News
29/04 : South County Schools Lose A True Champion
By Maghan Hunt, courtesy Anderson Valley PostPosted April 20, 2010 at 10:52am
For more than 30 years, Mary Gilbert helped shape the Cascade Elementary School District. She was a secretary for Jim Carroll when he was superintendent and an icon in the district, said John Almond, interim superintendent for Cascade. According to Almond, Gilbert also served as a board member for several years.
"She was just a wonderful lady, had a heart of gold, and was all about helping the students," said Almond.
Gilbert was born on September 6, 1929 to Victor and Clara Urionaguena. She was a first generation American with both of her parents being immigrants of the Pyrenees Mountains of Spain and France, according to Judy Thissell, Gilbert's daughter.
Gilbert attended Lassen High School where she graduated in 1947, and then moved on to attend Reno Business College.
Gilbert's father herded sheep for a number of years before buying the first of three ranches and raising cattle, according to Thissell. She added her mother loved ranch life, but hated milking the cows every morning and evening, even vowing she would never milk another cow again once she left ranch life and she never did.
Gilbert was involved in Anderson 4-H and Anderson Little League. According to Thissell, she held several positions within the organization "before being elected the Little League president for two terms, a distinction no other woman holds."
Gilbert also played an instrumental role in making sure that Volonte Park had lights, green grass and was a nice park, said Thissell.
Gilbert was a co-founder of the Shasta County School Trustees Association; she also served on Shasta County's Educational School attendance Review Board for five years, and then served on the Anderson Juvenile Accountability Board for five years, according to Thissell.
Technology was an area Gilbert felt would one day become important, and according to Almond, while Gilbert wasn't very "technology oriented," she saw that it would be the way of the future. Because of her efforts to make technology an important part of learning, the technology center at Anderson Middle School is named for Gilbert.
Aside from helping the school, she was also involved in 4-H and Meals on Wheels years ago, said Almond. He also added that Gilbert was a big supporter of the South County Consortium "because she saw it as a way to articulate the curriculum for K-12th."
"That would be Mary helping other people. She will be missed. I will miss her," said Almond.
Gilbert is survived by her sons Don DeWitt of Redding and Mike Bass of Wichita, Kansas, and daughter Judy Thissell of Anderson, her five grandchildren, three great-grandsons, and two great-granddaughters.
In lieu of flowers, the family is asking for donations to the "Connect the Community" Low Cost Computer Program for Cascade students and families.
20/03 : Cascade Selects New Superintendent
By Maghan Hunt, courtesy Anderson Valley PostPosted March 16, 2010 at 9:42am
After a vigorous interview process, the Cascade Union Elementary School District has offered a contract to their top candidate for new superintendent. Mike Michelon of Dunsmuir, said John Almond the interim superintendent for Cascade. If Michelon signs the contract he will take over the school district at the end of April.
Michelon, 52, has experience running school districts. He is currently the superintendent in four of the Dunsmuir area school districts- Dunsmuir Union Elementary School District, Grenada Elementary School District, Hornbrook Elementary School District, and McCloud Elementary School District.
According to Michelon, the reason why he applied for the job in Cascade is simple, "everyone I talked to, whether they worked in the district or had kids go through the district, had a lot of positive things to say. They said the focus was always on the kids. They also shared that there is a great staff, lots of parent involvement and community support."
"I think that what most impressed the staff on the interview panel and members of the board was Mr. Michelon's obvious concern for students. He is very knowledgeable about the needs of our teachers and staff who work in elementary settings," said Jeff Carr, a Cascade board member, in an email.
The six schools Michelon currently oversees are all K-8 schools and have Academic Performance Index numbers ranging from 692-805.
Michelon said that the financial situation with the "unprecedented budget cuts" is going to be a challenge, especially with deferrals to revenues, which make cash flow "a real challenge."
According to Michelon, he is looking forward to meeting all of the people he will be working with and "getting to work to continue the great things happening in the district." He added that he is also looking forward to going to each school site and meeting the kids.
"They are what really motivate me to make sure we do our best for them every day," said Michelon.
According to Carr, Michelon "came recommended as a person of integrity," which matched the board's view of him during the hiring process. Carr said they are looking forward to Michelon's leadership in the district and feel that with his experience and the staff at Cascade, the district will continue to be a "stable and excellent education provider."
Not only does he manage four school districts, but he and his wife also own the 104-year-old Weed Bakery in Weed.
