
Art to the Rescue! Art projects and resources to inspire you and your family Rural Route by Shannon Celia, oil on canvas, 30 x 24 inches. Available for purchase. Now Online: Santa Paula Sojourn, a Solo Exhibition by Shannon Celia…

It’s safe to say there has never been a senior year quite like this one. In March, the coronavirus crisis abruptly forced students from their schools and into a strange new world of distance learning. Then at the end of May, the death of George Floyd and resulting protests threw important and difficult issues of racism and equity into the spotlight in a way most students have never experienced.
This is the time of year when graduating seniors are usually celebrating with friends, attending proms and receiving their hard-earned diplomas in front of crowds of beaming family and friends. Instead, they are participating in car caravans, watching virtual graduations and contemplating an unsettled world where our economy, our social fabric, even our basic health and safety seem far from secure.
Against this backdrop, I am proud to introduce you to some remarkable Ventura County graduates who aren’t letting the difficulties of our current moment extinguish their spirit or stop them from pursuing their dreams. Among them are students who have personally felt the sting of social inequity and found the inner strength to rise above.

Meadowlark Service League Annual Giving will award grants to 24 local Ventura County charities and 25 college scholarships this June. The annual celebration luncheon was cancelled due to Covid-19, but the grants will still be awarded to the recipient charities and students. Meadowlarks raised $180,000 to support our community this year. This small group of less than 20 active members, plus it’s generous supporting members, planned and executed 3 major fundraisers for the 2019/2020 Giving. A full list of the grant recipients is provided below.

The Ventura County Public Health Officer has issued visitation guidance for Long-Term Care Facilities (LTCF). For more than two months residents of the facilities have not been able to have visits from friends and family members to protect these seniors from COVID-19 infection. These residents have missed special visits with their loved ones and the following guidance will allow for facilities to maintain and enhance the quality of life for these residents.

This Order issued by the Ventura County Health Officer shall become effective at 11:59 p.m. on May 29, 2020. At that time, all current Orders of the Ventura County Health Officer shall expire and no longer be of any force or effect, except any and all prior violations of the previous orders remain prosecutable, criminally or civilly. Pursuant to Health and Safety Code section 120295 et seq., violation of or failure to comply with this Order is a misdemeanor punishable by fine, imprisonment, or both.

El mercado de la Fundación del Colegio de Ventura volverá a abrir el dia 30 y 31 de mayo y seguirá abierto todos los fines de semana. El mercado ha estado cerrado desde el 14 de marzo cuando las restricciones de distanciamiento social entraron en vigencia debido a la pandemia de COVID-19.
El Mercado inicialmente tendrá 39 puestos de proveedores y limitará de forma segura la asistencia de los clientes. Antes del cierre, el Mercado atraía a 2,000 compradores cada fin de semana con 300 a 400 vendedores.

In response to the growing need for emotional and practical support related to COVID-19 in the Greater Santa Barbara area, HSB now offers a comprehensive resource page called “Coping With COVID-19.” It includes videos and articles by our Community Education staff of dedicated experts, therapists and clergy. Topics include relevant issues we are all facing during the global pandemic. The Coping with COVID-19 Series is comprised of fresh original content. It addresses the many emotional and practical day-to-day challenges coronavirus is having on all of us including schedules, finances, the lives of our children and family, our plans our control over situations.

Yesterday, in response to Governor Newsom’s announcement, the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department issued a revised Health Officer Order which provides updated guidance for places of worship and providers of religious services and cultural ceremonies, graduation ceremonies, hair salons, and barbershops.The Order states that:

Ventura County Public Health (VCPH) today released a revised protocol regarding vehicle celebrations for graduations and other special observances. The protocol has been modified to allow graduates to briefly exit their vehicles on a timed schedule to receive their diplomas. Diplomas may be distributed using a no-contact pick-up method, maintaining physical distancing of six feet or greater. The protocol allows school personnel to take photos of graduates outside of their vehicles. Family members will be permitted to take photos from inside their vehicles.

Approximately 60 SMJUHSD seniors are answering the call of military service and will join the Navy, Army, Air Force and Marines after graduation.
Recruiters and staff will honor them in a special drive-thru ceremony from 6 to 7 p.m. tonight at Righetti High School’s bus loading zone. They will receive stoles from their recruiters to wear over their gowns. Social distancing will be the top mission.

