AMY ASMAN
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Stand Down is coming to Santa Maria

The 2012 event will bring essential services and resources to local homeless veterans
by AMY ASMAN

The camera pans to a large American flag flapping in the pre-dawn wind. Next it zooms in on the golden-orange sun rising over a camp of several dozen military-grade tents. Veterans of every age, every ethnicity, and every war are waiting in line to receive food, clothes, and some much-needed services. Some men are getting […]

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Study outside the box

by AMY ASMAN

The Santa Maria Joint Union High School District’s Independent Study teachers want you to know they’re here to help—here being the Santa Maria Public Library. Two years ago, the independent study program moved into library classrooms left vacant after the adult education program was cut from the budget. This has allowed the independent study program […]

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Chemistry is powerful

by AMY ASMAN

Allan Hancock College’s Friday Night Science is back, and this time the experiments are so big and the explosions so loud, that the science department is providing earplugs free of charge. The first of two Friday Night Science events will take place on Nov. 18 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., starting in room M-310 on […]

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Generation ag

Young professionals are changing the face of agriculture
by AMY ASMAN

If there were a reality television show called “America’s Next Top Farmer,” Brenda Farias would definitely be a contender for first place. The 29-year-old is the executive director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency. Based in Santa Maria, the office acts as a USDA liaison for farmers in Santa Barbara and Ventura […]

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Study up on 40 colleges at once

by AMY ASMAN

Anyone interested in attending a four-year university in California or the rest of the nation is invited to attend Allan Hancock College’s University Transfer Day on Nov. 1 at the college’s Santa Maria campus. Attendees will get to meet and speak with representatives from more than 40 colleges and universities to get information about academic […]

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There will be robots!

by AMY ASMAN

Steel and wheels—or at least LEGO pieces—will face off on Oct. 29 at a robotics tournament at Olga Reed School in Los Alamos. With Orcutt Academy High School as host, the competition will run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and focus on the theme “Food Factor.” The games at the competition will require students […]

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A new leaf?

Lucia Mar’s developing New Tech High School stirs excitement and trepidation
by AMY ASMAN

Registration for Nipomo’s New Tech High School opened a little more than two weeks ago, and the Lucia Mar Unified School District already has applications from enough students to fill its freshman class. The school, which boasts a curriculum built on technology and project-based learning, is poised to become a beacon of innovation on the […]

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Learn Japanese with your child

by AMY ASMAN

Starting Oct. 14, the Santa Maria Japanese Community Center is once again offering Japanese language classes to children and their parents. The classes will cater to 3- to 5-year-olds—2-year-olds are welcome if accompanied by an adult—and parents are encouraged to learn with their children. In this preschool setting, children will learn customary greetings through song […]

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