Fourteen Santa Maria High School Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) members recently shined at the Virtual Gold Coast Section Competitive Event Conference.
The students participated in various business & financial, entrepreneurship and software systems development career paths to qualify for the FBLA State Leadership Conference in April. The Saints Zoomed through the exams in professional business attire and captured several top awards.
Vaccine Update – now open to 65 and older. Appointments open weekly.
Vaccines are in limited supply throughout the State of California. Appointments are full at this time. The current phase in Ventura County is Phase 1A: Healthcare workers, long-term care residents and now 65 and older.
Appointments are limited because of the limited supply of vaccines. It will take time to secure an appointment if you are in the current phase. The County of Ventura wants you to have a vaccine and is advocating for more vaccines.
Once more appointments open a message will be sent. At that time, community members who are eligible to be vaccinated may:
1) Register online www.venturacountyrecovers.org/vaccine-information/portal/.
2) Those with limited computer/internet access may call the phone registration line at 805-477-7161. The phone line is open Monday through Friday 8:00-5:00.
Happy Valentine’s Day to You and Happy Anniversary to Us
We’ve said it before, but we find it so fitting that the Museum’s anniversary falls on Valentine’s Day–because we are so in love with this place! It has been eleven years since the doors of the Santa Paula Art Museum first opened, and we have only our supporters to thank for each and every year. Thank you for helping us to build and sustain a place where we can share our love–for the arts, for learning, and for our community.
This year, artist Anette Power is helping us to celebrate the Museum’s anniversary with a special addition to her recently unveiled virtual exhibit Silver Linings: Journey of Light. Scroll down for a small surprise!
There are 453 new COVID-19 cases. There have been 6,537 new tests performed for a total of 1,051,626 total tests performed. There are 226 people who are currently hospitalized and 52 in the ICU.
There have been 18 additional deaths: 75 year old male, 72 year old male, 87 year old male, 56 year old male, 81 year old male, 74 year old male, 56 year old female, 82 year old male, 79 year old male, 51 year old male, 64 year old male, 89 year old male, 48 year old male, 53 year old male, 80 year old male, 89 year old female, 62 year old male, and a 85 year old male
We extend our deepest sympathy to the families of those who have passed away.
Mustang Marketing President Dianne McKay has been named Educational Leader of the Year by Ventura County Leadership Academy. McKay is currently serving in her third term as an elected trustee for the Ventura County Community College District (VCCCD).
National School Counseling and Guidance Week, sponsored by the American School Counselor Association (ASCA), was celebrated from Feb. 1-5 at the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District.
This week focused public attention on the unique contributions of school counselors and guidance & support professionals within U.S. school systems and highlights the tremendous impact they can have in helping students achieve success and plan for a career.
Santa Maria High School officials this month will increase the of number Saints applying for financial aid by helping them complete either the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or California Dream Act Application (CADA), with a goal of 100 percent participation.
The three branches of the Southeast Ventura County YMCA are taking early registrations for their summer day camps. Camps are from June 14 through August 13 at the Conejo Valley YMCA and Yarrow Family YMCA and from June 7 through August 6 at the Simi Valley Family YMCA. Discounted pricing will be in effect until April 1.
Campers can attend full time (five days a week) or part time (three days a week) for all nine weeks or selected weeks. At Simi Valley YMCA, summer camp is offered to K-5th graders and teen camp (Leadership-In-Training) is offered to 6th – 8th graders. At Yarrow Family YMCA and Conejo Valley YMCA, summer camp is offered to TK -5th graders and teen camp is offered to 5th – 8th graders.
We’re swinging into this weekend with huge smiles on our faces because we know you’re going to love the Museum’s newest virtual exhibit! Newbury Park artist Anette Power’s Silver Linings: Journey of Light is now online. Power’s exhibit is over two years in the making, and is a love letter to living even in the midst of great change and challenges.
Click here to enjoy the online exhibit. All of the artworks in the exhibit are available for purchase. Silver Linings will also be on view at the Santa Paula Art Museum when Ventura County museums are able to reopen to the public.*
In observance of Black History Month, Moorpark, Oxnard and Ventura colleges are presenting a wide range of free virtual events for students and the community. The events are open to students districtwide.
Shuji Nakamura has received the 2021 Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering for his development of LED lighting.
