By Allen D. Payton

The Deer Valley High School Class of 2023 graduates, family and friends celebrated their shared accomplishment on Friday morning, June 9th. After entering with their teachers to the traditional playing of Pomp and Circumstance, inside the Los Medanos College football stadium, where the ceremonies were held due to the new turf field being installed in Wolverine Stadium, the graduates were welcomed by teacher and cross-country coach, Michael Green and enjoyed a performance of the National Anthem by the Divine Voices.

They then heard from their first-year principal, Casey Lewis.

“Your journey made the days many,” he said speaking of the COVID pandemic. “Value you those you trust the most. Value those moments. Let them know you care. You don’t have to be great to get started. But you have to get started to be great.”

“It has been an absolute honor to be your principal especially this class which was my first class. So, stay classy,” he added.

Antioch School Board Area 3 Trustee Dr. Clyde Lewis (no relation to the principal) spoke of the “Wolverine spirit”.

“People who exhibit the Wolverine spirit are typically fearless and are not intimated by anything,” he said. “They are risk-takers and are so focused on their pursuits that the thought of failure does not stop them from their mission. Being a Wolverine means being a spirited, bold trendsetter who goes against the grain to accomplish their goals.”

Senior Class President Heather Galiwango then spoke to her classmates saying, “13 years. It’s been 13 years that the government mapped out a road for us. It seems as though our whole lives revolve around school until we got to high school. Then we overworked ourselves.”

“We’ve overcome a pandemic. We became the first class to have personalized parking spots,” she shared to cheers from the graduates. “Your successes as Deer Valley Wolverines are so impressive. Always know I’m rooting for you in your little corners.  Thank you and congrats.”

“At the beginning of this year I couldn’t wait to graduate. Now that I’m here, I feel the opposite,” said Valedictorian Ryan Cao. “Throughout my entire life I’ve always longed for the next chapter of my life. I didn’t spend enough time with my friends…and especially my grandfather.”

“Don’t let anyone question your talent or ability,” he continued. “Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do something. Cherish what you have in the moment.”

Principal Lewis introduced the Class of 2023 to Associate Superintendent of Educational Services Christine Ibarra who accepted the class for completing the requirements set forth by the Antioch Unified School District.

“Henceforth you are to be considered graduates and alumni of Deer Valley High School,” she said to cheers.

The Deer Valley Choir and Divine Voices who sang the National Anthem at the beginning of the ceremonies then performed “A Blessing” and “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday”.

Math Department Chair Maria McClain and Math Instructor Jessika Tate read the names of the graduates as they received their diplomas by Dr. Lewis and Ibarra, first to the ASB and Class Officers, Valedictorian and Salutatorians then the rest of the graduates, as friends, families and classmates cheered.

Class President Galiwango led the class in the turning of the tassels before they celebrated with hugs and tossing of their caps, before the recessional song of “It’s About Da** Time” played.

See the video of the graduation ceremonies by DVTV.

Congratulations, graduates. Make Antioch proud!

By Allen D. Payton

During the Antioch Juneteenth Celebration event a few years ago, I shared the fact with a few people, mainly youth, in attendance, that Juneteenth and the ending of slavery in the U.S. was the result of the efforts of the Republican Party, and some of them were shocked and even argued with me. I was surprised they hadn’t learned that in their history classes in school. So, here’s a little history about the day and celebration.

Deriving its name by combining June and nineteenth – Juneteenth, also known as Emancipation Day, is the oldest known celebration commemorating the ending of slavery in the United States. But while it became a national holiday in 2021 through a bill by a Democrat U.S. Senator and signed into law by Democrat President Joe Biden as the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act, the day it celebrates occurred thanks to the Republican Party. Known as the Grand Old Party or GOP, the party was formed in 1854 to fight the expansion of slavery into the Western territories and ultimately abolish it. Abraham Lincoln was the first Republican to be elected president and under his leadership fought and won the Civil War to end slavery in the United States.

