In an eight part series we look back at the world that was, here in our little corner of it. 2020 was a year of challenges. We’ll be publishing this eight-piece work daily as we work to the new year. Today’s piece is on the people and animals who made an impact on our Windsor community.
Student protesters stop construction
Construction on a new student space at Windsor High School ground to halt on when a handful of student and adult protesters planted themselves on a recently-scraped patch of ground between the gym and the multi-purpose building.
The patch of ground was slated to become a student gathering area, proposed to have artificial turf, large rocks and trees for shade. The project and design was approved by the school board at their June 30 meeting. However, some students felt that their opinions were not appropriately considered in the approval process.
They were particularly concerned about the non-sustainable products being used in the turf and seating, as well as the usability of the turf, citing how hot it gets.
Senior Toby Feibusch organized the protest.
Esports gets a seat at the table
At the Jan. 14 meeting of the Windsor Unified School District, a new sport for Windsor High School was approved.
The California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) has recently partnered with PlayVS, a company that hosts esports tournaments, to include esports as an initiative. PlayVS holds tournaments in League of Legends and Rocket League, and the 2020 season will run from Feb. 17 to April 17.
There was already an esports club at WHS with 23 members, and they practice and compete in the computer lab that filmmaking is taught in. Teams of five or three (depending on the game) work together to compete against other teams. None of the game featured have a “mature” rating or involve first person shooter or other violent themes. They are also a closed system, to ensure that no one in the games the students are playing are anything other than other students.
Following all the COVID-19 shutdowns, esports were the only teams still competing.
Windsor’s own suffragist
In 2020 we celebrated the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage in the United States, and we ran a story from Steve Lehman at the historical society about Windsor’s own suffragist.
Windsor’s Sarah Rich Latimer played a pioneering role in the fight for equal rights in Sonoma County and the state. Sarah’s early years in the east and her association with the Swedenborgian Church in Portland, Maine, presumably led to her involvement in social matters. The church advocated reflection and responsibility on social issues, notably abolition, temperance and women’s rights. The church was among the first religious institutions to support co-education.”
Upon Sarah’s move to the west and Sonoma County, she was identified in 1865 with the First New Jerusalem Church in San Francisco. This church was an offshoot of the Swedenborgian Church but more theologically conservative.
Sarah was the first woman elected to a public office in California. It was not until the legislative session of 1873-74 that a bill was passed by the California legislature that made women eligible to hold school offices. It is not known how long she remained as a trustee of the school district but she no doubt remained an important voice for woman’s rights.
In 1872, Sarah again served as a vice president of the CWSA, a position she held through at least 1874.
Sarah died in 1904, seven years before California women won the right to vote in their state.
Porch portraits become a new trend
A trending type of documentation of life during the COVID-19 pandemic has come to Windsor. So-called “porch portraits,” are family portraits taken at the exterior of a family’s home using social distancing safety measures. In the case of Windsor, the porch portraits were being arranged with an altruistic purpose in mind. Rosa Reynoza is helping schedule the portraits and the donations garnered through them will be distributed to two local food banks.
The photos were being taken by Isaias Puentes. Puentes grew up in Windsor and currently lives in Larkfield. He’s been shooting professionally for about two years, and decided to get involved in the porch portraits because he feels like it’s a way to help out using his skill set.
The first client of the new partnership was 2020 Vice Mayor Esther Lemus and her family, who posed for photos together.
The portraits are meant to be individual, and showcase the uniqueness of each family.
After six years, Girl Scouts’ plan begins construction
Kimberly LaSalle and Miel Schaefer were in the second grade when they first started working toward a crosswalk being built across Brooks Road, near Hiram Lewis Park and Windsor Middle School, just east of the skate park. In 2020 they were now eighth graders attending Windsor Middle School, and at long last construction has begun on the crosswalk they envisioned as part of a Brownie project so long ago.
“In the second grade, we did a Brownie Quest, which is to take action to better your community,” said LaSalle, 14. “We wrote a letter to the town council suggesting a crosswalk here.”
Construction finally began in February 2020. The crosswalk will include yield marking, pedestrian ramps, a streetlight, pedestrian activated flashing lights and a refuge island in the middle of the street.
The slow pace of civic projects proved both an important learning experience and source of frustration for the girls.
