“Beyond the fact that it helps expose the students to the traditional bird songs and Luiseño dances, it really is a great day to bring all the students’ families together,” Noli Principal Donovan Post said. “We service students from an 80-mile radius of the school. This distance makes it difficult to let students and families feel like they are connected to the school, so this event helps. Also, it is always great to have friends from the other Tribes come down and sing and share with all the families here.”

Reading teacher Jacquelin Phillips hosted a table full of free books for all ages and visitors took their time in choosing a favorite author or subject matter. There was also a table set up with crayons and coloring pages for anyone that wanted to get artsy.

Wayne Nelson and The Inter-Tribal Bird Singers shared several social songs in Cahuilla and invited other singers to join them, as well as dancers, at the quad that was circled with tables and ramadas that had been constructed by students in the culture class.

While the ramada poles were previously gathered, fresh palm fronds which came from the Soboba Springs Golf Course were used as thatching. The three-sided ramadas took two days to construct and the poles will be used again for Soboba’s annual fiesta next month.

Culture Department Coordinator/Instructor Tashina Miranda Ornelas said it is traditional to hold gatherings like fiesta during the spring, summer and fall due to the plant materials that are available to build structures like ramadas.

“However, in the desert, gatherings could be held all year long due to the availability of their local plant materials,” she added.

Thanks to the creative and talented efforts of members of her four beading classes and the Beading Club, Ornelas was able to provide some outstanding items to be raffled off to lucky winners. She said it’s important for the youth to continue the tradition of gifting items they have made. She said Frybread Kitchen, teachers and staff members also pitched in to provide some raffle prizes.

In the past few years, Noli students have collaborated with the preschoolers to make bird skirts for the girls and rattles with the boys. The young students take an active role in what is made, with lots of guidance from Ornelas and her high schoolers. She said the skirts were finished just in time for the gathering and she was grateful for the help provided by three of her alumni Beading Club members who came in to help her work on them.

Sharing traditional Luiseño songs and dances were Rob Villalobos with his singers and dancers from Pechanga. Derek Duro, with TM Bird Singers, shared Desert Cahuilla bird songs to close out the afternoon.

Soboba Elder Marian Chacon enjoyed watching her great-granddaughter Violet Chacon, 6, dance. “I just like seeing everybody getting together to enjoy the dancing and all that; it’s really good for the children,” she said. “It’s good for them to practice their cultural dances and songs. I always enjoy this.”

Rosemary Morillo, also a Soboba Elder, said she was attending with friends and family. “It has become a tradition for the students to bring their whole families with them,” said Morillo, whose great-grandson Su-Kutt Morreo is in sixth grade at Noli.

Soboba’s Tekla Diaz teaches Fancy Shawl dance classes and brought several of her students to share their traditional dances in colorful personalized regalia. She was proud to say that some of the dancers have been with her since they were three years old. During the final dance, Diaz invited everyone to participate in a social Round Dance.

Games included horseshoes, a water balloon toss, watermelon eating contest, tug-of-war and a balloon popping game where balloons were tied to participants’ ankles using a string while everyone in the game tried to pop their opponents’ balloons by stepping on them. The last person with an un-popped balloon wins and in this game, that distinction went to James Masiel, a Noli seventh grader.

ASB President and Noli senior Luisa Rivera served as emcee for the activities and oversaw most of the games. She also participated in the bird dancing.

Staff helped by grilling pork chops and ham, courtesy of the students’ agriculture department pigs. There was also chicken and steak. Frybread Kitchen owners Aurelia Mendoza and Antonia Briones-Venegas provided homemade tortillas, chili beans, rice, beans, made-from-scratch salsa and of course, their delicious frybread which was being made that morning. Snacks and beverages were donated by staff and community members. Teachers and ASB students served about 350 guests who attended the event.

“Over the years, I have grown to love this day more than any other event,” Post said. “We get to see friends who we would not see otherwise. We also get to invite educational friends from other schools and colleges to come down and experience the culture firsthand. Personally, I always enjoy the bird songs.”

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Born and raised on the Soboba Indian Reservation, Chacon celebrated her 86th birthday in February and is one of the many respected elders on the reservation. She has been part of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church for many years and serves on the Mission Council Board. She was unable to attend the dinner because she teaches a Catechism class at the church on Monday nights, so Soboba Tribal Council Sergeant at Arms Kelli Hurtado accepted the award on her behalf.

“Marian is big on tradition and has strong family values that she has passed onto many of us,” Hurtado said. “She enjoys living her best life with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She continues to help and be a big part of our community. She is a special person to me and that’s why I’m honored to be here today.”

In 1995, Chacon taught the Soboba Youth Council how to take over and conduct the Memorial Day Ceremony held at the Soboba Cemetery. She is active with the Soboba Tribal Preschool’s many activities.

“In 2014, Marian took me under her wing to teach me how to sing for our funerals and wakes, for when our people pass away,” Hurtado said. “She is one amazing lady, and I am proud to call her my friend.”

