Posted by Michael Haran on Sep 16, 2013
Healdsburg Tribune 9/12/2013
By Michael Haran
One of the reasons so many people in Healdsburg say “we are so lucky to live here,” is the Healdsburg Museum. On a par with the city’s beloved library, the Museum is a keeper of the community’s culture.
Since this is about the Museum let’s start with a little history. The earliest collection in the City archives was begun in the 1920s, when Julius Myron Alexander (1880-1930), a great-nephew of early settler Cyrus Alexander, collected materials and began writing about city history.
In 1976 Ed Langhart, a retired city manager, was appointed by the Healdsburg City Council as the City’s first Historian and Archivist and helped found the Healdsburg Historical Society. The first museum was installed in a city-owned storefront building near the Plaza.
The Historical Society became a non-profit corporation in 1977 with volunteers staffing the Museum. In 1987, when the Healdsburg Library moved from the Carnegie Library building on Matheson Street to its new building on Piper Street, the Historical Society raised over $558,000 (bolstered by a $110,000 matching grant from Mr. and Mrs. Edward H. Gauer) to restore and retrofit the 1910 neo-classical revival structure. In 1990, the building reopened as the Healdsburg Museum & Historical Society. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, it is not only the keeper of the Healdsburg community’s history but also a part of that history.
Due to several years of budget constraints, in 1993 the City of Healdsburg eliminated almost all funding and it looked like the City’s Museum would have to close. In order to save it, the Historical Society stepped in and took over responsibility for managing the Museum. The City still pays for some utilities, supports maintenance of the building and grounds, and owns the historical collections.
The museum had to rely on volunteers (which it still does) until additional funds were raised and a Curator hired in 1995. Since there was (and is – other than what’s mentioned above) no public funding, the first curators and Board went about the task of organizing annual fund raisers to support the museum and started an Endowment Fund. Many of these fund raisers, which are the life blood of the museum, have proven quite popular.
Today the Museum is managed by Holly Hoods and Assistant Curator Meredith Dreisback and Board President Stan Becker. Under their stewardship, and a committed community-based volunteer group of over 100 people, including a Board of Directors, the Museum’s services to the community have expanded, and more are planned.
For example, four free topical local history exhibits are displayed each year. The current exhibit, “Movie Stars Next Door,” a tribute to Fred MacMurray and June Haver, who owned a ranch on Westside Road, has proven so popular that it has been extended into October. A new exhibit, “Farm to Table” opened August 7th and Nydia Goode’s antique dollhouse, on loan for a year, is not to be missed.
The Museum houses the archives of the community’s history, including oral history recordings of local elders, and curates historically significant objects, safekeeping them for future generations. Personalized local history and genealogical research is provided by professional historians and the Museum sponsors internships for students from local high schools, colleges and universities.
For the past several years the Museum has been creating a searchable database of over 16,000 local history photos which is an amazing local resource. Another valuable resource has been the creation of an index of local newspapers dating back to the 1850s. The Museum’s quarterly history journal, the Russian River Recorder, is devoted to local history articles written by Holly and a talented assortment of researchers and local residents.
The Museum provides free school tours and many free or low cost educational events for students such as the ongoing partnership with Latino youth from Healdsburg High School in the annual Dia de los Muertos exhibit at the Museum, and the annual Mexican heritage fair in the Plaza, which this year is on September 22nd.
The annual budget is completely raised by contributions. Approximately 25% comes from membership dues, 35% from events and 20% from donations. The rest comes from Museum services such as research and historic photo sales. Some of the Museum’s more popular fundraisers are the annual “Instant Wine Cellar,” the “History Lives Pioneer Dinner,” and the “Antique Faire” of which the Museum recently assumed management.
Throughout the year special fundraising events are hosted by “angel” members. For example, the recent “Georgetown Tour and Barbeque” at the famous Wild West Village and Hollywood memorabilia collection in Graton was underwritten by the Fred and June MacMurray Foundation, so all the proceeds went to the Museum, thanks to Kate MacMurray. The sold out “Evening at MacMurray Ranch” featured ranch tours, and the screening of the Fred MacMurray film “The Egg and I.” A new fund raiser is the September 21st Heirloom Tomato Festival, hosted by the Healdsburg Senior Living Community on Grove Street.
Some members support the Museum by volunteering their talents like the local craftsmen who help create the exhibits and the Healdsburg Tribune who runs the weekly “A look back at Local History” and prints announcements about the Museum’s events and activities. Other local merchants advertise in the Museum’s monthly newsletter “The Review” and still other volunteer. And we can’t forget all the great local wineries that contribute the wine for the Instant Wine Cellar event.
The museum has just over 650 members and according to Stan Becker, the Museum Board president, membership is growing at about 2% per year (16 new members were listed in the Review this month). Annual dues range from a low of $30 to a high of $1,000 or more depending on the member’s circumstances.
