Rialto Record 12/08/22

and stewardship

Community News

City of San Diego

C S B A ) G o l d e n B e l l

Award The District was honored in the Climate Change Innovation cate gory for leadership in environmental education

The RUSD was recog nized for its innovative S T E M C A R E S ( S c i e n c e , Te c h n o l o g y, E n g i n e e r i n g & M a t h , C u l t i v a t i n g A c t i v e R e s p o n s i b l e E n v i r o n m e n t a l S t e w a r d s ) p r o g r a m a t the annual Golden Bell Awards ceremony, held December 1, at the San Diego Marriott in the

L e a d e r s f r o m R U S D Education and Business S e r v i c e s a c c o m p a n i e d R i a l t o U n i f i e d S c h o o l D i s t r i c t B o a r d o f E d u c a t i o n Vi c e President Stephanie E Lewis, Board Member J o s e p h W M a r t i n e z , B o a r d M e m b e r e l e c t Evelyn Dominguez, and R U S D S u p e r i n t e n d e n t Dr Cuauhtémoc Avila at

t h e c e r e m o n y Dominguez will take her seat as a board trustee at t h e n e x t B o a r d o f Education Meeting on December 14

“It is a great honor to once again receive the prestigious Golden Bell Award,” Dr Avila stated “This achievement high l i g h t s t h e t r e m e n d o u s work our staff has done with the STEM CARES

program to create oppor tunities that provide stu dents with exciting and m e a n i n g f u l l e a r n i n g experiences as they pre pare for their pathways beyond high school ”

S T E M C A R E S w a s created in 2015 as a way for students to lead and learn in the areas of cli mate change

By Manny Sandoval

Our team is proud to see this event grow yearly,” said Ronnie Miller, S i s t a ’s M a k i n g a D i ff e r e n c e CEO/founder

After this holiday season, the orga n i z a t i o n w i l l h a v e h i s t o r i c a l l y donated over 23,000 toys to Inland children

This year ’s toy drive theme is “winter wonderland,” and it's said to be a complete experience for chil dren, families, and sponsors “Each of our sponsors is creating their own village, which will be placed throughout the SBVC cam p u s S o m e v i l l a g e s i n c l u d e t h e North Pole (where the toys are

PHOTO RUSD

The Rialto Unified School District recently earned a California School Boards Association Golden Bell Award for the second straight year Many leaders from the District attend the ceremony in San Diego to celebrate

RUSD,

RUSD

The program gives students a voice to fight cli mate change while raising awareness and taking action

RUSD celebrated the victory as Juanita Chan Roden, RUSD Academic Agent of Science and Career Technical Education, and Board Vice Pres ident Lewis accepted the award on the majestic stage as thousands looked on and cheered

“We believe that K 12 schools are critical change agents in promoting awareness of the effects of global climate change on local communities and engaging students and families in developing and implementing creative community solutions for personal and collective wellness,” Chan Roden replied “The purpose of STEM CARES is to in spire students through the inclusion of a student's voice in the planning of school facilities and op erations, resource conservation and energy effi ciency strategies, and participating in curricula that promotes an in depth understanding of cli mate change, climate justice strategies, and cli mate resilient personal actions ”

Chan Roden added that what sets STEMS CARES apart is the holistic approach that the RUSD takes with many service areas collaborat ing to give students real world experiences as they tackle climate challenges

“Our program is exemplary because there is an explicit focus on equity and inclusion in climate and environmental education,” Chan Roden said “It is innovative in our approach to connecting classroom instruction with Nutrition Services, Grounds, Maintenance and Operations, Student Services and public private partners and imple menting outside of the classroom learning expe riences Our students are inspired to be the change that they want to see in the world ”

The District was also represented by Dr Patricia Chavez, Lead Innovation Agent, Education Serv ices, Dr Edward D’Souza, Lead Academic Agent, Math/Early Education, Dr Rhea McIver Gibbs, Lead Strategic Agent, Brian Montez, Grounds Su pervisor, Staci Okuno, seventh grade Science

