NON-PROFIT ORG.
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
FRESNO, CA
PERMIT NO. 220
Clovis Unified School District
February 2021

1450 Herndon Ave.
Clovis, CA 93611
Clovis Unified School District — WHERE CHARACTER COUNTS!	Volume 23, No. 7

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UPDATE

Returning to school

A-MAIZE-ING

CUSD Today

Clovis Unified elementary students who are part of the final phase of in-person instruction began returning to campuses Feb. 9 after the district received permission from the Fresno County De-partment of Public Health. The students, along with intermediate and high school students whose family opted for in-person instruction, were set to return in January but that was halted by the county

Photo special to CUSD Today. Superintendent Eimear O’Farrell visits with elemen-tary students who are attending in-person instruction at Gettysburg Elementary.

at that time.
As of CUSD Today’s print deadline, the district is waiting for the state’s response to a clarification appeal by Clovis Unified about the status of the district’s secondary schools. Most recently, in late January, county medical officials determined addi-tional secondary students would not be allowed on the district’s campuses until COVID daily rates are 25 new cases per 100,000 county population or below. State guidelines and requirements are also evolving, and may impact plans for secondary student returns toward which the district is working to implement as soon as possible.
On Jan. 27, the CUSD Governing Board adopted the newly required COVID Safety Plan that includes the updated School Reopening Plan and the COVID Prevention Plan (including the School Guidance Checklist). Copies of these documents can be found online at https://www.cusd.com/BacktoSchool2020-21.aspx.
There were about 11,000 Clovis Unified students attending in-person instruction who returned to campuses October through December, including elementary, some special education and some sec-ondary students in support programs. The return of the final phase of elementary students will bring about 2,300 more students to campuses. There are about 10,000 secondary students whose families have opted for them to return, and are waiting for that to occur.
For ongoing updates, visit Clovis Unified’s website: cusd.com. Families are also encouraged to watch for messages from Clovis Unified’s app, and to sign up for it if they have not already done so, and to look at their student’s school website.

Photo special to CUSD Today. SierraVista Elementary teacher Michael Williamson dressed in his finest corn suit while teaching students online about plants, in particular, corn. His en-thusiasm captures the spirit of what we call “Diamonds.” In honor of Clovis Unified’s 60th Anniversary –its Diamond Year –see other gems shining across the district as students and staff make the best of a challenging time.

‰See Page 9

Buchanan among Top 5 state ‘Schools of the Century’

Cal-Hi Sports recently released its current “State Schools of the Century” rankings with Buchanan High and Long Beach Poly tied for fifth place.
The four schools ranked higher (Arch-bishop Mitty High School, Mater Dei High School, De La Salle High School and Torrey Pines High School) are powerhouse schools – three of which are private schools – with deep legacies of sports dominance.
“For Buchanan High to be rec-ognized as a Top 5 State School of the Century is absolutely in-credible. This is the biggest recognition
that any school

can receive for athletics,” said Steve	France, Clovis Unified’s Assistant Super-intendent who oversees district athletics. “This is not only great news for our dis-trict, but great news for our en-tire community. We should be very proud of Bear Nation, in-cluding the ded-
icated young men and women athletes as well as the leadership, coaches and men-tors.”
Buchanan High was named the California

State Athletic School of the Year by Cal-Hi Sports the last two years and also in 2005-06. Most recently, the	Bears wrestling team won the CIF State Champi-onships for the past five years, both girls cross country and girls track and field won their first
CIF State Championship and boys water polo won the CIF Regional Championship. Other successes have been achieved since 2000 in baseball, softball, soccer and football.

The Buchanan baseball team was No. 1 in California in 2011 and 2016.
“We are very proud to have our Athletic Department mentioned with the likes of Archbishop Mitty, Mater Dei, De La Salle and Torrey Pines. These school historically are the top athletic departments not only in California, but in the U.S.,” said Buchanan Principal Joe Aiello.“This recognition vali-dates the dedication our coaches have made to build true articulated programs and the commitment from our community to give our students the best possible athletic expe-rience.”
Only one other school in the Valley made the current Cal-Hi Sports rankings for the century and it is also a Clovis Unified school. Clovis West High, which was Cal-Hi’s state school of the year in 2004-05, is No. 11 in the listing. Congratulations to the Bears and Golden Eagles!!!

Clovis Unified district, schools named to honor roll

Clovis Unified learned in January that it has been named an Educational Results Partnership Honor Roll District – the only school district in the Valley to receive the title.Additionally, 31 Clovis Unified schools were recognized as Honor Roll schools.
The schools are:Alta Sierra Intermediate, Boris Elementary, Century Elementary, Clark Intermediate, Clovis East High,