It’s the main reason the first Black U.S. Senators and Members of Congress were Republican, virtually all Black Americans voted Republican until the 1936 and the GOP continued to receive a large percent of the Black vote well into the 1950s and 1960s. A few other facts  you might find surprising is that it was Republicans who founded the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) on February 12, 1909, the 100th anniversary of Lincoln’s birth and reparations were originally a Republican idea. It was Union Army General William Tecumseh Sherman who issued Special Field Orders No. 15, giving 40 acres of land to freed slave families and later ordered the army to lend mules for the agrarian reform effort, as a means to provide for themselves and own an asset to pass on to future generations. It was reversed by Democrat Andrew Johnson, who became president following Lincoln’s assassination and issued a proclamation that returned the lands to southern owners.

Back to Juneteenth, it was on June 19, 1865 that the Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, a Republican career U.S. Army officer, arrived at Galveston, Texas  announcing that the war had ended and that the enslaved were now free.

It was a little over two months after Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered his Army of Northern Virginia to Union General Ulysses S. Grant in Appomattox, Virginia, setting in motion the end of the war. A wave of Confederate surrenders followed. As a practical matter, the war ended with the May 26 surrender of the Department of the Trans-Mississippi, but the conclusion of the American Civil War lacks a clear and precise historical end date. Confederate ground forces continued surrendering past the May 26 surrender date until June 23. 

It was two and a half years after President Lincoln signed his Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863 freeing all slaves in Confederate states. Granger issued General Order No. 3 further informing Texas – the most remote state of the former Confederacy – of, and enforcing the proclamation, just two months after Lincoln’s assassination.

When issued, the Emancipation Proclamation had little impact on the Texans due to the minimal number of Union troops to enforce the new Executive Order. However, with the arrival of Granger’s regiment, the forces were finally strong enough to influence and overcome the resistance.

Later attempts to explain this two-and-a-half-year delay in the receipt of this important news have yielded several versions that have been handed down through the years. Often told is the story of a messenger who was murdered on his way to Texas with the news of freedom. Another is that the news was deliberately withheld by the enslavers to maintain the labor force on the plantations. And still another, is that federal troops actually waited for the slave owners to reap the benefits of one last cotton harvest before going to Texas to enforce the Emancipation Proclamation. All of which, or neither of these versions could be true. Certainly, for some, President Lincoln’s authority over the rebellious states was in question   For whatever the reasons, conditions in Texas remained status quo well beyond what was statutory.

Juneteenth has been celebrated in Texas since 1866, at first involving church-centered community gatherings in Texas. They spread across the South and became more commercialized in the 1920s and 1930s, often centering on a food festival. Participants in the Great Migration brought these celebrations to the rest of the country.

Happy Juneteenth, a holiday of freedom that we can all recognize and celebrate, while honoring those who fought and died to make it a reality!

Information also sourced from Juneteenth.com and the book From the Deck to the Sea: Blacks and the Republican Party.

By Selena Cedano & Allen D. Payton

The 413 graduates of the Antioch High School Class of 2023 celebrated with their family and friends inside Eells Stadium Friday morning, June 9. They filed in to the traditional sounds of Pomp and Circumstance followed by a performance by the Music Masters, led by Director Katelyn Mason, of the National Anthem and “Not to Say Goodbye”.

ASB President, and 2022 Antioch Youth of the Year, Mateo Ismael Castro offered welcoming remarks. “Just remember, even though we go our separate ways we remain in each other’s hearts and always hold the ones you love in your heart. Hold them dearly,” he said. “Cherish the people around you because tomorrow is not promised, and hate can’t be taken back. Always be kind, hug each other and love one another. Laugh with your loved ones. Take breaths, smile when you can and always tell that person you love them. Never stay mad at each other because tomorrow everything can be gone.”

He was followed by Principal John Jimno in his first year in the position.

“Keep going in life. We are so proud of your achievements and accomplishments throughout these past years,” he shared.