Residents who visit Ventura County Harbor Department-managed beaches and parks will have improved recreational opportunities and be able sit and lounge while practicing social distancing guidelines.
Harbor Department Director Mark Sandoval said the County is pleased to ease some of the soft closure restrictions –limiting beach and park access to physical activity – put in place in April 2020. The soft closure restrictions will be removed at Kiddie, Silver Strand, and Hollywood beaches and at the Harbor parks, including Peninsula and Harbor View.

The list of dance scholars asked to speak as part of the Christena Lindborg Schlundt Lecture Series in Dance Studies reads like a Who’s Who in American Dance Research.
Now taking the lecture stage (virtually) on May 29 from 1 to 2:30 p.m. are CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) Assistant Professor of Performing Arts/Dance Heather Castillo and Dance Lecturer MiRi Park.
“We were shocked and honored,” Castillo said. “Once a year they invite a guest lecturer, and this year, MiRi and I will be discussing our virtual experiences with dance education.”

The Ventura County Office of Emergency Services, and the California Departments of Food and Agriculture, and Pesticide Regulations together have provided over 700,000 facemasks to help provide protection to farmworkers and other agricultural operations. The Agricultural Commissioner’s Office has been reaching out to growers, farm labor contractors, packer/shippers and pest control businesses to make arrangement to distribute masks from the Commissioner’s offices in Camarillo and Santa Paula.

Every case of COVID-19 is the result of someone having been exposed to the coronavirus. Here in California, as elsewhere, different people experience different exposures to the virus. Some individuals and families—those with work that can be done remotely, robust health insurance, and relatively easy access to a physician—have been able to reduce their coronavirus exposure by sheltering at home for the past eight weeks.

About 150 Kermit McKenzie Intermediate School students will take their GUSD educational careers to the next level after they are promoted to high school on Tuesday, June 2.
There will be no physical graduation. Instead, a graduation video will include pictures of students and activities as well as encouraging words from current and former teachers. This video will be shared via email, ParentSquare, Social Media, and the school website.

Two Santa Maria public high schools will celebrate academic excellence during separate drive-thru events today (Thursday, May 21).
Righetti High School’s senior awards are scheduled to be given out from 10 a.m. to noon in the bus-loading zone. About 190 students are involved, according to Daniel Solis, College and Career Specialist.

Several Pioneer Valley High School students used to a short film to show the joy of having healthy friendships can help combat loneliness and personal isolation.
The school’s NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Club, which focuses on helping students by raising mental health awareness, spent a few days completing the project recently.

For the past two years, painter Shannon Celia has made it her mission to capture the unique “nooks and crannies” of the small, Southern California city of Santa Paula. Her journey will culminate in a solo exhibition entitled “Santa Paula Sojourn,” premiering June 3, 2020, at the Santa Paula Art Museum (in the event that the Museum remains closed to the public on June 3, the exhibit will be available to enjoy online at www.santapaulaartmuseum.org). All of the artworks in the exhibit will be for sale.

Lessons from the Great Recession suggest that as we emerge from the COVID-19 crisis, the rules of the marketplace will have changed, and the impact will fall disproportionately on the Latinx community.
Circumstances many Latinx students faced when the pandemic hit may discourage them from staying in school when in fact, getting that college degree has never been more important.
As a way to give back to our community in this time of need, Shalhoob’s and Hospice of Santa Barbara (HSB) delivered 120 meals from Shalhoob’s to the senior living complex Village Santa Fe Apartments, a Housing Authority of the City of Santa Barbara property. Hospice of Santa Barbara provided 12 volunteers who helped pack and deliver the meals donated by Shalhoob’s.

Parents and students will receive a survey tomorrow from Panorama via email.
We thank you and your family for being our valued partners as we work together to educate the children in our district. SMJUHSD values input from our community – and we need to hear from your student. Students are important partners as we work to improve our communication, academic program, and overall experience for everyone.

