Young Californians anxious about climate
Good Morning, I’m Annica Colbert….it’s Monday, April 25th>>>>
Young people anxious about climate
More on that next. But first... let’s do the headlines….######
Covid-19 cases are going up in San Diego county. Last week more than 2,200 cases were reported. That’s about 300 more cases than the previous week.
Dr. Francesca Torriani is the program director for infection prevention at UC San Diego health.
“we opened further opened up society in san diego and across the world, and so, because we still have circulating cases and because now. the ba to variant is predominant. that's what we're seeing right it's a. It's kind of expected.”
She expects to see more cases but, thanks to the vaccines, not as many hospitalizations.
Torriani recommends wearing a mask and getting tested if you’re feeling sick.
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St. Martin of tours academy in la mesa has been named a u.s. department of education “green ribbon school.” it’s in recognition of efforts to reduce its impact on the environment. only four california schools made the national list of green ribbon schools, and 27 nationwide.
California Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond says the schools ``maintained sustainable practices and environmental education” through challenges created by the pandemic.''
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Weekend Santa Ana conditions are expected to continue today. The weather service says San Diego county will see wind gusts up to 35 miles per hour near the foothills and through the mountain passes. Temperatures are expected to be warmer than normal for this time of the year, with temperatures nearing 100 in Borrego Springs.
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Stay with me for more of the local news you need.
A new poll finds that 80 percent of Gen Z youth in California have experienced anxiety, stress or feelings of being overwhelmed as a result of learning about climate change.
KQED reporter Anaïs-Ophelia Lino reports.
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San Diego is falling short of its goals to generate zero waste by 2040.
The city was supposed to divert 75 percent of its waste from landfills by 2020. But today only 65 of that waste is diverted.
Ken Prue is deputy director of the city of San Diego's environmental services department. He spoke to KPBS Midday Edition Host Maureen Cavanaugh.
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California may see longer wait times and higher costs for abortion services, due to restrictions in other states. The California Report's Alex Hall has more.
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Coming up....Jacobs High tech high students are learning to work with wood.
“I had this experience when I was in school and it was called woodshop…but what they come to find actually is that this is a biology classroom and an environmental science classroom.”
We have that story and more, just after the break.
There is some creative learning happening this spring at Jacobs High Tech High in Liberty Station.
Students are building their way through the biology and humanities curriculum.
KPBS Education Reporter M.G. Perez tells us how hardware is making a difference in these classrooms.
“...let’s do the first one and I’ll kind of show you the nail gun…we need to refill this today.”
Pat Holder is a humanities teacher who uses a nail gun and a hammer…and even a saw…
Mr. Holder is in the middle of a lesson with his class of 11th-grade students at Jacobs High Tech High. The tools are for the furniture they’re building while learning about the origins of life…starting with the Big Bang.
“learning happens best through projects and projects give us a chance to do hands-on work, design things, and bring them to life and we can do it all related to the content areas that we teach…so I’m more a teacher than a humanities teacher.”
“we’re going to set you guys up by the band saw.”
Students in the High Tech High charter school system are used to unconventional learning…but this is really outside the box…the handmade wooden box that is…or maybe a table. Belen Perea is a junior who says she’s learned a lot and gained some real scientific perspective working with wood.
“when you’re working with a piece of wood…this thing was alive…it had its place on the Earth for hundreds of thousands of years…that it evolved for millions and millions of years to become the thing it is today and you are working with it to aid you in your daily life.”
Down the hall, students are designing and building more furniture led by John Santos who has 18 years of experience teaching environmental science. There are tools hanging on every wall. Visitors to his classroom are often confused looking around the learning space. Here’s what they tell him…
“I had this experience when I was in school and it was called woodshop…but what they come to find actually is that this is a biology classroom and an environmental science classroom.”
In the mornings, there are much more traditional lessons involving laptops and learning about data collection, science experiments, and assessments. But after lunch each day, students collaborate and create for almost two-and-a-half hours before the final bell rings. Isaiah Castro hopes to be accepted at UC San Diego. He’s taking honors math right now along with building a table…
“you might see a table, but I see it as something super complex and it’s very interesting because this is a table but it came from basically nothing…it started as an atom and turned into everything that’s around us.”
The classroom concepts aren’t always so abstract. There is a large wooden canoe-shaped boat hanging from the ceiling that was built by some of Mr. Santos’ science students. There were a couple of lessons learned with that project he says…
“you’re doing something you never believed you could do by way of building a boat...but then you’re doing something like understanding our impact on coastal environments.”
The sawing and sanding continue throughout the afternoon. Students are also using cameras to capture stop-motion photography that will document every step of their wood-making projects.
“I really do like biology and that kind of stuff…but I don’t like math”
16-year-old Zem Zem Fadhil is direct when she speaks. She admittedly changes her mind often…not sure what she wants to be when she grows up…but she is sure working with wood is going to help her get her there.
“when you build things on your own you end up appreciating it way more. It’s like cooking. When you cook your own food you know you’re going to appreciate it a lot more when you know you made it out of your own hands.”
All the furniture built this semester in the science and humanities classes will be sold at the end of the school year as a fundraiser. As for making a good grade in these classes…that’s unconventional too. Pat Holder assesses each of his students individually…
“the biggest thing we think about for success is engagement. We have learners of different talents of different levels coming into our space...so I’m not going to ask them to answer a single question or do a single task.”
That is creative learning these students will now add to their toolbox.
MGP …KPBS News.
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A local boutique coffee company brought home a big prize at the recent U-S Coffee Championships. Nick Berardi (berr-RAHR-dee) of Mostra (moh-STRA) Coffee was named the best coffee roaster in the country.
KPBS North County reporter Alexander Nguyen has his story.
“IN first place … going to Milan … Nick Berardi
With that … Mostra Head roaster Nick Berardi won the roasters award at the Coffee Championships in Boston earlier this month.
“It was pretty intense for three days
Berardi was up against some of the top roasters from around the country. They had to evaluate unroasted coffee for defects, submit a roasting plan... and of course.. roast the coffee.
So … what makes for a good coffee roast?
We kind of joke around and say that a coffee is done when it speaks to us. There are different sort of signposts along the journey of roasting coffee.
It’s both an art and a science. Berardi is now preparing for the world championships in June in Milan. AN/KPBS
That’s it for the podcast today. As always you can find more San Diego news online at KPBS dot org. I’m Annica Colbert. Thanks for listening and have a great day.
