Page 7 - Mid Valley Times 11-5-20 E-edition

Thursday, November 5, 2020
The View From Here
By the time this is pub- lished, we will have a pretty good idea of who our next presi- dent will be. It was
exactly four years ago that I was moving out of my tv news job and I remember that election night like it was yesterday. I know that reporters, we are suppose to leave our personal opin- ions out of it, and I think for the most part I’ve done that. Those who are close to me, my friends and family know how I feel about both candidates. I respect our difference of opinions and when we begin to disagree a bit more than we should, I just remind them that we are lucky to live in a coun- try that allows us to even voice our political opinions - no matter what they are.
With that said, I believe in our country and believe we will decide who is the best to lead our country.
In other news, I would like to thank Don Enns and Lori Botkin for inviting us over to Great Western Ele- mentary on the afternoon of Oct. 28. I was there to talk to them about the centennial anniversary of the school. Don told us that they are proud of their school.
As I looked around at the group of former educators and current educators, the KCUSD board members and even the student who attended the anniversary, I couldn’t help but think that we share many more things in common than differenc- es.
The last few months have been filled with tur- moil. People fighting on television, people fighting over differences of opin-
SEE COLUMN on page A8
Reedley school celebrates centennial anniversary
Photo by Juanita Adame / Mid Valley Times
From left Roger Radke, Herb Peterson, Natt Georges, Karen Georges, Don Enns, Patty Valdero, Pam Ascanio, Lakai Georges, Maria Decker, Clotilda Mora, Lorie Botkin and Jim Mulligan.
Juanita Adame
By Juanita Adame
Mid Valley Times
As cars drove by on Frank- wood Avenue near American Avenue on the afternoon of Oct. 28, a group of former and current Great Western Elementary teachers and stu- dents positioned themselves to capture just the right photo to celebrate a milestone.
“The photo is to celebrate the hundredth year of Great Western Elementary, the in- augural year was 100 years
ago,” said Lori Botkin, the school’s principal. “So many of the people in the photo were teachers here and are just really invested in the school.”
Don Enns, a retired Great Western teacher said the an- niversary and the school is important to them for many reasons. “A spring celebra- tory event is in the works, and hoped for if practical within pandemic guidelines,” he said.
Among those who attended the event were Jim Mulligan
and Clotilda Mora, current Kings Canyon Unified School District trustees.
“A lot of the buildings are new, but in the center of the school there are some brick buildings that I believe were the original pieces of the school,” said Botkin.
“We are learning from some of these gentleman though that the campus defi- nitely didn’t look the same.”
Students at Great Western started school on Oct. 15 and Botkin said they are doing
well and hope to continue the year safely as the pandemic continues.
“The school is located out in the country, it gives us a different feel the culture and climate of the school,” she said. “A lot of the teachers who were in the photo have such an investment, they stay here for such a long time.
“Great Western is a great place to be,” she continued. “I tell people there’s a reason it’s called Great Western and not good Western.”
City of Dinuba hosts drive-thru Pumpkin patch
Rick Curiel
Mid Valley Times
The city of Dinuba part- nered with various members of the community to offer citizens “The Great Charlie Brown Drive-Thru Pumpkin Patch” on Saturday, Oct. 31.
Around 200 pumpkins were handed out through the drive-thru event. The Di- nuba Chamber of Commerce and the Dinuba Police Of- ficers Association provided the pumpkins, which were purchased from Hillcrest in Reedley.
Sukhwinder Sidhu of Di- nuba’s Circle K, along with Pena’s Disposal, provided the candy that was distributed during the event.
Rick Curiel / Mid Valley Times
Dinuba residents enjoyed a drive-thru pumpkin event with a Charlie Brown theme on Oct. 31.
Human rights mural unveiled in Reedley
SEE PUMPKIN on page A8 Photo of the week
Photo Contributed
A new mural at the Sunrise Mini Mart on Alta Avenue just outside of Reedley was unveiled on Nov. 1. The mural was painted by two local artists who go by the names Ibex and Editr for the 559 Mural Project. The mural represents a stand with human rights and speaks out against immigration policies.
Contributed
The City of Reedley's Community Service Department kicked off red ribbon week with the help of local D.j. ToeKnee. Have a photoyou'dlikefeatured? Emailjuanita@midvalleypublishing. com.