Mission statement
The mission of the Galt Joint Union High School District is to ensure that
each student graduates, achieves his/her goals and become contributing members
of society through effective personalized educational programs and facilities in
partnership with family and community.
The district has a small town atmosphere transitioning from an agricultural
to a rapidly growing bedroom community, spanning two counties with a diverse
population.
Beliefs:
We believe that family and community are the foundation for the future.
We believe that each individual is responsible and accountable for his/her
own choices.
We believe that each person is unique and has inherent worth.
We believe that positive attitudes and positive actions foster positive
results.
We believe that an understanding of cultural diversity enriches our
community.
The event
By Duane Ausherman
Some of the many hard workers at the registration table. From l. to r.
Maria Bautista (parent), Maria Camarillo (student), Susana Aguilar (intern),
Eugenia Hansen (staff), Nora Belaunzaran (staff), Rosario Emperador (staff
counselor).
L. to R. Barbara Payne (I Love Galt organizer), Adrianna,
Carolina and Ana (students).
L. to R. Mary Martinez, Tom Gemma (superintendent), Barbara Payne, Susana
Flores, Dennis Richardson (board member), Tony Lara (principal Estralita),
Anabel Gonzalez (teacher) and Ivan Alveraz (student)
A few young students too.
Nora Belaunzaran and Susana Flores, two of the staff organizers. These
two never stopped organizing, helping and directing during the whole event.
It was easy to see just how proud they were to see all of the preparation work
come to fruition.
Child care was provided and the smaller children certainly had
fun.
After the keynote speaker, Roberto Dansi, the attendees broke up into 3
groups for workshops.
The parents met in the Library and discussed how they could better assist
their children to prepare for the future.
The boy's workshop met in the auditorium.
The girl's workshop met in the gymnasium.
The dinner and dance
The dinner was donated and catered by Jorge Duenas, owner of
El Rodeo Mexican
restaurant and Antonio Gutierrez of the Compadres Market. The food was
quite good and plentiful.
Jorge Duenas and his proud smile.
We owe a special debt to our cooks. l. to r. back row Araceli Vega,
Jorge Duenas, Elena Duenas, Joelia Muniz, Felipe Muniz, Lizette Muniz, Luis
Ferreira, Center front is Celeste Muniz and on the front right is the supervisor
Lucy Ormiend.
l. to r. Maria Duenas, Lizette Muniz, Joelia muniz were our cheerful servers.
They really heaped up my plate.
l. to r. Javier, Jaime, Gabriel and Jorge. These guys came from Sac.
State to keep us "watered down" and were generally very helpful.
Two families formed this drummer bugle group and performed a couple of
impressive pieces for us. l. to r. Mayra Gazon, Fatima Gazon, Rocia
Gazon, Brenda Gazon and Anna Ortiz. At the rear is Demetico Ortiz jr. and
Demetico Ortiz sr.
This group of traditional dancers were having just too much fun. l. to
r. Ana Robles, Ivan Alvarez, Susie Osuna, Alejandro Gonzales, Yesenia
Valencia, Gerardo Guardado, Monica Curiel, Oscar Bautista.
The beautiful costumes and folk dances made a wonderful
performance.
Interviews
I have always had a special interest in our youth. Where are they
going, what do they want, how do they plan to get there, are just a few of the
things we must all consider. I was able to interview two promising young
people, a girl and a boy. You will see their names elsewhere, as they are
both quite active in this and other community events.
Ana Robles is 18 and a senior at Galt High School. Ana has lived in
Galt her whole life. She will soon graduate and then attend Chico State
this fall to major in Political Science. This is just in preparation to go
to law school. She is interested in immigration law and plans to work for
a law firm before going into private practice with her own office. Her
hobbies are dance (see her dance above) and volleyball. She has 2 sisters
and 2 brothers. Her goal is to be the first person in her family to attend
a 4 year college and the first to graduate from college. She applied to
three colleges and was accepted to all three.
In speaking with this young lady, I was quite impressed with her dedication
and passion for excellence in life. I am sure I also speak for others in
wishing her success.
Alejandro Gonzales is 17 and will graduate from Galt High School this spring.
This is his 4th year living in Galt. Alejandro has 1 brother and 2
sisters. He intends to attend a junior college and has his sights set on
Delta College in Stockton. He will study law enforcement and his eventual
goal is to enter CHP service. His hobbies are dance, soccer and writing.
His 10 year goal is to be work as a CHP officier, be married and have one child,
but eventually a total of three.
I asked, "What do you see as the biggest problem facing Galt?" He
didn't hesitate with his single word, "Gangs." He was less sure about how
to solve this problem, but felt it started with the family.
My impressions
I was so happy that I had decided to attend parts of this conference.
My wife, Linda, attended with me and we both felt the sense of enthusiasm for
life, community, family and the future that was so apparent. It was so
easy to see the pride in the eyes of the many parents of these promising young
people. Thank you.
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