VACAVILLE PARKS AND REC ADJUSTS TO COVID GUIDELINES
Department offers a wide variety of online and in-person classes
When Shanna Gong read in The Reporter that Vacaville Parks and Recreation was offering a virtual course in American Sign Language, she jumped at the chance.
Her four-year-old grandson is deaf and beginning to learn ASL at his special needs preschool.
“I thought this would be a great way as he gets older to start being able to communicate with him,” she said. “I did learn quite a bit and the instructor gave us handouts that we could print out. That’s been invaluable because I can refer back and keep practicing.”
The ASL course is just one of many virtual classes that Parks and Recreation is offering. Courses include ballet, voice, theater, a range of musical instrument classes and SiliconValley4U, which teaches the basics of computer coding.
The department had to switch many of its classes to virtual
mode after the pandemic hit. Both the ASL and SiliconValley4U classes are new offerings. The ASL class was the brainchild of David Rodgers, who had taught some other classes for the city.
“He was very patient and very laid back, easygoing, he knew what he was doing,” said Gong. “He was very good. There were two nurses and a firefighter in the class, and he came up with planning a class for emergency responders because they were very interested in that.”
In January Rodgers will be offering a level one and level two ASL class, both for ages 12 and up.
The SiliconValley4U features three different classes. Python/ Scratch programming teaches the basics of computer coding. In the 3-D modeling program, students learn how to use code to make a 3-D model on their computer. The movie-making class shows how to use coding to make a short film on the computer. The class is for students
ages 8 to 18 and is conducted via Zoom.
Another interesting offering is Virtual Ballet, which will start new classes in January. Virtual Ballet 1 is for ages 8-18, while Virtual Advanced Ballet is for ages 11-18.
Recreation Coordinator Kristin Milliken spoke highly of the instructor, Oxana SazonovaMarin, who had been teaching the ballet classes in-person until COVID hit.
“She was able to pivot at this
time and she has a great rapport with her students and they have followed her to virtual,” said Milliken.
T he hour- long ballet classes are run via Zoom and the instructor is able to see all the students who log in either on their phones or their computers. Students can use a chair as a substitute for a ballet bar for balance.
“It wasn’t until CO - VID that we had to really switch gears and offer the virtual classes and we’ve been able to make that adjustment,” said Milliken. “What’s nice is that it still gives children a chance to be engaged and participate in the activities that they love and that they miss, and they need that balance.”
Milliken is work in g on adding more virtual dance offerings in January or February, including hip- hop, country line and ballroom.
When COVID began to shut down Solano County in mid-March, the Vacaville Parks and Recreation Department morphed into a social service model.
“Right away we started the senior hot meals program and were able to get volunteers on board with that,” said Kerry Walker, direc tor of Pa rk s and Recreation. “It’s been extremely successf ul. We also are providing programs for essential work
ers in terms of camps for children and with that came all the safety protocols.
“We have really had to spread out and utilize every facility that we possibly can. The Georgie Duke Center now is being used as a shelter. That will run through Februar y. A nd the McBride Senior Center is being used as a COVID testing site. So we’ve done an awful lot of juggling with staff and moving them around, trying to just stay operational. But we’ve been able to move some programs over to the Harbison Event Center, which has been a godsend.”
Recre at ion Ma nager Reggie Hubbard recalled, “Initially there weren’t many programs that we could keep going because ever y thing wa s pret t y much shut down, all of your indoor and outdoor activities. Because the vi
rus was so new so we didn’t know too much about it, you didn’t know what you could and couldn’t do… The initial programs that we were able to run were all surrounding childcare. Some of our childcare programs could continue with proper social distancing and disinfecting.”
Preschool programs for 3 and 4-year- olds continue to operate, with open enrollment available until February 1.
COV ID has sidelined many of the league-related offerings, such as T- ball, adult softball, flag football, youth baseball, youth basketball and volleyball for youth and adults.
But several outdoor programs are in operation, including swimming in the pool at the Walter Graham Aquatic Center, karate classes (with no contact) at the Harbison Event Center, tennis, horseback riding, cross country run
ning, P.E. in the Park (run by the National Academy of Athletics). A brand new skateboarding class is also offered.
Gong, who is 65, said that going back to school through the virtual ASL class was challenging.
“I’m watching the other people in the class,” she said. “They’re picking it up just like that and I’m still sitting there kind of fumbling along… But the instructor said I was doing fairly well… I think the most important thing to me was the alphabet, so I pretty much have that down. But there are a lot of words, just the basics — please, thank you, hello, goodbye. My favorite is you could do ‘sign slowly,’ so if you run across somebody who is signing you can say, ‘ Slow it down so I can try to figure it out.’ I love that one.”
Gong is excited about the prospect of signing with her grandson as he continues to learn that skill.
“I think I could do at least do basics with him,” she said. “And as he gets a little older, then I could go on and hopefully try to learn more… I did enjoy the class. I thought it was very good, very informative. I was very thrilled that they offered it.”
For more information and to register for classes, v isit ci.va c av ille. c a . us/ gover nment/ pa rk s- a ndrecreation/events- guide.