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Lisa Reyes, Human Resources, Solano County Office of Education

A high school diploma, at long last, after military service – The Vacaville Reporter

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By Richard Bammer

The two men sat quietly in the front row of chairs arranged in a second-floor meeting room at the Solano County Office of Education offices in Fairfield. One was 70 years old and dressed in a beige short-sleeved silk shirt, while the other, wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt and camouflage hat, with the words “Vietnam Veteran” spelled out, was 76 and walked with a cane. Family members, SCOE employees, and a small contingent of media crowded into the room, too.

All were there midafternoon Friday, as Lisette Estrella-Henderson, superintendent of county schools, said in her opening remarks, “for a really important” occasion for the two men, Wayne Hill and Conrad Montuya Sr.: SCOE’s annual Operation Recognition, honoring military service members who were unable to complete their high school education due to their military service.

Source: A high school diploma, at long last, after military service – The Vacaville Reporter

Healthy Food curriculum takes Armijo students from garden to kitchen to video room – Daily Republic

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Nico James-Singh and Jalia Her share a vision for their futures.

Each wants to make films – or a similar vocation – as their life’s work. They even teamed up to take second place in a recent video contest, which was good enough to move them onto the state competition.

They are members of the Multimedia Academy at Armijo High, with Her, a senior, serving as president. They also find themselves among 22 of their club mates and six other Armijo students in the first-year, after-school Healthy Food Program.

Source: Healthy Food curriculum takes Armijo students from garden to kitchen to video room

Solano College Theatre brings ‘Priscilla, Queen of the Desert’ to stage – Daily Republic

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Solano College Theatre will open its next production, “Priscilla, Queen of the Desert,” April 7.

On the main stage, the show is a jukebox musical adapted from the eponymous Oscar-winning film of 1994. It tells the story of two drag queens and a transgender woman who board a battered bus to perform an epic drag show in the remote Australian desert.

The show includes songs such as “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun,” “It’s Raining Men” and “I Will Survive.”

Source: Solano College Theatre brings ‘Priscilla, Queen of the Desert’ to stage

Vallejo school district supports encampment ban near sites – Times-Herald

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By Chris Ramirez

The Vallejo City Unified School District is supporting city efforts to ban encampments near schools and daycares.

The district’s Board of Education unanimously voted Wednesday to support the Vallejo City Council’s plans to prohibit unhoused encampments up to 500 feet from its sites.

Superintendent William Spalding wrote in the resolution’s background section that the school district, while “sympathetic to the plight of the unhoused and urging all necessary steps to provide housing and support services to unhoused individuals,” seeks a ban to provide its students physically and emotionally safe learning environments.

Source: Vallejo school district supports encampment ban near sites – Times-Herald

Notre Dame School students sweep the Vacaville Citywide Spelling Bee – The Vacaville Reporter

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By Rebecca Wasik

V-I-C-T-O-R-I-O-U-S.

Two students from Notre Dame K-8 School in Vacaville secured wins in the elementary and junior high school divisions of the Grace B. Powell Citywide Spelling Bee on Wednesday at Will C. Wood High School’s Catwalk Theater.

The champion of the elementary school division is sixth-grader Luke Bantique. The winner of the junior high division is seventh-grader Margrethe Lim.

Source: Notre Dame School students sweep the Vacaville Citywide Spelling Bee – The Vacaville Reporter

Summer at City Hall internship returns for Vacaville area high school students – The Vacaville Reporter

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Summer at City Hall is back.

High school students interested in learning about local government are encouraged to apply for a four-week internship with the City of Vacaville.

The deadline to apply is March 26 and the program is open to Vacaville youth who will be juniors or seniors in the Vacaville or Travis Unified School Districts in the fall of 2023.

Interns will attend a class about local government and participate in an internship with the City of Vacaville or the Vacaville Unified School District. Students will focus on skill development, civic engagement, and local government.

Source: Summer at City Hall internship returns for Vacaville area high school students – The Vacaville Reporter

Getting a jump on college – The Vacaville Reporter

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By Richard Bammer

Vacaville High seniors on a rainy Tuesday afternoon crowded into a Solano Community College classroom in the Student Services building, their minds, eyes, and ears focused on learning what the two-year school was all about and had to offer, hoping to get a jump start on admissions.

