Board renames Chavez Elementary
The Madera Unified School District’s School Board has voted to change the name of Cesar Chavez Elementary School to Cottonwood Creek Elementary School. At first blush, this appears to be a fairly safe move. How much trouble can a creek bring on a school? On the other hand, however, how much pride will the new […]
Carles Beckett; the rest of the story
When Carles Beckett graduated from Fresno State in 1967 and began his career in education, he could look back on his first 22 years and recognize that his life had been a series of miracles. Born in Piggott, Arkansas, he spent his first nine years living in a tent in a Buckeye, Arizona cotton camp […]
Carles Beckett, Madera’s CEO (Chief Encouragement Officer)
It was four in the morning, July 17, 1954, when the woman crumpled to the floor. Her sobbing woke her four children; in an instant they joined her, brokenhearted and weeping uncontrollably. The policeman standing over them watched helplessly. He had just told the Beckett family that their father and husband would not be coming […]
Sherman Thomas STEM Academy named Distinguished School
Sherman Thomas Charter Schools announced that Sherman Thomas STEM Academy has been recognized as a 2026 California Distinguished School, one of the state’s highest honors for public schools. This recognition, awarded by the California Department of Education, celebrates schools that demonstrate exceptional student performance, strong academic growth, and a commitment to closing achievement gaps. Sherman […]
Book Talk: Baldacci, ‘Nash Falls’
David Baldacci has written more than fifty best-selling mystery novels. I think that I’ve read all of them. This one is different. Like his other thrillers, Nash Falls (2025, 424 pages in hardback format) has interesting characters, dastardly subplots, and lots of tension. And yet, it’s different. The book opens with the funeral for Tiberius […]
Long-time Madera educator passes
It is with heavy hearts that we announce the peaceful passing of J. Gary Adams, a beloved husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, teacher, and friend, on March 24. Gary was born on January 9, 1938, in the close-knit community of St. Ignace, Michigan, to Earl and Olive Adams. Raised with strong values and an enduring love […]
Opinion: Women computer pioneers
As Women’s History Month comes to an end, I’d like to recognize two women who were developing the modern computer long before most Americans even knew about the electronic device. Their contributions, one in the mid-19th century and the other a hundred years later in the mid-20th century, introduced novel ways of solving problems. Although […]
Career Fair to connect school employment opportunities
Job seekers of all experience levels are invited to attend the Madera and Mariposa County Schools’ Careers in Education Fair on March 17 from 1-5 p.m. at the office of the Madera County Superintendent of Schools. The free event will bring together school employers from Madera and Mariposa counties seeking to fill full-time, part-time, and […]
Opinion: Don’t nobody talk good no more?
It’s been part of the American ethos that we talk informally, but we write in “formal English.” I don’t know who introduced that rule or why it exists. Perhaps it’s a “vestigial remnant” from a time when only the elite had any formal education. But it seems to me that it is a self-defeating custom. […]
Torres wins Madera County Mock Trial
For the second year in a row, Matilda Torres High School won the 2026 Honorable Edward P. Moffat Madera County Mock Trial that was held on January 15, 20, 22 and February 11. Matilda Torres’ prosecution and Madera South’s defense teams competed in the championship round held on February 11. Matilda Torres won the competition, […]