Page 9 - Reedley Exponent 11-15-18 E-edition

The Reedley Exponent PB anorama
More photos from the 'Paint the R' project
See B9
Section | Thursday, November 15, 2018 www.reedleyexponent.com
Making a difference in the community
Reedley (Fresno County) CA 93654
The View From Here
If you like to take shortcuts, if you don't like to sweat or if you don't like the feeling of almost burst- ing into tears while pushing your body to keep moving, then I sug- gest you don't try climbing
Juanita Adame
Campbell Mountain. Because it's neither for the weak, nor for the faint of heart.
I was part of the volunteer group that climbed the mountain on Nov. 10 for the "Paint the R" project. The popular "R" mountain taught me one important lesson that morning; perseverance.
I met with Shirley Ito and a group of eager volunteers on that cold morning. Shirley, the driving force behind the "Paint the R" proj- ect told me she felt compelled to create a movement like this after one of her grandchildren made a comment thinking the letter was a 'P' and not an 'R.'
"I knew I had to do something," said Shirley. I'm so glad she did, because this project is not just about painting some rocks on a mountain, its about the ability to move past your physical com- fort zone and really find out what you're made of.
The morning was cold, smoky, and hazy from the recent wild- fires plaguing California. Once I noticed the bad air quality, I knew it was only going to make things more difficult. Nonetheless, we had one mission in mind: to climb to the top of Campbell Mountain, cans of paint and rollers in tow, and restore the capital "R" that so many in this community take pride in.
Physically I'm in "decent" shape but definitely not as fit as I would like to be. I am an avid gym goer, and I eat pretty healthy, but the truth is, I've been on a plateau for a while.
I hadn't really pushed myself too hard until this project. Camp- bell Mountain stood in front of me almost mocking me to dare to climb it. I knew that for the best outcome of this story, the best photos, the best experience over- all, I couldn't back out.
Interesting thing is, I have driven by the 'R' mountain many times. It looks like a fairly easy mountain to climb. Boy, was I wrong because another valuable lesson Campbell Mountain taught me is that looks can be deceiving.
The climb started off easy enough. It's basically a long walk across a grassy plain. Be careful where you step though, one wrong move and you end up with cow manure on your shoes.
We followed the fence until the end of the field and then began the climb. It was the middle part of the climb where the terrain be- gins to test the human will.
Many who seemed eager were now regretting their decision to volunteer, myself included.
The rocks are jagged and one misstep could easily result in a broken bone, or a severe injury.
My body began to fight back, leg cramps, my arms became shaky and tired, my breath was
See COLUMN page B10
Photos Juanita Adame / The Exponent
ABOVE: From left, Liliahna Bedolla, Andrea Godinez, and Daniela Carillo prepared to hike up and help restore the 'R' on Campbell Mountain on Nov. 10. The girls were equipped with mops that acted as large paintbrushes and gallons of paint.
ABOVE: After climbing Campbell Mountain for nearly one hour, stu- dents worked throughout the morn- ing to help paint the large boulders that make up the 'R' that overlooks the city of Reedley.
RIGHT: Nathen Hoffman, 5, smiles as he reaches the top of Campbell Mountain to help with the restora- tion of the 'R', Hoffman was among the group of volunteers, students and faculty who took the time to work on the "Paint the R" project.
Photos Juanita Adame / The Exponent
did this three years ago, I did a grass roots effort because my grandchil- dren live close to the base and they thought it was a P, I thought oh, no we need to fix this," she said.
Ito made contact with the proper- ty owner near the base of the moun- tain and began gathering volunteers.
The group of volunteers during the 2015 project included Reedley Police Explorers and Reedley High FFA students, and under the direc- tion of Ito, made the trek on Nov. 23, 2015.
Now they were doing it again, this time with the help of more stu- dents and even more volunteers.
"My family goes up there a lot, my grandpa told me that it's really steep," said Reedley High Sopho-
Students and young volunteers were part of 'Paint the R' project
By Juanita Adame
Juanita@midvalleypublishing.com
Five year old Nathen Huffman was likely still in diapers the last time a group of community mem- bers climbed up Campbell Mountain to restore the capital "R" that over- looks the city of Reedley.
On the morning of Nov. 10 how- ever, Nathen was among the group of volunteers who climbed Campbell Mountain for the "2018 Paint the R Project."
"This climb was a long long ways up," said Nathen as he stood near the white boulders close to the top."The hardest part of climbing this moun-
tain was the slipping."
The "Paint the R" project was
started by Shirley Ito in 2015. "We
more, Andrea Godinez. "He said that it will be a little hard to go up but I think it's going to be fun because it's a big group."
Andrea and her two friends, Dan- iela Carillo and Liliahna Bedolla said
See MOUNTAIN page B9
“"This climb was such a long, long way up."
– Nathen Hoffman, 5 Volunteer
KCUSD approves solar energy for schools
Photo courtesy seia.org
ABOVE: A solar project at Analy High School in Sebastopol, CA.
Contributed
The Kings Canyon Unified School District will soon have solar facilities at 11 locations.
The decision was made by the board during their regularly sched- uled meeting on Sep. 25.
Board members approved a partnership with ForeFront Power and SPURR (School Project for Utility Rate Reduction) to provide three megawatts of solar across the district. The projects are expected to save the District up to $8 million in energy costs over 20 years via a Power Purchase Agreement frame- work with no upfront cost.
KCUSD is contracting with the same company and program recently used by Reedley College
and Fresno Unified School District. ForeFront Power has over a decade of renewable industry experience, serving business, public sector and wholesale power customers around the world.
They are an owned subsidiary of Mitsui & Co. Ltd., a global energy infrastructure and investment lead- er. SPURR is a joint powers author- ity dedicated to helping California schools, colleges and local govern- ment control and reduce utility ex- penses.
The solar project will work by leveraging a Power Purchase Agree- ment framework, KCUSD receives
See SOLAR page B10
The fall musical 'Peter Pan' now playing at Immanuel Schools
Contributed
Students in the Performing Arts Center at Immanuel Schools have been rehearsing their lines and their singing voices for this year's annual fall musical "Peter Pan." It debuted on Nov. 10.
Peter Pan is a story based on a fictional character, a boy named Peter Pan who is carefree and mis- chievous and who never grew up.
The play was written by J.M. Bar- rie. In the story line, Peter Pan lived his life as a child, having adventures on the mythical island of Neverland
as the leader of the Lost Boys.
He interacted with fairies, pi- rates, mermaids, Native Americans, and occasionally ordinary children
from the world outside Neverland. Tickets are available for pur- chase from the office, or at the door, based on availability. Dates for the show are as follows: Nov. 10 3 p.m. &7pm,Nov.11.at3p.m.& 7p.m. Nov.15at7p.m.Nov.17at2p.m.,
and Nov. 18 at 3 p.m.
For more information on tick-
et prices or dates, contact (559) 638-2529. Visit immanuelschools. com for up-to-date information on events.
Photos Contributed
ABOVE: A flier with dates for Peter Pan.
RIGHT: Students performing Peter Pan during rehearsal.