CLOVIS UNIFIED HONOR ROLL SCHOOLS

Clovis Elementary, Clovis High, Clovis North High, Clovis West High, Cole Elementary, Fancher Creek Elementary, Fort Washington Elementary, Freedom Elementary, Fugman Ele-mentary, Gettysburg Elementary, Granite Ridge Intermediate, Jefferson Elementary, Kastner Intermediate, Liberty Elementary, Lincoln Elementary, Maple Creek Elementary, Mickey Cox El-ementary, Miramonte Elementary, Mountain View Elementary, Nelson Elementary, Oraze Elementary, Reyburn Intermediate, Sierra Vista Elementary, Tarpey Elementary, Temperance-Kutner Elementary and Weldon Elementary.
The award is given to schools that demonstrate high levels of student academic achievement, improvement in achievement over time, and reduction in achievement gaps.
Each year ERP compiles the California Honor Roll under the partnership of the Campaign for Business and Education Excellence, or CBEE, as part of an effort to shine light on suc-cessful educational systems and promote solutions that have demonstrated improved student outcomes.
“These honor roll schools and districts are living proof that our students can succeed when schools are committed to re-moving educational obstacles and accelerating student success,” said ERP President James Lanich.
In total, 26 California districts and 1,834 schools were named to the honor roll based on achievement data.

Vaccinations begin ... ‰See Page 3

INSIDE:

ANNOUNCEMENTS
District air filters get boost
y
Clovis Unified began upgrading air filtration systems in every classroom, school building and district facilit . Page 3

COMMUNITY #ClovisUnifiedCares
Recently students throughout the district gave their efforts to supporting their community through acts of kindness and collection drives. Page 6

SUPERINTENDENT’S MESSAGE
Efforts driven by needs of students, staff Over the past 11 months I have regularly related
our COVID response experience to that of a journey through the unknown. Page 5

Page 2	CUSD Today	February 2021

February 2021	CUSD Today	Page 3

‰ Announcements

VACCINATIONS BEGIN: Some Clovis Unified employ-ees were among the initial eligible recipients of COVID vaccinations in January, including school nurses Sarah Wilson, left, and Stacey Kiehlmeier, seen here showing off their Band-Aid and giving a thumb’s up. In its initial phase, Fresno County’s vaccination schedule made the vac-cine available for district nurses and health aides, some staff in special education and employees 65 and older who chose to receive it.As supplies continue to become available and Fresno County moves through the distribution sched-ule, the vaccine is expected to be offered to other staff and teachers in the district in the coming months. Learn more: https://www.co.fresno.ca.us/departments/public-health/ covid-19/covid-19-vaccines.

District air filters get boost
Clovis Unified began taking additional aim against COVID and airborne particulates like dust and smoke by upgrading air filtration systems in every classroom, school building and district facility. In January, Needlepoint Bipolar Ionization units were installed to air ducts at all district high schools.
The system filters out 99% of COVID, SARS, influenza and contagions. It also minimizes particulates like ash, dust and other allergens.
All of the district’s total 2,600 ducts are expected to be fitted with the units by mid-spring.

Learn more about CART, CTE classes With high school students soon registering for classes

for the fall, virtual tours and explanations of two of Clovis Unified’s innovative learning approaches are available for students and families to review.
The Center for Advanced Research and Technology (CART) will host an informational webinar from 6 to 7 p.m. Feb. 10 online, and Clovis Unified’s Career Technical Education (CTE) held an online night in January that remains available to view on its website.
CTE Classes: Currently 3,800 Clovis Unified students are taking CTE classes like agriculture, construction, archi-tecture, video production and medical patient care. CTE classes go beyond textbooks as students participate in ex-

periences with real career and work ap-plications. The dis-trict offers 20 differ-ent areas of study; a short information video about each one can be found along with general infor-mation at www.cusd. com/ ctenight.
CART: CART is a joint learning center between Clovis Unified and Fresno Unified. Students spend half day at their home campus and half at CART, learning in one of its hands-on learning labs.Areas of study include biomedicine, biotechnology, business and finance, cybersecurity, digital marketing, engineering, manufacturing and robotics, en-vironmental science and field research; forensic research and biotechnology; interactive game design; law and order; multimedia; psychology; and web development. CART is open to students who will be juniors and seniors next year. To attend CART’s Information Webinar, go to: https://cusd.zoom.us/j/91719788007. For more information about CART, see www.cart.org.
More information about these programs is also available through school counseling centers.

Student conferences to be online, allow greater access

Clovis Unified has moved its annual student leadership conferences usually attended by hundreds into online formats this year because of COVID. The new virtual format is expected to provide a chance for even more students to attend.
“Launching the events online will increase conference availability,” said Saul Salinas, Clovis Unified’s Community Relations Coordinator.“In the past, every conference reached capacity and unfortunately students had to be turned away.”
In February and March, Clovis Unified will hold the African American Middle School Conference, the Latino High School and Middle School Conference, and the Asian Student Success Conference. The district is also a sponsor of Fresno County Office of Education’s African American High School Conference.
Salinas said the conferences’ goals are to promote culture and diversity; to expose students of diverse backgrounds to role models of their same background and heritage; to teach cultural history beyond the curriculum; and to provide inspiration in pursuing post-secondary goals.
“Historically certain ethnic groups have been left out and marginalized, and unfortunately, the data reflects a need to do something special. One event will not solve all the historical and current challenges, but it’s a good start,” Salinas said.While the conferences are specific in ethnicity in regard to conference topic, the conferences are open to any student of any ethnic background.

Each conference will feature speakers, local mentors and information about college and career opportunities. Students interested in attending can get details from their school counselor or visit www.cusd.com/IDAC.aspx.

