Fallen Valley Marine, soldier to be honored by NASCAR in race

Marine Cpl. Michael D. Anderson Jr. of Modesto and Army Cpl. Tony J. Gonzales of Newman will be among the fallen members of the military honored by NASCAR during the Coca-Cola 600 race at Charlotte Motor Speedway this weekend.

In tribute to members of the armed forces who have fallen in service to their country, all 40 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers will have their names replaced on car windshields with those of fallen service members. It is the second year NASCAR is honoring the fallen with the event it calls 600 Miles of Remembrance.

Gonzales, who was 20 years old when he was killed Dec. 28, 2008, in Sadr City, Iraq, will be featured on the grand marshal’s car. Anderson will be featured on the No. 98 car driven by Cole Whitt.

The race will be telecast live on Fox beginning at 3 p.m. Sunday.

Escalon students serenade retired teacher with lyrics she penned

In the 1980s, Beth McCloud wrote the words that became the official song of Dent Elementary School in Escalon.

“I was teaching first grade, and we’d seen a video about a teacher who made up a school song using ‘Yankee Doodle Dandy,’ and I said, ‘I can do that,’ ” said McCloud, who taught 28 years in the Escalon School District – 24 of them at Dent.

Now retired, she returned to the campus Monday, where the students surprised her by singing the song in a tribute to her.

“I was really amazed they are still singing it after all these years,” she said. “It’s their every Friday song.”

The presentation at the school included dance routines by the students.

Modestans get top award from state Retired Teachers Association

Charlotte and Russell Peck of Modesto have received the highest award granted by the 43,000-member California Retired Teachers Association at the group’s state convention in Sacramento. They are recipients of the association’s Ruth Q. de Prida Award for service not only to education but also to their community.

The Pecks both taught math for Modesto City Schools, and have been deeply involved in CalRTA at the state, area and county levels for close to two decades.

Enochs teacher honored at Delta Kappa Gamma convention

Debbie Soro Adair, a member of the Delta Kappa Gamma Epsilon Nu chapter in Modesto, received the prestigious Distinguished Career/Professional Service Award at the organization’s state convention in Fresno last month.

Soro Adair, a teacher at Enochs High, was honored for her work with HARRT, an acronym for Healthy and Responsible Relationships Troop. HARRT’s purpose is to train students to be leaders in raising awareness about adolescent relationship abuse. The troop has presented to more than 1,500 students, several parent and community groups, and state legislators in Sacramento. HARRT is the first effort of its kind in a California high school, and other schools, including at the junior high level, have expressed interest in replicating its message. Soro Adair recently produced and directed the play “The Sirens” by Darrah Cloud, held at the Gallo Center for the Arts, which included two of her students from the troop.

Stickman Ventures recognized by Olsen

Assemblywoman Kristin Olsen of Riverbank on Saturday honored Stickman Ventures as the 2016 Small Business of the Year for the 12th Assembly District.

Incorporated in Oakdale in 2009, Stickman Ventures was formed out of the frustration of watching teams fail at delivering stellar products and experiences. Co-founder Justin Ribeiro and his team believed they could help companies and teams build better software and ship faster. Working toward that goal, they’ve been growing as an organization ever since. They also played an important role in helping to form the Oakdale Innovation Center, where people with ideas for businesses based in the city could use the low-cost space and free wireless connection or meet potential investors.

This story was originally published May 28, 2016 at 2:57 PM with the headline "Fallen Valley Marine, soldier to be honored by NASCAR in race."