The summer of 2011 proved to be an unusual one for two local educators who typically anticipate the summer as a time to refresh and regroup after a busy school year.

Instead, Rick Barton, AP Environmental Science and Earth Science teacher at Antioch High School, and Lynda Ramos, a 5th grade math, language arts, science and history teacher at Kimball Elementary School, packed their bags and joined a group of similarly dedicated teachers to embark on a unique professional development opportunity at the Colorado-based Keystone Center.

Barton and Ramos were afforded their opportunity thanks to Dow California Operations in Pittsburg, California, and for each it was an experience that they deemed inspiring, and one for which they have nothing but praise.

In the case of Barton, the Keystone Institute was, “The best institute I have attended in my sixteen years of teaching. The program was amazing, the facilitators were awesome and the location was incredible.”

Barton goes on to say that he was able to bring back materials that he will use in his biology, earth science, and environmental science classes this year. In addition, because so many of the concepts taught are transferrable, he has acquired some great math and language arts lessons that he’ll be able to use with his team.

When asked if he had any concerns about his time at Keystone, the depth of his experience is apparent: “My biggest concern on returning was sorting everything out so that I didn’t forget anything. I came back with tons of material but more importantly, I came back motivated and excited for the start of the school year!”

Ramos is similarly enthusiastic about her time at the Institute and notes the caliber of professional educators from around the country who were part of the training: “The institute was very organized and planned out to every detail along with a very intense curriculum. The curriculum covered all areas of my own teaching from language arts, math, and science to social studies.”

Ramos also found it helpful that activities for the teachers were inquiry-based which allowed the teachers to experience what students experience.

“As a fifth grade teacher, I learned a great deal about sustainability in science as well as the larger issues that face our country,” she said. “For example, there was an activity where the teachers were in groups of four. We were given different choices as to what was more important to sustain – like the rain forest versus glaciers or between freedom of speech or museums. Then, we were to place them in different sections like the environment, the economy, or ethics. What a valuable lesson for all students.”

Ramos is excited to get back to school and begin sharing what she has learned and believes the time she spent was extremely valuable to her own professional development. “I now have a wealth of lessons from teachers around the country, in addition to the lessons I received at the Institute,” she said.

And, for Patty Deutsche, Senior Manager of Public Affairs at Dow, there is no better validation of Keystone than that sort of feedback.

“Education is an area where Dow places considerable emphasis, and the Keystone Center is one of our longest-standing educational partnerships and one where we see terrific value,” she said. “By providing local teachers with new approaches, unique educational resources and an innovative learning environment we believe we are helping to improve the quality of science education as well as raising awareness about today’s environmental issues. This is especially critical so that front-line educators, those who are up in front of the class day-in and day-out, can meaningfully convey how the actions of today can have far-reaching effects on the future of tomorrow.”

To learn more about what Dow is doing to further science and science education, please visit Dow at www.dow.com. Key Issues is a national teacher professional development training program within the Keystone Center for Education – a long-term strategic education partner of The Dow Chemical Company.

The East County Military Families will host the Remember 9/11 Tenth Anniversary Memorial Walk & Tribute this Sunday, September 11, 2011 at 4 p.m. at the Somersville Towne Center Mall, 2556 Somersville Road, Antioch.

The walk will honor the lives lost, our First Responders and our military veterans. Guest Speakers include Chief of Police Allan Cantando, Mayor Jim Davis, Lt. Robin Kelley of the Antioch Police Department, and more.

There will be group walks around perimeter of mall holding flags (bring your own or there will be ones to borrow). Reflect during the ceremony before Jessica Caylyn’s band will perform. First 100 People get free T-shirts.

The event will be held in the back parking lot of the former Mervyns store, near Sears Automotive.

For more information, visit www.EastCountyVeterans.org.

To the publisher:

You own the newspaper, so you have every right to publish your opinions, but I don’t have to agree with them. I can’t agree with your statements about scripture and sexual orientation in your “Publisher’s Response.”

I feel that your statements are not based on any fact but solely on your opinions. Your response sounded suspiciously like Creationist ideas or Anti-Climate Change arguments.

I also felt, and here I must admit that I have no facts only conjecture, that your article about the McNerny Town Hall meeting had only references to the point of view of one side of the aisle. I suspect that there must have been some comments supportive of Mr. McNerny, but none were referenced in the article.

That said, I will read future issues of your paper, but for the sole purpose of finding out who is advertising in it and be sure to avoid patronizing those businesses.

Disappointed Antioch resident,
Roger Martin

——

Mr. Martin,

Thank you for reading the paper and sharing your thoughts.

In response, you wrote that my “statements are not based on any fact” when I actually cited the American Psychiatric Association’s own website, that there is no proof either way that gays and lesbians are born that way.

I also referred to basic physiology.

Both of those arguments to support my position have nothing to do with “Creationist ideas” and I believe are very strong.

As for them having anything to do with being “anti-climate change” is a complete disconnect to me. I don’t see the two issues as remotely related.

As for the article on Congressman McNerney if you had attended his “town hall meeting” (which was held in a very small room that could only accomodate 20 people at the most – which I believe was intentional, but didn’t mention) you would have recognized it was quite kind toward him.

The meeting was also poorly publicized, but I didn’t mention that either.

I took many pages of notes but had to condense it down to what could fit in the paper and to give the general feel of the meeting.

