Sarah Sundin with copies of the three new books from her new series at Barnes & Noble in Antioch. Photo courtesy of Sarah Sundin.

Barnes & Noble in Antioch, is all ready for Sarah Sundin’s book signing on Saturday, February 8, 2020 from 2-4 pm. As you can see, they have plenty of copies of the entire Sunrise at Normandy series, Sundin’s latest trilogy. The store is located at 5709 Lone Tree Way.

She has written three other trilogies based on actual events and people during World War II, entitled the Wings of Glory series, Wings of the Nightingale series and Waves of Freedom series.

Sundin, who lives in Antioch, has won multiple awards for her writing and credits her own family’s war-time experience for her inspiration.

“In January 2000, I woke from a dream so intriguing I had to write it down. I proceeded to write a really bad 750-page contemporary Christian romance,” she writes in her bio on her webpage. “That book will never be published, but it led me to join a critique group, attend writers’ conferences, and join American Christian Fiction Writers.”

“Family tales drew me to the World War II era,” Sundin continues. “I first submitted A Distant Melody in 2003, and over the next five years I accumulated a pile of rejection letters. In 2008, a submission at Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference led to the sale of the Wings of Glory series.”

Since then she has received four more three-book contracts. The Sea Before Us received the 2019 Reader’s Choice Award from Faith, Hope, and Love. Both When Tides Turn and Through Waters Deep were named to Booklist’s “101 Best Romances of the Last 10 Years,” Through Waters Deep received the 2016 INSPY Award and was a 2016 Carol Award Finalist, and my novella “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” in Where Treetops Glisten was a 2015 Carol Award Finalist. In 2011, She received the Writer of the Year Award at the Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference.

When not writing, Sundin teaches Sunday school and women’s Bible studies and speaks to school, community, women’s, historical, and church groups. Visit her speaking page for more information.

To learn more about Sundin and her books, visit www.sarahsundin.com.

Allen Payton contributed to this report.

Live Oak High School Principal Tim Cooper.

Article & photo y Antioch Unified School District

The Association of California School Administrators has named Antioch’s Live Oak High School principal, Tim Cooper the Region VI Continuation Education Administrator of the Year. According to their website, ACSA Region 6 represents School Administrators from Alameda and Contra Costa counties. ACSA serves educational leaders in the pursuit of equity and excellence to meet the diverse needs of all California students. Region 6 has local charters that meet regularly to support administrators in our region.

Although, he notes he didn’t get into education for the accolades, the ACSA nonetheless has recognized Cooper.

He was taken aback when he learned he had been singled out for his work at Live Oak High School.

“I was like, ‘Oh really?’”, Cooper said.

He’s in his fourth year of overseeing one of Antioch Unified’s two continuation high schools, an alternative for teens who are floundering in a mainstream setting. Students transfer to Live Oak after failing classes and falling at least the equivalent of one semester behind their peers. Mostly juniors and seniors, the vast majority are here because of truancy, not disruptive behavior, Cooper said, noting that there have been virtually no fights on campus over the past three years.

“The vibe I give off has an effect,” he said of the correlation between the conduct of the young people in his charge and his attitude toward them. “Students don’t care what you know until they know you care.”

And they do. Cooper knows the first and last name of every one of Live Oak’s 160 students, a feat he achieves in part by visiting classes every morning.

Sometimes he simply observes the action from the sidelines; on other occasions he’ll join a group of kids in a trivia contest or other activity. Teens who feel anonymous lack a sense of accountability for their actions, he said. And because Live Oak has so few students, he has more time to have a conversation with each instead of just comments in passing, Cooper said.

He began his career three decades ago as a substitute teacher in Pittsburg before coming to Antioch Unified in 2001 as a Deer Valley High Vice Principal. Cooper then opened Bidwell Continuation High School as its Vice Principal and did a stint as Black Diamond Middle School’s Principal before returning to Deer Valley High.

At Live Oak he shapes the curriculum by bringing in guest speakers, arranging field trips and developing the school budget.

One of the toughest aspects of his job is the frustration of drawing up a to-do list only to walk into the office the next morning and find everything has changed.