Teacher and STEM CARES Advisor at Rialto Middle School, Thomas Vasta, Instruction Strate gist at Morris Elementary School, and Cynthia Velez, eleventh grade science teacher and STEM CARES Advisor at Eisenhower High School

“It’s a great honor to receive the Golden Bell Award, especially after all the work that we’ve done at every level elementary, middle and high school to push toward making our envi ronmental initiatives stand out,” Vasta stated “Winning the Golden Bell Award tells me that the District, as a whole, has moved together to bring all the pieces together It says we are ‘united’ here We are moving toward the same sustainability goals and educating our students for the future ”

The RUSD was one of only five school districts in San Bernardino County to earn the award The District took home the Golden Bell for Profes sional Development and Teacher Recruitment/Re tention last year and now won three Golden Bell Awards since 2018

According to CSBA, the Golden Bell Awards “promote excellence in education and school board governance by recognizing outstanding pro grams and governance practices of school boards in school districts and county offices of education throughout California ” CSBA received 205 en tries in 21 categories this year for the Golden Bell and used rigorous evaluations with representatives across the State to determine the winners

“There are some tremendous accomplishments occurring in our school district with our Board Members and Superintendent, teachers, and all those who believe in the system of local education and I am always proud to say that I’m from Rialto Unified,” stated Carmen Lara, grandmother of two “When I saw the highlights of this Golden Bell on Facebook and Instagram, I was very happy and also proud This award is another example of the wonderful work that school officials at every level do to help students Excellence always rises ”

Toy Drive

located), Candy Cane Lane, and Santa’s Village,” continued Miller

Speaking of Santa’s Village, Santa Claus and Mrs Claus will be on site, and children will have the opportunity to snap a free photo with the duo

The Euphoria Band will per form live while DJ Sassy B gets the party started, and the dance group Tommy the Clown will entertain the crowd

But what’s extra special about this year ’s toy drive is the imple mentation of local merchants and food vendors

“It’s important for us to provide our local merchants and food vendors with a space where they can sell their goods When we all come together and help each other out, we’re stronger and can

reach success even faster The merchants, food vendors, and farmers will be on site; this is their livelihood It takes a com munity to take care of the com munity,” concluded Miller

Partners include Survive INC, the City of San Bernardino, San Bernardino County Public De fender, Music Changing Lives, San Bernardino Valley College, and SoCal Trash Army

Sponsors include IEHP, Chase Bank, Health Net, IPS Region, Turn Behavioral Health Serv ices, San Bernardino Valley Col lege, and Mayor Helen Tran The Impact Center will conduct on site on the spot hiring, and the county’s public defender ’s office will perform expunge ments

To volunteer or learn more about the toy drive, follow @sis tasmd2020 on Facebook

By Manny Sandoval

San Bernardino Valley College (SBVC) students were in for a treat on Wednes day, November 30th, as Einar and Jamex De La Torre performed a live exhibition at SBVC in front of a few dozen students

The SBVC Art Department coordinated exhi bition was held at the college’s glassblowing studio, where the Guadalajara natives created a three foot heart glass sculpture

“Today we live and work on both sides of the border The Guadalupe Valley in Baja Califor nia, México, and in San Diego The complexi ties of our immigrant experience and contradicting bicultural identities, as well as our current life and practice on both sides of the bor der, inform our art’s narrative and aesthetics,” said the brothers

After the two and a half hour exhibition, the brothers had the students step out of the studio, which was loud due to the machinery and hot

because of the burners, to host a live Q&A

One student named Jacob Anderson asked, “What is a piece of advice you’d give to aspir ing students like us?”