With more funding the Museum could check off several items on its wish list like climate controlled storage facilities, virtual exhibits and the acquisition of new artifacts.
History is a magical thing. With a little imagination it can extend one’s life many years. The Museum is a wonderful community resource and everyone who can, should join. It’s educational, it’s fun and you’ll meet some great people.
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Posted by Michael Haran on Aug 29, 2013
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Healdsburg Tribune 8/29/2013
Let me get this straight. Gary Plass doesn’t think that the Healdsburg city council should be wasting their time endorsing a ban on assault weapons because “it would open the door to a variety of issues coming before the council presented by political parties on the right and the left.” Hello? Why should the council care about who brings a legitimate issue before the council. I would like to think that the council is intelligent enough to make a judgment on whether an issue is appropriate for city business. I know that Healdsburg is a small town but does that mean our city council should have small minds? It makes me proud that the rest of the city council saw endorsing a ban on assault weapons and for that matter same-sex marriage, as the right thing to do.
It’s a shame that Plass doesn’t have the time to support a national issue that he doesn’t think is also a local issue. Just ask Sandy Hook, Aurora and Columbine if it isn’t a local issue. But he has enough time to waste the town’s time and money on an ill-advised one-way street.
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Posted by Michael Haran on Jul 19, 2013
Healdsburg Tribune 7/18/13
By Michael Haran
Although a lot of Fitch Mountain is not in Healdsburg’s city limits it has long been considered a Healdsburg community. The Fitch Mountain Association just had its annual potluck meeting at the Villa and several items of local interest were discussed.
4th District Supervisor Mike McGuire spoke to us about several issues. As a background, in 1989 three antiquated Fitch Mountain water systems were put under a county tax assessment district the purpose for which was to upgrade the failing systems. The system was connected to the City of Healdsburg water service (this Fitch Mountain utility also has a fire and emergency services contract with Healdsburg). The system rehab was completed in 1994 with a state loan in the amount of $2,396,160 which is being paid off through a user property tax assessment which should be retired by 2022.
After a utility advisory committee was disbanded in 1994 due to a county government reorganizing act, the residents of Fitch Mountain had no formal representation. In 2011, Mike organized a community meeting and put together a local resident ad hoc water committee to advise on operations, maintenance and rate issues. He is now participating in formulating a new budget and is working with Healdsburg on a new rate structure which will include an increased budget reserve for maintenance. After a cost analysis he facilitated a change in the customer billing and service calls from the county to the maintenance contractor, Russian River Utility, which represents a significant cost savings to users.
Mike then gave us an update on the purchase of the Fitch Mountain Park and Open Space District on the top of the mountain. He said that the purchase escrow has been delayed until several property boundaries have been worked out. He said that of the forty or so identified post survey boundary issues under twenty remain and those were mostly wood piles and minor encroachments. He said that he is pushing hard to close escrow within the next sixty days.
Mike was thanked for taking the lead in providing more county Sheriff and Highway Patrol presents during the fourth of July weekend. Because of social media 20 to 30 cars can “appear” at any river access at any time which has required more traffic and parking control. Mike is such a proactive elected official he sets a high standard for other Politians.
Next to speak was Steve Adams, Healdsburg’s Fire Chief and Roberta MacIntyre Sonoma County Fire Marshall. The treat of fire is a big deal on Fitch Mountain and they talked about fire evacuation and weed abatement which is really small tree and shrub abatement. In addition the 100 feet of defensible space required around all structures vacant lot owners are now required to also remove all flammable materials from their lots including liming trees up to six feet above the ground. Laura Tietz of Fire Free Fitch spoke next. She passed around an old photo of Fitch Mountain that showed when it had no trees at all on it. Generations of fire suppression has turned the mountain into a jungle and it’s now up to us to return it to a forest.
This item wasn’t discussed but it is of local interest. The ten year effort to resurrect the seasonal dam at Del Rio is dead in the water. After meeting with regulators and consultants the Del Rio board determined that they were unlikely to get a permit. It’s too bad as the summer lake was a wonderful venue for generations. Now they have to figure out where the money to remove the 40-year old dam structure and spillway will come from. The seven acre site is under consideration as a river access point under the County Regional Parks.
Many of us wondered what that loud music was circumnavigating the Mountain on the forth. Mike said that it was someone who had created a flotilla by lashing kayaks together which included a reggae band. Mike said he know who it was – but of course.
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Posted by Michael Haran on May 10, 2013
Letter to the Editor
Healdsburg Tribune
May 9, 2013
Truth, Honesty and Trust
I’m sure I’m not the only one getting tired of the week after week negative Foss Creek Letters to the Editor but as Carolyn Moore noted “It’s not going away.” The Foss Creek Circle issue is looking more and more emblematic of our current city council. Based on the overwhelming negativity of this project you’d think that by now the council would have been honest enough to admit that this one-way street business was a bad idea, changed it back and moved on to more important city matters. But it hasn’t and it’s beginning to look like the council thinks it can get its 3-2 way by stonewalling and hoping the town will get tired of the fight.
