The Gridley Lions Club will once again be hosting their annual Student Speakers Contest, a competition that is held throughout the Lions Clubs of California. The contest is open to any high school age student whether they are in public school, private school, home school, or charter school. Each student who speaks has an opportunity to win $21,000 in scholarships from the Lions Student Speaker Foundation.
Gridley Rotary Club members Heather and Ben Payne and Clark Redfield (assisted by Principal Mr. McIntire) passed out beautiful hard bound dictionaries for third grade students of Wilson School to take home for their very own use as part of the club's Community Service program.
The American Association of University Women of Gridley held their first meeting of 2012 with the Oroville AAUW Branch.
For the second month in a row, the Gridley Unified School District Board of Trustees came to a stalemate last Wednesday night when it came to a vote whether to continue an agreement with the Gridley Guardians and Gridley-Biggs Police Department for the position of Student Resource Officer (SRO). There were just six of the seven board members at each of the meetings.
Following impassioned scenarios from principals Joan Zappettini, Chris McCormick and Cindy Kershaw and Police Chief Gary Keeler, board members stated the work of the SRO, Officer Alberto Rodriguez has never been in question, but merely was the financial status with the school's budget with federal cuts looming.
Residents living within the Gridley Unified School District are being asked to participate in a telephone survey for the purpose of a proposed $13 million bond for the district.
Of utmost concern is a new gymnasium for the high school, but other projects mentioned in the survey are heating and air conditioning units, roof repairs, computers, a community building for Wilson Elementary, high school football field and the replacement of portables at Wilson with regular classrooms.
The many varieties of fruit trees planted at Biggs Elementary School are because of a vast amount of volunteers interested in the students eating healthy along with their families.
Over the summer, different families signed up for a week of watering each so that the 20+ trees would be in good shape for the beginning of the school season.
When the Gridley High School Band raised the $124,000, necessary to make the December trip to Hawaii to participate in the Pearl Harbor Memorial thanks to many very generous people far and wide, they could not anticipate the addition of five new band members transferring from other schools in this school year.
Kathleen Houck has worked in the Gridley Unified School District 20 years, teaching at Wilson, Sycamore and now McKinley as a first grade teacher.
She started out at Wilson teaching kindergarten when the class was riffed and she took a resource position at McKinley. She worked at Sycamore when an overflow caused kindergarten and first graders to be located there for awhile.
If one word had to be used to describe the Gridley High School "Every 15 Minutes," exercise held last Thursday, it would be "emotional."
Everyone who knows John and Bev Neiswanger know how giving they are and supportive of Gridley schools. The couple donated $1500 to the Gridley High School Band this weekend.
This donation officially puts the band at the all-important $80,000 mark. It is fitting that the Neiswangers would be the ones to make this particular donation. They have a long history of supporting GHS Music, in many ways. Their daughter, Victoria, was a member of the band from 1996-99. John has provided stage lighting for countless GHS Music productions over the years. The Neiswangers have provided truck transportation for the band's uniforms, instruments, and equipment on eight of the nine Disney performances by the Bulldog Marching Band, donating not only the vehicle, but the fuel! How fitting, then, that this couple would make this milestone donation to benefit the band. After the presentation, Neiswanger, in his typical eye-on-the-goal way said, "Make sure the community knows that reaching $80,000 isn't the verall goal. We still need to reach $105,000.
Currently at $75,000 raised for the December trip to Pearl Harbor for the 70th anniversary ceremonies, the Gridley High School Band members are very close to the $80,000 they were told to raise by May 31, 2011, in order to go on and raise the needed $115,000.
Gridley Unified School District Superintendent Clark Redfield announced his upcoming retirement in August at the district board of trustees meeting last Wednesday evening.
One would think Gridley High Band Director John Haeberle has lived here long enough to know, when you have a real need, the community steps up to the plate.
When the invitation arrived to represent California at the 70th Anniversary of Pearl Harbor in December, some trepidation probably set in, wondering if it could be done. Parents and students quickly assured him it would be done - raise $115,000 to send 70 students to Hawaii. That's just the way this community is. It isn't just this community who is coming through for the band, but in large part the many donations are from here. Some donations have come in from past band members, alumni of Gridley High School who are all happy to be a part of sending these talented kids to represent our state.
The year was 1939 and the California World's Fair was held in San Francisco. As a senior at Gridley Union High School and a member of the school's band, Evelyn (King) Griggs was one of nearly 100 who traveled to San Francisco to represent the town and the school for a School Music Festival. The school sent the band and the chorus to perform for three days April 27-29, and the students traveled by school bus.
Mrs. Langford's fifth grade class at Biggs Elementary School put their reading skills to the test during the month of February, and the result of all their hard work was prizes awarded to them by Comcast Cablevision, sponsors of the Fifth Grade Reading Challenge. For their accomplishment, each member of the class received a $20 gift certificate to Barnes and Noble. Mrs. Langford received a $500 gift certificate to "Teachers Book Connection," and the school was awarded a check for $1,000 by Comcast.