Student Conference Opportunities:
■ FCOE African American High School Student Leadership Conference, Feb 2.
■ CUSD African American Middle School Con-ference, 1:30-3 p.m., Feb. 22, featuring Civil rights activists Joan Mulholland and Joanne Bland. Open to any middle school in the Valley. Details coming: www.cusd.com/IDAC.aspx Free of charge this year. ■ CUSD Asian Student Success Conference, 2-3 p.m., March 8, for grades 7-12. Details coming:
www.cusd.com/IDAC.aspx.
■ CUSD Latino High School & Middle School Conference,March 22, time TBD. (Combined student groups for this year only.) Details coming: www.cusd.com/IDAC.aspx.

CUSD Campus Catering honored
Clovis Unified’s Campus Catering team – or “nutritional masterminds” as The Restaurant & Food Group editor called them – recently learned it won two spots on the or-ganization’s “Food Management Top 10 Best Sandwiches” list in the Steak category.
The district’s win-ning sandwiches are the Korean Steak Sandwich (steak with gochujang flavor and citrus slaw) and Steak Al Pastor with Citrus Slaw (a combination of Mexican el pastor
spic market).
Korean Steak Sandwich          and eMiddle Eastern Both sandwiches
were served at Clovis High prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, and Campus Catering hopes to add them to the district menu when hot meals can be served again.
Steak Sandwich                     The Food Man-agement brand of the
Restaurant & Food Group is a leading resource for the onsite/noncommercial foodservice community, featuring trends and best practices, products and solutions in the segments of College & University, K-12, Healthcare, and Business & Industry dining.

Page 4	CUSD Today	February 2021

Accolades for our Clovis Unified employees

Congratulations to several Clo-	■ Sherri Johnson, Cole El-vis Unified team members who                                                                                                                                                                                            ementary First Grade Teacher, were recently recognized for their                                                                                                                                                                                            has been selected as the dis-passion, dedication, and achieve-                                                                                                                                                                                            trict’s nominee for Teacher of ment in their work.                                                                                                                                                                                                                   the Year in the Fresno County
work coordinating more than 100	down barriers, and creates
■ Jeanne Prandini, CUSD Di-	Superintendent of Schools an-rector of Nursing Services,received	nual contest. Johnson is a CSI the Fresno State Health and Hu-	coordinator, founded the man Services Hero Award for her        Jeanne Prandini               Ken Shipley           Demetra Walker-Vincent          Sherri Johnson              Richard Delgado	Building Bridges Club to break

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Ken Shipley, Clo is West girls golf	Coach of the Year fo the We tern Section
Utah) and the state! He is in his 14th year
every year.
and wellne s of tudents and sta f.	special needs come together in supportive
and in-person instruction.
staff while s also s advocating for f the health	coach, was named thev NFHS Girls’ Golf	(Arizona, California,r Hawaii,sNevada and	ways to have mainstream and children with coaching the Golden Eagles, during which	ways. She is currently teaching both online his team has been the TRAC champions          ■ Richard Delgado, Clovis West Area
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Demetra Walker-Vincent,Clovis High
Year in the Fresno County Superintendent
Employee of the Year in in the Fresno County
He is the advisor for Link Crew, Latino
Transition Student Relations Liaison, has Learning Director, has been selected as the	been selected as the district’s nominee for district’s nominee for Administrator of the	Superintendent of Schools annual contest.

CUSD Today
is also one of the founders of CUSD’s
of Schools annual contest. Walker-Vincent	Club, Native Nations Club and coordinator
ference.
Browder Scholars Program.	of the district’s Latino Student Success Con-Sierra Outdoor School (SOS) in
Sonora, one of Clovis Unified’s specialty schools, has gone virtual in order to provide an opportunity for sixth-graders to still experience the majestic science lessons traditionally experienced during three days at the camp.
Several sixth-grade classes have at-tended the remote learning sessions. Classrooms can join up to four different 50-minute lessons that engage students in topics ranging from ecology to con-servation to wildlife. Students virtually experience the forest live with SOS nat-uralists, ask real-time questions, see wildlife specimens, and might even see
a live animal if attending the raptor         Garfield Ele-class.                                                           mentary sixth-Garfield Elementary is among several          grader Hope district schools that has taken their        Persons works sixth-graders to camp remotely. Students      on her wooden Zoomed with SOS staff for their Raptors         medallion as and Conservation classes and were given             part of her lessons and materials for the Talk to         Sonora camp Trees class and Night Hike. Garfield            experience. teachers even provided students supply            Photo special to
bags that included small disks of cut	CUSD Today. wood for a necklace making project
and s’more fixings for a special camp but I did get the information. It was treat to make the experience more real. fun. I’m glad my class got to do the
“It has been so good! I’ve enjoyed lessons together.”
every minute of it,” said student Hope	Learn more on Sierra Outdoor Persons. “I didn’t get to go in person, School: https:// sos.cusd.com.

