Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/859531
C T A S I T E R E P S — your union representatives on campus — voluntarily give their time to defend your rights, monitor and enforce the contract, advocate to improve your working conditions, and convey your concerns to chapter leadership. ey also create and maintain a member bulletin board, with such information as names and contacts of chapter officers, a copy of the current contract, details of members' rights and benefits, and relevant activities, events and other news. CTA's Kings/Tulare UniServ Unit (KTUU) takes bulletin boards at its sites one step further, with a reward program for boards that look good as well as keep members updated and informed all year long. Winners are eligible to receive prizes, including Kindle Fires. It's a good way to recognize hard work done by unsung heroes. A few samples from artful KTUU site reps are on this page. CTA can send local chapters bulletin board kits for site reps including buttons (above), door signs and cards to hand out to members. Contact lwilliams@cta.org for kits. Board Reward Site reps recognized for bulletin boards that say it all Paper Trail Winners of the Merced/Mariposa Teachers UniServ and Service Center Council WHO Awards received great community cover- age from the Merced County Times, always nice to see. Walmart Store General Manager Lee McNeil is joined by his associates and Merced Chamber Ambassodors as the ribbon is cut to celebrate the newly re- modeled Walmart Store on Olive Avenue in Merced. BY BEVERLY BARELA beverlybarela@ midvalleypub.com The Merced/Mariposa Teachers UniServ & Serv- ice Center Councils and the California Teachers As- sociation ("CTA") honored local educators and sup- porters of education at an Awards Banquet held at the Merced Senior Center on the evening of May 10. The Merced/Mariposa Teachers UniServ & Serv- ice Center Councils, which was founded in 1999 and is located at 510 W. Main Street in Merced, has 18 chapters and over 2,500 members. It operates as CTA for the local area. Enthusiasm ran high among the attendees as the guest speaker, Dr. Earl Wiman, took the floor. Dr. Wiman currently sits on the National Education Associ- ation Executive Commit- tee. He earned a doctorate in Education from Trevecca Nazarene Uni- versity in Nashville, worked for 35 years in Ten- nessee's public schools as a kindergarten teacher, li- brarian and principal, and was formerly President of the Tennessee Education Association. He thoroughly enter- tained the audience with hilarious anecdotes from his life. His stories, deliv- ered with a heartfelt style and in a charming South- ern drawl, translated into powerful lessons in leader- ship in the field of educa- tion. Dr. Wiman told a story about driving in a new area, which began, "I was from east Tennessee, where it was flat, delta." A woman in a car looked at him and yelled, "Pig!" Thinking she should not be doing such a thing, he yelled back, "Cow!" Then he went around a bend, and there he saw a pig. Amid the laughter, Dr. Wiman delivered his mes- sage: "As a leader, you need to understand the culture; get a good ground- ing on what's going on." He encouraged his lis- teners to be the kind of leaders who get their facts straight, and do what's right by the kids. His second grade hero was the teacher who found out he "couldn't read a lick" and gave him a penny for every word he read cor- rectly. He exclaimed, "We re- ally do have to be relent- less!" One of his favorite quotes by Ellen Goodman is: "I have never been es- pecially impressed by the heroics of people who are convinced they are about to change the world. I am more awed by those who struggle to make one small difference after another." He concluded, "Through these recipients tonight, we are honoring all of you in the schoolhouse who have chosen to be a hero to students." After Dr. Wiman spoke, guests dined on a delicious meal featuring green salad, freshly-baked bread, an entree of steak and chicken or vegetarian ravi- oli, potatoes, carrots, and dessert. Cocktails, wine and beer were available. The awards ceremony began with Day of the Teacher Donation Presen- tations. $2,000 was donated to Ronald McDonald House, a resource found at 90 per- cent of the world's top chil- dren's hospitals. It offers financial help for the ill child's family by providing meals and lodging nearby. The donation was ac- cepted by Jim and Sabra Abbate. A $2,000 donation was also made to Make-A-Wish Central California, which grants the wishes of chil- dren with life-threatening medical conditions. The local branch is currently working on completing its twenty-fourth wish in the past year. To enhance the experience for the child, the non-profit works hard to get the child's school in- volved, and even the city's mayor if possible, so as to harness the kindness of the entire community. The donation was accepted by Carol Madruga and Cora Gonzales. Next, the Local Gold Awards were presented, which are awards given to public officials, individual citizens and local organiza- tions for their support of education. Dos Palos/Oro Loma Teachers Association: Dos Palos 4-H. It has over 70 members, who are learning and serving through projects such as raising and showing ani- mals. Nikki and Tayla Tatarakis, young 4-H mem- bers, accepted the award. Los Banos Teachers Association: Colleen Menefee. She has been a supporter of education in Los Banos for 30 years. Among other things, she