Page 10 - Sanger Herald 9-13-18 E-edition

Lifestyles
SANGER HERALD • 2B • THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2018
Drill helps responders prepare for worst
Sanger
By Mike Nemeth
Sanger Herald
The 911 call to emergency dispatch couldn’t have been more clear.
“Shooter at Sanger High,” came the radio call. “Multiple victims.”
The tactical team at the edge of campus acknowledged. They were ready, guns drawn. The four advanced through the outside fence ready for anything. What met them that afternoon on Sept. 8 was a pop of gunfire, then silence and some occasional far-off intermittent screaming.
What the tactical team, made up of Sanger Police Department’s finest, found were four dead and multiple wounded.
But the practice was just a drill, made all the more real by school shootings at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. where 17 students and adults were killed Feb. 14 and again May 18 when 10 people were murdered in a shooting at Santa Fe High School in Texas.
In a CNN accounting as of May 25, the network reported a total of 23 school shootings in the first 21 weeks of the year, an average of more than one a week. And schools across the central San Joaquin Valley continue to report instances of loaded guns showing up on or near campus, underlining the concern of administrators who are attempting to react to a new reality and prevent unnecessary death.
The day-long training session at Sanger High involved much of the
To get an item into the calendar, email details to nemethfeatures@gmail. com or call Mike or Sharon at 559-875-2511.
Sanger Farmers Market & Street Fair is planned from 5 to 9 p.m. Sept. 15 in downtown Sanger. The theme of the night is Heroes. The market continues through the month every Saturday with various events. Details, 559- 875-4575.
The Sanger Boys Basketball program presents its Fall Basketball Camp from Sept. 10 to Oct. 3 at the Sanger High Coach Dean Nicholson Gym. Cost is $65, kids from kindergarten to eighth
Finding Joy — Part 3
Jesus was talking to his disciples about joy and he declared, “I have told you this so that My joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” John 15:11
When you are rightly related to Christ, his joy will become contagious through us. Who doesn’t want to hang out with a joyful person?
Joy lifts others up, just as despair brings them down. If you choose joy on a regular basis, you will not only be a far more
Mike Nemeth / Sanger Herald
A rescue team works to stabilize a victim, left, while another officer in tactical gear hunts for the shooter.
pretty authentic from his perspective. He played an injured victim. “I felt it more when they were dragging me,” he said. “They were asking questions like, ‘Where does it hurt?’ I tried to act the part the best I could.”
But Saucedo said he doesn’t worry that something like he experienced in the drill would actually happen in Sanger. “I feel safe at this school,” he said.
Senior Melissa Martinez put herself fully into the role of victim. “I was nervous. I was scared,” she said. “But I was just going to run.”
Like Saucedo, she didn’t believe something like that could happen in Sanger. She considered the odds low. “I just wanted to experience it,” she said. “So if it actually happened, I’d be ready.”
Juan Barajas played one of the dead.
“It was hard,” he said of remaining still so long lying on the ground near the library. “My back was hurting.”
But Barajas said lying there — for about 45 minutes in the first session — gave him a chance to think. He put himself in the situation. “If it was a real life situation, what would I do to save someone’s life?”
No loaded weapons or ammunition were allowed into the training zone, which took up most of the campus.
The reporter can be contacted by email at nemethfeatures@gmail.com or by phone at the Herald at (559) 875-2511.
Ranch in Del Rey. The event will include dinner, silent and live auctions, as well as a raffle and live entertainment. Proceeds will be used to support students in the Sanger FFA. Details, Laura Hansen 559- 281-4249 or laura_hansen@ sanger.k12.ca.us.
AMVETS chili dogs are served from 5 to 8 p.m. the third Wednesday of the month. The Fish fry will be the first Friday of every month. There will also be kraut dogs, mustard dogs and Frito boats. Details, George 559-286-5667.
The Sanger Eagles’ taco nights are 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. the first and third Mondays of the month. Breakfasts will be from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. every second Saturday of the month. The location is 225 J St. Details, Jim Batten 559-875-6820 or Denny Noller 559-392-1936.
growing in this virtue? What does your face reflect to others? What does your attitude communicate about your faith?
We have discovered that happiness will be all too fleeting, but the joy of Jesus is available to our souls right now.
Pastor Sam Estes is city advance director and facilitates the Sanger Community Task Force that meets the first and third Tuesdays every month. He can be reached at pastorsam51@gmail.com.
city’s police and fire departments and most of the school’s administrative team. Students and others volunteered to participate and give training teams as real a situation as possible.
Natalie Boust, who graduated this past year, applied the special effects makeup to victims. Her work made their wounds appear especially bloody and realistic from the perspective of the reporting tactical team. The four dead were identified with a large taped X on their chests.
The exercise heightened the adrenaline of all who
grade. The goal is to teach young people the “fun- damentals” of the game and build a premier Sanger program at the same time. Details, coach Al Alvarado al_alvarado@sanger.k12. ca.us.
Kings Records plans to present rapper and producer Redman in concert at the Elements 4 Peace 6, billed as an independent music festival. The event is from noon to 10 p.m. Sept. 15 at Sanger Park. Expect many other performers. A freestyle battle and 12-man beat battle are planned. There will be attractions for kids and a craft beer garden for adults. Redman, also known by his real name
approachable and relatable person, but your attitude will rub off on others and make a big impact on all the environments you are in.