“The only way you can make a masterpiece is by not thinking about making a masterpiece Create for yourself and not by the standards of society Make it your own,” concluded the De La Torre Brothers

According to Einar and Jamex De La Torre’s website ,”their approach is additive, constantly combining material and meaning Influences range from religious iconography to German ex pressionism while also paying homage to Mex ican vernacular arts and pre Columbian art In the last 15 years they have been creating photo mural installations and using Lenticular printing as a major part of their repertoire ”

To learn more about SBVC and its art depart ment, visit valleycollege edu

PHOTO MANNY SANDOVAL

The heart glass sculpture took the De La Torre brothers and team about two hours to create in Studio E at SBVC

The San Bernardino County Department of Public Health and the Community Vital Signs Initiative is asking county residents to provide feedback aimed at improving commu nity health by taking part in the 2022 Community Health Survey

It was like Thanksgiving and Christmas rolled into one for future homeowner Natalie and her family as they witnessed the arrival of their new home on Nov 29 to a lot in San Bernardino The event marks the first new house provided by Habi tat for Humanity San Bernardino Area, Inc since the onset of the COVID 19 pandemic two years ago

“We feel like it’s our own little Christmas miracle and we’re just so excited and happy,” said Natalie in a brief video message made in front of the new house with her children, Ariel age 15, Samuel age 7, and Simon age 6 Natalie became eligible for Habitat for Humanity’s home ownership program in 2019, but the delivery of the house was delayed by pandemic and weather related obstacles “We’ve been patient for a few years and we’re ex cited to see the next milestone happening,” Natalie said, thanking Habitat for its assistance to her fam ily

The 1,600 square foot, 4 bedroom, 2 bathroom light blue house with white trim arrived in two pre fabricated sections from Arizona atop big rig trucks It will become home for Natalie and her three children once the house is secured to its foundation, and after interior and exterior finishing is completed as well as landscaping, a garage, fencing, walkways, cement and wall work and other features

Professional contractors, individual volunteers and volunteer teams, other future Habitat home owners along with Natalie and her family will as sist with the remainder of the tasks needed to complete the house

“The delivery of this house means Natalie will be able to complete the purchase of it and move herself and her children into their new home, ful filling our mission to make affordable homeown ership a reality for this family,” said Habitat San Bernardino Board President Pablo Velasco “We will continue pursuing our mission with other projects to house more families and also veterans and broaden our positive impact throughout our community We appreciate the continued support of the city of San Bernardino and our partners PAL Academy and PENTA Building Group in their ef forts to move our projects forward, and the gen erosity of our supporters in the community ”

Habitat for Humanity homeowners are selected through an application process that is based on need for adequate housing, ability to pay an afford able mortgage, and willingness to partner with Habitat Once selected, Habitat homebuyers help build homes for themselves and other future Habi tat homeowners alongside volunteers, complete a first time homebuyer education program, and pay an affordable mortgage All Habitat mortgage pay ments are cycled back to help build additional homes for people in need of affordable housing

Habitat San Bernardino’s affordable housing pro grams continue to move forward Work is under way to open a new application period for the Homeownership Program in 2023 Anyone can apply for additional homes that will be built in var ious locations within San Bernardino County, in cluding four homes to be built specifically for veteran households Additional information can be found on the Habitat San Bernardino website at habitatsb org/homeownership

Habitat for Humanity San Bernardino Area also offers minor exterior home repairs, beautification, and weatherization The program is called “A Brush With Kindness” and applications are ac cepted from low income homeowners in Habitat’s service area For more information about the pro gram and eligibility requirements, visit habitatsb org/home preservation

Community News

Cal State San Bernardino has joined the 22 other California State Univer sity (CSU) campuses in urging Congress to pass permanent leg islation protections for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients and Dream ers

On Nov 14, 2022, CSU re leased a public letter to Califor nia Senators Diane Feinstein and Alex Padilla specifically The letter notes that the 23 campuses serve “approximately 10,000 Dreamers students and 500 em ployees with DACA status ” “Dreamers” is the term used to identify undocumented youth based on the 2001 DREAM (De velopment, Relief, and Educa tion for Alien Minors) Act, which sought to provide legal residency to undocumented youth

The letter goes on to state that, “nothing short of a clear path way to citizenship will offer our CSU family the certainty with which to pursue a degree and stable employment ”

This letter was sent out in ad vance of the national Higher Ed ucation Dream Advocacy week organized by the President’s Al liance on Higher Education and Immigration