Jumpstart was an apt word for the gathering, as it is the name of a Vacaville Unified program newly rolled out and called JumpStart Solano, which district officials describe as a “success program” designed to help and prepare Vacaville and Wood high school seniors to make a seamless transition from their respective schools to SCC.

Source: Getting a jump on college – The Vacaville Reporter

Kaiser Permanente selects Fairfield High junior for internship program – Daily Republic

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Fairfield High School junior Johan Jimenez has been selected to participate in the Kaiser Permanente Launch Internship program this summer.

The eight-week internship program will provide Jimenez with the opportunity to work at a Kaiser facility where he will receive training and experience working in both medical and nonmedical fields within the organization, according to a Fairfield-Suisun School District press release.

Jimenez will have the chance to work alongside doctors, nurses and other Kaiser professionals, “providing him with valuable insights into various careers in the medical field,” according to the press release. The program aims to prepare students for successful careers after graduation by providing them with practical experience and training.

Source: Kaiser Permanente selects Fairfield High junior for internship program

Fairfield-Suisun school board OKs latest financial update – Daily Republic

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By Susan Hiland

The Fairfield-Suisun School District’s governing board has approved the second interim financial report – a routine update on the state of the district’s finances.

The district looks to be able to meet its financial obligations in the coming budget year even with declining student enrollment, according to a staff report.

Amanda Rish, director of Fiscal Services, gave the presentation Thursday night.

Source: Fairfield-Suisun school board OKs latest financial update

Fairfield-Suisun schools trustees change up order for meeting agendas – Daily Republic

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By Susan Hiland

Changes to the order in which Fairfield-Suisun School District trustees conduct meetings drew the ire last week of an employee union leader and a trustee but was later defended by the board president as a way to encourage engagement.

Trustees voted Thursday night to make staff-recommended changes to the order of business at upcoming board meetings.

One of the changes that brought the wrath of several public speakers – including Fairfield Suisun Unified Teachers’ Association President Nancy Dunn – was moving reports for the employee unions and student board member to later in the meeting.

Source: Fairfield-Suisun schools trustees change up order for meeting agendas

Vacaville Rotary Club awarding scholarships for high school seniors – The Vacaville Reporter

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The Vacaville Rotary Club is in search of deserving students seeking scholarships to use toward college education-related costs.

The Vacaville Rotary is looking for the next generation of leaders who want to honor those high-achieving students who go beyond their regular class work and have demonstrated a passion for service above self. 20 scholarships will be awarded in the amounts of $500 to $4,000 each totaling 28k.

High School Seniors in the Vacaville Unified and Travis Unified School Districts can pick up an application in their school counseling office or online at www.vacavillerotary.org.

Source: Vacaville Rotary Club awarding scholarships for high school seniors – The Vacaville Reporter

Buckingham Collegiate Charter Academy students partner with Recology for breast cancer fundraiser – The Vacaville Reporter

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By Rebecca Wasik

National Honor Society students at Buckingham Collegiate Charter Academy in Vacaville are making a difference when it comes to breast cancer awareness.

Recology Vacaville Solano currently leases out pink trash totes for $200 a year, with all funds supporting the Solano Midnight Sun Breast Cancer Foundation. These pink totes replace the traditional gray trash totes that are standard for residents. The totes are vibrant pink to show support to those in the community who may be suffering from or are survivors of breast cancer.

Source: Buckingham Collegiate Charter Academy students partner with Recology for breast cancer fundraiser – The Vacaville Reporter

Officials invite public to Office of Education science, engineering fair – Daily Republic

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The 2023 Solano County Science and Engineering Fair will be open to community members Thursday in McCormack Hall on the Solano County Fairgrounds in Vallejo.

The event celebrates students’ achievements in science and engineering projects, work that can prove to be pathways into careers.

Solano County students in third through 12th grades were encouraged to enter this competition. Top middle and high school winners will be eligible to enter the California State Science and Engineering Fair in April.

Source: Officials invite public to Office of Education science, engineering fair

Soroptimist awards come complete with a few tears, lots of smiles – Daily Republic

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By Susan Hiland

Members of Soroptimist International of Solano County shared smiles, laughter and a few tears Tuesday at the 2023 Women Making a Difference Awards luncheon.