Finally, the joy of Christ will draw others to Christ. As the old saying goes, “You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.” Another adage, often heard in sports settings, is, “Attitude is everything.”
A person exuding a joy and vigor about life is going to raise the question, “What makes that person so different?” When those around us can look at us and see that we choose to express joy, no matter
participated. The simulation was staged to look and feel as real as possible. The officers responding wore protective vests and were equipped with radio headsets that enabled them to communicate without dropping their aim. The teams advanced, looking for the threat. They carefully checked around every corner and into every doorway hunting the shooter.
Students screamed and ran past the officers. Some had been instructed to ignore the tactical teams' commands to stop, simulating a situation
Reggie Noble, rose to fame in the 1990s at Def Jam Records often pairing with Method Man. The two are also seeking to reprise their movie roles in “How High 2.”
SAM fundraiser: Wine at the Workshop is planned for6to9p.m.Sept.22at SAM Academy, 750 N St. The event is to encourage people to become a part of bringing science, technology, engineering and math to children in the community. There will be wine and food and members of the Community Science Workshop Network. Tickets $20. Details, 559-399-3090.
The 2018 Walk to End Alzheimer’s begins with registration at 8 a.m. Sept. 22 at Fresno State’s Maple Mall, 5241 N. Maple Ave. in Fresno. Andi Sanders is again organizing a team in honor of her father, Sgt.
where gunfire and danger ramped up their fear and affected normal reactions.
“It’s reality,” said officer Henry Diaz, who was one of those equipped with a video camera on his safety glasses. “A slap in the face having all that gear on. (And) in a facility this size, it’s (another) slap in the face.
“You better wake up.”
Diaz said it was hot, especially with all the gear, and his video camera blocked his peripheral vision. He said he has nieces and nephews going to schools in Sanger and wants to make sure that
Fred Sanders, who was a Sanger police officer for 20 years. She and her family encourage others in Sanger to support the cause or join their team for the event.
HOPE Sanger’s Rack of Ribs Fundraiser is planned at noon Sept. 29 at 502 L St. Cost is $20. Details and to pre-order, 559-824-4280.
The Sanger Rotary Barbecue Fundraiser is planned from 4 to 830 p.m. Sept. 30 at the King’s River Winery, 4276 Greenwood Ave. There will be food, drinks, entertainment and live auction this year. There will also be a silent auction that includes desserts. The meal includes tri-tip and chicken, chili beans, bread roll, salad and rice pilaf. Cost is $25 for adult, $10 for children’s meal.
The Sanger Community Task Force meets at 8:30 a.m. Sept. 18 at
all of them are as safe as they possibly can be. “This brings it close to home,” he said.
Diaz and his fellow officers discussed tactics and other scenarios after the first training session. With more responding officers they could “leapfrog” teams and cover more territory quicker, they said. And they all dealt with the 96-degree heat, which while not in the triple digits felt pretty hot especially in all the surrounding concrete.
Volunteer Brian Saucedo, a senior at Sanger High, said the situation appeared
SAM Academy, 750 N St. Subsequent meetings are Oct. 2 at the Sanger Community Center, 730 Recreation Ave., Oct. 16 at the Sanger Chamber of Commerce, Nov. 6 at Proteus Inc., Nov. 20 at Calvary Fellowship Church, Dec. 4 at Life Tabernacle Church, Dec. 18 at Life Tabernacle Church. Details, 559-250-6433.
Meet the Candidates forum held by the Sanger Woman’s Club is planned from 1 to 3 p.m. Oct. 20 at 1602 Seventh St. The event includes those for the city council and Sanger Unified School District board. Refreshments served. Details, 559-531-5067.
Sanger FFA and the Sanger Agriculturalists for Education Foundation plan the ninth annual Harvest Gala the evening of Sept. 22, at Arek’s Village
they are displaying a bad countenance.
But when you see a bride on her wedding day or a mother seeing her newborn child for the first time, there is usually a radiant countenance. How can you tell that something good, or bad, has happened to someone you’re close to even before they say a word? Their countenance.
As a Christian matures in the virtue of joy, the countenance becomes a gauge of growth. We all will have good and bad days. We will all experience life’s ups and downs.
Has life robbed you of your joy, or are you
Sanger News & Community Calendar
PASTOR’S CORNER
whether life is good or bad at the moment, therein lies the strongest testimony we can offer, even without words.
joyful heart makes a cheerful face (countenance), But when the heart is sad, the spirit is broken.” This verse describes not only the look on your face but also the look of your face.
The direction is
to move from an
inward focus of
ending personal stress to an internal transformation to an outward attraction of people to Christ. As joy grows in the heart and mind of the believer, it infiltrates the soul and then moves outward to affect others. Our focus then becomes loving God and loving others.
Proverbs 15:13 says, “A
Pastor Sam Estes
The last entry in George Orwell’s notebooks reads, “At 50, everyone has the face he deserves.”
Eventually your face forms to your attitude and the perspective you have on life from the inside. You might see people who look angry, but then a closer look and you realize they’re not frowning —