Chacon also received a certificate of recognition from the Riverside County Board of Supervisors, represented at the dinner by Fifth District Supervisor Jeff Hewitt. The certificate was “to honor and recognize Marian Chacon for her services as a Soboba Tribal Member. Thank you for your dedication and leadership in our communities. We offer our congratulations and look forward to your successful future endeavors.”

One of those endeavors will take place on April 30, when Chacon will once again oversee the annual Soboba Youth & Elders Walk, which she started many years ago.

Chacon was very surprised and honored to receive this award but said she gets a lot of help with all the projects and programs she is involved with.

“It’s not just me who does all these things; the award really belongs to the Soboba community,” she said. San Jacinto Rotary President Craig Shultz said to Hurtado, “I don’t think there is anyone in this room that hasn’t been touched by the generosity of the Soboba Band. We thank you, the tribe and Marian for everything you do for the community.”

Other honorees were Bethany Gibson and Herman Hilkey, San Jacinto Unified School District Teachers of the Year and Police Officer of the Year Deputy Scott Milburn. Also singled out for service was the Salvation Army as Nonprofit of the Year and Grumpy Tom’s Pizza as Business of the Year.

Dr. Shari Fox, former SJUSD superintendent, was honored as Citizen of the Year. Gibson is an English teacher at San Jacinto High School where she has taught everything from sophomore English to Expository Reading Writing Curriculum and International Baccalaureate Literature and Language HL. She was chosen for going above and beyond to coach and mentor students to not only dream bigger than they have ever been encouraged to dream, but to truly believe in their abilities to achieve those dreams. The positive rapport and relationships she has with her students provides the foundation for their academic success and earned her 2018 Teacher of the Year as voted by the Senior Class of 2018.

Hilkey has taught science at the San Jacinto Leadership Academy for the past six years. Prior to that, he taught for 11 years at San Jacinto High, seven of which he also served as the Science Department Chair. He was recognized for continuously exploring opportunities to make science relevant to all his students with “hands-on” laboratory learning activities that encourage his students to think critically. As a result, he is very connected to his students, making him truly one of their favorite teachers.

Milburn was selected for this honor by the sergeants at the San Jacinto Sheriff’s Station. During 2021, he was assigned to the San Jacinto Sheriff’s Station patrol, Soboba special assignment and field training officer. He serves his community with pride, successfully prepares the next generation of deputy sheriffs and truly exemplifies “service above self.” Statistics for 2021 highlight the work Milburn continues to do on a daily basis: 538 calls for service, 34 felony arrests, 51 misdemeanor arrests and 44 citations. In December 2021, Deputy Milburn led a multi-agency criminal enforcement operation yielding 11 felony arrests, 69 misdemeanor arrests, three recovered stolen vehicles and 30 probation and parole checks.

Salvation Army Major Ed Covert accepted the Nonprofit of the Year award on behalf of the Corps that serves the San Jacinto Valley. He became a Salvation Army officer in 1957 and moved up through the ranks. Now living in Hemet, he has served throughout the western United States and many other places. He said the Salvation Army operates in 131 different countries, including Russia, Ukraine and Poland. “And yes, we are doing the same thing there we always do: ‘Heart to God, hand to man.’ God bless you.”

Grumpy Tom’s Pizzeria was established in 2015 by Mitch and Jim, the brothers that owned and operated Pride of Italy/Little Italy since 1995. It is currently owned and operated by Jessica Barth, Mitch’s daughter and Julie Baldridge, Mitch and Jim’s younger sister. The restaurant moved to its current location in the Stater Bros shopping center on State and Ramona Expressway in December of 2020. Jess and Julie are both local girls who grew up in the Valley and love being part of their community. They regularly donate to several local charities and organizations such as SJUSD, Valley Restart, the American Legion, the Sportsman Club and Valley-Wide Recreation and Park District to name a few.

Former Rotarian John Norman introduced Dr. Fox stating that she should be receiving a lifetime achievement award because she has been altruistic her entire life and has helped countless people in many different ways. “Her values, her virtues and her honesty are second to none,” Norman said. “She is one of the most influential people in my life.”

Shultz said Fox’s name will be added to the perpetual plaque that is displayed at Emilio’s, where the awards dinner was held and where the club regularly meets.

The San Jacinto Rotary Club, which started in 1954, is one of the oldest Rotary Clubs in the Inland Empire. Shultz said as they look forward to a 68th year, “we will continue in our efforts to fulfill the Rotary ideal of ‘Service Above Self’ and will continue to recognize and applaud the achievements of those individuals who exemplify this ideal in their commitment to our community.”

The club meets every Wednesday at 12:15 p.m. at Emilio’s Restaurant, 2340 S. San Jacinto Ave. in San Jacinto. For more information, www.SanJacintoRotary.org or www.Rotary.com.

Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians | Contributed

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