Mary Claypool sworn into Monterey County Board of Education

Top Seaside community activists gathered at the Monterey County Office of Education last week to witness the swearing in of Mary Claypool as the newest trustee on its board.

Claypool, a business consultant, former executive director of the Monterey County Business Council, and columnist for The Herald, was appointed to fill the Trustee Area 6 seat left vacant in September with the resignation of Byrl Anderson-Smith.

Claypool will serve the remainder of the term, which expires Nov. 2013.

Claypool has served on various parent-teacher associations, worked directly in classrooms, and currently serves as a member of the Monterey Peninsula Unified School District Bond Oversight Committee. She has 42 years of experience working as a budget/management analyst for local government, including the City of Seaside and County of Monterey. She holds bachelor and master degrees from La Salle University.

In the picture, Monterey Peninsula Unified Trustee Helen Rucker swears in Claypool in under the watchful eye of Mel Mason, president of the Monterey County chapter of the NAACP. 

It's Black History month

don't miss the programming the Media Center for Art and Education Technology of the Monterey County Office of Education has put together to honor our African American communities.

Programs include

• Soul Music By The Bay 2010 – featuring performances by Leanne Robinson, Blayze, Big Brooklyn Red, Traffik Noize and more.
• Voices and Visions: Langston Hughes – Hughes is one of the best poets who ever lived in the United States. Enough said.
  
• Local Legends: Helen Rucker – Rucker, a lifelong educator and community activist, discusses race, politics and the importance of knowing ancestral history.
• Arts in the Schools: African American Artists of Monterey County – The Arts in the Schools series proudly spotlights African-Americans honor students involved in the performing arts in Monterey County.
• The Seaside Cultural Arts Group Presents a Tribute to Black History Month – Recorded live last Feb. 11.

Programming may be viewed on the following channels:

• Charter Cable Channel 8 in Gonzales and Soledad
• Charter Cable Channel 17 in North Monterey County
• Charter Cable Channel 29 in Greenfield and King City
• Comcast Cable Channel 26 in the Salinas and Monterey Peninsula areas
• Digital Channel 38.2 (over the air)