”
In the weeks and
months ahead, we
will continue to forge a
path over, under and
we will face.
”
VISION

February 2021	CUSD Today	Page 5

“
Efforts driven by needs of our students, staff

By Eimear O’Farrell, Ed.D. Superintendent

OVER the past 11 months I have regularly related our COVID response experi-
ence to that of a journey through the unknown. Along the way, we have climbed m o u n t a i n s ,

forged through
Ed.D.
uncharted terri-	Eimear O’Farrell, tory, navigated
dark valleys and high peaks in our efforts to meet the educational needs of our students and ulti-mately return to in-person in-struction on all of our campuses. This journey has caused us to lean heavily into core values to inform difficult decisions, like our decision to act quickly to imple-ment the health and safety meas-ures recommended by medical ex-perts so we could offer in-person instruction even while our county is in the Purple Tier. These efforts have required us to create new schedules, reconfigure classrooms,

invest in PPE and	level created more ques-sanitizing equip-	tions than answers and ment, create and	I, along with other su-staff new cleaning	perintendents around protocols, and recre-	the state, have submit-ate transportation	ted requests for clarifi-systems – and then	cation of inconsisten-do it all over again,	cies in these documents and again, as rec-	related to our local ommendations and	plans.
through the obstacles
requirements have                                                                                                             In the weeks ahead, evolved.                                                                                                                         our journey has an It has required                                                                                                        added focus, that of
Eimear O’Farrell, Ed.D.
us to tap into rela-	vaccinating our em-tionships with our	ployees. This work be-employees to rein-	gan in January with force confidence	many of our nurses and that these measures	health aides receiving designed for their                                                                           Superintendent	vaccinations as part of safety, that in fact	the healthcare industry. work, can be fol-	Next, we were able to lowed with fidelity.                            facilities.	obtain authorization for Our employees must know that           Today we have close to 10,000      vaccination of about 650 employees we are safely balancing their health      students learning in-person on      working in close contact with our and the health of their families      our campuses, and we are actively      students with special needs who with the needs of our students as      working with the Fresno County      cannot maintain physical distanc-we safely return to in-person in-      Department of Public Health to-      ing and 100% masking. Simulta-struction. We have delved deeply      ward receiving authorization to      neously, we are developing part-into conversations with state and      complete the return of the re-      nerships with healthcare providers local decision-makers involved in      maining 10,000+ students whose      and our own MiCare health center California’s pandemic response so      families have opted for in-person      to become a vaccination site. En-that we have a clear understanding      instruction. New guidance and      suring our educational team is of the steps to take to layer pro-      policies issued during the month      quickly vaccinated at the time ed-tection into our classrooms and      of January at the state and local      ucators are eligible is a critical leg

of our journey back to the class-room.
Along the way, we have also been fortunate to summit some peaks. Implementing the start of our in-person instructional plans last fall and being one of the first in the state to provide students some access to co-curricular pro-grams through our Return to Play protocols last June were such sum-mits.
Our offerings of a virtual Career Technical Education Night to fam-ilies on Jan. 27 and CART’s annual student showcase were other sum-mits reached by teams focused on creatively providing our students with valuable school experiences. This journey is long, and while our destination is within sight, we still have miles to go until all of our students are back in their class-rooms. In the weeks and months ahead, we will continue to forge a path over, under and through the obstacles we will face. It may not be easy and at times it may appear messy, but our commitment to you is that, rather than set up camp and wait for someone else to draw a map, we will continue to move carefully forward on this
journey.

Students share vision, hope in MLK contest

CUSD Today

Winners and honorees of the Fresno County Superintendent of Schools 2021 Martin Luther King Jr. Contests will be celebrated Feb. 11 for their insights about ways to advance freedom and justice.Among them are several Clovis Unified stu-dents who – through expressions of art, essay or speech – responded to the question:“Where Do We Go from Here? Growing the Plant of Freedom with Love and Justice.”
The question comes from a speech delivered by King in 1967 titled “Where Do We Go From Here?” in which he said,“The deep rumbling of discontent in our cities is indicative of the fact that the plant of freedom has grown only a bud and not yet a flower.” The Fres-no County contest challenged stu-

Clovis Unified student winners

Essay Contest:
Elementary: Isla Cohea, Red Bank, 1st place; Rahmatullah Fathalli, Lincoln, 3rd; Junior High: Megan Sinaga, Granite Ridge, 1st; Aminah Carter, Granite Ridge, 2nd; Maiya Levine, Granite Ridge, 3rd(T); High School:Alyssa Kelz-er, Clovis West High, 1st; Mia Scott, Clovis North, 2nd; Trisha Prajapati, Clovis North, 3rd
Art Contest:
Elementary: Karli Kennedy, Valley Oak, Runner-Up;Angeline Olivar, Red Bank, Honorable Mention; Secondary:Abigail McGill, Clovis High, Runner-Up; Keira Ngo, Kastner Intermediate, Honorable Mention (T)
Speech Contest: Elementary: Jocelyn Hanson,

Valley Oak, 2nd; Sania Jhangiani, Fugman, 3rd; Junior High: Priya Prajapati, Granite Ridge, 1st (T); Sarah Qamar, Granite Ridge, 2nd; Sharndeep Kaur, Reyburn, 3rd; High School: Trisha Prajapati, Clovis North High, 1st;Vaughn Ladd, Clovis North, 2nd; Eunice Choi, 3rd

