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The scholarship awards were presented to the students at the recent Senior Awards Night by club President Gary Olson and incoming club President Rita Abbey.
Seniors receiving $1,000 awards each were Diana Alonso, Lucia Jaime, Edgar Lozano, Shalsei Monthei and Reed Rasmussen.
The following seniors each received $750 awards Laura Arechiga, Julissa Prado, Amanda Ray, Tawny White and Haakon Williams.
The Rotary Club continues to award these scholarships each year as its primary community service project funded by its annual fundraiser “Evening in Paris” held in April of each year and thanks the community for its attendance and sponsorship of this outstanding fundraising event.
These 10 awards amounted to a record amount of scholarships given by the Kelseyville Sunrise Club to assist these graduates in furthering their college educations.
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Steps to Leadership offers stipends for completion of a year-long program designed to mentor early childhood educators, provide opportunities for professional growth, and reward those who are continuing their education.
Sessions will take place Tuesday, June 28, 6 p.m. to 7 p.m., Lake County Office of Education, 1152 S. Main St., Lakeport; Thursday, July 7, 10 a.m. to 11 a.m., Lower Lake Schoolhouse Museum, 16435 Morgan Valley Road, Lower Lake; Saturday, July 9, 10 a.m. to 11 a.m., Lake County Office of Education, Lakeport; Tuesday, July 12, 10 a.m. to 11 a.m., Lake County Office of Education, Lakeport; Thursday, July 14, 6 p.m. to 7 p.m., Lower Lake Schoolhouse Museum, Lower Lake.
Thanks to a new funding opportunity through First 5 California, the 2011-12 program offers increased stipends, as well as additional resources.
Local early childhood educators will receive intensive training on the CLASS assessment tool.
CLASS is an evaluation tool that measures the quality of teacher/child interactions and the atmosphere of the classroom or program, based on decades of research that high quality teacher/child interactions and positive climate in the classroom both have a significant positive impact on student outcomes.
For the last two years between 45 to 65 Lake County early childhood educators have completed the Steps to Leadership program each year, earning annual stipends ranging from $150 to $1,100.
The 2010-11 program was completed on June 15, and collectively participants attended approximately 800 hours of professional growth, and nearly 175 college units were attained.
Professional growth was offered on a variety of topics ranging from supporting preschool students in the development of pre-math skills, to understanding how to support a family accessing needed services, to nutritional support and education.
Ample research demonstrates the importance of high-quality early childhood education during a child’s first five years of life.
Children who attend high-quality early childhood programs are more likely to graduate from high school and far less likely to be on welfare, become criminals or teen parents, or experience debilitating health and socioeconomic problems.
Studies focused specifically on California have shown that if high-quality early childhood programming were more widely accessible, juvenile crime would fall 19 percent and the high school dropout rate would decrease by 14 percent.
Nobel Prize winning economist James Heckman, concludes that, “the most cost-effective strategy for strengthening the future American workforce is to invest greater human and financial resources in the social and cognitive environments of children who are disadvantaged, beginning as early as possible.”
Steps to Leadership is holding five orientations for the 2010-11 Steps to Leadership program.
To register for an orientation, contact The Lake County Child Care Planning Council, 707-262-4161 or email
You can also download more information at www.lakecountychildcareplanning.com and click on “Calendar.”
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The budget that passed both Houses on a majority vote will now go to the governor’s desk for review.
Although the California Community Colleges did not sustain additional cuts beyond the $290 million originally proposed in the governor’s January budget, the plan defers $129 million in funding which will increase the cumulative total of delayed state payments to $961 million, or roughly 17 percent of the system’s annual funding.
“The budget passed today falls short of our hopes for a balanced, long-term solution,” said California Community Colleges Chancellor Jack Scott. “I understand that lawmakers were required to get a budget out by June 15 and I am relieved that the community colleges did not incur cuts beyond the $290 million already proposed. However, the deferred payments and the Legislature’s inability to reduce the state’s ‘wall of debt,’ will be problematic for academic planning and may push some of our colleges to borrow money that will have to be paid back with interest.”
With statewide unemployment at 11.9 percent, masses of jobless Californians are enrolling in community colleges in order to access the training they need to return to work, according to Scott's office.
Additionally, students displaced from the University of California and the California State University systems due to restricted admissions are arriving at community college campuses by the tens of thousands to begin their higher education.
“Our colleges are attempting to meet enrollment demands but they cannot do so without sufficient resources,” said Chancellor Scott. “In 2009-10 we had to turn away 140,000 students due to course reductions. I will call upon our CEOs to provide access to as many individuals as possible but it’s extremely difficult when we are essentially asking colleges to live off of their savings accounts and credit cards.”
The demand for a community college education is continuing to outstrip resources. The California Community Colleges would have naturally grown by at least 5.5 percent in 2009-10. But instead, decreased funding caused the system to shrink by 4.8 percent.
If the governor signs the budget plan passed by the Legislature Wednesday, the California Community Colleges will have sustained more than $800 million in cuts over the last three fiscal years.
In the 2009-10 academic year, the system sustained $520 million in budget cuts which equated to 8 percent of its overall budget.
With the additional $290 million in reductions proposed for the 2011-12 academic year, it is estimated that at least 140,000 additional students will lose access due to further course section reductions and the elimination of some career training programs.
Enrollment at the California Community Colleges grew 44 percent over the last 15 years, yet per student funding in 2009-10 (adjusted for inflation) was lower than it was in 1995-96.
“I am aware of the gravity of the state’s budget problems,” said Chancellor Scott. “Community colleges can play a key role in California’s economic recovery but lawmakers need to understand that it’s time to come up with an honest solution and stop this unparalleled divestment in higher education that will hurt students and hinder the workforce for years to come.”