Spotlight on Key Linda Vista Educator
Plus: Greek Food on Morena Boulevard, City Council Redistricting Update, Local High School Sports Highlights, and Upcoming Community Events
A good public school system provides a solid foundation for any community in this country. Linda Vista is fortunate to have a number of local public schools preparing the next generation to play effective roles in society. These schools are able to carry out their complex educational mission by relying on great teachers, administrators, counselors, support staff and coaches. They work together to ensure the learning process benefits all students. School principals play an essential role in orchestrating the efforts of everyone on campus. They are, in effect, key community leaders whose influence is felt throughout the community.
Accordingly, we thought our readers would appreciate hearing from one of the key educators in our Linda Vista community—Sarah Trueblood, the principal of Montgomery Middle STEAM Magnet, located on 2470 Ulric Street. (As a Magnet school, Montgomery Middle offers students a unique opportunity for in-depth studies in a specific area of interest, in this case, Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics). We asked her several questions, and she was kind enough to share her answers with us. Please read below to see what she had to say.
—How long have you been the principal at Montgomery Middle School?
This is my third year as principal at Montgomery. Prior to my role as the principal, I worked with the Montgomery staff to develop their STEAM curriculum in my role as the Program Manager for Magnet and Innovation Programs. Montgomery was the recipient of the 2016 Federal Magnet Schools Assistance Programs Grant. As the grant recipient, they shifted their instructional model to interdisciplinary project-based learning.
—Can you give us a little background information regarding your education-related experience?
I began teaching in San Diego Unified in 2001 as a science teacher at Mann Middle School. After eight years in the classroom, I moved to the SDUSD central office as a Magnet Technology Resource Teacher. I filled the role of Vice Principal at Roosevelt Middle School and then moved onto the Program Manager for Magnet and Innovation Programs prior to my role as principal at Montgomery. I have my Master’s in Science, Technology, and Math Education from the University of San Diego and currently I am working on my doctoral degree from the University of Southern California.
—What do you enjoy most about being a middle school principal?
I enjoy being with middle school students because they are learning so much about building relationships, developing their identity, and discovering their passions. I get to have conversations with students about all of these topics and provide them with support when they need it.
—From your perspective, what has been the most challenging aspect of teaching students since everyone returned to campus this fall for in-person instruction?
The challenge since returning from distance learning after the pandemic is breaking the habit of technology/screen time as the mode of learning. We had to put so much effort into organizing the structure of school in a digital space and now we want to provide students with the space to be creative offline and interact with their peers in person.
—What is one thing that parents can do to help their children get the most from the Montgomery Middle learning experience?
Parents can ensure that students have a successful learning experience by checking in often with their child and keeping an eye on their PowerSchool account. The PowerSchool account provides parents information about grades, upcoming and missing assignments, and attendance records. If parents ever have a concern after talking with their child, they can reach out to our counseling team, teachers, or administration to get support.
—Is there anything in particular that the local community can do to help support your school’s efforts?
We are always looking for donations such as $5-$20 gift cards to provide students for academic and attendance incentives. These donations are greatly appreciated and can be delivered to our front office. We love celebrating our students’ successes and students appreciate knowing that the community acknowledges their hard work!
—Why should parents in the Linda Vista area want to send their children to Montgomery Middle STEAM Magnet?
Families should send their students to Montgomery because the staff works hard to make this a place that every child feels they belong. We have a small school feeling even though we have a large campus. We offer access to the latest technologies such as 3D printing, laser cutting, and video production. Also, we are working on creating a robust after-school program that includes drama club, gardening, sewing, and computer coding.
—Is there anything else you would like to say to our readers?
The most important thing we can ask of our community is to be careful driving in the school zones and be vigilant for students who walk to and from school.
Finally, please contact our front office if your family is interested in taking a tour of the school.
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The Linda Vista Update wishes to thank Ms. Trueblood for taking the time to answer our questions.
Ms. Trueblood will be the featured guest speaker at this month’s Linda Vista Town Council general meeting (on Zoom), to be held on November 17 .
