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Innovation plans reshape elementary instruction News, Page 6
Alumni honored for giving back Features, Page 1
Volume 143, Number 18 — Locally-owned since 1884
The hometown paper of Carolyn Fjord
Winters, Yolo County, California, Wednesday, June 3, 2026
Winters Elder Day Council announces 2026 honorees
Wolfskill CRA celebrates four graduates
Express staff
Crystal Apilado/Winters Expresso
Wolfskill Career Readiness Academy graduates Alexis Soria Speegle, Tyson Cutts, Adrian Bernal and Jay Warren received their diplomas May 28 in the Margaret Parsons Room at the Winters Community Library, where family, friends and Winters Joint Unified School District staff gathered to celebrate. Full coverage of the ceremony will be included in the Winters Express’ upcoming Graduation Special Edition next week.
Thompson co-hosts Latino Community Town Hall with local organizations By Sonora Slater Express staff writer
EXPRESS
California District 4 Rep. Mike Thompson co-hosted a Latino Community Town Hall in Woodland on May 26 with Concilio of Yolo County and Winters Community Corazón, bringing together community members and city representatives, including those from Winters, to discuss issues impacting the Yolo County Latino community. The event featured a presentation from Yolo County Superintendent of Schools Garth Lewis, who shared statistics comparing Yolo County to the state and the nation on demographic factors, including the Latino share of population, student enrollment
and family poverty rates. Lewis noted Yolo County has the highest Latino family poverty rate in the state at 19.5 percent, compared to the 15 percent state average, as well as a lower-than-national-average rate of Latinos who obtain bachelor’s degrees. He added that the median home price is well below the state average but still significantly above the national average. Attendees then split into small groups, led by facilitators, to discuss challenges facing the Yolo County Latino community and potential solutions to be brought forward to Thompson and local officials. Winters City Council Member Jesse Loren, along with members of the League of Women Voters Yolo County and other community members, discussed the
See FORUM, Page 8
Waggoner unveils new TK building Four-classroom facility completes Measure W-funded project Express staff Waggoner Elementary School students, staff, and Winters Joint Unified School District leaders gathered Friday, May 22, for a ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrating the completion of a new Transitional Kindergarten (TK) building — a project years in the making and funded through the community-approved Measure W bond. Dressed in pirate-themed attire, TK students joined teachers, district staff, and community members — including current and former trustees — for the celebration. Four TK students, alongside their teachers, used oversized scissors to cut the ribbon outside the new classroom building, which opens onto a newly constructed playground featuring a nautical theme and dolphin-shaped bike racks. Waggoner Elementary Principal Chris Marcoux said the project represents both the school’s history and its future. “This school was open in 1957, and I know to this community this school has been a part of the community that folks have come through these
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Crystal Apilado/Winters Express
Waggoner Elementary Principal Chris Marcoux (left) steps aside as TK students make their way through the gate into the new TK playground following the ribbon-cutting ceremony Friday, May 22. halls and grown up here and have gone on to do amazing things,” Marcoux said. “To be here today, and to be thinking about opening this space, and to think about this as the next 70 years in our community, that these kids will grow up and become community partners and continue to give back to our community. So we are so thankful for the investment in our school, in our kids, in our staff.” Board President Joedy Michael said the project reflects a long-term effort to align district facilities with student needs, especially in early education.
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The Winters Joint Unified School District will provide free meals to all children 18 years old and younger through its Summer Meal Program. Meals will be available Monday through Friday from June 15 to July 30. The program will be closed June 19 and July 3. Breakfast and lunch
May 28
“These things have been in the works for a long time to try and develop our schools to grow to fit this community’s needs,” Michael said. “There’s almost nothing more special than TK classrooms, and as we redesign and think about how we have better education in this community, it kind of starts in these early classrooms.” Michael added that the design focuses on play-based learning and flexible spaces intended to create early learning opportunities. Superintendent Rody
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Rain for week: 0.38 in. Season’s total: 20.24 in. Last sn. to date: 19.27 in. Winters rainfall season began 7/1/25. Weather readings are taken at 9 a.m. daily by local weatherman Joe Bristow.
will be served at three school site locations.
John Clayton/Winters State Preschool • Breakfast: 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. • Lunch: 11 to 12 p.m.
Shirley Rominger Intermediate School • Breakfast: 7:30 to 8:20 a.m. • Lunch: 11 to 12 p.m.
Winters High School • Breakfast: 7:45 to
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8:15 a.m. • Lunch: 10 to 10:15 a.m. All children 18 and under may participate at no charge. For more information, contact Patty Jimenez, director of Nutrition Services, Winters Joint Unified School District, 909 W. Grant Ave., call 530-795-6100, ext. 8004 or email pjimenez@ wintersjusd.org.
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See FACILITY, Page 6
Schools offer free youth summer meal program
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The Winters Elder Day Council has announced the 2026 Elder Day honorees, recognizing the lasting contributions and lifelong service of some of the community’s most respected members. This year’s honorees are: Viona Hague, Frances Ramos, Dorothy Martin, Tom Pearse, Esperanza Jimenez, Martha Boring, Kevin Forsberg and Grace Brett. The 2026 Elder Day Celebration will take place Saturday, June 27, from 2 to 4 p.m. at St. Anthony Parish Hall, 511 Main St. in Winters. The event is free and open to the public. Community members are invited to attend and celebrate with music, cake and expressions of appreciation for Winters’ elders. “How many times have you
been to a funeral or a celebration of life and thought, while all of these people are assembled appreciating what that person did, why not do it while they’re alive?” Woody Fridae, a Winters Elder Day board member and photographer, told the Express. “I think the beauty of the Elder Day celebration is that we’re doing it while they’re still alive.” Since its inception, 60 Winters elders have been honored through storytelling and photography. Winters Elder Day is a local tradition that celebrates the wisdom, dedication and achievements of older adults in the community. It provides an opportunity to recognize those who have helped shape Winters through decades of service, leadership and love for their hometown.
Contact David DeLeon at david@wintersexpress.com 105 E Dorset Drive, Dixon 9253 Johnson Road, Winters, CA 530.212.5161 • monticelloveterinary.com