WEDNESDAY l 2.13.19 OUR 69TH YEAR
CONTRA COSTA COLLEGE SAN PABLO, CALIF.
LEFT: Members (left to right) Nino-Angelo Lastimoso, Matthew Chamberlain, Natasha Singer, Joseph Saeteurn, Laura Karst and Jesse Chao make up Contra Costa College’s JAZZ-ology.
In perfect harmony DENIS PEREZ / THE ADVOCATE
JAZZ-ology one of six groups recognized nationally to perform at convention By Jose Arebalo scene editor
jarebalo.theadvocate@gmail.com
Beautiful horizons continue to shine ever more clear for the award-winning musical group from Contra Costa College following their performance for a national audience of fellow musicians. JAZZ-ology was one of six groups selected to perform at the National Convention of Jazz Educators on the weekend of Jan. 10-12. The group was previously passed over after requesting to perform at the event and was ecstatic to be chosen this year for the convention in Reno, Nevada.
The convention is iconic within the music education community. “Everyone feels like a family when they walk in here,” alto/tenor one Joseph Saeteurn said. Part of their success comes from being an ensemble of six. Other educational musical groups are usually made up of more than 10 people. In JAZZ-ology, “There’s a sense of intimacy which lets us bear our souls,” Saeteurn Austin said. Having a smaller group has allowed the ensemble to perform more diverse musical
WARD I: John Marquez is the secretary of the CCCCD Governing Board. As a student at Contra Costa College, Marquez co-founded La Raza studies department with former CCC professor Al Zuniga in 1970. He has also served numerous terms on the Richmond City Council starting in 1985.
pieces. Performances at the national convention usually follow a certain kind of mold. Jazz-ology got to share a unique product from a Bay Area institution. The musical selections available to the team are intrinsically more diverse. Pieces that JAZZology perform come from the eclectic Bay Area jazz influences all around them. With a tighter unit and fresher music, the ensemble deserved to be shared on a national stage. JAZZ-ology traveled out with five faculty members and six students and took the stage with two accompanists at the performance. JAZZ-OLOGY, PAGE 3
WARD III: Becca Barrett was elected to the CCCCD Governing Board in November 2018. Barrett is a Concord School District graduate and a Diablo Valley College alumnus. She graduated from UCLA with WARD II: bachelor of arts degree in political science. Vicki Gordon is the president of the CCCCD WARD IV: Andy Li was Governing WARD V: Greg Enholm elected to his seat in Board. Gordon is was elected to the November 2018. Li is the a Diablo CCCCD Governing first Chinese-American Valley Board in to serve on the CCCCD College November Governing Board. He alum2015. owns a health care nus. information technology firm.
Ward III
Perseverance through adversity fuels competitor PAGE 8
Ward I
Ward V
Ward II
Contra STUDENT TRUSTEE: Jocelyn Villalobos, Costa County a first-generation college student, is the CCCCD’s student representative on the Governing Board. Villalobos is a nursing major at Los Medanos College in Pittsburg and has served in the Associated Students Union at LMC.
Ward IV
Contra Costa Community College District Governing Board DENIS PEREZ / THE ADVOCATE SOURCE: 4CD.EDU
DISTRICT BOARD SEES RENEWAL
Appetizer showdown takes place in Aqua Terra PAGE 6 FACEBOOK: /accentadvocate
November election fills vacant positions, gives voice to students By Michael Santone
n “Both of them are well-informed. They read their materials, which is very important for board members. They ask good questions and have excellent suggestions.”
— John Marquez, secretary
editor-in-chief
msantone.theadvocate@gmail.com
The Contra Costa Community College Governing Board is once again operating at full capacity after two new trustees won the 2018 California primary election this past November. Front runners Rebecca Barrett, elected to serve Ward III and Vice President Andy Li, elected to serve Ward IV were both sworn in INSTAGRAM: @cccadvocate
for three-year terms at the Dec. 12 Governing Board meeting. “I’ll be quite honest with you. I’m very impressed with both Barrett and Li,” board Secretary John Marquez said. “Both of them are well-informed. They read their materials, which is very important for board members. They ask TWITTER: @accentadvocate
good questions and have excellent suggestions.” Marquez said prior to running for trustee, Barrett and Li were attending meetings, so they were already well-informed and had an understanding of the processes and policies. “By the time they filed, they both had opponents, but Barrett and Li were better prepared, in my opinion,” he said. “Once they got elected and sworn in, it was clear to me that the voters made the right choices.” Back in March, the Governing Board was unexpectedly left with a vacant seat after the resignation of then president Tim Farley. Aside from Student Trustee Jocelyn Villalobos, the board was left with only four members to serve five wards of Contra Costa SEE BOARD MEMBERS, PAGE 3
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