Tasty Greek Food on Morena Boulevard
We recently visited our carnivore sidekick in Athens, Greece, where he is doing his semester abroad as a student with the University of San Diego. While there we experienced many wonderful meals in Greek tavernas with the freshest of ingredients. Since we don’t eat meat, we ate Greek dishes with lots of veggies including eggplant, zucchini, mushrooms, tomatoes, peppers, olives, and also wonderful fresh fish and rice. The “Greek” salad with a large slab of feta cheese is a meal unto itself. And don’t even let me start on the desserts, especially baklava!
When we returned home the other day, we immediately started craving this food and started wondering where we could get food locally that would recreate this experience. We found Zgara Greek Grill, located on Morena Boulevard (and previously of Pacific Beach). We decided to give it a try.
They have a very extensive menu (check it out here) including sandwiches, platters, appetizers, salads, and desserts. They also have lunch specials, sides, and drinks. You can dine in, or order to take out. There is adequate parking at their establishment. Their prices looked reasonable, and their Yelp reviews were very good citing fresh ingredients and great value.
A lot of their menu items included meat, so we ordered several meatless appetizers to share. There were many to choose from, and we opted for Spanakopita (2 pieces $6.25), Portobello ($9.75), and Greek Fries ($5.75). These proved to be excellent choices.
Spanakopita is a savory pie in crispy layers of phyllo dough filled with spinach and feta cheese. The two pieces were adequate for sharing and quite delicious.
The portabella dish included two very large grilled marinated mushrooms with roasted peppers and artichokes. This was a very large serving and easily shared. The sauce was excellent and tasted like a balsamic reduction. Lots of veggies and again, delicious. Warm pita bread and tzatziki sauce accompanied this.
The Greek fries included oven baked fries with feta cheese and Greek oregano. Again, a very adequate serving and easily shared by two.
The ingredients of all our selections were very fresh and so good that we can’t wait to go back. The food was reminiscent of what we had in Athens. When our carnivore sidekick returns, we will let him try his favorite gyros and souvlaki dishes and report on them. They also have other vegetarian dishes such as falafel and vegetable platters.
We are very happy we found this place. It is family owned and operated, and the service was very friendly. Please try it and let them know you read about it in the Linda Vista Update.
1229 Morena Blvd
619-228-9210
Analysis
City Council Redistricting Update
Linda Vista appears to be faring well in the on-going San Diego City Council redistricting process.
Based on the results of last week’s San Diego Redistricting Commission public meeting (held on October 28), not only does it seem quite possible the entirety of Linda Vista will be placed in one district, as opposed to its current division between districts 2 and 7, but it also appears this one district will be District 7, the same council district currently hosting the majority of Linda Vista’s residents.
As reported in a previous post of this newsletter, the redistricting outlook for Linda Vista initially appeared a mixed bag, with the first draft maps drawn out by the redistricting commission placing all of the LV community in one district (after being divided in the 2011 redistricting process), but with the one district being District 2—a beach community district perceived as having little in common with Linda Vista.
However, if the current preliminary draft of the redistricting map (introduced and subsequently modified at last week’s commission meeting) is ultimately used as a foundation for determining the final boundaries, Linda Vista will get its redistricting cake and be able to eat it too. Placing all of Linda Vista in one district reduces the likelihood of resident voices/influence being diluted, and goes far in ensuring the community is not placed in a district made up of neighborhoods possessing widely divergent concerns. This approved preliminary map can be seen by clicking here.
During the nearly five-hour Zoom meeting held on October 29, the nine redistricting commissioners patiently listened to over 80 San Diego residents provide input on redistricting concerns. Many of these residents addressed concerns with the issue of boundaries for Districts 1 and 6. These concerns revolved around a desire of certain residents to move the UC San Diego campus and University City neighborhood out of District 1 and into District 6 in order to ensure a “student and Asian-American/Pacific Islander (AAPI) empowerment district.” In articulating their concerns, students from UC San Diego repeatedly mentioned they shared little in common with the homeowners of La Jolla. A proposed map previously submitted by citizens for redistricting commission consideration—labeled the San Diego Communities Collaborative map—reflected many of these student and AAPI concerns.
In regard to LV concerns, Howard Wayne, the interim president of the Linda Vista Planning Group, voiced the following recommendations:
(1) Recommended the placement of Linda Vista in one district.
