After-school program merges soccer coaching and academic tutoring
Watsonville >> Yoni Hernandez dashed around the Pajaro Middle School field at the center of a pack of students kicking a soccer ball Wednesday.
Not that long ago, the 19-year-old Cabrillo College student was a player in the Breakaway College Access Project. Now, he’s a coach in the after-school program that hooks kids with soccer and provides tutoring and mentoring to encourage them to get a high school diploma and continue on with their education.
The program is celebrating five years of operations. As a Watsonville High freshman, Hernandez was part of Breakaway’s first class.
“In my family, no one had been to college so it was the last thing on my mind,” he said. “(Breakaway) opened my eyes, and gave me the thought that college is an option to pursue a better life.”
Breakaway is the brainchild of a trio of soccer enthusiasts: coach Hillel Rom, former Watsonville High teacher Sara Roe and Carol Schimke, who brought organizational development expertise to her role as executive director.
Schimke said the idea was to channel the Pajaro Valley’s passion for soccer into academic success.
“The caliber of kids coming out of the community every year (for soccer) is astounding,” Schimke said. “We didn’t see that same caliber coming out of the classroom.”
The program, which serves about 200 students annually, started at Watsonville High and expanded to Pajaro Middle two years ago. The voluntary drop-in three-hour sessions are split between honing soccer skills on the field and sharpening academic prowess in the classroom.
Field trips to college soccer games provide opportunities for campus visits, and college coaches and players come to Watsonville as guest speakers.
Students earn points for attendance, which are converted into scholarship dollars when they enroll in college.
Every participant might not go right to college after high school, but the goal is to make sure they have the choice, Schimke said.
“We plant the seed that college is an option,” she said.
Breakaway also stresses the importance of the relationships students form with their adult mentors.
Program manager Eduardo Santana said students share their troubles with him and their joys. On New Year’s Day, for example, several texted him good wishes. To him, it was a small, but meaningful gesture.
“It showed me that I am making a positive difference in their lives,” Santana said.
Hernandez, who is majoring in sociology and plans to transfer to a four-year college in 2015, grew up in the same kind of neighborhoods as the participants. The stories he tells about his own youth — the pressure from gangs, the challenge to make good decisions — resonate with them, he said.
“I give them the thought, ‘He made it, and he’s the same as us,'” Hernandez said.
Content provided by http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/education/ci_25479741/watsonville-soccer-program-coaches-college
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Strawberry Commission looks at positive impact of Santa Cruz County’s No. 1 crop.
Watsonville >> California strawberries employ 70,000 people and contribute $3.4 billion to the state’s economy each year.
That’s according to “Sustaining California Communities,” an economic report released Tuesday by the California Strawberry Commission.
The report comes as the harvest of Santa Cruz County’s premier crop begins. More than 240,000 pounds were picked in the Watsonville-Salinas region during the week that ended March 15.
“We want people to understand it’s not just the farmers and their crews out there,” said commission spokeswoman Carolyn O’Donnell. “The community is important to farmers, and farmers also realize it’s important how they integrate with the community.”
Nearly 90 percent of U.S.-grown strawberries come from California. Watsonville-Salinas is the top producer among the state’s four strawberry regions, accounting for 47 percent of the total harvest of nearly 1.8 billion pounds in 2013, according to commission statistics.
The industry spends about $2 billion on wages, equipment and supplies, land and taxes, the report says. It generates another $1.4 billion indirectly through, for example, the restaurants and grocery stores that cater to agricultural workers and the police and teachers funded by the estimated $108 million the industry pays in taxes.
And it’s not just the berry-producing counties on the Central Coast and Southern California. Nurseries in the northern part of the state produce 2 billion plants for transplant in the strawberry fields.
The industry is labor-intensive, requiring a large pool of workers to handpick berries. But mechanics, researchers, educators and forklift drivers are among the thousands who work in berry-related jobs.
The report doesn’t assess costs associated with the industry, such as subsidized housing for low-wage workers. O’Donnell said that would require a more comprehensive and expensive report. But she pointed to the industry’s charitable giving. The report notes as an example, the $2 million in scholarships awarded by the commission to the children of farmworkers since 1994.
Read the entire article here.