Highlights of the awards ceremony will be shown tonight on Channel 24 Redding at 5 p.m. and Channel 12 Chico at 6 p.m.
The class of 26 read 73,751 minutes during the month of February, an average of 2,837 minutes per student, or 47.28 hours. Almost two full days per student was spent reading by the Biggs Elementary School fifth grade class, which topped all schools from North Sacramento to Chico.
GHS Choir presents, “Oh, What a Night!” A 50s-60s Musical Review Featuring the “Bulldog Soda Shoppe” for all your favorite sweet treats at 7:00 pm Friday, March 18th and Saturday, March 19 at the Gridley Community Building (formerly GUARDIAN Building) 200 E. Spruce St.
Tickets are $5.00 and are available at The Wishing Corner, Children’s Hope, Ace Hardware, and any GHS choir member, or at the door.
Many different levels of generous donations are coming in for the Gridley High School Band in order for the 75 band members to be able to travel to Hawaii and perform for the 70th anniversary of Pearl Harbor.
It was Band Director John Haeberle's idea to create a pyramid looking collage of ships to recognize the different levels of contributions by using the names of the US Ships for example:
USS California $2,000 level; USS Arizona $1,500; USS Nevada $1,250; USS Tennessee $1,000; USS W. Virginia $750; USS Oklahoma $500; USS Maryland $250 and USS Pennsylvania $100.
Any donations under $100 will be noted as submarine donors.
The collage of ships will be depicted and on display with donors names at Round Table Pizza on the sports wall which has been offered to the band, along with 20 percent of proceeds for dine-in customers every first and third Tuesday for the next six months from 6 to 8 p.m. The collage will be updated every 10 days to two weeks by the band members.
Although the date of performance is December 7, 2011, a deadline of May 31, 2011 is set to have at least $80,000 raised or the trip will be called off.
Mr. Haeberle mentioned donations mean a lot to the students, especially when they hear of ones coming from as far as Winters and Colusa with touching personal notes, wishing the students well.
"We received a $20 donation from a 90-year-old couple and this is the type that is very much appreciated," Haeberle said.
Haeberle was quick to say that the large donations are very much appreciated but any amount can be sent, all will be appreciated.
Donation checks can be made out to: Gridley High School Band, 300 E. Spruce Street, Gridley, Ca 95948.
Doug Kaelin has spent the last ten years working at Pierce High School in Arbuckle, five as the Principal, and before he left, the school was awarded the California Distinguished High School honor.
It's probably not too far fetched to predict that we may see Biggs High School receive the same award, given the caliber of successful students in last years graduating class. Not only were two students awarded the Bill Gates Scholarship, 13 were honor students.
Given what Kaelin was able to achieve as a Gridley High School Athletic Director and football coach in his ten years here, making Biggs High School a prize-winning institution is not much of a stretch.
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Gridley High graduate Bill Harkey is one who remembers his roots and continues to be involved in the town that means so much to him. Known to many as the first baby born at Biggs-Gridley Memorial Hospital, he is also known to long-time Gridleyians as the son of Bill and Fran Harkey. When he is in town visiting his mother, Bill always visits his friends at the Gridley Rotary Club meeting, many of them members when his dad Bill was a member and past president. He and his wife Laurie live in Carlisle, Pennsylvania and keep up with the news of Gridley through their subscription to The Gridley Herald.
The Harkey's read about the Gridley High School Band's quest to raise enough money to travel to Pearl Harbor next year for the 70th anniversary and on Friday presented a check for $2,000 to Band Director John Haeberle and some of the current band members. Harkey told the students he was proud of their huge accomplishment in being invited to the commemoration of Pearl Harbor next year. Even though it has been 44 years, it was evident Harkey felt a real kinship to the students and the band, almost as if talking about one band.
As Mr. Haeberle explained, "Many of the students had tears in their eyes as they listened to Mr. Harkey and understood what he was saying. It's kind of like the Giants. Whether it's the 1954 Giants or the 2010 Giants, it really is all the same team."
When Bill was the drum major as a senior at Gridley High with Martin Larens as his teacher, he could not have foreseen his involvement and continued passion for the band and the school.
As Harkey and his generation follow the generations that continue on at Gridley High, they can relive their lives whether it is in sports or as a drum major, whether it is Mr. Larens or Mr. Haeberle, there is a connection. When Bill spent thirty years in the Army, it didn't matter where he was stationed, his home was always Gridley.
For those of us who know Bill Harkey, this generous donation is not surprising coming from one Bulldog to many others to help them reach their dreams. Thank you Bill and Laurie. Thank you for always remembering where home is and being so supportive.