What we define as “livable” has now changed, of necessity, but what does this hold for the future? In our first article, Kerry Roscoe takes a moment to think about the positives and negatives ahead of us.
Our next article takes a new look at the Not In My Back Yard (NIMBY) movement. Each of us may have our own definition of what we think a NIMBY is or is not, but I would bet that few, if any, would define a NYMBY as Alan Durning has in his February 2020 article entitled KNOW THINE NIMBY. Because the negative impact of NIMBY entrenchment is so strong, housing advocates need to better understand who we are addressing during debates regarding new housing.

There are over 5,500 maps in the Library collection that include historical plat maps, boundary maps, topographic and hydrological maps (USGS), irrigation/ditch maps, right-of way maps (railroad and highway), and land case maps (court case exhibits). Discover a few of these jewels in this week’s virtual exhibit.

Congratulations to the class of 2020!
Although all in-person campus operations have been suspended until further notice, that didn’t stop SBCC from holding a commencement ceremony to honor the graduating class of 2020. On Friday, May 8, at 5 p.m., the college held a “virtual” commencement online.
View the video here…

This past Saturday was going to be the end of our special online event “Building Together”. I say ‘was’, because due to its heartwarming success, and overwhelming requests to keep it up and running, we have decided to continue accepting submissions! If you have not yet had a chance to see what “home means” to people across our nation, and in some cases around the globe, you will not want to miss it, so check out the Building Together pages and even consider a submission yourself, if you haven’t already!

Over the past few months, COVID-19 has reshaped our lives and priorities in powerful ways. Here at your United Way, we’ve been collaborating with our community partners and adapting how we provide services so that we can better respond to the needs of our most vulnerable citizens.
In this moment of unprecedented uncertainty, we are incredibly thankful for our community partners, donors, and volunteers. They’ve stepped up to provide vital resources for our neighbors and friends who need it the most right now.
To learn more about how your local United Way is responding during this global pandemic, please take a moment to view my recent interview with OVTV.

Learn how RKS Design, a globally recognized design and innovation consulting firm whose mission is to move people through design, is working through the COVID-19 crisis. Our guest speaker is Ravi Sawhney, founder and CEO of RKS Design and member of the Dean’s Executive Council at California Lutheran University’s School of Management. Mr. Sawhney will discuss personal and organizational strategies that have been employed, due to the crisis, at RKS Design. This short 45-minute webinar will include both a presentation by Mr. Sawhney and a Q&A session with our virtual audience, moderated by Dean Gerhard Apfelthaler.

Dear friends of The PACC,
We hope you and your family are healthy and safe during these unprecedented times. Thanks to Mechanics Bank for helping us secure Paycheck Protection Program funds, our nonprofit staff is hard at work on enhancing the visitor and programming experience while we are temporarily closed. When we re-open, YOUR PACC will be more beautiful and exciting than ever. Please consider making a donation to help support our efforts.
In the meantime, we have wonderful news to share in this month’s newsletter.
Thank you for your continued support!

CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) Psychology and Business double major Juliane Martinez, 20, found her calling among the flowers and people thriving at the Growing Works Nursery in Camarillo.
Her experience at Growing Works led her to delve into the field of “positive psychology,” a study of human flourishing, and that research in turn led to Martinez being named a 2020-2021 Newman Civic Fellow.

Good Evening, Here is your daily COVID-19 update from the County of Ventura.
View today’s video update at: https://vimeo.com/416539740.
By the numbers:
21 new cases
652 total cases
435 recovered cases
29 in the hospital
12 in the ICU
198 under quarantine
19 deaths
12, 863 tested
Testing The County of Ventura expanded testing throughout the County this week for essential workers and residents. You will not be charged for the test, and you do not need to have health insurance. There are two sites for essential workers and seven drive thru sites for all community members. Learn more at: https://vcportal.ventura.org/covid19/docs/2020-05-03_Covid19Testing_updated.pdf.

Despite economic challenges brought on by the COVID-19 Outbreak, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Conejo Valley (BGCGCV) continues to support youth and staff to cope and emerge from the COVID-19 crisis.
The BGCGCV continues to keep 4 out of 9 of its Clubs open to provide the critical childcare needed for essential working families. In addition to childcare, the BGCGCV is working hard to maintain a sense of routine for youth, help prevent learning loss, and focusing on the social, and emotional wellbeing of its members.