The COVID-19 vaccine dashboard was launched last Friday to keep the community informed on the progress of administering COVID-19 vaccines. The dashboard is updated Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The data shows that in very simple terms “when we get it, we give it”. We want you to receive the vaccine as soon as possible. When we receive the vaccines, we open appointments and administer them.
The COVID-19 vaccine dashboard was launched on Friday to keep the community informed on the progress of administering COVID-19 vaccines. The dashboard is updated Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The data shows that in very simple terms “when we get it, we give it”. We want you to receive the vaccine as soon as possible. When we receive the vaccines, we open appointments and administer them.
A second COVID-19 mutation has been detected in Ventura County. An Oxnard sewage study result revealed the presence of a second mutation in a small amount of the COVID virus present in the sample. Oxnard has been testing samples of its wastewater on a weekly basis for a number of weeks. The new mutation was identified as N501Y. It is present in both the United Kingdom and South African variants.
The County of Ventura is in Phase 1A. This phase includes those in the health care sector and 75 and older.
The State provides vaccines to the County on a weekly basis. The supply is not enough for the amount of people needing vaccines. The County is advocating for more vaccines and is prepared to administer once the shipment arrives.
Community members who are eligible to be vaccinated may
1) Register online www.venturacountyrecovers.org/vaccine-information/portal/.
2) Those with limited computer/internet access may call the phone registration line at 805-477-7161. The phone line is open Monday through Friday 8:30-5:00.
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Santa Barbara City College has been named among the top 10 best community colleges in the U.S. — in addition to receiving top rankings for its medical coding and photography programs — by Intelligent.com for 2021. Intelligent.com’s comprehensive research guide is based on an assessment of 2,277 accredited colleges and universities. Each program is evaluated based on curriculum quality, faculty, graduation rate, reputation and post-graduate employment.
A virtual micro-internship program launched at CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) during the first months of the pandemic has proved to be so successful, it is continuing through the spring semester with even more participants.
The micro-internships, which are hands-on learning projects with pay, are offered through the Martin V. Smith School of Business & Economics’ (MVS) Entrepreneurship & Small Business Institute (ESBI) with Associate Professor of Marketing Ekin Pehlivan, Ph.D. and Assistant Professor of Management Cynthia Sherman, Ph.D., Director of the ESBI.
Jonesin’ for a little OC student jammin’? Hungry for some home-grown creative talent? We know how you feel! And that’s why we’re bringing back this encore presentation of the Visual and Performing Arts Student Showcase.
Relive the pre-pandemic glory days with some all-star student work in Communication Studies, Music, Art, Film, and Dance! And stick around for a conversation with two stars of the show, Adan Nevarez and Jullianne De La Cruz. Find out how these OC students have kept heart and soul together during one of the most challenging years ever!
The California Strawberry Festival, which had been set for May 15 and 16 at Strawberry Meadows of College Park in Oxnard, is officially cancelled and will not be rescheduled for 2021 because of the continuing public health crisis due to COVID-19.
“We know that this will come as an enormous disappointment, not only to the thousands of guests we welcome every year, but also to the sponsors, exhibitors, performers, vendors and volunteers who help make the Festival what it is,” says Dean Kato, Chairman of the California Strawberry Festival.
Ventura County we want you to have access to vaccines as soon as possible! We receive vaccines each week from the state and open appointments for the vaccines we are provided. We are not given enough supply to vaccinate all community members at one time. We are advocating for more vaccines and we have the infrastructure to get vaccines in arms as quickly as possible once they are received.
We understand headlines in other places say 65 and older now. Unfortunately, in those places many people in that age range cannot get vaccinated yet because Counties throughout the State are in the same position of not having enough vaccines. The supply issue impacts the ability to expand the vaccine to more sectors at this time.
The Cabrillo Economic Development Corporation (Cabrillo EDC) recently recognized 14 graduating high school seniors and college students for their academic achievements and pursuits with Rodney Fernandez Leadership Fund (RFLF) Scholarships.
The RFLF was created in 2011 and honors the legacy of Rodney Fernandez, Cabrillo EDC’s founder and Executive Director for 30 years (1981–2011). The scholarship continues Fernandez’s legacy of community building by cultivating the leadership of residents to attain their goals and empower themselves to take action to improve the quality of life in their communities.
“This scholarship opened up the doors for me to do what I love,” said Alexa Gruener, student recipient of the RFLF Scholarship. “As a freshman in college, this scholarship has helped me pay my tuition for both semesters, allowing me to take on fewer work hours and thus seek out research and internship opportunities. Currently, I am volunteering at Westminster Free Clinic and working for the Boston University Medical School’s MANOS project, which does research on chronic kidney diseases in field workers from Central America.”