Amidst legislative uncertainty, CSUSB continues to offer tai lored support services to the di verse undocumented student community on campus, some of whom identify as undocu mented, Dreamers or DACA re cipients

At the CSUSB Undocumented Student Success Center (USSC), students can find a welcoming, affirming, community space Students can also receive aca demic advising specific to navi

gating higher education with an undocumented immigration sta tus What majors and professions can undocumented students pur sue? What should be considered if they do or do not have work authorization? Can graduate school or professional degrees be an option for undocumented students? These are some of the conversations USSC staff have with students

“Thanks to years of organized, undocumented community ad vocacy, our students have more doors open to them than they first realize,” said Jairo Leon, USSC director

CSUSB also has a partnership with the Central American Re source Center (CARECEN), through which undocumented students and campus affiliates can receive immigration legal services at no cost The legal team can help with Naturaliza tion, DACA renewals, Advance Parole, TPS Renewals, U Visa/VAWA and more Appoint ments can be made at the USSC Legal Services webpage

CSUSB and the CSU system will continue to advocate on be half of our undocumented com munity Jolene Koester, CSU interim chancellor, states that Dreamers, “seek a better life for themselves and their families, as they contribute to the strength of the CSU and their own commu nities through service and lead ership ”

Stay informed of the latest and accurate policies impacting un documented students through trustworthy organizations such as Informed Immigrant and by following the USSC Instagram

You can also join CSU advo cacy efforts by calling the local office of Senator Diane Feinstein and Senator Alex Padilla

PHOTO HABITAT FOR HUMANITY

Natalie and her family’s 1,600 square foot, 4 bedroom, 2 bathroom light blue house with white trim arrived in two prefabricated sections from Arizona atop big rig trucks

CSUSB urges Cong r ess to pass per manent pr otections f or DACA r ecipients and Dr eamer s

a d e n C e n t e r

Something special may be developing f or the Laker s

By Caden Henderson

It’s only been a couple more than 20 games, but this Lakers season has already been a rollercoaster After one of the worst starts in franchise history at 3 10, it looked like another year of struggles and no playoffs for the purple and gold But, things are begin ning to change The Lakers now at the time I’m writing this sit at 10 12, meaning they have won 7 of their last 9 since that nightmare start Such a change so early into the season isn’t all that common, and multiple moving pieces are allowing this change to happen

One of these pieces is PG Russell Westbrook All sum mer long, rumors of trades for Westbrook reigned down upon the NBA world After Westbrook’s brutal start to the season, it got even worse However, head coach Darvin Ham’s decision to move the former MVP to the 6th man role off the bench may have not just saved Westbrook’s career in LA, but the Lakers season

Westbrook off the bench has provided a spark to what was previously a starch second unit Westbrook’s fast pace of play contrasts with the starters play style, which catches teams off guard and has helped keep the Lakers in games He definitely still has his occasional bad game or miscue that leaves fans scratching their head, but Westbrook is playing winning basketball and that mat ters just as much as anything else Trade rumors are con tinuing to be released everyday, but if the Lakers pace

keeps up, it’s hard to imagine a world where Westbrook is traded

Westbrook isn’t the only star having a rebound season on the team, however PF/C Anthony Davis is back, healthy, and simply dominant It seems many NBA fans forgot what kind of player a healthy AD was

An elite defender both inside and outside the perimeter, a one of a kind post player, and a near 7 footer with guard skills Davis has been showing all these abilities off and then some, as he has had scoring outbursts of 55, 44, and 38 so far this season Add these elite offensive performances to his improved rebounding effort, and you have a MVP level version of AD that is averaging 27 points, leading the NBA in rebounds per game with 12 6, and averaging over 2 blocks and a steal a game For 3 years now Laker nation has been waiting for Davis to become “the guy”, and now seems to finally be his time There are very few NBA teams come spring and summer time that would want to see a Lakers team with a healthy AD in a 7 game playoff series, and that is a huge part of what could propel the Lakers back to con tending status

The final piece to give credit for this Lakers turnaround is the standout role player The Lakers brought in multi ple free agent signings and retained some of last years players in hopes that one or multiple of them would help out the big 3 of LeBron James and the aforementioned

