GOOD NEWS REAL NEWS HOMETOWN NEWS
SINCE 1889 Making Communities Better Through Print.™ VOL. CXXXIII, NO. XVI
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2022
PIONEER DAY
Countdown to 92nd Annual Pioneer Day Begins with Kick-Off Party
pasoroblespress.com • $1.00 • WEEKLY
EDUCATION
PRJUSD Begins Discussion on Community School Grant
Trustees move forward with leaseleaseback request for Aquatics Complex By CAMILLE DEVAUL camille@pasoroblespress.com
Doug Filipponi takes the stage at the Kick-Off Party to auction goods at the fundraiser. Photo by Derek Luff
The fundraising event drew 300 people, making it one of the best years yet By CAMILLE DEVAUL camille@pasoroblespress.com
PASO ROBLES — As the Pioneer Day Kick-Off Party concluded this past Saturday, Sept. 24, the final countdown to
the 92nd Annual Paso Robles Pioneer Day officially begins. For the second year, the Pioneer Day Kick-Off Party was held at the Estrella Warbirds Museum, following prior years being held at the Paso Robles Events Center. Paso Robles Pioneer Day Committee Chairman Margaret Wicks estimates about 300 people attended this year’s event.
“I believe that ... this could have been the biggest, best attended, Pre-Pioneer Day / Kick-Off Party in 25 years and possibly longer,” stated Wicks. The Kick-Off Party is the committee’s primary fundraiser for the Pioneer Day festivities. The event hosts an auction, music, dancing, food, drinks, and plenty of socializing, with the opportunity to meet this
FUNDRAISER
year’s royalty. Husband and wife Howie and Bev Steinbeck are the 2022 Pioneer Day Marshal and Queen. You can find more on their family history in Paso Robles in the upcoming October issue of Paso Magazine. There are seven young women this year representing the different regions of Paso
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El Camino Homeless Organization’s Long Walk Home Returns for its 11th Year
PASO ROBLES — Trustees made forward progress toward building the Paso Robles High School Aquatics Complex during the Tuesday, Sept. 27, Paso Robles Joint Unified School District (PRJUSD) board meeting. On Tuesday night, PRJUSD trustees unanimously approved a lease-leaseback Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for the Aquatics Complex with Harris Construction Company. According to the staff ’s agenda report, the approval is for preconstruction services related to the design and constructability review of plans and specifications for the complex. The total cost for the lease-leaseback is $13,500. The Aquatics Complex remains in the design phase with a total budget of $8,638,485. PRJUSD Superintendent Curt Dubost gave an informational presentation on “Equality of Opportunity and Equity of Outcomes.”
The presentation was pulled together after the terms equity and equality were used during board discussions and public comment during the Sept. 13 board meeting. Dubost’s presentation discussed the connotations and denotations of each term with the intention of clarifying the difference between “equality of opportunity” and “equity of outcomes.” He further explained that while they should strive to build up less fortunate students, that does not mean the district should lower its educational standards for lower-performing students. “I raise this topic now as I believe the proposed community school planning grant is an excellent opportunity to give a fair chance to our neediest of kids to be at grade level at third grade,” said Dubost. “Let’s do that, but when all kids don’t turn out the same, let’s remember that’s the way it is and always will be.” In May, the California Department of Education announced the first round of grants of $3 billion for the Community Schools Partnership Program. According to the state’s May CONTINUED ON PAGE A15
NONPROFIT
ECHO raised over $50,000 in its goal to help support the local unhoused
Bidders participate in a live auction during the Redwings Horse Sanctuary Block Party in Paso Robles. Photos by Deb Hofstetter
Redwings Horse Sanctuary Celebrates Second Annual Block Party The fundraiser brought in approximately $40,000 for the nonprofit
Block Party on Sunday, Sept. 18, with the event raising approximately $40,000 for the sanctuary’s resident equines. The annual event has become its key fundraiser for the year. By CAMILLE DEVAUL Co-hosted with Cass camille@pasoroblespress.com Winery, the event was held PA S O RO B LES — at Redwings new location on Redwings Horse Sanctuary Union Road in Paso Robles. celebrated its second annual Just last year, the nonprofit
SPORTS
COMMUNITY
celebrated its grand opening at the new location during its first Block Party. All the proceeds from the event support medical care and feed for the horses for the year. Last year’s raised funds went towards a new tractor for the facility, which was on display during the event. “It [the event] went really
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NEWS
By CHRISTIANNA MARKS christianna@pasoroblespress.com
ECHO President/CEO Wendy Lewis leads people out of ECHO’s driveway at the start of Long Walk Home. Contributed photo
ATASCADERO — Around 300 local residents headed out to the El Camino Homeless Organization’s (ECHO) transitional homeless shelter in Atascadero to participate in their 11th Annual Long Walk Home. The walk kicked off at 10 a.m. at ECHO and made its way through Sunken Gardens to City Hall and back to the starting point, ending with a to-go barbecue lunch starting at 11 a.m.
“We are so excited the community came out to show support for the unhoused in our community and the people that ECHO are serving,” said ECHO President and CEO Wendy Lewis. The Long Walk Home was put together 11 years ago to bring awareness to the community of the steps that the unhoused and ECHO take together to get locals back into housing while also raising funds
EVENTS
for the programs that ECHO provides to help individuals and families facing homelessness. This year, Long Walk Home raised over $50,000, which was the organization’s goal. The money will be used at both the Atascadero and Paso Robles ECHO locations. “That money is used to support the shelter and all the resources we try to provide,” added Lewis. “It supports our CONTINUED ON PAGE A15
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