Olympic gold medalist visits San Pasqual Valley High
WINTERHAVEN – Dain Blanton, an Olympic beach volleyball player who won a gold medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, visited the students of San Pasqual Valley High School on Thursday during the school’s inaugural Healthy Choices Conference.
The event, planned and organized by a group of staff, parents and students, brought several local agencies together to share information with the San Pasqual Valley student body.
Blanton, a sports broadcaster for ESPN, NBC and Fox Sports, travels the nation as a motivational speaker for students. As part of his presentation, he speaks about recognizing and overcoming obstacles to personal, educational and professional success.
Blanton’s message of personal empowerment resonated strongly with the staff and students of San Pasqual.
“I thought the Olympic gold medalist [Dain Blanton] was my biggest takeaway … he talked to us about being ready when the opportunity comes,” said Edgar Espinoza, a sophomore at San Pasqual. “That was a real eye opener for me. He told us that if we work hard and have a passion, we can make our opportunities happen.”
Also during the conference, officials with Yuma Counseling Services, Imperial County Food Bank, Imperial County Fire Department, U.S. Border Patrol, Indian Health Services and the Quechan Diabetes Project and Alcohol Drug Abuse Prevention Program presented information on topics ranging from dealing with cyberbullying, to coping with anxiety and depression, to discussions on nutrition, hygiene, drug abuse and dental health.
“This event was the result of a lot of hard work by a very dedicated group,” Principal Darrell Pechtl said. “Our school site council has been working on pulling this event together since last April, and it came off better that we could have hoped.”
Pechtl singled out staff members Stacey Blackmer-Blomquist and Julieta Amezquita, as well as parent Lucy Gonzalez and Imperial County CHAT Therapist Rigel Garibay, for their efforts in planning and organizing the event.