
The latest news and events in the senior community
See B2
Section | Thursday, March 7, 2019 www.reedleyexponent.com
Reading books to win first place
Reedley (Fresno County) CA 93654
The View From Here
When I first sat down to interview Ryan Rodri- guez, a fire- fighter with the Reedley Fire Depart- ment, on the afternoon of March 1, I hadn't noticed them.
Juanita Adame
It wasn't until we had been talking for a few minutes that I happened to glance over at his arms.
There they were; two large scars that wrapped around each arm and stretched horizontally across from one arm, directly to the other.
"Wait, Ryan," I said, "I'm sorry to interrupt, but I need to ask you a question, what happened?" I told him as I pointed to his arms.
"I was attacked by our family dog," he said. "I was 13."
Ryan, now in his 30s, said the attack happened to him during a hot summer in July. Doctors be- lieved the heat had affected the dog's brain.
"Most of the time people don't remember attacks," he added. "I do though, I remember everything from the beginning to the end."
I asked Ryan how he felt about dogs following that incident. He said, "I still like dogs," and smiled.
We continued talking about the fire department and the types of calls they run. Ryan told me about his wife, his children, and how he fulfilled his desire to become a firefighter. He said he is a Reed- ley native and really enjoys help- ing his community.
I was surprised when he told me he had no ill feelings toward dogs. I know everyone handles trauma differently, and when Ryan told me he decided he would not let the actions of one dog determine his feelings for the rest of loving and kind dogs who are out in the world today, that gave me hope.
Ryan is like most first respond- ers I've met and interviewed. I find first responders to be extremely interesting people. They have a number of stories to share and experiences that make them walk away with a new found perception on life, and gratitude for life. Ry- an's story will be published in our March 14 issue.
The next day, I came back to Reedley to cover the Centennial Commemoration of the March 1 Korean Independence Movement.
The event was taking place at the Armory Building in Reedley. It was initially scheduled to be at the Korean Memorial park but was moved indoors because of the rain.
March 1 was the date of the first recorded attempts from Ko- rea to free themselves from Japa- nese colonial rule. They began a movement that started in Seoul, the capital of South Korea, and ef- forts then moved and expanded.
While at the ceremony I spoke to Ralph Urbano. He told me this event means a lot to him, because of some fellow veterans who he served with in Vietnam.
He also told me there is a large population of Koreans in Reedley and they were happy to host them at the ceremony. Reedley has a rich history, and a bright future. Keep up the great work everyone.
Photo by Juanita Adame / The Exponent
ABOVE: Students from Navelencia Middle School made their way into one of the computer labs at the Reedley High School Library on the afternoon of March 1 to begin a final round of competition during "Battle of the Books."
Photo Contributed / The Exponent
BELOW: Back row, from left, Baleria Cervantes , Hailey Austin, Athena Pennebaker, Jesus Barajas, Ms. Craig Front Row: Kristen Lopez and Ashley Magana
Photos by Juanita Adame / The Exponent
ABOVE: Sixth grade students go over possible answers after asked a question duringthechampionshiproundof "BattleoftheBooks"competitiononMarch1.
ABOVE: Decathlon winner Char- lotte Burks from St. La Salle Catholic School.
Photo Contributed / The Exponent
ABOVE: StudentsjoinedhandsbeforetheAcademicDecathlon2019tookplace on March 2 at San Joaquin Memorial in Fresno. St. La Salle Catholic School par- ticipatedandbroughthomeseveralawards. St.LaSalleSchoolplacedfirstplace in the Super Quiz category. They first place in History with Andrew Valenzuela. Theyplacedsecond inFineArts,CharlotteBurks.And3rdplaceinScience,Pablo Palafox. This years team included Charlotte Burks, Kelly Fernandez, Makenna Gobby, Angel Godinez, Alicia Guerrero , Sophia Hoffman, Pablo Palafox , Andrew Valenzuela,AdanVazquez, RosmaryWallis, SamanthaAlanis,andJohnPaul Rooney. Schools from around the Central Valley participated in the event. More photos on B5.
ABOVE: Pablo Palafox was one of the winners during this years Decathlon.
Contributed / The Reedley Exponent
By Juanita Adame
Juanita@Midvalleypublishing.com
The Reedley Library was filled with groups of focused and com- petitive students on the afternoon of March 1, all there to answer ques- tions about books and all there to win.
"This is called Battle of the Books," said Kings Canyon Unified School District representative Re- nee Delport. "We have elementary battle of the books, middle school battle of the books, and high school. So in here right now is each middle school in the district."
Delport added that students have several months to read a num- ber of pre-selected books and are then asked questions about scenar- ios in the books, answer them cor- rectly including the author.
"I am like 500 different types of nervous," said Jessica Roberts, a sixth grader at Navelencia. "Well,
we already have five wins in a row, so I think so far we are doing pretty well."
Jessica said some of the selec- tions that students read included:
"Mockingbird" by Katherine, "The Skin I'm In," by Sharon Flake, and "Shabanu Daughter of the Wind," by Suzanne Fisher Staples.
"We also read some more of the obscure ones too," she added. "Like Doll Bones by Holly Black. I gotta say "Doll Bones" was one of my fa- vorite books to read, it was really cool. I liked the sort of mystical feel it had to it, because the whole doll being possessed and that kind of thing."
Students were sectioned off into various parts of the library during the competition. They'd be asked a question, and then would be re- quired to answer the question as a
SeeBOOKS pageB8
St. La Salle School brings home the gold
Author Meg Wolitzer visits Reedley on March 7
ABOVE: Ryan Rodriguez, firefighter with Reedley.
Photo by Juanita Adame / The Exponent
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 Thursday, Mar. 7. The event will be- gin 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- 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 6:30 p.m. 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.
"Author of
The Interestings, The Wife, and other best selling books will be in town."