PRSRT STD ECRWSS U.S. POSTAGE PAID SAN DIEGO, CA PERMIT NO. 835
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THE RANCHO SANTA FE NEWS
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SERVING NORTH COUNTY SINCE 1987
VOL. 14, N0. 15
JULY 20, 2018
RSF schools chief makes ‘sudden’ exit By Christina Macone-Greene
DOG’S BEST FRIENDS
On July 10, a firetruck and three firefighters from Rancho Santa Fe Fire Station 3 pulled up in front of Helen Woodward Animal Center with a rescue of a different kind. The emergency? A tiny dog cuddled in the arms of Fire Engineer Brian Ciuchta, center, had been found during his evening run in Sycamore Canyon. The pup had no microchip and “she was miles away from any home and she wasn’t wearing a tag,” Ciuchta said. “I knew if I didn’t take her with me, she was definitely going to be food for a coyote.” If you recognize the dog, contact Rancho Santa Fe Fire Station 3 at (858) 756-4730. Courtesy photo
RSF Girl Scout earns highest honor RANCHO SANTA FE — Roni Nelson of Rancho Santa Fe recently earned her Girl Scout Gold Award — the highest achievement in Girl Scouting — by addressing student mental health issues. For her Gold Award project, Nelson took on the issue of high school students becoming over-stressed with school, sports and extracurricular activities. She founded and led The Bishop’s School’s Anti-Stress Hangout, or BASH, a club to combat student stress and mental health issues. To empower six other high schools to start their own anti-stress clubs, she shared the successful curriculum she researched and developed. Nelson joined Girl Scout Troop 1095 as a Brownie in first grade, and continued with Girl Scouting through her senior year. A fourth-generation Girl Scout, Nelson earned a Silver Award as a Girl Scout Cadette, and Bronze Award when she was
Roni Nelson
a junior. In addition, she has served on Girl Scouts’ Girl Advisory Board and as a camp counselor-in-training. As one of 25 Emerging Leader Girl Scouts of 2018, she participated in Girl Scouts San Diego’s Cool Women luncheon and mentoring session in April. In addition, she was Girl Scouts San Diego’s top cookie entrepreneur for seven consec-
utive years, with her cumulative sales topping 25,000 boxes. She used her cookie earnings for Girl Scout leadership experiences like community service, camp and travel. Through the Girl Scout Destinations program, Nelson has gone surfing in Costa Rica, and backpacking on Mt. Fuji. During a trip to Peru, the Spanish-speaking teen summited Pumahuanca at 15,000 feet, went to Machu Picchu, volunteered at an orphanage and visited a llama and alpaca farm. Most recently, she explored Iceland. Outside of Girl Scouting, Nelson is an avid dancer and was named a California Arts Scholar in 2016. She was a commended student in the National Merit Scholarship program in 2017, and was inducted into the Spanish National Honor Society in 2016. She graduated from The Bishop’s School this spring, and will attend UCLA in the fall.
RANCHO SANTA FE — The board of the Rancho Santa Fe School District announced on July 9 that it accepted the voluntary resignation of Superintendent David Jaffe. The District posted the announcement on its website. While Jaffe’s effective date of resignation is July 31, 2018, he was not present during the district’s regular board meeting on July 12. B o a r d members provided no information about Jaffe’s upcoming departure, which was described as “sudden” by RSF Faculty David Jaffe Association President Amanda Valentine during public comment. “The sudden resignation of our Superintendent David Jaffe has shocked and concerned the teachers of the Rancho Santa Fe School District,” Valentine said. “As a leader, David provided much-needed transparency and open communication between the administration and staff.” She told the school board that Jaffe created relationships with all staff members. “As our superintendent, he ensured all the stakeholders in our district had a voice by implementing surveys that were sent to both parents and TURN TO SCHOOLS ON 5
Operation Game On helps heal those injured in combat By Bianca Kaplanek
Retired Marine Col. Jim Collins gets in some practice before last year’s Operation Game On. Photo by Bianca Kaplanek
RANCHO SANTA FE — A limited number of sponsorship and playing opportunities are still available for the 11th annual Operation Game On Golf Classic, which will be held Aug. 13 at Fairbanks Ranch Country Club. Registration begins at 9:30 a.m., followed by driving and putting practice, the presentation of colors at 10:45 a.m. and a shotgun start at 11:30 a.m. Operation Game On was created in 2008 by Rancho Santa Fe resident Tony Perez to give returning combat-injured troops suffering from physical and mental disabilities a custom introduction-to-golf package. receive Participants golf lessons from PGA-certified instructors, a profesTURN TO GAME ON ON 7