As of 1/19/21 31,553 individuals have been vaccinated in Ventura County. We have received 44,625 first dose vaccines. All appointments are filled this week.
More appointments will be opened next week. A notice will be sent when they open up.
We have to wait each week on the amount of vaccines provided to the County from the State and then more appointments can be made. All vaccines coming in are going out to the people in Phase 1A and 75 and older. We have more eligible people wanting the vaccine than vaccines available.
It will take months to vaccinate all people. Vaccine supply is the biggest barrier to making this effort move more quickly. This is impacting Counties throughout the State.
Once appointments are opened you can register on the Ventura County Recovers website at the following link:
COVID-19 Vaccine appointments are full at this time. There are more community members wanting vaccines than appointments available this week because of the amount of vaccines we have available. More appointments will be added as more vaccines become available. The County receives vaccines from the state on a weekly basis. More vaccine distribution sites are launching but the County still needs more vaccines to add more appointments. We understand this is frustrating. We want to vaccinate the entire community as quickly as possible. We continue to expand infrastructure for distribution which will help move things forward once we receive more vaccines.
The Ventura College Foundation, a nonprofit organization that provides resources and financial support to Ventura College students and to school programs, distributed $824,548 in financial support during the 2019-2020 academic year–$699,971 in scholarships, $84,577 in VC Promise tuition assistance and $40,000 in textbook support. The annual scholarship distribution was the largest in the foundation’s history and was distributed during the COVID-19 pandemic in April.
Beginning in Spring of 2021, CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) will require undergraduate students to take at least one 3-unit ethnic studies class. The CSU Chancellor’s Office made the determination that all 23 campuses will require ethnic studies for lower division undergraduates following the passage of AB 1460 in the state legislature.
A study conducted by three students and two faculty members in 2019 suggests this requirement may help students stay in school and graduate, regardless of their ethnicity.
“I think it’s cool that our little math project that we worked on one summer may make such a difference,” said 2020 Mathematics alumnus Avery Brunk, who is now working on her master’s degree in statistics at CSU Fullerton. “It seems to say ‘You should take more ethnic studies!’”
CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) teacher candidates planning to teach middle or high school math or science can apply for a new $8,000 residency grant funded through the CSU-wide Math and Science Teacher Initiative (MSTI).
Assistant Professor of Education Kara Naidoo, Ph.D. wrote the grant, which is called the Math and Science Teacher Initiative (MSTI) STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) Challenge. The MSTI is an effort by the CSU Chancellor’s Office to increase the number of credentialed and highly-qualified mathematics and science teachers in middle and high schools.
The Southeast Ventura County YMCA and the Columbia Memorial Space Center’s second unit of their STEM Club for local middle schoolers begins January 19 online. The session focuses on solar chemistry and runs through March 26.
Middle schoolers meet online Tuesday through Thursday from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Ventura College is offering a new two-year Veterinary Technology Program culminating in an Associate of Science degree. Classes begin spring 2021 at Ventura College’s East Campus in Santa Paula.
After successfully completing the first-year curriculum, students will receive a Certificate of Achievement in Veterinary Assistant, which will enable students to seek entry level employment in the field of veterinary technology while completing the Associate of Science degree requirements.
Join us on September 23 at 6:00 PM in our Zoom Room for a very special online performance in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month.
Core Ensemble’s mesmerizing Tres Vidas is a musical theatre work celebrating the life and work of three pioneering Latin American women – Mexican painter Frida Kahlo, Salvadoran peasant activist Rufina Amaya and Argentine poet Alfonsina Storni.
Written by Chilean poet Marjorie Agosin, Tres Vidas offers powerful portrayals of each woman and includes the singing of traditional Mexican folk songs as well as Argentinean popular and tango songs made famous by Mercedes Sosa and Carlos Gardel. Additional music by Astor Piazzolla, Orlando Garcia, Pablo Ortiz, Alice Gomez, Carlos Sanchez-Gutierrez, Michael DeMurga and Osvaldo Golijov round out the musical score.