"My wife Margie and myself, along with my daughter and son in law, Marlena and Kevin Shaffer (and my two granddaughters, Kiley and Katie) own the Weed Bakery," said Michelon. "It has been in existence since 1906 and is one of the original businesses in Weed. The bakery specializes in sweet French bread, but also has other kinds of bread including sourdough, wheat, jalapeno cheese and foccacia. We also have donuts, soft biscotti, cookies, soup and Panini sandwiches. Our bread is baked in a brick oven that is 16' X 16'."
The business is doing well and the bakery's products are sold in almost every market in Siskiyou County.
01/05 : New Mary Bass Gilbert District Technology Center
By Breeana Laughlin, courtesy Anderson Valley PostTuesday, April 28, 2009
Anderson Middle School celebrated the opening of its new Mary Bass Gilbert Technology Center during a dedication ceremony held Thursday, April 23.
The center is a sentiment to how far the Cascade Union Elementary School District has come over the years, officials attending the event said.
"In 1997, the district had about 60 computers, no real network, and the connection to the internet was via 56k modem," said Tony Baldwin, technology director for the district.
"Today, we have more than 16 servers and 800 computers, all networked together using fiber optic cabling, and we connect to the internet with more than 400 times the speed - enough for every one of our 1490 students to be connected to our network programs, or the internet, all at once," he said.
"We are working on making it available to other folks, too, under the terms of a facility use permit," Baldwin said.
"It is a state-of-the-art training facility equipped with Smart boards, LCD projectors and interactive screens," said Wes Smith, superintendent of the Anderson elementary school district.
The center also features 30 computer workstations, Smith noted.
District officials will be working on setting the guidelines for use of the training center, as well as making connections will local agencies interested in using the training center over the summer.
"It would be competitively priced. We want to make it available to folks in an affordable fashion," Baldwin said.
The technology center is named after Mary Bass Gilbert, a district board member for 30 years.
"Mary was hugely influential in promoting technology to make us more efficient in our daily operations, and also to help kids integrate technology into their learning," superintendent Smith said.
Technology Director Baldwin reflected on Gilbert's efforts to spearhead technology in the district.
"When I came to work here, technology was in a different state than it's in right now," he said.
Gilbert led a trip to North Carolina to seek out education-based software more than a decade ago, not long after Baldwin started working for the district.
"It opened the door, and Mary really helped us make sure that the door was never closed," Baldwin said.
Smith appreciates Gilbert's ability to recognize the importance of technology.
"Mary worked in a time when there was very little technology. She wasn't a product of the technology workforce," he explained.
"There wasn't a lot besides telephones and typewriters. She's a visionary, given her time in the workplace," Smith said.
20/08 : First Day of School Photos
By Michael Woodward, courtesy Anderson Valley PostTuesday, August 19, 2008
Kindergartners meet their teacher, Susan Smith, on the first day of school at Verde Vale Elementary in Anderson.
“I love you, mom,” was voiced a few times by children as their parents left them to play with brightly colored blocks in Susan Smith’s kindergarten class at Verde Vale Elementary School. Some hugged their parents tightly, others entered the classroom boldly, without a worry.
Smith greeted each child with a big smile, showed them where to put their backpack, and led each to their “special place to sit.” Previously a substitute teacher at Verde Vale, Smith was as ebullient as a kindergarten teacher could be, since her career as a full-time teacher was also just beginning. Across the South County, schools reported a fine, busy beginning to the school year on Monday, Aug. 18.
Meadow Lane Elementary had so many kindergartners, that Verde Vale offered to take in the extra students. Five classes of kindergartners would have been too much, according to Meadow Lane principal’s secretary Susan Magladry.
“Gas prices had a lot to do with it, I think,” she said. “People want to put their kids in the school in their district.” Magladry added that students were still being registered at Meadow Lane, with three new registers on the first day of school.
“Some people don’t realize school starts today,” Magladry said.
“We get that ever year,” said Cascade Union School District Superintendent Wes Smith. “We’ll get people who come in after the holiday say they are surprised about how soon school started despite our multiple mailings.”
Those registering late missed-out on the Kindergarten Round-up, a Cascade District-wide orientation for incoming kindergartners.
Anderson Middle School announced the beginning of its after-school program, Project Share, where students may take advantage of homework help, sports camps, art or cooking classes.
At Happy Valley Elementary, students were to attend an assembly in the afternoon at which the principal would welcome students.
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