Santa Cruz High School seniors Isobel Press and Jade Lewin are two of this year’s Poetry Santa Cruz’ county-wide poetry contest winners! Isobel and Jade will have their winning poems published in the Santa Cruz Poetry’s Competition Anthology. A celebration and poetry reading will take place THURSDAY, MAY 17 at 6:30 PM (the reading begins at 7:00) at the SANTA CRUZ COUNTY OFFICE OF EDUCATION, 400 Encinal St. The poetry reading is a free event; anthologies can be purchased at the event for $5.

Breakfast $5 per plate. Tickets available at the event. Bring Family, Friends & Neighbors!

Raffle prizes generously donated by….

Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, Disneyland, Winchester Mystery House, Roaring Camp, Shopper’s Corner, Chardonnay II Sailing Charters, The Buttery, Gayle’s Bakery and Rosticceria, Greenspace, Santa Cruz Gymnastics Center, High Ground Organics, Boulder Creek Golf Course, Cafe Cruz, The Bagelry, Alfaro Family Vineyards, Shadowbrook and Crow’s Nest, DeLaveaga Golf Course, Kayak Connection, Dharma’s Restaurant, Shampoo Chez, Harley Farms, Sunrise Cleaning Service, Palace Art and Office Supply, O’Neill Yacht Charters, Costco, Kaleidoscope, Pottery Planet, Demuth Kemos Wines, Dr. Mark Joiner, In and Out Burgers, Couch Potato, Pacific Edge, Staff of Life, Ristorante Avanti, Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music, Byington Vineyard & Winery, Shakespeare Santa Cruz, Stokes Signs.

Come experience Oaxaca’s largest Indigenous celebration, the Guelaguetza Festival in Santa Cruz! Vive Oaxaca and its Indigenous Communities, Centeotl, Grupo de Danza y Baile de Santa Cruz , in collaboration with the Santa Cruz City School District are hosting a celebration filled with music, dance, food, and art entitled “Guelaguetza”. This event will be an opportunity to share with the citizens of California the living pre-Columbian traditions that Oaxaca has to offer. Do not miss this event!

Participating Indigenous Communities include: Santiago Laxopa Ixtlan de Juárez, Zimatlán de Álvarez, Magdalena Tequisistlan,  Ejutla de Crespo, San Pablo Huixtepec, Putla de Guerrero, Huajuapan de León, Tlacolula de Matamoros, San Pedro Totolapan, Cuilapan de Guerrero, San Miguel Sola de Vega, San Cristóbal Lachiroag,  Zaachila, San Luis del Rió, Centro de Oaxaca, Santa Lucia del Camino, San Martín Tiljacete, San Pedro Ixtlahuaca, Salina Cruz, Tataltepec de Valdez Juquila, San Pedro Y San Pablo Teposcolula, Guelatao de Juárez, Santa María Xochistepec, Santa Gertrudis Zimatlan, La Raya, San Agustín de las Juntas, y San Sebastián Tutla.

Email: info@viveoaxaca.com

Web page www.viveoaxaca.com

General Admission: $10.00 and children under 5 free.

Tickets: at the event

Mark your calendars and be a part of this magnificent and historic event that will take place for the seventh time in Santa Cruz. Come witness the magic of Oaxaca’s dances and music. You will also enjoy the traditional woodwind band, Banda Siete Regiones, will be playing traditional Oaxacan music.

Santa Cruz High School’s  1st Annual Spring Celebration

Please join current families, alums and incoming families for an inspirational evening of great entertainment and art by our students, great food from clubs and teams and great company; reconnecting with old friends and new. Bring a picnic, blanket or lawn chair and enjoy the community spirit. . Food by India Gourmet and homemade tamales by ELAC will be for sale as well as many delicious desserts.

This is also opening night for the highly prized Santa Cruz High Ceramics and Jewelry Sale!

Performance Schedule:

• 5:00 SCHS Jazz Band
• 5:45 Saxaphone Quartet
• 6:15 Bagpipes
• 6:45 A Cappella Choir
• 7:15 SCHS Theater- 25th Annual Putnam Spelling Bee
• 7:30 Quasar and the Man
• Wandering Minstrels- The Ukulele Club

Students, in costume, will dine, trade and experience live entertainment from each realm as the celebrate the Humanites by making culture come alive.

