Institute for Theoretical Physics offers online workshops; Topanga Banjo Fiddle Contest and Folk Festival hosts contest

Megan Soderborg – MUS 4th Grade

Megan Soderborg and family

MONTECITO JOURNAL34 I n this time of housebound confinement, fashion face masks, and six-foot social distancing, it’s impossible to pay a visit to the excellent schools I’ve grown to love in Montecito and Santa Barbara. Like a Broadway theatre on a Monday night, the lights are out and everything’s dark! Parking lots are vacant, students with backpacks loaded with books and homework are nowhere in sight, and the empty playgrounds are longing for recess and outdoor fun. That doesn’t mean, however, that nothing is going on. Not by a long shot!

How do I know this, you might ask? My little… well, not so little anymore, fourth-grade granddaughter who attends Montecito Union School told me all about it: how she studies at home seated at a work space, designed especially for her, as she continues to prepare for the elevated status of a fifth grader in the fall. With the aid of her computer and the courtesy of Zoom (now the planet’s most popular website) she is able to communicate in real time with the other students in her class and her own teacher assisted by a fourth-grade teaching team. Having started my working life as a teacher, I was naturally curious. How does something like online teaching actually work for a classroom of elementary students? Online college courses I can understand, but elementary school… not so much.

With MUS Superintendent Anthony Ranii’s blessing and assistance I was able to find out for myself how the new school-wide teaching method came to be. And, most importantly, how it is facilitated at the fourth-grade level. Megan Soderborg, my granddaughter’s fourth-grade teacher, was kind enough to take the time to talk with me.

“Our fourth-grade teaching team works in collaboration according to their specialty, in effect teaching all of the subjects in my class,” summarized Soderborg. The team decided to strategically divide the planning of core subjects – reading, writing, math – by teacher. Dividing the workload in this way ensures higher quality experiences for students and makes the workload more manageable in this very unique environment. All fourthgrade teachers teach the core subjects in their own classroom during the Zoom classroom sessions as well as provide feedback on student work turned in through Google Classroom. Each teacher writes a guide to assist kids to finish independently after Zoom meetings using a variety of online platforms, along with Google Classroom’s easily accessible digital resources. Adding to that, the fourthgrade team meets weekly to prepare and evaluate, via Zoom of course… how’s that for teamwork and prep?

Creating an interactive school day within the confines of each student’s home via computer was the vision. “We wanted to set up something that felt like school with structure and time for work and play,” Soderborg explained. The fourth-grade schedule begins in the Zoom virtual homeroom at 9 am with early blocks for core cur

Melody attends a Zoom class

riculum followed by workshops for reading, writing, and math. Included is a block for specialist opportunities such as science, PE, art, music, and Spanish, plus a half-hour recess with a break in the middle of the day for lunch. “Our program remains a work in progress and we depend on feedback from parents and their children as we continue to evaluate the effectiveness of our online teaching methods,” stressed Soderborg. “Our entire community working together has always been the key to any successful program during challenging times, and this one is no exception.”

The MUS experience of having to adjust and relocate during the Thomas Fire and the deadly debris flow in 2018 in Montecito most assuredly served as a forerunner for this time of the COVID-19 pandemic. Nonetheless, the pandemic and consequent school closures came as a surprise to everyone. “It was like being hit on the side of the head,” Soderborg recalls. “This all happened in the time before Spring Break and we had no idea how long it would last – maybe a couple of weeks, we thought.” However, informed by the past and the uncertainties looming ahead, the school administration and staff sprung into action. During Spring Break Soderborg and other faculty members investigated the Zoom platform and preparations were being made for the possibility that school might actually not open on campus. The Monday after the break teachers were given a two-day crash course in Zoom and time to plan what Distance Learning would look like in this new reality. On the third day, Wednesday April 1, Zoom became the new classroom and an innovative chapter of online instruction began.

“And this happened so fast!” exclaimed Soderborg. “Fortunately MUS has an energy and enthusiasm that is catching. It is, and always has been, a supporting community... it’s just in the air you breathe here,” she continued. “That’s why we’ve been able to mobilize in the way that we did because, simply put, we are working in a collaborative space.” Soderborg emphasized that the mission of the school has always been based on how best to benefit the student: the collaborative atmosphere innate at MUS and the support of the parents made the quick transition to online teaching possible. “I can’t emphasize enough how grateful I am for our amazing, supportive parents who are also working from home while trying to raise and help educate their own children!” Soderborg understands both sides with three small children of her own, ages six, four, and (gasp!) 20 months.

