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THURSDAY, JANUARY 18, 2024
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Community marches in unity for 17th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Day Paso Robles High School students boycott event due to keynote speaker
School board presented with the State of the Atascadero Unified School District
By CAMILLE DEVAUL camille@atascaderonews.com
NORTH COUNT Y — The City Park was filled as it welcomed the community to celebrate the 17th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Day on Monday, Jan. 15, in Paso Robles. Chair of the Martin Luther King Jr. Committee Lovella Walker welcomed the turnout. “I was very pleased and humbled with the turnout for the Unity Walk and the event,” she said. “Seeing the crowd grow to standing room only made all the effort worth it.” The celebration began with a unity walk around downtown Paso Robles and was followed with pizza, dance performances, and speeches. However, some planned performances were canceled due to some groups boycotting the event’s keynote speaker, Laurene McCoy. Walker was able to confirm that some Paso Robles High School (PRHS) students backed out of performing at the event, but no further information could be provided.
Teachers address board on the restrictions of multiple media platforms on school property By CHRISTIANNA MARKS christianna@atascaderonews.com
Martin Luther King Jr. Committee Chair Lovella Walker addresses the crowd during the Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Day on Monday, Jan. 15, at City Park. Photo by Camille DeVaul
However, McCoy, who is on her second year as a Paso Robles Joint Unified School District (PRJUSD) board trustee, was not deterred. “I felt honored and so excited that they asked me [to be keynote speaker],” she said. “Martin Luther King Jr. has always been someone that
I looked up to and quote often. To be part of such a monumental event brought me pure joy.” McCoy, a Bearcat who graduated in 2003, is currently serving the community as a full-time family life pastor for a local church. According to her trustee biography on
pasoschools.org, she is working towards “a solid education and strong parental engagement are vital to the well-being of our students. Laurene wants our students to get the most out of their education while learning how to function in the real world.” While it could not be
confirmed why the students chose to boycott the event on Monday, some social media posts accused McCoy running her campaign following the ideals of the “Moms for Liberty” group. The nationwide nonprofit organization says their mission is “dediCONTINUED ON PAGE A7
ATASCADERO — The Atascadero Unified School District (AUSD) met for its regularly scheduled trustee meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 16, at 7 p.m. Trustee member Denise McGrew-Kane was absent from the meeting. During Oral Communication from the Public, two teachers addressed the trustee board on behalf of AUSD teachers who are frustrated by the fact that multiple tech decisions have been made for classrooms throughout the district without input from teachers. “In the last three months, we have had three tech platforms removed from our purview: CONTINUED ON PAGE A7
Atascadero High School Cheer takes a trip across the pond
County advances towards potential Six AHS cheerleaders independent performed in London redistricting for its New Year’s Day commission Staff directed to further study aspects of commission with 4-1 supervisor vote By CAMILLE DEVAUL camille@atascaderonews.com
SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY — The county has advanced closer to potentially having an independent redistricting commission after a special meeting on Tuesday with the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors. The Tuesday, Jan. 14, meeting included a study session overviewing different independent redistricting commission options. Federal and state laws mandate a decennial review and adjustment of supervisorial district boundaries for equal public representation. The Fair and Inclusive Redistricting for Municipalities and Political Subdivisions (FAIR MAPS) Act outlines criteria and proce-
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NEWS
Parade
By CHRISTIANNA MARKS christianna@atascaderonews.com
ATASCADERO — Six seniors on the Atascadero High School (AHS) cheer team started 2024 off with a bang when they headed to England for the first time. There, they shook their pom poms with the All-American in London’s New Year’s Day Parade. The six athletic performers auditioned and earned their spots during cheer camp last year. It all paid off for Priscilla Muneton, Gabi Pullen, Shae Mansfield, Ambrea Fredrick, AnaJane Soto, and Mya Neilson with an adventure to remember. “The parade, for me, was a super surreal experience,” Neilson said. “There was one point when we were parading, and I could see Big Ben, and I got a little emotional in my head because it was like all of the hard work I’ve done over the last four years of cheering led
me to an incredible moment.” The New Year’s Day Parade took place at noon on Monday, Jan. 1. It started on Piccadilly and took the girls past iconic London sites like Trafalgar Square before finishing on Whitehall with a view of Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament. “My favorite memory was right before the parade started.
We were all so excited and nervous at the same time,” said AnaJane Soto. “Being in London was amazing. Every building was either hundreds of years old or super modern. But everything was so pretty. Nothing felt real.” Muneton, Pullen, Mansfield, Fredrick, Soto, and Neilson performed next to other cheerleaders from all over the U.S.
while sporting cheer outfits in red, white, and blue in front of huge crowds of locals and excited Brits from all over the UK. “Performing in the London New Year’s Day Parade was a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” Muneton said. “There were hundreds of people crowding the city and excited to see the cheerleaders perform. It felt
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(From left) Atascadero High cheerleaders Priscilla Muneton, Mya Neilson, AnaJane Soto, Shae Mansfield, and Ambrea Fredrick (in front of them) take part in the London New Year’s Day Parade. Photo Courtesy of Atascadero High School
amazing to be able to perform in front of a crowd who made you feel welcomed and excited.” “I’ve never cheered like that before,” Soto said. “It was always in front of stands, and a football game going on behind me, so it was very different to be marching down the street with hundreds of people on each side of me. It was an amazing experience.” The parade was also streamed live on hundreds of PBS TV stations throughout the country, according to the parade’s official website. That way, anyone who wasn’t able to make it to London themselves could experience all the fun. “The parade itself was probably the coolest thing I have ever done,” Frederick said. “Getting to meet other American cheerleaders and seeing the reactions of people from London watching the parade. I would definitely say my favorite part was being on TV, preforming the dance we all worked hard on.” Between practicing for the parade, the AHS cheerleaders also got to dip their toes into all CONTINUED ON PAGE A7
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