Then again, the element of surprise “kind of makes it exciting,” he said.

A highlight for Cooper is Live Oak’s graduation speeches, when seniors describe the obstacles they’ve overcome.

“I meet so many students who are super stars — they do well inside the classroom, they get involved in their community,” he said. “And some didn’t think they were capable of that.”

Cooper, who’s married with two grown children, is a fiend for golf and has played all over the Bay Area as well as at Lake Tahoe, the San Diego area and even Vancouver, Canada.

“Wherever I can tee it up, I’ll tee it up,” he said.

#WeAreAUSD

Allen Payton contributed to this report.

Officer Chandler with Chief Brooks.

By Antioch Police Department

On Monday, Feb. 3, we welcomed Officer Joseph Chandler.

Joseph was born in San Leandro and raised in the East Bay. He graduated from Newark Memorial High School and pursued a career in sports broadcasting. After 13 years of working behind the scenes, Joe went after his dream of becoming a Law Enforcement Officer and was hired by the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office. During his time at the Sheriff’s Office, he was assigned to the Court Security Division, Transit Patrol, Parks Patrol and Headquarters Patrol.

Now that he doesn’t have a 104-mile daily commute, Joe is looking forward to spending more time with his family, watching their sporting events, and start to check off the “honey do list” his wife has for him.

Photos by APD.

By Antioch Police Department

Tongue out Tuesday! (Feb. 4, 2020) K9 Purcy showing off his recent “catch” after he recently completed his Narcotics Detection Course. K9 Purcy has been assisting Officers with numerous narcotics sniffs which recently resulted in the arrest of two subjects for narcotics sales and firearm possession. K9 Purcy is committed to helping officers take a bite out of crime!

Dear Editor:

The shooting and death of the 16-year-old at Deer Valley High School puts a mark of fear and dismay in the hearts of all Antioch residents.  We are praying that our school board members along with school administrators will come together in one heart and mind to bring healing and hope to students, faculty, families and residents in a very dark hour in our city. Perhaps even local pastors of our many churches can rally together in promoting peace, love, forgiveness and reconciliation in our high schools.

During the President’s State of the Union Address he spoke of allowing prayers in schools – does this mean teachers and pastors can initiate prayers on behalf of students’ needs – it would certainly be beneficial to those students involved in last week’s shooting, and to any that have been traumatized by it.

Our community, as a whole needs to be united in bringing closure and resolution to this serious problem.

Nick Culcasi

Antioch

Photos by Antioch Historical Society Museum.

By Milanka Schneiderman

Antioch is recognized as one of the most diverse communities in the Bay Area and the Antioch Historical Society Museum would like to celebrate that diversity during the month of February with a multicultural exhibit called “Antioch, a Cultural Perspective”. The exhibit includes the following cultural groups who each has their own display: Italian, Portuguese, African American, Hispanic and Chinese.

Other cultures will be featured in future exhibits as this is hoped to be an annual exhibit. The exhibit will be on display in the Riverview Room on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 1:00 to 4:00 P.M. during the entire month of February.

The museum, located at 1500 W. 4th Street at the curve of Auto Center Drive, has a mission statement to preserve history of “cultural and historic value”.

“We really want the Antioch Historical Society Museum to be very inclusive of all and relevant to the changing demographics of residents of Antioch by showcasing their history and culture in February,” said Dwayne Eubanks, President, Antioch Historical Society Museum. “A focus on diversity will be a major goal of the museum now and in the future as we embrace all of Antioch’s residents including the youth.”

The exhibit’s African American display will be updated to include Roger Henry, the first African American to serve in elected office, having been elected to the Antioch School Board, and the first to serve on the city’s Planning Commission. In addition, Teri Lynn Shaw, the first African American woman to serve on the Antioch School Board, will also be added to the display.

Modernizing presentation equipment is one method that the museum hopes to reach out to younger generations of residents. They recently received two grants from the City of Antioch and the Antioch Community Fund to purchase new electronic presentation equipment. February’s “Antioch, a Cultural Perspective” hopes to reach out to a wider audience of Antioch residents with this exciting, new exhibit.

Allen Payton contributed to this report.