December is a month where we celebrate the closing of our year; a time filled with excitement and anticipation of the joy we are sure to share together during the holidays. Our time of family and community renewal will be greatly altered this year by the COVID-19 pandemic as the virus continues to spread at a slow, yet aggressive, burn. Social distancing, stay-at-home orders, and intermittent lockdowns have become the new normal and move many of us to come together and connect in creative new ways. The approvals of vaccines by Pfizer and Moderna, bring hope of increased protection and prevention of the COVID-19 virus; local rollout is here and it could not come soon enough. In Ventura County and around the world, health professionals and epidemiologists can agree on two things: COVID-19 is here to stay, and the future depends on the part we play to stop the spread and — perhaps most importantly — the choices we take together as a community in doing so!
We’re proud to share that our organization has earned Charity Navigator’s coveted 4-star rating for the second consecutive year. This is the highest possible rating for demonstrating strong financial health and commitment to accountability and transparency.
Your continued support helps sustain our vital collective impact initiatives that support Education, Income, Health and housing unsheltered individuals and families.
Before the stroke of midnight, please donate and know that you have made a significant difference in our community by helping our families, friends and most vulnerable neighbors in need. Working together, we can inspire hope and create opportunities for a better life for all in 2021 and beyond. Live heroic and give generously today.
Happy New Year!
The countdown to 2021 has begun! While it’s “out with the old, in with the new” in pretty much every other respect this year, we felt compelled to bring back one of the Santa Paula Art Museum’s most inspiring exhibits from years past for auld lang syne (for the sake of old times).
From 2011 to 2013, Santa Paula artists Gail Pidduck and John Nichols embarked on a community portrait project so that they could better know and appreciate the people in their hometown. Their Santa Paula Portrait Project is now in the Museum’s permanent collection, and you can view the exhibition in its entirety online.
One of the quotes that the exhibit leaves viewers with is this one: “We have all known the long loneliness and we have learned that the only solution is love and that love comes with community.”
Our thoughts exactly this new year.
COVID-19 Testing Schedule 12/31
Testing sites closed New Years Day.
Open Saturday and Sunday.
Moorpark College, 7075 Campus Rd, 10-7
Freedom Park, Camarillo, 515 Eubanks St., 10-7
Oxnard College, 4000 S. Rose Ave, 10-7
Ventura County Fairgrounds, Enter on Shoreline Drive 9-6 (walk up location) (*A private company is also offering testing at the fairgrounds for a fee. It’s not the same entrance as the County’s walk up. The County’s tests are free.)
Santa Paula E. Main and N. Ojai 10-7
We are asking for your support. Whatever you can give at this time will ensure that this regional history and art institution will be able to continue to fulfill its ongoing mission of preserving and protecting our history.
As we move through these uncertain times, keeping our community connected is more important than ever.
If you can, please give generously and consider becoming a monthly donor today, so we can build the best tomorrow – together.
There are 993 new cases of COVID-19
There are 11 additional deaths 86 year old female, 96 year old female, 81 year old male, 70 year old male, 84 year old male, 83 year old female, 64 year old male, 87 year old female, 100 year old male, 68 year old female, and a 57 year old male, all with comorbidities. We ask that you wear masks, social distance and not gather so that lives can be saved. Please help protect vulnerable community members. Our thoughts are with the loved ones of those who have passed during this time.
9,455 new tests performed
Current doubling time is 38.2 days.
Current hospitalizations: 363 and current ICU: 66.
Ventura County Adult ICU Bed Availability 0.1%
Using active imaginations and active bodies, kids will dive into a world where anything is possible! Physical theatre blends comedy, improvisation, clowning, and acting into a one of a kind learning experience that engages students verbally, physically, visually, and intellectually. Ages 7-11 and 12-16
Greetings from the Social Justice Fund for Ventura County (SJFVC). This update is the last of 2020, a very tough year for all with the pandemic and a toxic political atmosphere. Despite all this difficulty, I take heart that there are many people, young people, struggling for fairness and equity, and trying to bend the arc of history towards justice. SJFVC, thanks to our donors and supporters, has been able to support this effort. Here is the latest update:
CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) Computer Science Lecturer Ryan McIntyre wrote his master’s thesis, he hoped his mathematical analyses could be used to enhance DNA processing.
No one was more surprised than he was to learn that graduate students in the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) had discovered his published thesis, “Bounding the size of minimal clique covers,” in the 2018 Journal of Discrete Algorithms.
Not a journal everybody reads, but the MIT group was impressed enough with McIntyre’s findings that they decided to apply them in their own research into problems with satellites.