(2) Recommended retaining the Riverwalk area in District 7 along with Linda Vista,
(3) Recommended respecting the physical boundaries of Interstate 8 and Interstate 5 when drawing up boundaries that include Linda Vista.
(4) And, recommended that in terms of drawing new boundaries, to take into consideration that Linda Vista and Clairemont share many common interests.
The redistricting process as conducted so far can be seen as a vivid lesson in democracy, with numerous residents providing a wide range of input in terms of written and verbal comments, including the submission of proposed maps for commissioner consideration. The commissioners have, in turn, sought to produce a final product that can be interpreted as a wise compromise reflecting a balance of concerns, as opposed to decisions that can be construed as win-lose situations for different communities of interest.
The next meeting of the Redistricting Commission will be held tomorrow (Thursday November 4) at 5:30. Click here for Zoom details. Once the preliminary map is adopted as a starting point for further refinement of boundaries, the commission will hold five more public meetings to further refine the map. Approval of the final city council district boundaries is required by December 15, 2021.
LV Prep Sports Highlights
— Kearny High Girls Volleyball Team Advance to CIF Championship Round
After completing a highly successful regular season, the Kearny High School girls volleyball team has now advanced to the championship round of the Division V CIF finals tournament bracket. The Komets finished the regular season with an overall 18-14 record. They qualified for the CIF tournament with a second place 6-2 City Central league record. On October 29, the team started their playoff participation by beating High Tech Mesa in the quarterfinals round of the CIF tournament. Last night (November 2), the Komets beat number one seeded St. Joesph’s Academy (Vista). Kearny High won 3 sets to 2 (10-25, 25-22, 25-12, 15-25, 15-10) in a highly competitive match. The victory now advances them to the Division V CIF finals championship, which will be held this Friday November 5. They will play the Central High Spartans from El Centro. The game will be played on the Canyon Crest Academy campus at 4:30pm.
The Komets’ team is made up of the following Kearny High student-athletes: Aliyah Baker, Shayla Ngo, Ashleigh Quevedo, Deanna Place, Melodie Del Carmen, Emily Pham, Angie Ly, Arienne Perez, Sarina Faavi, and Tenka Nozaki.
The team is coached by Molly Keimach (Head Coach) and Barbara Faavi (Assistant Coach).
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— Francis Parker Runner Wins Fast Two Mile Race
On Saturday October 30, Francis Parker distance runner, Kenan Pala, (previously featured in this newsletter) once again proved he is one of the state’s elite cross-country runners, recording an impressive time for a 2-mile race held on the University High School track. Pala clocked a time of 9:06.08 at the UC High School Postal 2-mile Championship. This race provided local prep distance runners with the rare opportunity to skip the usual 3-mile “over hill and dale” cross country courses that make up the fall season and instead run on a fast, flat artificial track. During the race, Pala took the lead right from the start and never surrendered it, and though he was continuously stalked by Santa Fe Christian’s Mark Trammell (9:07.91), a blistering 62 second last lap effort guaranteed him the race victory. Pala’s outstanding time bodes well for his future prospects at CIF San Diego and State races later this month, as well as the possibility of his breaking the 9:00 barrier during track and field season in the spring.
79th State Assembly District Turkey Giveaway
The office of Assemblywoman Dr. Akilah Weber has announced a drive-thru Turkey Giveaway will be held on November 20, 2021. Details are provided in the below poster.
Households can register to participate in the Turkey Giveaway by clicking here.
Residents who wish to donate to support this Turkey Giveaway effort can do so by clicking here.
Upcoming Community Events
—Fish Fry: The Knights of Columbus will host a Fish Fry at Holy Family Catholic Church on November 5 from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm. Menu: Fish dinner for two ($9.50) and fish tacos (3.50 each).
—Community Clean-up: The Bayside Community Center is hosting its monthly Community Clean-Up on Sunday November 7 beginning at 10:00 am. Volunteers will meet in the Linda Vista Library parking lot. You can view a Bayside video of the monthly Community Clean-up by clicking here.
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The Linda Vista Update is a weekly digital newsletter that publishes informative, interesting and fun news about Linda Vista and its neighboring communities.