Success & Service: Dental contingent heading to Uganda

A contingent that includes two dentists and a dental hygienist from the Valley will travel to Uganda in February to provide service and training.

Dr. Phil Openshaw, a Hughson resident who practices in Modesto, will make his fifth trip to Africa. He will be accompanied by his daughter, LeAnn Fry, a dental hygienist, and Dr. Dave Paxman, another dentist from Modesto.

Openshaw served a mission in Africa years ago for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and saw the disparity between dental services and technology there compared with the care available in America.

Members of the contingent pay for their own travel and expenses, but are accepting donations to cover supplies. Donations are accepted through the website at LDSAfricaSmiles.com.

Schools’ classified employees recognized

Twenty-six outstanding school classified employees will be recognized Monday by the Stanislaus County Office of Education and the Association of California School Administrators in a reception at the Martin G. Peterson Event Center in downtown Modesto. Six of them will be selected to represent Stanislaus County in the California School Employee of the Year competition overseen by the California Department of Education.

Nominees are: Polly Ammon, district office manager for Ceres’ Central Valley High School; Emma Cornejo, paraeducator at Hickman Elementary; Bernadette Cruz, Chatom Elementary secretary; Dinah Henschel, records clerk at Modesto’s Martone Elementary; Jose Hernandez-Silva, custodian at Ceres’ Cesar Chavez Junior High; Vicki Johnson, principal’s secretary at Denair Charter Academy; Brian Lee, lead custodian at Stanislaus Union School District’s Eisenhut Elementary; Ben Liang, district maintenance worker, Turlock Unified School District; Guadalupe Lopez, attendance clerk, Hughson Elementary; Vicki Lucas, principal’s secretary at Oakdale’s East Stanislaus High; Teresa Manriquez, administrative assistant at Riverbank’s Adelante Continuation High School; Lillian Melin, campus supervisor at Beyer High School; Phoebe Minick, bus driver, Stanislaus County Office of Education’s outdoor education program; Alicia Miranda, health technician at Turlock’s Osborn Two-Way Immersion; Jose Monroy, custodian at Modesto’s La Loma Junior High; Irma Olvera, attendance clerk at Patterson’s Northmead Elementary; Kathy Prada, administrative secretary II at Turlock High School; Connie Preciado, lead custodian at Oakdale’s Cloverland Elementary; Rigoberto Ramirez, custodian at Newman-Crows Landing’s Orestimba High School; Khush Samra, attendance clerk at Keyes Elementary; Randy Scoggins, custodian at Sylvan Union’s Orchard Elementary; Rebecca Snow, library/media clerk at Ceres’ Mae Hensley Junior High; Raul Torres, cafeteria manager at Empire Union’s Glick Middle School; Oscar Velazquez, lead custodian at Waterford Unified School District; Angela Warenas, campus supervisor at Patterson’s Walnut Grove K-8; and Roberta Sue Watson, childcare teacher at Sylvan Union School District.

This story was originally published January 24, 2015 at 9:26 PM with the headline "Success & Service: Dental contingent heading to Uganda."