Valedictorian Ruben Sandoval Ruiz offered encouraging comments to his classmates.

“Stand together through tough times,” he said. “Be your best self. Love yourself. Take challenges. Be brave.”

Salutatorian Zachary David White reflected on their four years in high school.

“The pain of the pandemic made us. The growth changed us,” he stated. “Stay positive in life even when it’s hard.”

Area 5 Trustee Mary Rocha officially acknowledged the class on behalf of the school board.

“Life is full of surprises. Take it as it comes. Be wise”, she said.

Before accepting the class for meeting the state and district requirements to graduate, Superintendent Stephanie Anello said, “No dream or goal is ever too big for what you can accomplish. Think big. Reach high.

Senior Class President Carol Cervantes spoke last before leading the graduates in the turning of their tassels. “When we are down in our time of need, be a friend,” she said. “Be kind in a big world.”

The graduates then celebrated their shared accomplishment with hugs and a few tossing their caps, as family and friends cheered.

See video of the graduation ceremonies on the AUSD YouTube Channel.

Congratulations, graduates. Make Antioch proud!

Includes projected deficits of $10.2 million in 2023-24 and $15.4 million in 2024-25; also approves $226.6 million 5-Year Capital Improvement Program budget

By Allen D. Payton

During their meeting on Tuesday, June 13, 2023, the Antioch City Council adopted a $237.5 million annual budget for Fiscal Year 2023-24 and $226.2 million budget for Fiscal Year 2024-25 with $10.2 and $15.4 million deficits, respectively. The council also unanimously approved the $226.6 million 5-Year Capital Improvement Program budget and spending up to $2.1 million for police dispatch and records management software upgrade over five years.

Approves Two-Year Budget

The council approved the two-year budget for Fiscal Years 2023-25 using less than $3 million from Budget Stabilization funds for the General Fund, according to Finance Director Dawn Merchant. The 2023-24 Fiscal Year Operating Budget projects a total $10.2 million deficit with $227,370,716 in revenue, including$91,854,602 to the General Fund and $237,524,285 in expenditures, including $92,698,366 from the General Fund. In Fiscal Year 2024-25 the deficit is projected to be $16 million with $210,736,707 in revenue, including$97,314,672 in the General Fund and total expenditures of $226,163,010, including $100,314,672 from the General Fund. (See below)

Over half of the General Fund pays for police, including $50,741,523 in FY 2023-24 and $54,670,183 in FY 2024-25.

Approves 5-Year Capital Improvement Program Budget

The council also unanimously approved the $226.6 million 5-Year Capital Improvement Program Budget with the largest amount of $69 million to be spent on the Brackish Water Desalination Plant. The budget also includes $55.4 million for Roadway Improvements, $47.1 million on the City’s water system, $21.6 million on Community Facilities, $16.4 million on Parks and Trails, $12 million on the Wastewater and Storm Drain System and $4.4 million on Traffic Signals.

Approve $2.1 million for Police Department Software Upgrade

The council approved a five-year contract not to exceed $2,123,744 to develop and maintain a Police Computer Aided Dispatch (“CAD”) and Records Management System (“RMS”) from June 1, 2023, to July 1, 2028, authorizing the Acting City Manager to execute a purchasing agreement with Sunridge Systems.

Mayor Pro Tem Tamisha Torres-Walker was the only council member to speak on the item.

“Increased police response times is literally a matter of life and death in this community,” she said “Three minutes versus 10 minutes when you have a loved one bleeding out in the street… response times matter. Until we can create this other world, this utopia where we don’t need these systems, we need to make them work. Our police department is way behind 21st Century Policing. I definitely support this, and I can make the motion,” which she then did.

Seconded by District 2 Councilman Mike Barbanica, the motion was adopted on a 5-0 vote.

