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THE RANCHO SANTA FE NEWS
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MAKING WAVES IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD
VOL. 10, N0. 24
NOV. 28, 2014
Numbers showing water saving improvements By Christina Macone-Greene
The RSF Maze Runners, a fifth grade RSF Eagles Robotics Team from R. Roger Rowe School win first place at the Escondido Robotics Qualifier, advancing to the First Lego League Southern California Championship. Pictured are: JT Young, Nora Gauvreau, Dylan Powell, Logan Johnson, Tom Powell, Brandon Powell, Jake Malter, David Scuba, Malcolm McDonough, and John Galipault. Courtesy photo
RSF School Robotics Team wins qualifier and readies for championship By Christina Macone-Greene
RANCHO SANTA FE — The robotics program at R. Roger Rowe School in Rancho Santa Fe is beaming with pride. Its fifth grade RSF Eagles Robotic Team named the RSF Maze Runners, earned a blue-ribbon first at the Escondido Robotics Qualifier. This win has advanced them to the First Lego League Southern California Cham-
pionship at Carlsbad LEGOLAND Dec. 6. The competition is also referred to as the FLL Challenge. “The FLL Challenge is a three-part competition, and this year’s theme is World Class Learning,” said John B. Galipault, Jr, Science and Robotics Teacher at R. Roger Rowe School. “The first part of the competition is a project
requiring the team to pick a topic the team is interested in and identify ways to improve learning the topic. The second part is a robot challenge requiring the team to build and program an autonomous robot to complete missions.” And then there is a third part. Galipault said it involves demonstrating core values emphasizing team-
work, cooperation, gracious professionalism and friendly competition. According to Galipault, the teams built LEGO Mindstorms robots. These robots were programmed to conduct various missions. They were analyzed and judged on these three core components in FLL. The topic for this TURN TO ROBOTICS ON 15
Top neurologist takes part in Alzheimer’s series By Christina Macone-Greene
RANCHO SANTA FE — Since September, the RSF Library Guild has held a monthly series focusing on the health and caregiver issues surrounding Alzheimer’s. The free gatherings have afforded people the opportunity to learn more about the disease, the advances being made, and the support present for both patients and caregivers. The San Diego and Imperial chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association has partnered with the RSF Library Guild to help raise awareness of From left: Susan Appleby of the RSF Library Guild, Dr. Michael Rafii and Lynn Mullowney from
The Alzheimer’s Association. This was the third in a series of discussions on Alzheimer’s hosted
TURN TO ALZEHIMER’S ON 15 by the Rancho Santa Fe Library Guild. Photo by Christina Macone-Greene
D A N A
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Presentation gives advice on how to cope with holidays By Christina Macone-Greene medical director of hos-
RANCHO SANTA FE — Recently, the RSF Senior Center held a special event in preparation for the holidays. While this is the season for celebration, it may be a time of sadness for individuals especially if someone has passed away. Championed by Scripps Hospice, the educational presentation was called, “Coping with the Holidays after the Death of a Loved One.” Providing the educational seminar was Janine Siegel, an Outreach Specialist for Scripps Hospice and Home Health. “Don’t be afraid to make changes this year — sometimes it can be very stressful to keep up with holiday traditions, especially after a loved one has died,” said Siegel. “It is okay not to decorate, or decline holiday party invitations.” Siegel wanted people to know that whatever changes they needed to make this year could be different next year. Growth and change go hand in hand, she said. Timothy Corbin, MD,
pice and palliative care services at Scripps Health, shared his suggestions for people experiencing grief during this holiday season. “Your grief will take longer than you and most people think, and it will depend on how you perceive the loss,” he said. Corbin continued, “Everyone needs to acknowledge the person who has died. Don’t be afraid to say that person’s name.” Corbin also added how “planning” was recommended. He wants people to know ahead of time that their feelings will come in waves. This means there will be both good and bad days. When someone knows what to expect, Corbin said, they can take advantage of and enjoy the good days and not feel so devastated by the bad days. For Corbin, it’s all about taking one day at a time. Everyone grieves differently. Corbin said some find a way to acknowledge the loved one who has died by including them in one’s thoughts. Examples of this TURN TO COPE ON 15
P O I N T
40 NIGHTS OF HOLIDAY LIGHTS DPIO_10.25x2Ad.indd 1
RANCHO SANTA FE — Since the Santa Fe Irrigation District announced its Drought 2 conservation efforts, its newest reports have showed improvement. The new level implementation began on Sept. 5. According to Jessica Parks, public information officer for the District, the data and feedback have been promising. “In September, we saw a decrease in potable water usage which we were really happy with because the average daily temperatures in Sept. were about five degrees above normal,” she said. “It was a pretty warm month, but we still saw a decrease of one-and-half percent usage.” While some may think such a percentage is not that significant, it is. Parks wants customers to know this is huge since a great deal of water goes for outdoor irrigation. And the numbers continued to improve in October. “The potable water demands for October 2014 were approximately 10 percent lower than our September 2014 potable water demands,” she said. “We want to thank our customers in reducing their water usage and ask that they continue with compliance of our three
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