This thing seems to be a pet project of one of the councilman. I think there have been more negative Letters to the Editor about this than the number of people in the bogus survey used to justify this project. In Gary Buchanan’s Letter “Close Call,” he referred to Gary Plass’ response as “glib” to a near accident. I don’t think his response was “glib” at all I think it was condescending.
I’m starting to sense that this council feels it can do whatever it wants without regard for the community. The town has a limited amount of money to spend on foolish projects. Two councilmen (woman) of all people, knows we need every cent to pay for the city’s bloated unfunded long term liabilities. Unless they think they can just do Measures N, O and P to raise more tax money and the town would happily go along. Or maybe they could convert the town’s beloved library into an office building. Sound too farfetched? Don’t kid yourself they have already talked about it.
The council’s justification for Foss Creek Circle was that no one showed up to protest. People have to work and they don’t have time to show up for every council meeting. When this council was elected people thought they were getting representatives that would look after the town’s interests. They said the decision was made because Silver Oak needed the changes for their deliveries which turned out to be not true. I’m beginning to believe this council’s attitude with each other is “we’ll vote for your pet project if you vote for mine.”
The counsel has asked the town for suggestions on how to spend the Measure M funds. The whole town better show up because if they don’t who knows what the council will spend the money on and with the restoration of the $13.5m bond money maybe we need a citizen’s ad hoc oversight committee to keep this money from being wasted. Where’s the trust?
Michael Haran is a Healdsburg resident
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Posted by Michael Haran on Apr 20, 2013
Close to Home
Teachers Need the Tools
By Michael Haran
4/19/2013
Published in the Press Democrat 4/20/2013
After reading Andy Brennan and Simone Harris’ Close to Home article (A teacher’s perspective on improved learning PD 4/4/13) and Bill Gates article (Here’s a fairer way to evaluate teachers PD 4/5/13) on teacher evaluation neither article addressed the new curriculums that are now being developed by K-12 textbook and eBook publishers and the evolution of K-12 teaching methods.
Under Obama’s Race to the Top states are required to meet three main educational criteria: adoption of rigorous academic achievement standards; a program to focus on turning around low performing schools; and the most contentious provision, an accountability system that would involve using test scores to evaluate teachers and principals.
In 2010, California became one of 45 states to adopt the new Common Core State Standards (CCSS) Initiative to meet these criteria and the transition is now under way. Assessments aligned with the standards are also being developed and are expected to be in place for the 2014-15 school year, replacing the STAR tests. The new standards and skill requirements have been developed with the goal of creating consistency across the country.
The California Legislature in March 2011 suspended the adoption of instructional materials until the 2014–15 school year. This was due partially to budget cuts but also to allow time for publishers to adapt instruction materials to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS).
Just like a good race car mechanic a teacher needs sound methodology and precision tools to be successful. Anyone who studies K-12 education knows that the industry has long needed a makeover. Everything evolves and we are now watching an evolution in teaching structure. Many school districts are experimenting with, if not outright adopting, the progressive teaching/learning model called “Flipping the Classroom.”
In flip teaching, the student first studies the topic by himself, typically using video lessons created by the instructor or those provided by an Open Education Recourse (OER), such as the Khan Academy. In the classroom, the pupil then tries to apply the knowledge by solving problems and doing practical applications. The role of the classroom teacher is then to tutor the student when they become stuck, rather than to impart the initial lesson. This allows time inside the class to be used for additional activities, including use of “differentiated instruction” which is more student specific and “project-based learning” which is the practical application.
In another progressive teaching/learning model North Carolina State University College of Education has developed program which they call the FIZZ concept. With this program students video themselves reciting a lesson. The object is to allow students to revisit the video to evaluate and analyze not only what they have learned but also what their peers have learned. The objective is to give the student “ownership” of the lesson which they call the highest level of learning.
Along with the evolution of teaching methodology the next generation of K-12 instruction materials needs to be written to align to these and other progressive teaching models. The publishers now have an opportunity to incorporate modern learning technology with the four predominate student learning styles which are: Linguistic (“word smart” they learn by writing and reading); Logical-mathematical (“number/reasoning smart) Spatial (“picture smart” they learn from images); Bodily-Kinesthetic (“body smart” they need to be moving to learn). I think “Bodily-Kinesthetic learners are many times misdiagnosed with having ADD.
If you want to increase test scores give teachers curriculum that develops the coveted goals of critical thinking, collaboration and communication in all students. You can’t win the race without the right tools.
Michael Haran is research director for the Institute of Progressive Education and Learning.
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