Content provided by http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/watsonville/ci_25370176/study-strawberries-boost-ca-economy-by-3-4
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Plumbers, electricians, carpenters, tree surgeons and roofers who perform skilled work on a customer’s premises are just a few examples of artisan contractors. These workers are also called casual contractors. Piano tuners, interior decorators, exterminators and other skilled service providers are also considered artisan contractors. These contractors require special insurance for their tools and equipment, which are commonly moved from one site to another until each job is finished. The most affordable and efficient way for an artisan contractor to get liability and property coverage is to obtain a Business Owners Policy that is tailored to fit individual needs. Although they might be marketed under varying names, such policies usually have similar terms.
Property owned by the business and real property are covered by the BOP. The property must be located at the address of the business described in the policy. Businesses that lease or rent their locations have coverage from the BOP for tenants’ betterments and improvements. These include any installations, additions or alterations that cannot legally be taken away from the premises. Equipment that moves from one site to another and valuable machinery are items that pose the greatest risk for a significant loss. Such items are not covered under a standard property insurance policy. These items are classified as movable property, which means special contracts are required to obtain insurance. These special contracts are called floaters.
Various types of equipment and machinery are covered during transit with an installer’s floater. They’re also covered during testing. In some cases, building materials might also be covered. Policies may be written to include coverage on a reporting form or for a single job. This means that the contractor provides information to the insurer regarding each new contract. Tools and equipment floaters provide coverage for the property that is insured. Coverage is extended to any location where the movable property is used.
Liability coverage is essential for all contractors. If a customer files a lawsuit, this type of coverage will certainly be required to protect the contractor. Subcontractors’ customers might require individuals who work for them to have Owners and Contractors Protective Liability insurance. This type of coverage provides protection for business owners from liabilities resulting from negligent acts committed by contractors or subcontractors. It’s best to speak with one of our agents to learn how this type of coverage works. There might also be coverage for certain vehicles. Speak with us to learn what types of coverage are available for vehicles that are used primarily for business.
Content provided by Transformer Marketing.
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I recently did a workshop for a group of CEOs at which the Chair asked the participants, “What single piece of wisdom have you learned about managing people?” Here are some of their responses:
Don’t try to manage more than seven reports at a time.
Be firm, but fair.
Focus on the problem and not the person.
Never look a gift resignation in the mouth.
Be direct; people want the truth and nothing but the truth.
Tap into the company’s informal communication network.
Don’t take things personally (one of Don Miguel Ruiz’s Four Agreements).
Never take sides.
Listen (can you listen to someone for five minutes straight without any interruption, criticism, or judgment?).
Be slow to hire and fast to fire (a popular topic in the workshop!).
Bear in mind that a decision driven by emotion, is not driven by logic (or, as I like to say, if it doesn’t make sense, don’t try to make sense out of it!).
Content provided by Transformer Marketing and http://humanresources.about.com/od/icebreakers/a/icebrker_wisdom.htm
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The United States has been dominating the 2014 Sochi Olympics, leading with an impressive 23 gold medals. Russia and the Netherlands is close behind with 22 gold medals each. Here’s a quick recap:
| UNITED STATES STATISTICS |
Gold |
Silver |
Bronze |
| Alpine Skiing |
1 |
1 |
2 |
| Bobsled |
0 |
1 |
2 |
| Figure Skating |
1 |
0 |
1 |
| Freestyle Skiing |
2 |
2 |
2 |
| Luge |
0 |
0 |
1 |
| Skeleton |
0 |
1 |
1 |
| Snowboard |
3 |
0 |
2 |
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If you’ve been to our office, chances are. Mary Myrick-Sunkler, CISR, CPIW is a central California coast native. Mary has been in the insurance business since 1988 giving her 26 years of experience. Mary has worked with Scurich Insurance Services for 15 of those years, starting in 1998.
Mary graduated from Monterey High School and went onto graduate from Monterey Peninsula College. Mary is a member of the Insurance Professionals of Monterey Bay which is a local chapter of National Association of Insurance Women.
In Mary’s spare time, she is an avid walker, loves bicycling, gardening, camping and cooking.
Stop by our office to say, “Hi,” to Mary today.
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