LETTERS TO THE EDITOR – 1-5-12

X-mas decoration Grinch
Editor: On Dec. 26, the Grinch struck and stole a few of my outdoor
decorations. He was a little late this year. I was hoping the
bigger chains and locks would be enough to discourage you away this
year. Not! 
You proceeded to steal Pluto, and a few other figurines that, yes,
are replaceable, if I choose to do so. But, stealing Santa Claus?
Geeezzz, you must have received coal in your stocking this
year. 
Now that you have the very heavy 4-foot, handmade Santa, let me
give you the history of that Santa. The Santa that you stole was
the replacement of the first handmade Santa that was stolen
approximately 15 years ago. A very nice family that once lived
around the corner from me, made Xmas figures for a hobby. In fact,
they were nice enough to replace the first Santa that was stolen.
Sure, the Santa Claus was old and definitely needed to be
repainted. But at night, when the lights shined on him, he was the
man. Santa Claus.
The reason I spend two weekends decorating for Christmas? Kids. I
wish you could have heard the children that walked by screaming
with excitement. If you did, I would like to think that you would
have never stolen the decorations. You sure did ruin it for
everyone. 
P.S. Luckily my dog woke me up in time to see you drive away. Guess
what? I saw your license plate. So please do the right thing, and
return the decorations, or I will have to do the appropriate thing,
and contact the Sebastopol Police Department.
Jeanne Sweet-Meidinger
Sebastopol
SunRidge opportunity
Editor: In response to your front page article on SUSD’s leasing of
the Pine Crest campus for SunRidge School, I would like to
acknowledge the SUSD board for making what was clearly not a
politically popular decision. The role of a school board member is
often thankless, especially when funding for education is at an
all-time low and expenses must be cut. I am sure SUSD board members
thought long and hard about the pros and cons of the two lease
offers they received, and made their decision based on what they
believed would be in the best interest of the district.
I regret that SunRidge School’s good fortune means the Sebastopol
Independent Charter will not be able to use the Pine Crest site to
fulfill their dream of a unified campus for their K-8 school. The
reality is that both SunRidge School and the Independent Charter
need full campus facilities, and the “competition” for the one
available site in the area was unfortunate. The two schools have
always interacted with friendship and collegiality, not as
adversaries, and I sincerely hope this turn of events will not
change that relationship.
West County residents live in an inclusive, caring community with a
wealth of excellent school choices. Thank you SUSD Board for giving
SunRidge the opportunity to better serve some of the families who
live in the many districts that comprise this vibrant
community.
Mark Rice
Director, SunRidge School