SBCUSD Board of Education Honor s Outstanding

Community News

On Tuesday, November 15, 2022, the Board of Ed ucation presented the Outstanding Achievement Awards to students, parents, and staff of Jones and Norton Elementary Schools, Curtis Middle School, and In dian Springs High School (ISHS)

The Board recognizes Outstanding Student Award win ners to build self esteem and honor excellence in academ ics athletics fine arts citizenship and most improvement The Board also presents the Outstanding Parent/Grandpar ent/Volunteer Award and Outstanding Employee Award to individuals who embody the District’s dedication to student achievement and well being

Jones Elementary School, Principal Crecia Sims Robin son:

Carter Weber is a fifth grader and Outstanding Student Carter is a phenomenal scholar He attends school ready to learn and puts forth his best effort on every assignment He brightens up the class with his positive attitude and conta gious personality He is very inquisitive about the world around him Carter wants to attend Stanford and become a biologist

Ezequiel Huerta Acuna is a sixth grader and Outstanding Student Ezequiel always has a great, positive attitude, and you can find him singing throughout his day He is helpful, looks out for others and demonstrates amazing Positive Be havioral Interventions & Supports (PBIS) skills by being safe, respectful, and responsible Ezequiel is focused on being successful in his academics so he can keep his career options open since he isn't sure what he wants to be

Outstanding Parent Award winner Patricia Avila Ramirez is an active member in the Jones Elementary community, as well as being active in her children's education and their social emotional needs Her commitment to Jones and her input is much admired and appreciated You will always see a smile on Patricia’s face, which helps brighten every one’s day

Bilingual Attendance Clerk Patricia Alvarado is an Out standing Classified Employee Patricia creates a welcoming environment for parents, staff, and students She consis tently displays a positive attitude and maintains a high level of professionalism at all times, both in overall ability and communication She's extremely conscientious in ensuring educational partners receive the guidance and answers they need in a timely and courteous manner

Outstanding Certificated Employee Bonnie Luce seeks out, discovers, and praises all student success in the areas of behavior and academics She makes learning, particu larly for those who are not succeeding, fun and accessible Bonnie sets high, but not impossible, expectations for her students She pushes students to achieve, knowing that they can with some TLC

Norton Elementary School, Principal Elizabeth Cochrane Benoit:

The Lakers knew he could create his own shot, and that was a much needed asset for the team to get Walker has produced, averaging 16 points a game on 48% shooting His shooting threat when curling off of screens has also opened up things for Laker big men, and overall added another aspect to the Lakers offense

As for Austin Reaves, he has taken a jump not too many expected from his rookie year The former un drafted guard is averaging 10 points a game while shoot ing over 50% from the field, 38% from 3, and 91% from the FT line This efficiency plus his constant defensive prowess has made Reaves a starting caliber player who continues to produce when it matters most for the team Without Walker and Reaves, the Lakers offense would be much more stagnant and lifeless

It may still be early in the season, but the Lakers are giving fans of glimmers of hope for the first time since they went up 2 1 vs the Suns in the first round of the 2021 playoffs Trades may come, but for now this Lak ers squad looks bought in to winning, and that is what it takes to get back on top of the NBA world

Individuals on November

Lucy Baker is a third grader and Outstanding Student Lucy is kind to others, always willing to help, and partici pates in class discussions She is reading above grade level, she writes interesting stories, and understands grade level math Lucy loves to draw and enjoys teaching others how to draw Lucy wants to attend college in San Diego and be come an art teacher

Ayden Smith is a fifth grader and Outstanding Student Ayden is a high achieving student who uses his leadership skills to motivate his classmates by being a positive role model Ayden is also a gifted musician, playing the viola in Norton's Advanced Orchestra and singing in the choir, as well as participating in the District's Elementary Honor Orchestra and Honor Choir Ayden wants to join the mili tary and serve his country

Outstanding Parent Award winner Lauren Lucas is the School Site Council Chairperson and a member of the Su perintendent's Advisory Committee and many other District committees Lauren has been a positive voice for all at Nor ton, bringing parent and community concerns and solutions to the attention of administrators Lauren has a positive spirit and giving heart