A native Santa Barbarian, Megan Soderborg attended San Marcos High School where she and her future husband, Jeff, were students. She earned a degree from Boston College and after his graduation from UCLA, the couple rejoined and eventually moved to the Bay Area for law school during which time she taught Kindergarten and fourth grade. With the prospect of starting a family on the horizon and two sets of grandparents in Santa Barbara, the couple contemplated returning to the South Coast. In anticipation of the move, Soderborg applied for the position at MUS. “When I applied I didn’t think something like that could ever happen,” she recalled with a happy tone in her voice, “…but it did, and I’ve been here ever since… and never looked back!”

Seems like a lot of other people are happy, too! The collaborative atmosphere that pervades Montecito Union School only underscores Megan Soderborg’s words. That spirit is unmistakable and radiates from the administration to the faculty and staff. It is hard to imagine that the MUS community has experienced a series of catastrophic, almost Biblical, events within the short period of two years. But as a result, it has not only survived, but thrived. Congratulations and thanks Montecito Union School for the success of your Distance Learning program, and to Megan Soderborg and the entire fourth-grade team. No wonder my granddaughter Melody is such a happy fourth-grade camper! •MJ

My condolences to Santa Barbara rocker Dave Crosby whose son, Beckett Cypher, 21, has died after struggling with opioid addiction,

The musician, 78, was the sperm donor for singer Melissa Etheridge and former partner, Julie Cypher, and addressed the tragic passing in several short messages on social media, saying that he’d taken an active part in Beckett’s life. Rocker Dave Crosby in mourning (photo by Glenn Francis)

Given the coronavirus pandemic, Montecito Miscellany is going on hiatus through the fall when, hopefully, some semblance of normalcy resumes.

Have a good summer – and, most importantly, be safe.

Pip! Pip!

Ups and Downs

Santa Barbara warbler Katy Perry has been battling “waves of depression” while being pregnant with her first child by English actor Orlando Bloom amid the coronavirus pandemic.

But the former Dos Pueblos High student, 35, looked far from down in a new photo she posted on Instagram to promote her latest single “Daisies.”

“Sometimes I don’t know what’s worse, trying to avoid the virus or the worries of depression that comes with the new norm,” she said.

Hopefully the news that ABC has renewed American Idol for a fourth season, on which Katy is one of three judges, will cheer her up.

Readers with tips, sightings and amusing items for Richard’s column should e-mail him at richardmin eards@verizon.net or send invitations or other correspondence to the Journal.

To reach Priscilla, e-mail her at pris cilla@santabarbaraseen.com or call 805-969-3301. •MJ

What Stinks?

It wasn’t exactly the sweet smell of success for Montecito actress Gwyneth Paltrow when a detractor left a barrow-full of manure outside the front door of her London Goop store.

The heap of animal excrement was tipped on the sidewalk outside her shop in oh-so trendy Notting Hill attracting flies and making passing pedestrians smelling the most unpleasant aroma.

The Oscar winner, 47, opened the store in 2018, but, fortunately, it is currently closed because of the coronavirus.

John Venable R.I.P. (photo courtesy J’Amy Brown 2012)

ing its third film about the couple’s life together.

Tentatively titled Harry and Meghan: Escaping the Palace, the film will chronicle the events surrounding the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s infamous decision to step down as serious working royals.

No casting has yet been announced.

Staying Home, Staying Safe

Former TV talk show titan Oprah Winfrey, 66, has cleared her schedule through the end of the year because of the coronavirus pandemic.

“I don’t think it’s gonna be safe to be in large group settings until the virus is over in every form,” she said on Oprah Magazine’s Instagram Live.

The cancellations include personal plans, as well as including events like O Magazine’s 20th anniversary party.

“I will not be leaving these gates this summer,” she added. “I might poke my nose out in the fall, but I’m gonna wait and see.”

Remembering John

On a particularly sad note, I mark the passing of John Venable, 80, a former Grand Marshall in the Montecito July 4 Parade, where I am a regular as King George III.

For 16 years he was a member of the Montecito Fire Protection Board and a longtime president of the Montecito Trails Foundation.

He will be missed.

Rest in Peace, Roy

On a personal note, I remember Roy Horn, partner in the iconic Las Vegas act, Siegfried & Roy, who has died from the coronavirus aged 75.

I was in the desert gambling mecca in 1997 for the opening of a New York friend, Marc Packer’s Harley Davidson Cafe, attended by a host of celebrities, including Burt Reynolds, Jon Voight, Stephanie Powers, and Pamela Anderson.

I stayed nearby at Steve Wynn’s Mirage, where the dynamic duo performed with their white Bengal tigers and lions for more than 30,000 shows, and decided to check it out.

At the time I was an anchor on the CBS syndicated show Day & Date and the usher moved me from my table in the middle of the auditorium to the front, which was particularly unnerving given I was just feet away from the 400 pound beasts, with nothing between us to prevent me becoming a tasty carnivore canapé.

During their stint at the Mirage, for which they signed a lifetime contract in 2001, the shows attracted more than ten million people and generated more than $1 billion in revenue.

A roaring success...