FCSS Martin Luther King Jr. Contest:

n Feb 11

nVirtual Exhibition & Awards Program
n 5:45 p.m. Art Loop n 6 p.m. Program Zoom: https://fcoe-
org.zoom.us/j/95803910426

dents to consider how to further grow the bud of freedom.
Artwork and performed speeches can be seen at the virtual event and on the FCSS website, mlk.fcoe.org. Featured here are excerpts of
CUSD student winning essays:

■ ■ ■
As a Latina girl I imagine when I grow up, I will earn as much as any man. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Where do we go from here” speech says,“We should be dissat-isfied until everyone has justice.” He talked about “The deep rumbling of discontent in our cities is in-dicative of the fact that the plant of freedom has grown only a bud and not yet a flower.” I believe the women’s pay inequality to men is similar to this idea because there is progress, but it is not finished.What needs to be done to make sure that women earn as much money as men is to have more people involved fighting for women’s equality. We need to change the way people think of women’s value.
Women do not earn as much as men,but African American women get even less, and Latinas get even less earnings than all groups of women. The 2014 Shriver Report noted “women’s average annual paychecks reflected only 77 cents for every $1.00 earned by men.” The gap is even wider for women of color: African American women earn only 64 cents and Latinas 55. … When I grow up and get a job, I want justice to look more like a flower like what Dr. King talked about in his speech. To con-tinue to use your voice and to con-tinue to fight for equal rights – then we will start to see the flower

LESSONS

Inspirations by, for and from our CUSD students

Special to CUSD Today Valley Oak Elementary sixth-grader Karli Kennedy’s colored pencil drawing placed in Fresno County’s Martin Luther King Jr.Art Contest. She explains the drawing depicts Dr. King delivering his famous speech, “I Have a Dream,” and his words plant seeds in those who are listening and grow buds of dreams for freedom, hope, peace and justice.
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot

drive out hate; only love can do that.

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR., CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST

grow.	racial injustice. In order to move Isla Cohea	forward, we must let go of fear and Red Bank Elementary	embrace change.
■ ■ ■	America was built by challenging The discontent Dr. King talks      ideas and finding compromise be-
about in “Where Do We Go from	tween our differences. Our nation’s Here” resonates with us, especially	history is full of innovation.At the because of the events in this year.	same time, it is also full of injustice It reminded me of Bertrand Russell,	in the form of slavery and segrega-a British philosopher, who once	tion. Although we no longer see said,“Collective fear stimulates herd	this disgusting part of American instinct, and tends to produce fe-	history, we have not yet dealt with rocity toward those who are not	the core problems. Studies show regarded as members of the herd.”	that more people in America are Since the foundations of America,	imprisoned than in any other coun-and long before that, fear has led	try in the world, many of them to hatred, and we see this in acts of	African-Americans. Other studies

show that a black man is way more likely to be shot or arrested than a white man doing the same crime. The issues of racial injustice did not magically go away when slavery and segregation ended. They just changed with time. If we continue to deny that these issues still exist, we will never be able to make change.
… Differences in how we look, how we think, and what we do should be acknowledged and cele-brated, but there is more that con-nects us than what separates us. Hope can overcome the fear that tries to destroy us.
Megan Sinaga
Granite Ridge Intermediate

■ ■ ■
Author Anthony J. D’Angelo once said, “When solving problems, dig at the roots instead of just hacking at the leaves.” Too often, it appears that we attempt to solve problems without considering the root causes. This creates even more strife and conflict when a similar issue arises. Several issues still plaguing America today include racism, lifestyle dis-eases, food inequality, and environ-mental justice. Such issues intercon-nect in various ways. …
It is important to remember that the best and most efficient solutions begin with the roots. One of the first steps taken should be to listen to those impacted the most about the issues they want to address in-stead of choosing issues based on an agenda.We should also be willing to learn. We may not understand, but we ought to remain open-mind-ed and empathetic so that we can expand our understanding of these issues. Then and only then will we be able to solve these issues.
The “plant of freedom” is waiting for us, ensnared in the weeds of problems that have gone on for too long. But, like weeds, we cannot solve the issues on the surface, for they will worsen in time. We must dig deep, face the problems at the roots, and then begin to nurture and grow the “plant of freedom.”
Alyssa Kelzer Clovis West High

— ABOUT US —

CUSD Today, Clovis Unified’s good news publi-cation, is sent directly to the homes of all CUSD parents and staff, as well as district supporters. In an effort to unify the CUSD community, the newspaper highlights the achievements of Clovis Unified students and staff; profiles new and updated Governing Board policies; and shares general news and information happening within the district.
Circulation: 34,000.
Funding: All costs associated with producing, printing and mailing CUSD Todayare entirely funded by our advertisers. To show your appreciation of their support, we ask you to consider patronizing these businesses and services as the need arises.
Story submissions: Please submit all ideas to the Site Coordinator at your school. Please contact your school to find out who your Site Coordinator is. Editorial deadlines are two weeks before the pub-lication date.We do our best to include as many sub-missions in each issue as our editorial space will al-low.