There are 737 new cases of COVID-19
There have been 6 additional deaths: 68 year old female, 96 year old female, 63 year old female, 86 year old male, 96 year old female and 95 year old female. Those that passed away had comorbidities. Our thoughts are with their loved ones during this time.
4,317 new tests performed
Current doubling time is 28.6 days.
Current hospitalizations: 326 and current ICU: 67.
Please help bring down the numbers during this critical time.
KidSTREAM, Ventura County’s children’s museum, is moving into a new stage of growth as plans develop to open the museum to the public in 2021. kidSTREAM’s board is growing strategically by adding two members, Hillary McLoughlin and Jake Furlow, whose strengths and experiences will help guide the emerging children’s museum opening.
“We are incredibly honored to have Hillary and Jake join our team as we ramp up to open,” said kidSTREAM Executive Director, Michael Shanklin, “We are equally thrilled that both new directors bring experience, strength, and passion to serve the children of our region.”
Staff members of the Southeast Ventura County YMCA and officers from the Lost Hills Sheriff’s Department gave away almost 500 toys on Thursday at the Yarrow Family YMCA in Westlake Village.
Toys were distributed to 120 young scholars (and their siblings) who participated in last summer’s “Find My Genius” YMCA program. In addition, each family received a $100 VISA debit card donated by the Lost Hills Sheriff Foundation. Families stayed in their cars while YMCA volunteers and sheriff officers handed out toys.
CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) has received four grants that will benefit university science and math students; primary and secondary school physical education classes across the state, and perhaps provide important research for California when the state makes wildfire policy.
The virtual learning environment prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic is creating some hurdles for all students, but may be especially challenging for students taking critical math courses necessary for them to major in one of the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields.
It’s hard to know what to say at the close of a year like this one, so we thought we’d leave it to artists Jessie Arms Botke and Cornelis Botke and a new virtual exhibit of their famous handmade holiday cards.
We’ve said it before, but it’s very much worth repeating: all of us here at the Santa Paula Art Museum are so grateful to our community, members, donors, docents, teaching artists, board of directors, and fellow staff members for encouraging us to continue the work that we love and believe to be important. Thank you. We wish you a healthy and happy holiday season.
While it remains uncertain when California museums will be able to reopen to the public, the Santa Paula Art Museum already has a lot planned for 2021. Check out our upcoming virtual offerings below!
After careful consideration and in the best interest of our student athletes, coaches and athletic staff of Moorpark, Oxnard and Ventura colleges, the Ventura County Community College District (VCCCD) has decided to “opt-out” of competition for the upcoming California Community College Association (CCCAA) Spring I season at this time, a decision that affects traditional fall and winter sports. The VCCCD programs affected by this decision are football, men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s water polo, men’s and women’s cross country, women’s volleyball, men’s wrestling and women’s golf.
The staff at the MESA Program is mailing Holiday greeting cards to all their students. The project should finalize Dec. 17, with the mailing of dozens of Holiday greeting cards. Frankly, this was just a gesture of service. We later realized that it happens to tie in nicely as we conclude Final Exam Week and the fall 2020 semester.
It’s been quite an interesting semester. We care about our students and feel that every connection matters. Many students missed out on their celebratory EOY potluck(s) that traditionally take place in their respective classrooms, with fellow classmates, and at the MESA Center. The greeting cards contain a hand-written message from us staff & a pouch of hot cocoa. The idea behind this lost art is to send our students a bit of wholesome holiday cheer in hopes of making a positive impact during these most unprecedented times. It would be interesting to know how many of these students have ever received a greeting card via snail-mail vs virtually!
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Conejo Valley (BGCGCV) continues to serve the community in a safe environment during the pandemic.
The BGCGCV has kept six clubs open in a safe and secure environment following all the strict guidelines established by the CDC. Youth are kept in stable monthly cohorts to ensure distancing and safety. To date, the BGCGCV has had no cases of Covid transmission in any of the clubs.
The Library’s Special Research Collections to become home to the American Radio Archives.
Stan Mantooth this week announced his intention to retire from his position as Ventura County Superintendent of Schools effective February 1, 2021. Mantooth has served as Superintendent of Schools since he was appointed to the position in 2008. He was then elected to the office by voters three times in 2010, 2014 and 2018. “After more than 45 years in education, I feel privileged to have been – and will continue to be – an advocate for children, and I’m ready to begin the next chapter,” Mantooth said.