has been a classroom volunteer, Par- ent Club organizer, a school board trustee for 25 years, and a contributor to local scholarships. She has played a vital role in the creation of some of our local non-profit organiza- tions which promote liter- acy, such as the Los Banos Friends of the Library and the Los Banos Arts Coun- cil and Los Banos Commu- nity Foundation. Preceptor Xi Nu. A group of five women --- Charlotte Affonso, DiAnn Gauper, Lilliana Pereira, Susie Lucero and Wilma Soares --- raised money for food and clothing for needy families and helped families in emergencies, such as fires. Merced City Teachers Association: The Merced Symphony Association. It presents Children's Concerts to more than 2,000 Merced County elementary school students each year and provides education pack- ets to each teacher in ad- vance to help students learn about the instru- ments and music in prepa- ration for attending the concert. Humberto ("Tito") Mar- tinez. He is a yard duty se- curity team member at Joe Stefani Elementary School, who has built a positive rapport with 500 students and has helped the school expand its after-school sports program. Audrey (Penny) Brooke. For 36 years, she has been an Instructional As- sistant (mostly at Fremont Elementary School). After performing her job duties, she donates the rest of her day to the school, doing things such as working with small groups of stu- dents. Hilmar Teachers Asso- ciation: Marta Wickstrom. She was approached to provide weighted blankets for ele- mentary school classroom comfort corners. She gath- ered her sewing club to- gether and they went to work to make sure all the elementary teachers had hand-made heavy- weighted blankets. She is thoughtful and generous, with a huge heart for stu- dents, staff and commu- nity. The next awards pre- sented were the local WHO (We Honor Ours) Awards. Dos Palos/Oro Loma Teachers Association: Leslie Antonetti. She started her teaching career in Dos Palos in 1980 and began teaching at George Christian Continuation High School in 1995. Hilmar Teachers Asso- ciation: Andy Danbom. He has been an educator for over 25 years, and is a favorite of the students and leader of the Christian club. Merced Union High Teachers Association: Blaine Barrick. He teaches the French lan- guage and has inspired many students. He pro- motes equity and tolerance and believes in recognition for everyone. As a teacher of the French language, he also teaches the culture and expands the students' experience beyond the borders of their city. Los Banos Teachers Association: James Clarke. He has been a teacher for 47 years. He began his career teaching Special Ed. and then taught Ceramics. He was the first to start the Special Olympics for the district's students, and he started a charity event in- volving the crafting of ce- ramic bowls, which were then filled with soup for the needy. Jason Walsh. He is a History teacher at Los Banos Junior High School. After 11 years in teaching, this is his first year as the President of the Los Banos Teachers Association. He is an exceptional and ef- fective leader and a pas- sionate advocate, who is dependable and available. He has guided the Teach- ers Association through a difficult year and has been a voice of reason in times of uncertainty. He is a calmness among storms. Merced City Teachers Association: Sandra Stocking. She is a fifth grade teacher and a renowned musician. She shared her talent by creat- ing the first elementary school orchestra last year. She initially taught 14 stu- dent members, and the or- chestra has grown to 19 this year. CTA State WHO Award: Martin Thompson, III. He is a teacher at Bryant Middle School in Dos Palos, and as union presi- dent, he recently advo- cated for better salaries for teachers in Dos Palos. Executive Director's Award: Blaine Barrick. He is a union representative who meets with the chapters to negotiate contracts, and has courageously advo- cated for social and politi- cal justice. Marc Medefind. He is the voice of advocacy for local, regional and State teacher associations. He has taught for the past 32 years and is currently a teacher at Sheehy Ele- mentary School. He re- cently took his class to Sacramento, where they introduced a bill designat- ing the almond the State nut. 10 THURSDAY, MAY 18, 2017 T HE TIMES THURSDAY, MAY 18, 2017 7 THE TIMES Basketball tourney benefits Boys & Girls' Club Merced City Councilman Matt Serratto was keeping score, po- lice liaison Eugene Drummond was offering coaching advice and Police Captain Bimley West was cooking hot dogs on the grill, but in the end it was all about the kids and competitive play at the 5th annual COMVIP Basketball Tournament last Saturday at El Capitan High School. The benefit tourney that of- fered a variety of games and competitions for skilled local players was held to support on- going programs at the Merced County Boys & Girls Club. TIMES PHOTOS BY JONATHAN WHITAKER Provost & Pritchard open house in Merced Ronnie Samuelian, Mike Day, Brad Samuelson, Chuck Armstrong, Dena Traina, Zachary Baskin, Jason Toste and Kevin Johansen during the open house event to cel- ebrate the addition of Provost & Pritchard's newest office in the Merced area at 3341 M Street in Merced. Walmart Ribbon Cutting Recruiting expert Renkens to speak at El Capitan High Student-athletes at El Capitan High School and their parents will get a strong dose of reality concerning the world of college recruiting. Jack