This Week on the Central Coast...
A celebrity chef helps fund a teaching kitchen for elementary students, a YouTuber raised over $100,000 for the Aquarium, and various events are popping up for the spooky season.
Santa Cruz
New exhibit at the Seymour Center teaches the life of a water droplet
The newest exhibit at the Seymour Marine Discovery Center in Santa Cruz, “Water’s Extreme Journey”, is an interactive maze that teaches you about the various dangers to water on the central coast. Visitors take on the role of a water droplet as they try to find their way to the ocean as clean as possible. Along the way, they face the dangers of “pollution from litter, development and agriculture, among other manufactured obstacles.”
The maze also offers tips on how to make a difference in water conservation, such as turning the sink off when you brush your teeth or washing cars on lawns instead of on the street.
The exhibit came to fruition after various groups got together and determined what themes were most important to Santa Cruz. Those themes were water supply, water quality, and climate change. Jonathan Hackensack, executive director of the Seymour Center, hopes every visitor leaves with an idea of how to get involved in environmental work, whether that be volunteering, donating, or pursuing a career in the field. The emphasis is on improving our environment and making a change.
“‘Water’s Extreme Journey’ runs through Dec. 31 at the Seymour Marine Discovery Center, 100 McAllister Way, Santa Cruz.
“Wednesday-Sunday, 10am-4pm. Free with admission.”
Starlight Elementary received funding for a teaching kitchen and culinary garden
A new teaching kitchen and garden are being constructed at Starlight elementary, thanks to a grant from the Emeril Lagasse Foundation and several donations from the community.
The kitchen, once completed, will feature a full teaching kitchen to accommodate thirty students, as well as a moveable documenting camera suspended from the ceiling. The camera will allow the instructor to project what they are doing onto a screen for all the students to see.
“The garden will feature a community area, about 10 planting boxes, herb garden, berry patch, tool barn, greenhouse, harvest station and water conservation center”. It will be one of five in the entire U.S. The project is led by Life Labs, a nonprofit based at UCSC. The company helps schools around the world construct their own garden education programs and plans to establish teaching gardens at all PVUSD elementary schools by 2024. In addition to helping construct the gardens, Life Labs also provides one educator per school to teach the program. “This ensures that each student and the garden has the attention and support that they need and deserve.”
Starlight’s Culinary Garden and Teaching Kitchen has its own website to provide more information on the project.
Monterey
A YouTuber raised $100k for the Monterey Bay Aquarium
Rosa the Sea Otter is the oldest otter currently living at the Aquarium. Back in 2019, YouTuber Doug Wreden (known as DougDoug online) live-streamed an impromptu birthday party for her and raised about $700. This turned into an annual event, each year eclipsing the previous year’s donation, including this year, when Rosa turned 23 and Wreden raised $100k, including $7,500 of his own money. In fact, donations surpassed last year’s numbers within twenty-five minutes of his eight-hour stream.
Wreden enticed his viewers to donate by dressing in an otter onesie once they reached $25k and then promising to dress in another costume in one of his future videos if they reached $75k.
The video can be viewed on Wreden’s YouTube channel (it’s edited to fifty-two minutes, not the full eight hours) where he discusses why he’s so passionate about the aquarium and Rosa in particular.
Homeboy Art Academy comes to Monterey to help incarcerated youth.
Monterey County Juvenile Hall has teamed up with Homeboy Art Academy, a gang rehabilitation and re-entry program based in Los Angeles that encourages “healing and transformation through art exercises and workshops.”
Fabian Debora, executive director of Homeboy Art Academy, joined a gang when he was twelve years old and spent over a decade in prison. He discovered how art could help heal and turned that into the current program.
The first round of the program will serve sixteen individuals, ranging in age from fifteen to nineteen years old. After the initial sixteen weeks, another group will follow.
Deborah encourages participants to use their sketchbooks as a journal to help them learn about themselves and what is important to them. Ultimately, the process will help them reconnect with the world.
Halloween events in Monterey County
This article features various events happening this month to celebrate the spooky season. Highlights include:
“Miner Madness”, a haunted house and pumpkin patch at the Monterey County Fairgrounds.
Fall Round Up, an event that features a pumpkin patch, rides, food, and games, at the Salinas Sports Complex.
“Howl-o-ween”, a dog costume contest in Carmel-by-the-Sea
And a Día de los Muertos celebration, featuring “a traditional gathering with food, flowers and stories” at Hartnell College. The event will also feature ofrendas, artwork, and prayers.
What’s your favorite Halloween movie?
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