This Week on the Central Coast…
MPUSD sees student improvements, Fourth of July applications are being accepted, and read about a pizza-spinning world champion.
Monterey
MPUSD is a Model for Post-Pandemic Recovery
It’s been about two years since schools reopened after the pandemic lock downs. Since the lock downs ended, it is estimated that students in the Monterey Peninsula Unified School District lost about half a grade level in math and a third of a grade level in reading. A suspected culprit for the loss is students’ absenteeism, which rose to 26.9% during the 2022-2023 school year.
Now, MPUSD has seen a big improvement in those numbers. Absenteeism has dropped to 16.07% in the 2023-2024 year. Overall, student performance has recovered to be slightly higher than pre-pandemic numbers, a significant achievement in such a short time. A large part of the district’s success is because of an awarded $1.3 million grant proposal called Promoting Attendance through Collaboration and Compassionate Systems (PACCS).
The grant was approved in August of 2024 and provided schools with a number of advantages, such as increased access to data, expanded staffing, on-demand telehealth services, and increased family support to help identify barriers.
Another helpful grant from UnboundEd and CORE Learning allowed the district to invest “in leadership opportunities for principals, instructional leaders and teachers to support each other in ensuring there was a deep understanding and strong implementation of the curriculum.” The district emphasized that improving teachers’ opportunities were important alongside doing the same for students.
MPUSD plans to build on its momentum by reinforcing these practices. It should allow a strong coherence among every grade level and help students have equal opportunities.
Monterey Accepting Fourth of July Parade Applications
Attention “bands, floats, drill teams, dance groups, unique vehicles, entertainment troupes, and equestrians”! Monterey is now accepting applications for the 2025 4th of July Parade.
The city encourages unique, fun, and entertaining entries and will help you with ideas, if needed. “Remember, spectators want to be entertained”. Attendance is estimated to be 15,000 people.
According to parade guidelines, entries:
Must showcase a patriotic theme.
Must be family friendly and appropriate for all ages.
Cannot be used as a platform to campaign or for any special interests.
Are encouraged to be accompanied by music.
Must maintain a continuous forward motion.
Cannot toss or hand out anything, including candy or favors.
Are encouraged to show identification banners, though those banners may not be a significant advertisement.
Cannot display phone numbers, addresses, or websites.
If your entry is representing a business, a $200 fee is required, unless that business is part of the Parade Sponsorship Program.
The application deadline is May 30, though earlier entires have a better chance of placement in the parade. If interested, you can fill out the form online on the application website. The 4th of July Parade will take place on Friday, July 4, 2025 at 10am.
Santa Cruz
A 13-Time World Champion Pizza Spinner
“The only thing better than pizza is more pizza.” That is the mantra of the 13-time pizza spinning world champion Justin Wadstein. He is a seven-time individual champion, a two-time team champion, a three-time pizza triathlon champion, and is the world’s fastest pizza spinner. On top of all the accolades, Justin and his wife own Sleight of Hand Pizza, which caters and hosts pop ups at various locations.
Justin said his pizza spinning career started with twirling towels at his aunt’s pizza restaurant after he was done washing dishes. He would twirl his notebook in class and can now twirl just about any flat object, such as folding chairs.
The WIRED series called “Obsessed” did an interview with Justin where he showed off a lot of his skills. If you are interested, you can watch the video on YouTube. It’s a fun ten minute watch!
An Interview with Oli’s Cheesesteaks
In case you missed it, I interviewed Alejandro of Oli’s Cheesesteaks. Read all about his inspiration, creative process, and more!