Renkens will speak at the campus theater on Thursday, May 25, at 7 p.m. Renkens will share the lessons he's learned during many years as a high school and college coach, athletic director and parent of an athlete. He founded Recruiting Realities to debunk the myths and presenting the facts about athletic recruiting for student-athletes, there fami- lies, coaches and counselors. He will provide tips for those se- rious about taking their high school talent to the next level. YARTS begins summer service The Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System (YARTS) changed to a summer schedule this week --- resuming summer service from Sonora and Fresno. Service from Mammoth Lakes will begin the first weekend in June. All schedules can be found at www.yarts.com. Passengers can book their trip in advance at using the PayPal Pro and simply show the printed confirmation to the driver when boarding. YARTS is a regional public tran- sit service that provides a year- round alternative to driving to Yosemite from Merced and Mari- posa along Highway 140, and from Highways 120, 395 and 41 during summer months. YARTS sched- ules make connections with all in- tercity transportation providers in Merced: Amtrak, Greyhound and Boutique Air at the Merced Airport, and also connects to transit providers in Mono, Tuolumne and Fresno Counties during summer operations. For more information about YARTS or the seasonal schedules, please visit www.yarts.com or call (877) 989-2787. CTA honors local educators, supporters Preceptor Xi Nu (Charlotte Affonso, DiAnn Gauper, Lilliana Pereira, Susie Lucero and Wilma Soares) was another Gold Award recipient for the Los Banos Teacher Association. A Gold Award recipient for the Merced City Teacher Association was the Merced Symphony Association. Judy Smith, President of the Merced Symphony (far right), accepted the award. Los Banos Teacher Association Gold Award recipient, Colleen Menefee (L), was nominated by Jason Walsh (R). Marta Wickstrom (L) was the Gold Award recipient for the Hilmar Teacher Association. She was nominated by Dianna deMatos (R). Leslie Antonetti (L) was the WHO Award recipient for the Dos Palos/Oro Loma Teacher Association. She was introduced by Martin Thompson (R). Penny Brooke (L) was also a Gold Award recipient for the Merced City Teacher Association. She was introduced by Gary Arzamendi (R). Nikki and Tayla Tatarakis accepted the Gold Award on behalf of Dos Palos 4-H. Another Gold Award recipient for the Merced City Teacher Association was Humberto (Tito) Martinez (L), nominated by Gary Arzamendi (R). James Clarke (L) was the WHO Award recipient for the Los Banos Teacher Association, introduced by Jim Foster (R). Sandra Stocking (L) was the WHO Award recipient for the Merced City Teacher Association, introduced by Gary Arzamendi (R). Blaine Barrick (R) was the WHO Award recipient for the Merced Union High Teacher Association, introduced by Mike Boykin (L). Barrick was also one of the two Executive Direc- tors' Award recipients. Andy Danbom (L) was the WHO Award recipient for the Hilmar Teacher Association. He was introduced by Dianna deMatos (R). Martin Thompson, III was the recipient of the State WHO Award on behalf of the Merced/ Mariposa Service Center Council. He was introduced by Jennifer Wilkin. Marc Medefind (center) was one of two recipients of the Executive Directors' Award. He was introduced by Regional UniServ Executive Directors Paul Cham- bers (L) and Terri Pinkney (R). Travis Credit Union celebrates success in the local community BY KELLY THOMAS Travis Credit Union held its annual Central Valley Community Meeting on Wednesday, May 10 at the Castle Air Museum in At- water. The event was led by the credit union's board members, senior manage- ment staff, Branch Man- ager Andrea Baptie, Regional Manager Jaimie Galeano and the CEO of Travis Credit Union Barry Nelson. They welcomed local dignitaries, including Joshua J. Mason from Congressman Jim Costa office, Louise Farley from State Senator Anthony Cannella's office, Eddie Lucero from Assembly member Adam Gray's of- fice, Rene Gutierrez from the Merced Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of- fice and Joe Pruzzo, the CEO of the Castle Air Mu- seum. Travis President Barry Nelson spoke about the progress the bank is mak- ing and significant growth in the local community. Branch staff spoke about local volunteer efforts. They also expressed pride that 26 of their members are affiliated with the U.S. Military. The event was also for several local high school students. A presentation for the Mary Keith Duff Memo- rial Scholarship was awarded to Savana Joy Carrillo, Brianna Evelyn Mejia and Paige Leigh. School representatives were also there to show support, including Principal Lee Shaw from El Capitan High School, Vice Principal Albert Gonzalez from El Capitan High School, Prin- cipal Jon Shafer from Merced High School, and Debate Teacher Mr. Freitas from Buhach Colony High School. Donations were also presented to Vice Presi- dent Rene Gutierrez of the Merced Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and to CEO Joe Pruzzo of the Castle Air Museum. The evening ended with a few raffles, dining and lots of picture taking. Created by Minervo Ramirez and Sesar Carreno, Earlimart Teachers Association. Created by Rebecca Mexicano, Tulare City Teachers Association. 67 A U G U S T / S E P T E M B E R 2 017 Created by Fran Swanson, Woodlake Unified Teachers Association.