“I’ve been working on this for literally half of my life,” LaSalle said. “It seems like it should be easy to do, but it’s not.”
“Yeah, at one point I thought about just going down to Walmart, buying a bucket of yellow paint and doing it myself,” agreed Schaefer.
Walton overcomes the odds
Windsor High School graduate Branden Walton hasn’t let many obstacles slow him down in a competitive running career that has spanned nearly a decade; the setbacks have just given him more determination to achieve his goals.
Diagnosed with Macular Degeneration at the age of four, Walton has vision in the range of 20/200-20/400. Since the age of 14, he’s competed in distances ranging from 100 to 1,500 meters, shattering age group records in several events on the Junior Paralympics circuit. For the past several years he’s risen through the national ranks to become one of the top runners competing in the T-13 classification.
A standout on WHS cross country and track teams before graduating in 2016, Walton won a gold and silver medal in the 800 and 1,500 meters respectively competing on the US World Junior Paralympics team in Nottwil, Switzerland in 2018, and now has his sights set firmly on a spot on the US Paralympics squad.
“The 2020 Paralympics in Tokyo were postponed until August, 2021 and my goal is to still make the US team,” he said. “I’ve got a couple of training partners that I’ve been running with, but I’d say the hardest part of this year is not being able to run in the parks and on sand (at the beach) as much as I used to.”
Walton plans to resume competing in competitive track meets as things return to normal.
Sad Passages
Diego Rivas
The Windsor Middle School community mourned the death of 13-year-old Diego Rivas, who disappeared on May 27, while swimming in the Russian River. Rivas was last seen swimming in the river at 10:30 p.m. in the area of Canyon 1 Road in Rio Nido.
The Sheriff’s Department sent out a Nixle alert for a missing child at 12:17 a.m. on May 28. Over the next day, a massive search and rescue effort ensued, with searchers combing the area and the river near where Rivas’ clothes and phone were found. The Sheriff’s Department Search and Rescue dive team found Rivas’ body on Thursday, May 28, in the afternoon.
Rivas’ passing was announced and recognized with a moment of silence at the beginning of the Windsor Unified School District’s board budget workshop on the evening of May 28.
“It is with great sadness we recognize the death of one of our students at Windsor Middle School,” said Superintendent Brandon Krueger. “Diego Rivas passed recently and we wanted to make sure we had a moment of silence, to recognize this student, and to give our sincere wishes of comfort to his family at this time.”
Teachers and community member remember Rivas as a “bright and happy boy” with an excellent sense of humor on social media.
K-9 Mako
In statements on social media, the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Department and the Windsor Police Department reported the news of the passing of K-9 Mako. Mako was a 3 ½ year old Belgian Malinois, and he had served the Windsor community for two years with his partner Deputy Alan Collier. His performances, especially his takedowns, have been a highlight of the last two years of National Night Out on the Town Green.
According to a statement from the sheriff’s department on the evening of April 25, Mako was training with Collier when he suffered a “medical emergency.” Mako was immediately transported to an emergency veterinary clinic, but he could not be saved.
Steve Delucchi
Steve Delucchi died on June 26 at the age of 62, he was an avid supporter of the Windsor High School Booster Club.
According to his obituary, Delucchi spent the last 26 years as the shop facilities Coordinator for the Marin/Sonoma Mosquito & Vector Control District and had a lifelong passion for restoring old cars.
In a statement on their Facebook page, the WHS Booster club wrote, “Most of us know Steve as the Windsor High School Boosters grill master. Most of us enjoyed his world-famous tri-tips, hot dogs and hamburgers at every home football game. If something was needed to be fixed or cleaned up, Steve was there to do it. Steve was a member of the WHS Boosters for the last 14 years. Steve definitely spoiled us with his ‘never say no’ attitude. Thank you, Steve for all of your hard work. You will be missed.”
Windsor Unified School District trustee Rich Carnation remembered Delucchi at the June 30 board meeting by asking for a moment of silence.
“He was one of those silent and steady volunteers for many, many years, helping with the Snack Shack and always doing the cooking over that hot grill,” Carnation said. “He passed away very quickly, and he’s going to be greatly missed. He’s given a lot of service to our kids over the year. His presence will be missed.”