Bilingual Secretary II Shanyn Sanders is an Outstanding Classified Employee Shanyn is Norton's wonder woman with the midas touch Her positive attitude and service meets Ritz Carlton's gold standards It is amazing how she is able to multitask, completing various assignments so ef fortlessly Parents and staff always comment how they ap preciate her kindness, helpfulness and supportive knowledge and guidance

Special Education Teacher Bradley Breier is an Outstand ing Certificated Employee Bradley is Norton's relief pitcher He steps up to the plate in all areas to provide sup port He has implemented new academic software that al lows for learning collaboration across grade levels Bradley focuses on results together with other members of the staff and has a positive passion to help others wherever he can

Curtis Middle School, Principal Guillermo Guerrero:

Eighth grader Andy Lazaro is an Outstanding Student Andy has excelled in his classes and demonstrated citizen ship and leadership He is the school site council president, vice president of the Engineering Club, and was a repre sentative of the Curtis STEM Pathway at the Intelligent Transportation Society's World Congress Conference in Los Angeles earlier this school year Andy loves STEM and wants to become an aerospace engineer or an astronaut

George Hernandez is an eighth grader and Outstanding Student George is an outstanding citizen, a hard worker, and a class leader He has shown growth in reading and math and been enrolled in more advanced classes for sci ence and history He continues to grow and push to meet his learning goals George wants to study math and science in college

Margarita Velador is an Outstanding Grandparent Award winner Margarita has made a positive impact for her

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grandson and Curtis scholars by being an active supporter of their athletics and academics She generously provides transportation, food and her presence at each sporting event Additionally, Margarita does everything possible to ensure her grandson’s academic and lifelong success

Office Assistant I/Health Aide Rosa Gastelum De Lopez is an Outstanding Classified Employee Rosa goes above and beyond to ensure the needs of all scholars are met As a Health Aide, safety and empathy are always her number one concerns Rosa is an intricate part of the Curtis family She exemplifies every element that builds our District’s Ba sics for Excellence

Christopher Petriccione is an Outstanding Certificated Employee As a Pathway and Demonstration teacher, he fa cilitates Saturday STEM Camps twice a month, during which scholars work on projects and entrepreneurship He also serves as a school site council representative, admin designee, community liaison, department chair, and mentor to our scholars

Indian Springs High School, Principal Kristen Bicondova:

Senior Brenda Herrera Rincon is an Outstanding Student Brenda has been involved in ASB for four years, culminat ing in being ASB president She has taken initiative to work with staff to organize events and dances She is extremely professional, a self starter, holds herself and others to a high standard, and leads by example

Nubian Prince Nelson is a sophomore and an Outstanding Student As a student athlete and campus leader, Nubian is well respected by his peers He is enrolled in the Manufac turing Academy and plays on the basketball team Nubian wants to attend a Division 1 university so he can play bas ketball while studying law

Maritza Romero is an Outstanding Parent Maritza has been an active member of the Indian Springs English Learner Advisory Committee (ELAC) for the past two years She actively recruits other parents and community members to be a part of ELAC and other school commit tees She participates in decision making that affects chil dren and families and informs, influences, and creates practices within the school and the educational community

Educational Assistant III Severe Impairments Guadalupe “Lupe” Escobar is an Outstanding Classified Employee Lupe teaches students how to provide self care and assert their independence She has helped ISHS students obtain their food handler ’s license, and she works tirelessly to de velop the skills her students need to cook and serve food

Program Facilitator Jenna Jinks is an Outstanding Certifi cated Employee She played an instrumental role in helping ISHS achieve the Silver PBIS Implementation award With the PBIS team, Jenna developed systems that reward both staff and students for the positive contributions they make on campus She provides professional development so everyone may continue to grow their skills to create the conditions for rigorous learning and academic and social successes

Davis and Westbrook That wish has come true in the form of Lonnie Walker IV and undrafted second year man Austin Reaves Starting with Walker, big things were expected of him on the offensive end when he was signed from the Spurs

