Napa teacher wins statewide license plate art competition
Wyn Ericson displays his winning design for a new California license plate that honors the state park system. November 13, 2015 12:30 pm • NOEL BRINKERHOFF nbrinkerhoff@napanews.com (0) CommentsCalifornia drivers will soon have the option of purchasing a new license plate featuring the state’s majestic redwoods, and they’ll have Wyn Ericson of Napa to thank for the design. Ericson, a local artist and art teacher at River School, won a statewide contest held by the California Department of Parks and Recreation to develop a specialty license plate that will be available through the Department of Motor Vehicles. “The whole contest took me by storm in the past week,” said Ericson. “It’s been so exciting and breathtaking.” Ericson and his wife, Chelsea, spent Tuesday in Sacramento where officials held a press conference at historic Sutter’s Fort State Historic Park — with redwoods providing the backdrop — to announce his winning selection and to show off a prototype of the new “ParksPLATE.” Money from sales of the new plates will go toward restoring and preserving California parks. The cost is $50, or $98 for a personalized plate. Ericson will not receive any money from winning the contest. But that doesn’t mean the experience hasn’t been rewarding for him. “What I’m getting is the satisfaction that I’m helping the parks,” said Ericson, who has received a “crazy amount of support” and acknowledgement from friends and family when they heard the news. Although he was surprised and taken aback by winning, his wife wasn’t. “It’s shocking to him, but it’s not that surprising when you consider how hard he works at everything and how good of an artist he actually is,” said Chelsea Ericson, who grew up in west Napa’s Browns Valley area. His wife is delighted by the attention being given to her husband, who aspires someday to devote all of his time to being an artist. His work has been shown locally at stores and restaurants, and examples can be found on his website, Wynericson.com. “I hope this is the beginning of something beyond” what he is doing now, though he considers himself very lucky already, Chelsea Ericson said. “I’m getting paid to do what I love,” he said, “and that is teaching as well as art.” In addition to teaching art to sixth, seventh and eighth graders at the charter middle school, not to mention helping his wife raise their two young children, Ericson is working on his naturalist paintings —w hich he calls his “barns and farms” creations. The fact that his professional life centers on art and teaching is no surprise considering his family background. “I was born into a family of artists,” said Ericson, who grew up in Orange County and relocated to Napa Valley last decade, teaching first at St. Helena High School and middle school before moving to River School about five years ago. His father is an artist and taught middle schoolers for 20 years. His aunts and a grandmother also were teachers or artists. The response to his winning the contest has been “overwhelming,” he says, not only from relatives and friends, but also his school’s principal, Celeste Akiu, who is planning a special assembly that will be attended by state parks officials to honor his winning artwork. “It has taken a while to sink in,” he said. “But I’m super happy.” |
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Here a short history of some key moments in CTA’s 150-year history:
1863 – Founded as California Education Society by
John Swett, Superintendent of Public Instruction with less than 100, all
male, members.
1866 –
Legislative achievement passed for free public schools for all children in
CA
1890 – CTA wins state Supreme Court
ruling on “fair dismissal” law.
1911- At CTA
urging, free textbooks are printed and distributed at the state’s
expense.
1913 – CTA State Council
calls for a statewide teacher pension
system.
1927 – CTA wins a legal victory when the
state Supreme Court rules that a school board cannot fire a female teacher
for getting married.
1965 – CA
Legislature passes the Toothless Winton Act, permitting school employees to
“meet and confer” with employers about
employment conditions.
1967 – CTA authorizes
bilingual instruction classes for English Learners.
1968
– CTA adopts policy in support of
collective bargaining.
1972 – CTA pushes
collective bargaining bill through the Legislature. It is vetoed by
Governor Ronald Reagan.
1975 –
Legislature passes the CTA-sponsored Rodda Act, making K-14 school
employees the first public employees in California to win collective
bargaining rights.
1988 – CTA drafts and wins the
passage of Proposition 98, which guarantees a minimum portion of state
money to fund K-14 education.
1993 –
CTA defeats Proposition 174, a school voucher
initiative.
2000 – CTA defeats Proposition 38, a
second voucher initiative.
2005 –
CTA leads a broad coalition to defeat Propositions 74, 75, and 76, which
would have cut school funding, destroyed teachers’ due process rights, and
silenced the voices of public employees. CTA also files a lawsuit against
the state to get back all money owed to schools under Proposition
98.
2006 – CTA wins their lawsuit against the state
and Proposition 98.
2012 – CTA
plays an integral role in the passage of Proposition 30, giving schools
much needed relief in funding that would have expired. Additionally, CTA
and its members help defeat Proposition 32, which would have crippled the
rights of all union employees.
1863 – Founded as California Education Society by
John Swett, Superintendent of Public Instruction with less than 100, all
male, members.
1866 –
Legislative achievement passed for free public schools for all children in
CA
1890 – CTA wins state Supreme Court
ruling on “fair dismissal” law.
1911- At CTA
urging, free textbooks are printed and distributed at the state’s
expense.
1913 – CTA State Council
calls for a statewide teacher pension
system.
1927 – CTA wins a legal victory when the
state Supreme Court rules that a school board cannot fire a female teacher
for getting married.
1965 – CA
Legislature passes the Toothless Winton Act, permitting school employees to
“meet and confer” with employers about
employment conditions.
1967 – CTA authorizes
bilingual instruction classes for English Learners.
1968
– CTA adopts policy in support of
collective bargaining.
1972 – CTA pushes
collective bargaining bill through the Legislature. It is vetoed by
Governor Ronald Reagan.
1975 –
Legislature passes the CTA-sponsored Rodda Act, making K-14 school
employees the first public employees in California to win collective
bargaining rights.
1988 – CTA drafts and wins the
passage of Proposition 98, which guarantees a minimum portion of state
money to fund K-14 education.
1993 –
CTA defeats Proposition 174, a school voucher
initiative.
2000 – CTA defeats Proposition 38, a
second voucher initiative.
2005 –
CTA leads a broad coalition to defeat Propositions 74, 75, and 76, which
would have cut school funding, destroyed teachers’ due process rights, and
silenced the voices of public employees. CTA also files a lawsuit against
the state to get back all money owed to schools under Proposition
98.
2006 – CTA wins their lawsuit against the state
and Proposition 98.
2012 – CTA
plays an integral role in the passage of Proposition 30, giving schools
much needed relief in funding that would have expired. Additionally, CTA
and its members help defeat Proposition 32, which would have crippled the
rights of all union employees.
See how teachers are changing public schools- Transformation Learning Walks
click here to go to Napa Valley Register article!
Innovative Napa Valley teachers will partner with other Napa Valley Unified
School District leaders to show interested educators and the public how a 21st
century classroom looks during an all-day “learning walk” this Friday in
American Canyon.
During the “District Transformation Learning Walk” teachers will focus on the
K-12 alignment of project based learning and the four ‘C’s — communication,
collaboration, critical thinking and creativity.
click here to go to Napa Valley Register article!
Innovative Napa Valley teachers will partner with other Napa Valley Unified
School District leaders to show interested educators and the public how a 21st
century classroom looks during an all-day “learning walk” this Friday in
American Canyon.
During the “District Transformation Learning Walk” teachers will focus on the
K-12 alignment of project based learning and the four ‘C’s — communication,
collaboration, critical thinking and creativity.
Nick Cheranich- Romeo, Romeo....where fore art thou?????? I'm here at Silverado!!!
http://napavalleyregister.com/news/local/for-silverado-students-the-play-s-the-thing/article_0fe128da-1257-11e2-a669-001a4bcf887a.html#.UHhXNdadwyY.gmail
