Be inspired by Kevin Heywood and how he’s engineering his future

COOL KID Kevin Heywood

Kevin Heywood is an upcoming senior at Inspire School of Arts and Sciences. He is a prime example of how, in the right setting, the often-incongruous subjects of engineering and the arts can intertwine and complement each other. Kevin is pursuing an engineering course of study at Inspire and is enrolled in a variety of classes ranging from Principles of Biotechnical Engineering to AP Computer Science. His interest in engineering led him to partner with the arts at Inspire through their technical theatre program.

This past year, they’ve produced two large-scale productions, Phantom of the Opera and Alice in Wonderland. The set for Phantom was very involved and consisted of many large intricately engineered pieces including a giant, twostory moveable staircase, an elephant, and various smaller set items. Kevin also enjoys working backstage during the shows, helping with costume issues and running the fly system; a system of ropes, pulleys and weights that controls the scenery, lights, and curtains. Kevin says the most challenging aspect of working on these big productions is time management and the amount of effort it requires, but he says, “It always pays off in the end.” Unfortunately, due to Covid, the intricate and complicated shows were not able to bring in the usual proceeds to help cover the cost of production. Kevin hopes that community members will visit the Inspire website at www.inspirechico. org to donate to the foundation to help offset these costs so their theatrical productions can continue to be an instrument of learning and inspiration for the students.

In addition to his work with the theatre, Kevin is a member of Inspire’s Environmental Club. The club’s current project is the Precious Plastics Upcycling Workspace. The inspiration for the program came from a study by the Royal Statistical Society, which found more than 40% of plastic is used only once before it’s discarded as waste. The project aims to take ‘junk plastics’ and recycle them into usable items, which in turn, highlights the importance of environmental stewardship. Kevin says they sort and clean the plastic before sending it through a shredding machine obtained through fundraising efforts. The shredded plastic waste will then be loaded into another machine called an injector, which pours the molten plastic into various molds. Currently, the molds they are using create carabiners out of the recycled plastic waste.

Kevin is looking forward to continuing his engineering focus during his senior year at Inspire and then wants to attend UC Santa Cruz, UC Santa Barbara, or UC San Diego to earn a degree in mechanical engineering. We applaud Kevin’s contributions and wish him well wherever it is he finds himself making a difference.

JULY 1, 8, 15, 22, 29

Downtown Chico Thursday Night Market

On Broadway between 2nd and 4th Street, including side streets and the fabulous City Plaza! featuring a bounty of farm-fresh produce, mouth-watering prepared foods, handmade, local arts & crafts, and singer songwriter entertainment for all ages.

JULY 2

Patriotic Concert

Riverbend Park 50 Montgomery St. Oroville, CA 95965 6:30pm-8:30pm

JULY 2, 9, 16, 23, 30

Concerts in the Park

Riverbend Park 50 Montgomery St. Oroville, CA 95965 The music series continues with local vendors from 4pm-8pm and live music in the amphitheater from 6:30pm-8pm. https://www.frrpd.com/ for more details.

Feather River Rentals on the Beach

Riverbend Park 50 Montgomery St. Oroville, CA 95965 4pm- 8pm Cool off in the Feather River and master your kayaking skills. Equipment rentals are available at an additional cost.

JULY 3

A Patriotic Pops Concert

Historic Oroville State Theatre 1489 Myers St. Oroville, CA 95965 1pm-6pm

JULY 3, 10, 17, 24, 31

Oroville Hospital Farmers Market

Dove's Landing Parking Lot 2450 Oro Dam Blvd. Oroville, CA 95965 9am-2pm. Oroville Hospital, (530) 533-8500. Come on by and pick up some fresh produce and support your local vendors

JULY 3, 10, 17, 24, 31

Chico Saturday Farmers Market

Downtown Chico Municipal Parking Lot 1. E. 2nd St. Chico, CA 95928 7:30am-1pm

JULY 4

Fireworks Show

Oroville Municipal Airport 75 Yeager Way Oroville, Ca 95965 8pm-9pm Oroville Area Chamber of Commerce, (530) 538-2542 info@orovillechamber.com. Fireworks can be viewed throughout Oroville

JULY 4

Old Fashioned 4th of July Celebration

Vinsonhaler Park, Roosevelt Ave & East St, Orland, CA 95963. 44th Annual Celebration. Food, games, etc. Sponsored by the Orland Historical & Cultural Society. Contact Chris Stifter, (530) 519-3174 for more information.

JULY 8

Oroville Optimists Club

Oroville State Theatre Tour - Historic Oroville State Theatre 2051 Robinson St. Oroville, CA 95965 12pm-2pm. Freda Flint or Ray Ritz, (530) 534-7690

JULY 10

Slice of Chico

Downtown Chico, 10am–5pm. The annual sidewalk sales returns! Visit your favorite downtown Chico businesses and enjoy free slices of ice-cold watermelon. Downtownchico.net

JULY 17

Rebekah Lodge Vendor Fair

1470 Oliver St. Oroville, CA 95965 11am4pm. Come and visit IOOF & Rebekah lodge for their second annual vendor fair. Message Regina Ali Carmen Perez or Shawna on the event page on Facebook.

JULY 20

A Night of Southern Gospel Music

Historic Oroville State Theatre 1489 Myers St. Oroville, CA 95965 6:30pm-8:30pm Tom Turk, (530) 533-1636

JULY 21

Max Minardi: LIVE

The Commons Taproom 2412 Park AvenueChico, CA, 95928 Come down and order your favorite pizza, grab a beverage or two, and enjoy some tunes. All-ages, 6:30pm-8:30pm

JULY 9, 23

Summerfest Movie Series

Paradise Alliance Church 6491 Clark Road Paradise, CA 95969 Free Movie & Popcorn, other concessions available. July 9 - Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory | July 23 - The Greatest Showman. 8:30-

JULY 31

Marlon Wayans: LIVE

Gold Country Casino Resort 4020 Olive Hwy. Oroville, CA 95965 7pm-11pm. (800) 334-9400 Need to do some heavy duty laughing? Marlon Wayans has 2 shows for double the laughs!

JULY 7, 14, 21, 28

Party in the Park, Music and Marketplace

Paradise Community Park 5570 Black Olive Drive (corner of Pearson & Black Olive) Paradise, CA 95969. The Paradise Ridge Chamber of Commerce, in cooperation with the Town of Paradise and with the generous support of Adventist Health, is proud to host a weekly summer festival. Located in the historic heart of Paradise, Party in the Park Music & Marketplace is a seasonal tradition of local pride and community vitality.