CUSD Today Staff

Publishing & Editorial Clovis Unified School District 1450 Herndon Avenue Clovis, CA 93611 Telephone (559) 327-9094 Fax (559) 327-2957 cusdtoday@cusd.com Kelly Avants, APR
Chief Communications Officer
327-9092 Patti J. Lippert Managing Editor
327-9094 Sara Almaraz
Advertising Specialist 327-9095 Verna Garcia
Graphic Designer

CUSD Governing Board Members

Steven G. Fogg, M.D.	Susan Hatmaker	Tiffany Stoker Madsen President                                      Vice President                                         Clerk

269-7000	288-2743	392-1014

o
Hugh H.Awtrey                David DeFrank               Y landa Moore                Betsy Sandoval 437-6580                            327-9000                            327-9000                             291-7564

CUSD Administration

Eimear O’Farrell, Ed.D.	Norm Anderson Superintendent                                                    Deputy Superintendent
327-9100	327-9107

Robyn Castillo, Ed.D.	Corrine Folmer	Barry Jager	Michael Johnston Associate Superintendent      Associate Superintendent Associate Superintendent Associate Superintendent
Instructional Services	School Leadership	Human Resources and	Administrative Services 327-9373                            327-9350                   Employee Relations                  327-9110
327-9308

Page 6	CUSD Today	February 2021

District students show compassion, good citizenship CUSD Today

During the recent holiday season and winter months, students throughout the district gave their efforts to supporting their community through various acts of kindness and collection drives. Events looked different because of COVID restrictions, but the en-thusiasm and lesson learned about com-passion, caring and good citizenship re-mained strong.
“We are on a mission to build champions for life and part of the way we grow cham-pions is by teaching students to be a cham-pion for others,” said Oraze Principal Robyn Snyder of her school’s canned food drive. “Giving back to our community is just one way, our Bearcats are making an impact on those around us.”
Here’s a sampling of #ClovisUnified-Cares:
■ Alta Sierra Intermediate collected and gave more than 3,000 food items to Clovis Rotary, which made food baskets for local families in need. ASI leadership students helped receive the donations during drive-thru drop offs.
■ Clovis Elementarylearned about grat-itude through a Positivity Project, and stu-dents were then encouraged to donate non-perishable food to show #positivityinaction. Hundreds of items were collected and also given to Clovis Rotary for their program.
■ Clovis East High Air Force Junior ROTC cadets volunteered for Operation Christmas Child, helping sort shoe boxes filled with toys and preparing them for shipping. There were 47 cadets who gave 163 hours of service for the project that sends gifts to children in countries from

Photo special to CUSD Today. Clovis West and Kastner’s pep and cheer’s Jordyn Sanders and team members made blankets for the Poverello House.

Photo special to CUSD Today. Clovis West High’s Juliana Solorio and stu-dents in the Functional Life Skills program made holiday cards for the elderly.

Rwanda to Ukraine.
■ Clovis East FFA students also prepared 86 filled shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child. In addition, the group held a canned food drive and students collected more than 1,000 nonperishable items that were donated to the Poverello House.
■ Clovis North High held its annual food drive, donating the collection to Rotary for distribution. Clovis North’s Interact Club made ornaments for senior citizens at Cedarbrook Memory Care Facility.
■ Clovis West High held many projects. The Functional Life Skills Program made holiday cards for the elderly and collected blankets and jackets for the homeless. The school held a food drive that helped feed 200 families during Thanksgiving. The SOAR office and Fresno Food Bank distributed 50 food baskets to CW area families. The lead-ership team and a local tree lot gave 26 Trees for the Troops and 21 wreaths that were delivered to military sites.
■ Clovis West High and Kastner Inter-mediate’s pep and cheer programs made blankets, sharing their work together while on Zoom. The cheerleaders made more than 80 blankets that were given to a women’s shelter, Poverello House and a school.
■ Cole Elementary held its annual food drive in November run by the PTC Cole Cares Committee and in partnership with Faith Community Church. Food donations were used to supply the fixings for full Thanksgiving dinners for 20 Cole families. ■ Freedom Elementary joined in the Toys for Tots drive and collected more than 100 toys. Members of the Student Council encouraged their peers during Zoom meet-

Photo special to CUSD Today.	Photo special to CUSD Today. At Garfield Elementary, Michelle Weber and     Clovis North High’s Alzheimer Club mem-Jonathan Davies stand among donations for     bers made cookies for residents of a retire-the Giving Tree drive.                                    ment home to enjoy.

ings and also made videos for all classes          ■ Kastner Intermediate Random Acts of promoting the efforts.                                      Kindness Club spread holiday cheer. Student ■ Garfield Elementary held a Giving     members collected and filled 20 boxes with Tree, where families sponsored a child from     hygiene products, toys and school supplies
sister school SierraVista Elementary.A total	to be sent to children around the world.
of 129 children were gifted a toy and clothing.         ■ Oraze Elementary’s Student Council ■ Gateway High continued its tradition     organized a canned food drive. Two large
of participating in the annual Toys for Tots	bins were filled with non-perishables like drive, although it looked a little different.	rice, canned corn and beans. The food was Led by the school’s Access Team, which is	given to Clovis Rotary for distribution. part of the CUSD Transition Program, the          ■ Valley Oak Elementary teacher Kristi drop-off collection drive filled three boxes	Vincent and the Student Council organized full of books and toys. In non-COVID times,	Blessing Bag. The school made bags for students and staff partner with Odd Fellow	those in need containing items like body members at a dinner where toys are donated,	wash, combs, sunblock, socks, toothbrush and the students serve meals and sing songs.	and bottled water.