“There were so many qualified candidates it was extremely difficult to choose,” said Cathy Hall, Awards Committee chairwoman.

Hall has been a Soroptimist for years and spoke of getting to know these young woman who applied for the awards.

Source: Soroptimist awards come complete with a few tears, lots of smiles

What’s in a name? Honor for a retired longtime Vacaville educator – The Vacaville Reporter

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By Richard Bammer

Before Vacaville Unified leaders opened a new school in her honor, she recalled “a wonderful career that I would do again in a heartbeat.”

“It was my calling and I loved going to work every day,” said Shelley Dally in a brief email just hours in advance of the Wednesday dedication of the Shelley Dally Early Learning Village at 621 S. Orchard, the former home of the Bethany Lutheran School, across the street from Alamo Elementary.

And moments before she grasped the obligatory oversized scissors to cut the white ribbon emblazoned with VUSD lettering, Dally, a former district trustee serving for 10 years, reflected on the event’s meaning, saying the district’s newest campus is a place “where from the very beginning of a student’s education, they can come to a place that is based not only on giving them a great start in life but on equity,” a school where special-needs students “are included from Day 1 with general education students.”

Source: What’s in a name? Honor for a retired longtime Vacaville educator – The Vacaville Reporter

Retired Solano teacher receives prestigious physical education award – Daily Republic

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Cindy Lederer, who taught physical education for nearly 30 years at the Fairfield-Suisun School District, has been honored with the Verne Landreth Award from the California Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance.

“We are thrilled that Cindy Lederer has been recognized with this well-deserved honor,” district Superintendent Kris Corey said in a statement. “Her dedication to promoting physical fitness and healthy lifestyles is inspiring, and we are grateful for her many contributions to our district and this community.”

Source: Retired Solano teacher receives prestigious physical education award

Vacaville school board seeks trustee applicants – The Vacaville Reporter

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The Vacaville Unified School District Board of Education invites members of the community to apply to fill a vacancy on the Governing Board.

Application packets are available on the district’s website at www.vacavilleusd.org or in the Superintendent’s office at the Educational Services Center, 401 Nut Tree Rd., between 8 a.n.-5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Completed applications must be received by the superintendent’s office by 5 p.m. March 29, 2023. Late applications will not be accepted.

Source: Vacaville school board seeks trustee applicants – The Vacaville Reporter

Vallejo school district agrees to sale of Grant school – Times-Herald

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By Chris Ramirez

The former Grant School has been sold to the City of Vallejo for potential future development on the site.

The Vallejo City Unified School District owns two unused properties that the city is intent on purchasing. The Vallejo City Council voted last week to agree to the sale of both properties, prompting Wednesday’s school board vote on two resolutions that would accept those terms.

VCUSD’s board of education unanimously voted to sell the Grant School, built in the 1980s on a 2.63-acre property. The district sold the site for free because both options of renovating the current structure and rebuilding would cost more than its $300,000 appraisal.

Source: Vallejo school district agrees to sale of Grant school – Times-Herald

Vacaville is “building a foundation for a vibrant tomorrow” – The Vacaville Reporter

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By Kimberly K. Fu

The COVID-19 pandemic and its impacts wrought much change in Vacaville, as well as reflection.

As Mayor John Carli eloquently explained Wednesday during the State of the City address: “It was a time of renaissance. … But this year is really about building a foundation for a vibrant tomorrow.”

The address was the highlight of the Movers and Shakers Breakfast Summit hosted by the Vacaville Chamber of Commerce at the Vacaville Opera House.

Source: Vacaville is “building a foundation for a vibrant tomorrow” – The Vacaville Reporter

Travis school board OKs advance of $5.7M to cover bridge loan option – Daily Republic

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By Susan Hiland

Travis School District trustees approved a request Tuesday at the Solano County Board of Supervisors meeting to authorize the county treasurer to transfer approximately $5.7 million in one or more loans to the school district.

Gabe Moulaison, chief business officer, gave made the presentation to the board.

“Every year we have to pass this resolution,” he said. “We have plenty of reserves but we are asking for this in case later in the year that is not the case.”

Source: Travis school board OKs advance of $5.7M to cover bridge loan option