Page 1 - Dinuba Sentinel 5-2-19 E-edition
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Dinuba Sentinel Serving the communities of Dinuba, Cutler-Orosi and Monson-Sultana
Local dancer lands big solo
Dinuba dancer to perform solo in Ballet 'Alice in Wonderland'
Community, A9
Established 1909, Dinuba, California Thursday, May 2, 2019 50 Cents
Orosi High pathway academies receive 'Distinguished' title
By George Villagrana
the National Academy Foundation,” said Cutler-Orosi Joint Unified School District Superintendent Yolanda Valdez. “The District has had strong for all academies and pathways at Orosi High School and Lovell School. We believe all of our students must be prepared for college, career and community.”
Valdez stated the academies and pathway have been the vehicle for student preparation.
Each academy has seen steady growth.
In 2018-19, 154 students in grades 9-12 enrolled in AOHS and 139 enrolled in AEGT. Each academy will have 28
seniors graduating this year. Next year, the school’s projected student enrollment numbers in the academies indicate an increase to 180 in AOHS and 156 in AEGT.
Orosi High principal Robert Vaca said it is a very exciting time to be a Cardinal. “We are thrilled to offer two NAF Track Distinguished academies,” Vaca said. “They truly provide a rigorous program of study which contributes towards truly preparing college and
career ready scholars.”
Vaca said students, parents, teachers,
staff and counselors as well as site
administration, district-level leaders, the school board and business and community partners worked extremely hard to reach this milestone.”
Valdez further stated, “We have accomplished so much in such little time. This speaks upon the passion and hard work of the team.”
NAF’s annual assessment measures and academy’s strengths and challenges in implementing NAF’s results-driven educational design that prepares students for success in colleges and careers. Site visits are conducted by a team of distinguished leaders, outside
experts and NAF staff verify academy scores.
The Distinguished and Model academies will be recognized at NAF’s annual professional development conference that will be held in early July in Detroit.
NAF is a national network of education, business, and community leaders who work together to ensure that high school students are college, career, and future ready. During the 2018-19 school year, over 100,000 students attended 617 NAF academies across 35 states including DC and the US Virgin Islands.
Hylton named Cinco de Mayo Grand
Editor@thedinubasentinel.com
Orosi High School’s Career Pathway Academy of Engineering (AEGT) and Greet Technology and Career Pathway of Health Sciences (AOHS) have been recognized as Distinguished Status under the National Academy Foundation.
This is the highest honor academies can receive and is just two of 88 academies in the NAF network to have reach such accolades.
“We are overjoyed our academies have been recognized as Distinguished from
Fourth of July
celebration
moved to
Ridge Creek
Gonzalez crowned Queen
By Rick Curiel
Sentinel staff report
This year’s Cinco de Mayo parade grand marshal will be Dinuba High School’s Teresa Hylton. The long-time English teacher has been an integral part of the community’s arts and entertainment scene as director of the high school’s drama department.
This year, Hylton put on her final play as director when the Dinuba High drama department
put on ‘Cinderella’
early last month. After 25 years of working for Dinuba Unified School District, she will be retiring at the end of this school year.
“I love my job,”
said Hylton of her
work over the years. “I love the kids. I love the craft of creating something from nothing – into a live production.”
Hylton started her career in Dinuba back in 1995, spending her first two years split between Washington Intermediate School and Dinuba High School. Soon after starting full-time at the high school, Hylton partnered with Vikki Halstead and the Dinuba Parks and Recreation Department to bring community plays to Dinuba High
See Hylton, Page A3
Editor@thedinubasentinel.com
This year, the city of Dinuba’s annual Independence Day Celebration will be moving from Centennial Park to the driving range at Ridge Creek Dinuba Golf Club.
At the Dinuba City Council meeting held Apr. 23, council members unanimously authorized the city of Dinuba to enter into an agreement with Fireworks of America to provide the fireworks show for year’s celebration, simultaneously approving the move to the golf course.
In a staff report to city council, Dinuba Parks and Community Services Director Stephanie Hurtado wrote, “The venue was selected because staff believes it’s a great opportunity to partner with the golf course and expand the community event.”
