Education

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey is upping the pressure on public school districts defying a state ban on mask mandates by threatening to cut off some funds. The governor said Tuesday that schools won’t get any cash from a $163 million grant program he controls if they don’t drop mask rules within 10 days. Schools also will lose out on the $1,800 per student if they have to close because of coronavirus outbreaks.

The 2021 United National Indian Tribal Youth (UNITY) Conference was held in Dallas from July 2-6 and several young people from Soboba made the road trip to attend. Soboba Youth Council Co-coordinator Andy Silvas shared driving duties with three others to make the trip, that included a visit to Navajo Nation.

Large grants are helping medical schools in Southern California improve diversity, because although Latinos are 39% of the state's population, they make up only 6% of physicians and 8% of medical-school graduates.

Like gardening in general, school gardening has become hugely popular during the pandemic, with families and teachers saying its hands-on lessons can be applied to many subjects.

The Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians held an Academic Achievement Awards Ceremony to celebrate its outstanding students from the 2020-2021 school year. Some of the recent graduates will pursue higher education while the middle- and high-school honorees will be starting back to school in a few short weeks. Soboba Tribal Executive Officer and emcee, Steven Estrada, welcomed all guests and offered a blessing for the students. Chairman Isaiah Vivanco introduced fellow council members Vice Chairwoman Geneva Mojado, Secretary Sally Moreno-Ortiz, Treasurer Daniel Valdez and Sergeant at Arms Kelli Hurtado.