By Allen D. Payton

After the 153 graduates of Dozier-Libbey Medical High School’s Class of 2023 filed into the Deer Valley High quad amphitheater to the traditional sounds of Pomp and Circumstance, senior and fellow graduate Rosaly Crisp sang the National Anthem and ASB President Arana Amin led the Pledge of Allegiance. Principal Karen Clark then introduced local dignitaries, including school board Trustees Gary Hack, Mary Rocha and Antonio Hernandez, and Superintendent Stephanie Anello.

“It’s a great day to be back at Dozier Libbey Medical High School but it’s an even better day to be graduating,” said Area 1 Trustee Hernandez, a Class of 2012 alum of the school, during his opening remarks.

He was followed by Commencement Speaker and Class of 2023 graduate Briana Galindo.

“We learned to be creative…and stay strong during times of uncertainty,” she said about their experience during distance learning of the COVID pandemic.

“Class of 2023, these past four years we’ve all grown as individuals. We’ve embraced the values we were taught from the beginning,” Galindo continued. “Dozier-Libbey prepared us. Let these four years be the foundation of what we can do and what we are capable of. I’m proud of you all. We will continue to persevere, chase our ambitions and become the change makers.”

In closing she thanked their teachers and parents.

After the presentation of the Class of 2023 by Principal Clark, she spoke of the students’ experience during distance learning.

“The challenges…you’ve faced have forever shaped all of us…managing your own time,” she said. “Together we conquered many, many obstacles.”

“It is our hope that DLMHS has instilled the qualities of compassion, empathy and understanding… navigating the complex career of healthcare or any other career you will pursue,” Clark added.

Superintendent Anello accepted the class having completed the graduation requirements of the Antioch Unified School District and State of California. “Henceforth you are to be considered graduates and alumni of Dozie-Libbey Medical High School. Congratulations,” she said.

As their names were read by Principal Clark and Vice Principal Mark Libbey, the son of one of the namesakes of the school, the graduates were presented their diplomas by Trustees Hernandez and Rocha.

Class President Saniya Maka led her classmates in the turning of their tassels and the graduates celebrated, hugged and tossed their caps in the air as their family and friends cheered and the song Don’t Stop Believing by Journey played during the recessional.

See video of the graduation ceremonies on the AUSD YouTube Channel.

Congratulations, graduates. Make Antioch proud!

Nuhad Saba Levasseur, age 69, of Marietta, GA passed away on March 31, 2023. She was born in Cairo, Egypt in 1953 to Salih and Maggie Saba. She and her family moved to Castro Valley, CA when she was six years old. She studied music and became a professional singer, performing with bands and doing studio work for many years in the Bay Area. She met Michael Levasseur in 1984 and for 39 years they were married and built a beautiful life together with their four children. She opened her own voice studio and coached people of all ages how to sing. For 30 years she selflessly poured into her students’ lives and loved mentoring them in their passion for singing and pursuing careers in music. In her spare time, she enjoyed musical theater, singing on the church worship team and choir, spending time with her family and her 13 grandkids, entertaining people in her home, shopping and taking pictures. She had a passion for life, people, family, and her faith. She loved Jesus and loved telling people about her Savior. In 2018, she and her husband and two daughters along with their families moved to Marietta, GA. She loved living in the south and in during her four-and-a-half years there she built great friendships, continued vocal coaching, and made great memories with her husband and family.

Nuhad is preceded in death by her father Salih Saba, her mother Maggie Eaton, and her stepmother Cindy Saba. She is survived by her husband Michael Levasseur, her daughters Marissa Havens and Hillary Fowlie, her stepsons Jason Levasseur and Justin Levasseur, her son-in-laws Chad Havens and CJ Fowlie, her daughter-in-laws Stephanie Levasseur and Katie Levasseur. She is survived by her 13 precious grandchildren whom she adored: Faith, Lilly, Amelia, Cash, Ethan, Dawson, Kason, Stella, Quinn, Kylan, Andrew, Matthew, and Everly.

A celebration of life service was held in Atlanta, GA at Passion City Church Cumberland Campus, on April 29, 2023. There will also be a celebration of life service held at Golden Hills Community Church in Brentwood, CA on June 16, 2023, at 2:00pm.