Last year, though the actual celebration was held at Centennial Park, a pre-event was held at Ridge Creek Dinuba Golf Club, complete with bounce houses, entertainment and a watermelon-eating contest. In lieu of having two events again, all festivities will be held at the golf course.
The event is scheduled to be held on July 3 and will begin at 6:30 p.m. with live entertainment. There will also be
See Fourth, Page A3
Dinuba faithful rally as 'One' to pray for community
since taking office.
The two took center stage to begin the community prayer
service, as pastors from various denominations gathered around them to lay hands on them and pray for them and other community leaders in the scope of governance.
Leading that prayer was Pastor Mark Wallace of Living Word Fellowship.
From there, the group of around 200 Christians divided up into four prayer groups and gathered at the far corners of the field. One by one, the
groups flocked to the different stations to pray for the community.
Pastor Chuck Wilsey of Wellspring Christian Center lead the prayer for business in the community, and prayed that the foundation for local business would be on Godly ground.
They then prayed for the media, asking God to bless those in media with the ability to report righteously and truthfully in a secular world. Leading that prayer was Pastor Randy Reiswig of Dinuba Mennonite Brethren Church.
Pastor Sonja Bennett, also of Wellspring Christian Center, lead the prayer for Arts
and Entertainment in the community, asking that the culture defining industry would honor God and not pull people away from him.
While praying for Education, Pastor Nancy Boyd of Grace of God Fellowship, petitioned for the construction of
See One, Page A9
Teresa Hylton
Marshal
By Rick Curiel
Editor@thedinubasentinel.com
The Great Pope John Paul II, now a canonized saint, declared the second Sunday after Easter as Divine Mercy Sunday – reminding the faithful to recall his divine mercy as they go through the paschal season.
This past Sunday, Divine Mercy Sunday, the churches of Dinuba rallied together as one to
pray for Dinuba – for his guidance, his
protection, his love and his mercy.
“This is a blessing,” said Dinuba Unified School District trustee Mary Villarreal, who was attendance at the event entitled ‘One’.
Villarreal lead a prayer circle at the event as those gathered lifted up the education system in Dinuba, one of seven segments of the community the faithful prayed for.
The event was put on by the Dinuba Christian Ministerial Association and was held at Dinuba High School’s Claude Hebert Stadium.
Prayer stations marked by different
colored flags were placed in an ‘X’ formation across the high school football stadium, each representing a different part of Dinuba.
The first to be prayed for was city governance, and in attendance were newly seated Tulare County Supervisor for District 4, Eddie Valero, and newly seated Dinuba City Mayor, Kuldip Thusu, attending there first ‘One’ event
Rick Curiel | The Sentinel
This year's Cinco de Mayo Queen Natalie Gonzalez is congratulated by her parents, Sandra and Juan Carlos Gonzalez, after winning the crown on Saturday night. With the title, Gonzalez earned a $2,500 scholarship. Gonzalez become one of just a handful of contestants throughout the history of the pageant to win both Cinco de Mayo Princess and Cinco de Mayo Queen. She won the crown for princess two years ago.
On Saturday, Gonzalez performed a monologue in a vibrantly colored folkloric dress. The theme of her monologue centered around being the child of an immigrant family. She spoke of cultural changes in the current political climate and expressed how it has caused fear within immigrant families. In spite of those fears, Gonzalez stressed the importance of being motivated to rise above.
"We must make the changes in this world that we desire to see," said Gonzalez.
After the pageant, her father Juan Carlos said (translated from Spanish), "I'm so happy, to see that she is fulfilling her dreams. She works very hard. Whatever she sets her sight on she'll do... We feel proud."
To see more of Gonzalez and this year's Cinco de Mayo pageant, see the special insert in today's Sentinel.
Rick Curiel | The Sentinel
“There are not two churches. There are not many churches. There is one church.”
-Pastor Jim Susee Dinuba Christian Church
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A prayer group, one of many, prays for Dinuba at Saturday's 'One' event.
