The Rotary Club of Santa Barbara North held its latest "road show" meeting off-site at Adams Elementary School, a location the club has proudly supported for decades. Visiting Rotarians included Gary Jensen from the Sunrise Club and Kathy Escobar, a former honorary club member who taught at Adams Elementary for 28 years.
Peace Pole Initiative
Gary Jensen from Sunrise Rotary presented an ongoing project to install Peace Poles at nine participating elementary schools.
The Concept: The initiative involves wrapping existing poles on school campuses with a brief "Make Peace" message translated into four languages.
Progress: A successful mockup of the design has already been completed at Peabody School.
Collaboration: This project is being considered as a potential joint effort between the Downtown, Sunrise, and Northside Rotary Clubs in Santa Barbara.
A 37-Year Legacy at Adams Elementary
Dennis Waid took the floor to share the rich 37-year history between the Rotary Club and Adams Elementary School.
The partnership was largely initiated by former club president Ken Compton and his wife Ellie, who was a 4th-grade teacher at the school.
Club members have a long history of volunteering in classrooms, assisting with yard work, and helping establish the school's computer lab, which was the second in the district to implement such technology.
Over the years, the club has donated roughly 2,000 books to the school's library, including a massive 1,000-book donation during an LA District meeting around 2012.
The club has also funded a chalk art square at the Mission for over 20 years, an initiative originally started by Kathy Escobar.
This deep community involvement dates back to the 1980s just before temporary principal Blas Garza, followed by the club's first long-term partnership with Principal Jenny Dearman.
Principal's Update & Club Grant
Allison Quijano, the first-year principal of Adams Elementary, welcomed the club and expressed her deep gratitude for Rotary's long-standing support. She announced that the school utilized a recent grant from the club to purchase a brand-new laminator machine, which was successfully delivered this week. Following the meeting, she invited members on a tour of the school's garden, design center, and mural.
Four-Way Test Essay Contest Winners
The highlight of the afternoon was the presentation of the Four-Way Test Essay Contest awards to three impressive sixth-grade students. As these students prepare to transition to junior high, they share how they apply Rotary principles to their daily lives. The club awarded gift cards to the three winners:
First Place (Right) - N. Sidomka: Nelly wrote a thoughtful essay about applying the concepts of truth, fairness, goodwill, and mutual benefit before choosing to speak.
Second Place (Left) - R. Mitchell: Rhett's essay focused on using the Four-Way Test to navigate team trash-talking during a highly competitive Friday the 13th kickball game.
Third Place (Middle) - C. Weld: Cornelius shared a touching story about standing up for a friend who was being bullied during recess.
Upcoming Events & Announcements
April 22nd - Club Assembly: The next regular meeting will be led by Tim Hardy as he prepares for his upcoming term as club president, which begins July 1st.
May 10th - Peace Concert: Rotary Peace Fellow and cellist Diego Carneros will perform a special peace concert.
June 17th - Step-Down/Step-Up Hoedown: Join us at Mulligan's from 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM to celebrate Jim Lisi stepping down and Tim Hardy stepping up!
Note: This will not be like a regular lunch meeting on this day.
Attire: Members are highly encouraged to wear their best cowboy gear and boots for the event (yee-haw)!
prepares for his upcoming term as club president, which begins July 1st.