This event is free. To reserve your seat(s) please use the following link to register:http://www.eventbrite.com/event/3498820065

Following the film, stay for a conversation with our panelists beginning at 2:40 p.m. to learn more about an impressive number and variety of solutions available in Santa Cruz.

Over 13 million American kids will be bullied this year in schools. Bullying has a profound impact on the bullied and the bullyers, and by extension our school communities. We are fortunate in Santa Cruz that our most of us working in and around our schools are proactive to create places where every student feels safe. But we can do more. We can always do more.

“Bully” reflects many of the challenges faced by all members of the school community, from bus drivers to teachers to administrators, when it comes to handling bullying. Many of us are still learning how to recognize and effectively respond to bullying in school, online and in our communities.

Many school faculty members may not be trained to recognize the range of bullying behaviors, others may not feel equipped to effectively intervene. Some may feel that even if they do intervene, they will not be supported by their administrators They may think their actions won’t make a difference, particularly in schools where bullying is pervasive or people attempt an attitude with the myth that “it’s just kids being kids.” By nature kids act the way most of us do most of the time. Like adults, they aare kind and come to school to learn. Feeling safe at school is a pre-requisite to learning.

The Q&A Panel will represent dozens of successful solutions and resources to creatively work on bullying incidents and trends.

There are dozens of people here in Santa Cruz who are ready to work with schools, families, and individuals who need and want a way to Empower Everyone Beyond Bullying.

Organization and programs included in the solution options are Positive Discipline, Challenge Day, The Safe Schools Project, NVC Santa Cruz, the Conflict Resolution Center, KidPower, the Common Language Program, First 5, and a myriad of coaches, counselors, mediators, and therapists. Plus fabulous articles and videos that can help in all the various ways that bullying is identified as an issue.
http://www.eventbrite.com/event/3498820065

My Fair Lady – Harbor High School

3rd and final weekend. GO SEE IT!!! FUNNY, ROUSING ENTERTAINMENT!!  This musical production of My Fair Lady is directed, choreographed, costumed and produced entirely by students. The  outstanding Harbor High Theatrical department is guided by Cathy Warner.

25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee – Santa Cruz High School

Following their exclusive preview at the 4th Annual Eddy Awards, the Santa Cruz High School Theater group opens their Spring Musical season with the blockbuster hit, 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Everyone gets into the act, including the audience in this memorable and fun show.

All Santa Cruz High theater productions are student-led and student-funded. From direction to choreography to costumes, these dedicated students put on professional productions, all as an extra-curricular activity.

Pirates of Penzance – Soquel High School

This comic operetta has sentimental pirates, bumbling policemen, dim-witted young lovers, dewy-eyed daughters and an eccentric Major-General, all morally bound to the ridiculous dictates of honor and duty. Suitable for all playgoers age six and up, with running time about 2 hours and 15 minutes. . Contact Maggie Kline, for more information: 831 429-3909 x158.

On Thursday, May 10^th, 300 high school and middle school students will arrive on the FoodWhat Farm at UCSC to harvest strawberries and make healthy smoothies, visit the food justice wall, talk to admissions officers from UCSC and Cabrillo College, transplant lettuce to take home and grow food of their own, and so much more.  While it’s sure to be hours of a fun time, there’s also a serious message at the core of this event: understanding FOOD JUSTICE and how it impacts youth and the community.

The Strawberry Blast is hosted by the “Food, What?!” Crew (a project of Life Lab —a local non-profit organization) in partnership with the Center for Agroecology & Sustainable Food Systems at UCSC, the Santa Cruz City Schools’ Wellness Committee, the Santa Cruz County Office of Education, and the Central Coast School Farm Alliance.  Generous material support for this event came from Straus Family Creamery, Live Earth Farm, Swanton Berry Farm, Everett Family Farm, and Dirty Girl Produce.

Using fun activities and the energy from fresh, organic strawberries, youth teams will be jumping on some serious health and justice issues for teens in our community. This event was created by “Food What?!” teens for Santa Cruz County middle and high school students. This event has two goals: one, to open the eyes of youth to where food comes from, and to have a positive farm experience; two, to learn about food justice and explore their own personal health. This event has been conceived and organized by two FoodWhat team members, Thairie Ritchie (16) & Sam Gouveia (19).