Photo special to CUSD Today. Alta Sierra Intermediate leadership students Adi Engelbert, Sadie Munro and Cole Fennacy received non-perishable items during a drive-thru drop off for the school’s Canned Food Drive.

AROUND THE DISTRICT

February 2021	CUSD Today	Page 7

Photo special to CUSD Today. Evalin Mota shows her graduation certificate from Clovis Adult’s Nurse Assistant Program.

Nursing careers begin
Thirty-six graduates of Clovis Adult Education’s Nurse Assistant Program were celebrated recently during a drive-thru graduation event. The men and women who completed the 14-week program will next take the State Board exam to be certified, which previous CAE students had a 99 percent passage rate! According to CAE Principal Ed Schmalzel, many of the students plan to next enter the Vo-cational Nurse Program at Clovis Adult, which is overseen by Clovis Unified.

More than a game at Cedarwood

Photos special to CUSD Today. A drive-thru graduation was held for students who completed the Browder Scholars Program. Pictured, clockwise from left, are Nia Jackson (Clovis High); Nathan Lambert (Clovis West); and Imani Nur (Buchanan High), second from left with instructors Darryl Miller, Sean Ford and TaraWills.
Browder Scholars graduation Students who completed the Browder Scholars cultural	Its curriculum provides an awareness ofAfrican heritage,

immersion program had a special drive-thru graduation	history and culture. In its second year in CUSD, the following the conclusion of the five-week voluntary aca-	course was open to all high school students, and partici-demic course. The Browder Scholars was developed by	pants met five Saturdays in a rigorous learning environ-Dr.Anthony Browder for students to explore the history	ment. Congratulations to all of these hard-working stu-of the African experience in the United States and abroad.	dents! Great job!!!

Cedarwood kindergartners in Elizabeth Aniotzbehere’s class put their imaginations to work and built their own arcade games out of cardboard after watching a documentary video on Zoom called,“Caine’sArcade.” The video discussed what it’s like to create something with your hands compared to on a computer.
“The students were so excited,” said Aniotzbehere of the one-week project to use cardboard and creativity to make their game. “The presenter was required to tell us how the game worked, how much it cost to play, and what the prize would be if there was a winner. The students lis-tening offered compliments about what they liked about the presenter’s arcade game.”
The games included “Colton’s Ring Toss,” “Spencer’s Skee Ball” and “Thomas’ Ball Toss.”
Aniotzbehere said the lesson provided different learning skills including fine and large motor skills, thought process, cause and effect, critical thinking, listening skills and speaking skills.

Emmys for Buchanan?
Buchanan High student productions were among the nominees announced recently by The Foundation of The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for the

2020 National Student Production Awards. Winners will be revealed during a web stream in February and presented with Emmys.
Buchanan nominees and their award categories are:
■ Audio/Sound: “The Wrong Way,” Noah Roberto, (Daniel Pearce, advisor)
■ Director:“We Belong Together,”Madi Barrett,(Pearce, advisor)
■ Editor:“We Belong Together,”Barrett and Nate Long, (Pearce, advisor)
The nominees were selected from more than 2,000 entries from regional chapters of The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and judged by industry professionals.

Global view at Maple Creek
When Maple Creek Elementary School could not hold its annual Multi-cultural Fashion Show in person, not only did the school move the program to online, but it also recreated the show into an innovative, engaging new for-mat.
Using a world map and pins for viewers to click on, stu-dents shared a cultural selfie and information about their backgrounds. Student profile pins are literally spread all

around the globe! Check it out! https://padlet.com/jordan-sharp1/zjsl6rc0k78u007y

Art contest winners
Clovis Veterans Memorial District announced winners of its annual Veterans Day Contest held for Clovis Unified students.
Grand Prize winners are:
■ 2020 Veterans Art Contest Grand Prize – Mikhayla De Asis, fifth grade,Young Elementary
■ 2020 Veterans Essay Contest Grand Prize – Hope Pehrson, eighth grade,Alta Sierra Intermediate
■ 2020 Veterans Day Digital Media Contest Grand Prize – Layla Samouie, ninth grade, Clovis West High
Other first-place winners for grade levels are: Lorenzo Gastelum, kindergarten, Garfield Elementary;Chloe Harris, first grade, Liberty Elementary; Evelyn Hanson, second grade, Valley Oak Elementary; Danica Martinez, third grade, Mickey Cox Elementary; Mikeely Woods, fourth grade, Dry Creek Elementary; Abigail Nevin, fifth grade, Young Elementary;Francheska Requina, sixth grade, Reagan Elementary; Isabelle Balubar, seventh grade, Alta Sierra Intermediate; and Ava Helsley, eighth grade, Kastner In-termediate.