It was his own fellow Democrats who hammered him on issues, one of which I cited regarding not voting to raise taxes on the rich in Obama’s first two years.

On the question of Medicare the Congressman’s response was rather confusing as he discussed MediCal instead. But I didn’t include that in the article.

He also got questioned on the failure of the No Child Left Behind education policy by administrators from Brentwood school districts, but I had to cut that part out to fit in the paper, due to limited space, unfortunately.

I quoted him exactly and included his verbatim responses to the questions posed to him.

The congressman’s experience was similar to what other Members of Congress have experienced across the country from even members of their own political party and is why some aren’t holding public town hall meetings during the summer recess – because people are upset with Congress in general. Some are holding tele-town hall meetings instead so they can better control the conversation.

So I believe the article was very fair and accurate as to what occurred.

I’m sorry to learn of your response in not supporting Antioch businesses who advertise in the paper because you disagree with either my viewpoint or articles you don’t like. Helping promote Antioch businesses and grow our local economy, as I’m sure you can appreciate, is seriously needed and one of the main reasons I started the paper.

My paper reaches more homes in Antioch than any other.

We didn’t have to run the letter to the editor critical of my article in the July issue. But we’re willing to print both sides of issues and even those critical of me, my views and/or our articles.

We’ll even publish your email on our website and in our next issue, to demonstrate that further.

To be fair, do you apply the same standard to all newspapers and other publications which contain advertising and which you read, if you don’t like their editorials or articles? Do you like or agree with all the articles and editorials in the Times, Antioch News or Chronicle? I seriously doubt it.

But if that’s your policy then you’re going to seriously limit where you can shop, do business and dine in town.

Plus, what you’re doing is demonstrating you disagree with my First Amendment rights of free speech and freedom of the press, because you’d prefer my newspaper go out of business by seeking to keep advertisers from advertising in it.

So is that what you want – an America where only your or one side’s views are expressed? I would surely hope not.

Allen Payton
Publisher

The Mt. Diablo Audubon Society will showcase their talents at Antioch’s Lynn House Gallery September 10th – 24th, on Wednesdays and Fridays from 2-4 PM. The exhibit opens with an artist reception on Saturday, September 10th from 2-4 PM. The artist reception and exhibit are free.

The exhibit features Mount Diablo Audubon Society members who are committed to the sustainable balance of our community’s people, birds, other wildlife, and habitat through conservation, education, and advocacy. The exhibit will showcase the artwork of the society’s members and the region’s natural environment through paintings, photography, and other artistic mediums.

Participating artists are Joel Summerhill, Dave Kwinter, Paul Schorr, Megan Sandri, Julia Starr, Maury Stern, David Merrill, Gloria Cannon, Scott Hein, Jean Matuska, Deborah Kirshen, Brian Murphy and Ellis Myer.

The Lynn House Gallery is located at 809 West First Street, in Downtown Antioch. For more information, visit http://art4antioch.org/Mt.Diablo-Audubon-Exhibt2011.asp or e-mail Diane@Art4antioch.org.

Diabetes and obesity are growing problems eroding our nation’s health. To help address these growing health issues Sutter Delta Medical Center is pleased to announce the recruitment of Pragnesh Patel, MD, Board Certified in Endocrinology. Endocrinologists are specialists trained in diabetes and the endocrine system to help patients that may have thyroid, hormonal imbalance, low testosterone levels or other metabolic disorders.

For more than a year, East Contra Costa County residents lacked access to a local endocrinologist. Many who needed this specialized care were forced to travel outside their community. In response to this community need, Sutter Delta Medical Center assisted Springhill Medical Group in recruiting Dr. Patel.

“An endocrinologist plays an important role for patients who are hospitalized with diabetes and other metabolic issues,” says Gary Rapaport, Sutter Delta’s CEO. “We felt it was extremely important for the health of our community to recruit an endocrinologist who will practice full time in East County.”

Dr. Patel and his wife (an Obstetrician specializing in high-risk obstetrics) chose to relocate to the East Bay, from New York.

“It’s very exciting to be working in East County,” says Patel, who has spent the past few years practicing in New York City. “The response from patients has been very welcoming, and they are happy to have someone who can see and treat them right here in their community.”

Dr. Patel adds that endocrinologists also specialize in thyroid and pituitary gland disorders, low testosterone and other hormone-related conditions. Generally, patients are referred to an endocrinologist by their primary care physician, and a collaborative relationship between the two doctors can significantly improve the time it takes to make a diagnosis and effective treatment plan.

“Endocrinologists are responsible for managing the symptoms of hormonal disorders,” says Patel. “Primary care physicians usually do a good job of identifying and initially treating diseases like diabetes, but some patients have more complex and complicated symptoms that are more difficult to control. That’s where we can help.”

Dr. Patel says he looks forward to working with the many primary care and internal medicine physicians that practice here in East County. Dr. Patel is an active member of Sutter Delta’s medical staff and has offices located in Brentwood and Pittsburg.

Sutter Delta Medical Center is located in Antioch, Calif. and has been serving east Contra Costa County’s communities since 1967. It has more than 900 employees and more than 300 physicians on staff. Sutter Delta’s services include 24-hour emergency care, a family birthing/women’s health center and advanced cardiovascular care. Sutter Delta Medical Center is a proud member of the Sutter Health network of doctors, not-for-profit hospitals and other health care service providers.