Phil Yeh’s ar t on exhibit at the Garcia Center f or the Ar ts

Community News

The Garcia Center for the Arts in San Bernardino will be hosting an ex hibit of local artist Phil Yeh’s work this month The show will include watercolors, giclee prints, and oil paintings, many of which are from pages fea tured in his graphic novels and books Several pieces are from his newest book, Places, a book of 126 watercolors of places he has been during his 37 year world tour

One of the images in the book is “San Bernardino”, de picting the mural that Yeh has been working on since 2012, on the museum at the site of the original McDonald’s on 14th & E Streets The mural on the south side of the building fea tures some of the people who have made San Bernardino unique

Phil Yeh has written and il lustrated more than 90 books, comics, and graphic novels He published one of the first Amer ican graphic novels in 1977 and is known as the ‘Godfather of the Modern American Graphic Novel’

In addition, Yeh founded “Car toonists across America & The World” in 1985 to promote liter acy, creativity, and the arts through mural painting events, school and library workshops on comics and his series of non vi

olent and humorous books Yeh and his band of fellow artists have painted more than 1,800 colorful murals promoting liter acy in more than 15 countries

Yeh’s work has had solo shows in galleries in San Fran cisco, Carmel, and New York City and has been a part of group shows in Hawaii, Ari zona, and California

Yeh was honored in the White House by former First Lady Barbara Bush, who also painted a mural with him in The Library of Congress He has re ceived numerous awards around the country, including an Alphie Award from the Los Angeles County Library Foundation at Sony Pictures Studios along with actor Edward James Olmos and Imperial Toy Company CEO Dr Fred Kort

The opening day of the ex hibit is December 10, during the Garcia Center ’s 2nd annual Cos mic Comic Fest Phil will pres ent a “Meet the Artist” talk at 4:00 PM that day The show will run through December 31, 2022 He will have books avail able for purchase in addition to his art

For more about Phil Yeh and his work visit https://www wingedtiger com/fi ne art The Garcia Center for the Arts is located at 536 W 11th Street in San Bernardino https://www facebook com/san bernardinoart

Community News

The Humane Society of San Bernardino Valley currently has funding available for Senior Citizens to assist with the cost of veteri nary services for the care and treatment of their animals

These funds, made possible by a grant from The Albert and Anna Herdina Memorial Fund at The Inland Empire Commu

nity Foundation, are open to residents of San Bernardino County, the High Dessert and Riverside County, who are 66 years of age and older, and who have a maximum income of $1,700 a month for one person

For more information on this program or to apply please visit hssbv org/Financial As sistance

First 5 San Bernardino

is encouraging parents and caregivers to give books as gifts to young chil dren this holiday season The inaugural “Gift a Kid a Book” campaign aims to share the importance of early learning and literacy for children under five The campaign features billboards, radio and online advertising, and social media posts all sharing the impor tance of giving the gift of reading

Consumers are directed to a dedicated web page which of fers information on how fam ilies can obtain free books to start their own home library Not only does reading to gether create special mo ments for babies and the very young, but the science shows that 90% of a child’s brain develops in the first five years of their life

“’Gift a Kid a Book’ is a wonderful opportunity to re inforce the joy and value of reading with our youth,” said First 5 San Bernardino Exec utive Director Karen Scott “To help our children find success in this world, I can’t think of a more important gift

than reading to pass down to the next generation ”

Beyond brain development, taking time to read to a baby or toddler is critical to devel oping social emotional learn ing skills because the time together reinforces the impor tance of attentiveness and learning

“Parents and caregivers must embrace their role in estab lishing curiosity and a love for learning through consis tently taking the time to read with a child,” said Scott “Kids respond to the experi ence of dedicated, close and physical time with a caring adult ”

As part of the “Gift a Kid a Book” campaign, First 5 San Bernardino is going out into the community to bring books into the hands of kids and families who want them Free book bundles and book marks will be available at up coming events and at their main office

Information on books, along with suggested titles and how to build a home library, can be found at First5San Bernardino org/reading