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February 2021	CUSD Today	Page 9

➤ BOARD BRIEFS

Board discusses on-going efforts to navigate the COVID pandemic

Diamonds SPARKLING GEMS IN THE DISTRICT

By Kelly Avants, A.P.R. Chief Communications Officer

Jan. 27
The Clovis Unified Governing Board heard a report on the district’s on-going pandemic response and new state and local guidance and policy documents released during January. The district is poised to bring back its final phase of students awaiting in-person instruction when the Fresno County Department of Public Health’s es-tablished criteria of case counts at 25 cases or less per 100,000 population is reached.
The board adopted the COVID-19 Safety Plan that includes the School Guidance Checklist, COVID-19 Prevention Plan and the current School Reopening Plan, which fulfill new reporting requirements. These are online at https://www.cusd.com/Back-toSchool2020-21.aspx.

Jan. 13
The board discussed the legal obligation of the district as a public agency to comply with guidance and direction given by the Fresno County Department of Public Health under the Governor’s March 2020 Executive Order; efforts to accelerate the pace of vac-cinations in the community; and on-going work to implement multiple health and safety measures in the workplace.
In other action, the board:

■ Approved new courses of study to be offered during the 2021-22 school year. These include Accounting (at all five com-prehensive high schools), Digital Information Technology (Clovis Online), Honors Math 1AB (Clovis Online), Innovation and Product Design (Clovis North), and Introduction to Computers & Technology (Clovis On-line).

Dec. 11
Newly elected board members were seated and the annual organization of officers oc-curred.Yolanda Moore, David DeFrank and incumbents Hugh Awtrey and Dr. Steven Fogg took the Oath of Office beginning their four-year terms. During the reorgani-zation, Dr. Fogg was elected to serve as president, Susan Hatmaker as vice president, and Tiffany Stoker Madsen as clerk, serving in these roles until December.
In other action, the board:
■ Approved the First Interim Report and adopted a positive certification indicating that the district will be able to meet its fi-nancial obligations for the remainder of the 2020-21 fiscal year.
The next regularly scheduled meeting of the Governing Board will be held Feb 17, with the public portion at 6:30 p.m. Complete agendas and minutes are available online, along with videos of meetings of the Board, at cusd.com.

Clovis Unified’s 60th anniversary year is unlike any other with the challenges resulting from the COVID pandemic. But in this, our Diamond Anniversary year, there are many ways students, staff and families are shining brighter than ever as they make the best out of difficult situations. We salute these diamonds that illustrate the strength and character of Clovis Unified.

GOOD TO KNOW YOU: Gettysburg ementary is sharing on social media to their Elementary created its official Instagram school community that encourage positivity account in January and began weekly posts and doing one’s best. “It’s not that I’m so shining a spotlight on a staff member who smart, it’s just that I stay with problems shared fun facts about themselves. Plant longer,” says Einstein. “If you want to lift Supervisor Cruz Rodriguez said he loves yourself up, lift up someone else,” says Wash-his family, camping and watching the Raiders. ington.What great inspiration for us all! Functional Life Skills kindergarten teacher	u u u
Jordyn Mora let the Gettysburg Generals	SHARING STORIES:An old newspaper know she loves M&Ms, is a proud dog mom dispenser stand has been transformed into and has been to three countries that all a Little Library at
begin with the letter “I.” And Transitions Garfield Elementary Liaison Taylor Reeves shared she played where books can be soccer in college, is engaged and is the oldest taken home and of six girls. Those really are some fun facts! kept     to     enjoy. u u u                             Jonathan Davies,
BARISTAS AT FUGMAN: Celebrating who hand painted the end of a great the stand with Cubs Second Quarter, designs, and school administrators at parents worked on Fugman Elemen- making this hap-tary set up the pen. Already,several Fugman Coffee books have been
Shop in the hall- donated to the school to be added to the way for staff stand.
members to en-	u u u
joy coffee and at	NEW SCHOOL MASCOTS? Students baked treat. So at Jefferson Elementary recently were invited proud of the stu- to share photos of some of their best friends
dents and staff for their commitment and                                             – their pets! For hard work, exclaimed Principal Michael Ol-                                             those students in son. Now that’s a whole “latte” love!                                                         online instruc-u u u                                                                  tion, these furry #WOLFPACKMEANSFAMILY: And                                             friends can offer family takes care of one another. That’s                                             a lot of fun during exactly what Clovis East High learning di-                                             break times. The rectors did when they surprised Clovis East                                             school put all the teachers with “Something Out of the Blue                                             submitted photos Because We Appreciate You!” treats. Blue                                             and videos to-drinks and blue bags of cookies, peanuts                                             gether in a fun and candy were wrapped and given out as a                                             slideshow. A few way of thanking teachers for the dedication                                             standouts includ-they have to their work and students.              ed a cool, spotted lizard named Lizzy, and a u u u                             silly pup named Ophelia who, from inside
AND YOU CAN QUOTE THAT!: The the car, tried her hardest to put a stop to wise words ofAlbert Einstein, Martin Luther the wiper blades that were sliding across King Jr., Booker T.Washington and Deepak the car windshield. (The car was parked so Chopra are among the quotations Boris El- everyone was safe!)

Page 10	CUSD Today	February 2021