In lieu of flowers, you can make a donation in Nuhad’s honor to Passion City Church (https://passioncitychurch.com/atlanta/), Golden Hills Community Church (https://goldenhills.org/), or The Hope Center in Woodstock, GA (https://supporthopecenter.com/).

To add your condolences on her online obituary visit Nuhad Levasseur Obituary – Marietta, GA (dignitymemorial.com).

Starring Antioch youth at Nick Rodriguez Community Theater

Presented by Aspire Youth Engagement Programs, Inc. Visual & Performing Arts Academy and City of Antioch

Come watch Annie, Jr., the exciting musical based on the popular Tony-winning musical Annie. Follow the journey of a young orphan, Annie as she determines to find her parents!

This exciting show, free to the public, features Antioch scholars, from kindergarten through 12th grade, mounting the stage in dance, song and theater performances.

With over 18 years of experience with providing impactful youth services programs throughout Northern California, Pittsburg-based Aspire Youth Engagement Programs, Inc. continue to excel as leaders in the industry, keeping our pulse to the ever-changing needs of today’s youth, while creating relevant and fresh programs that make a difference.  Aspire Programs among others include:

• City of Antioch (January 2022-present)

a. “Annie, Jr.” our upcoming production coming on Friday and Saturday, June 23rd and 24th at the Nick Rodriguez Community Theater at 213 F Street in Antioch’s historic, downtown Rivertown. This production, free to the public features scholars, Kinder-12th grade from the city of Antioch, mounting the stage in Dance, Song and Theater performances.

b.  Musical Production – “The Wiz Jr.” – City of Antioch (2022)

c.  Painting & Spoken Word (Middle School/High School scholars – City of Antioch – Summer 2022)

d.  Basketball Summer Camp (13- to 17-year-old boys) June 20th – July 15th (38 scholars)

• After School Programs which includes Dance, Theatre and Voice/Choir (Pittsburg Unified School District ‘PUSD’ – 2018-present)

• Bay Point – Dance Classes (1st-8th Grade), Ambrose Community Center (March-June 2023)

• Visual & Performing Arts Academy

a. Annual Holiday Musical Production “Joy – The Urban Nutcracker – (88 Scholars from Antioch, Brentwood, Oakley and Pittsburg). Performed at Pittsburg Creative Arts Building, Big Theater, December 10, 2022;

• STEM & STEAM Programs (PUSD, April 2020; April 2021; April,2022 (virtual)

• Girl’s Leadership Program (Social Etiquette, Fashion, Future Leaders)

OUR MISSION

Aspire Youth Engagement Programs are designed to help Kinder – 12th grade scholars discover and develop their true potential focusing on key areas of growth – academically, emotionally and through leadership development – to become their best within the community.

THE COMMUNITY BENEFITS OF VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTS

The performing arts are intrinsically valuable for the beauty and fulfillment they bring, but researchers have observed that it also brings other benefits such as Empathy, Academic Performance, and Self Esteem. Performing onstage is frightening for newcomers, which is why students feel an immense confidence boost after they practice hard, work together, and successfully stage a play for friends, the community and family. The kids in our programs practice teamwork, gain confidence, learn leadership and build a skill set not only for a theater stage, but for the real world.

By Lt. Rick Martin, Antioch Police Investigations Bureau

On June 15, 2023, at approximately 5:02 a.m. Antioch Police Officers responded to the 2200 block of San Jose Drive on a report of a stabbing having just occurred. Officers arrived and located a 30-year-old female and a 39-year-old male both suffering from stab wounds. The female was pronounced deceased at the scene. The male was transported to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries.

This is an isolated incident and there is no current threat to the public. This is an ongoing investigation, and no further information will be released at this time.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Antioch Police Department non-emergency line at (925 )778-2441. You may also text-a-tip to 274637 (CRIMES) using the key word ANTIOCH.