ARBUCKLE, CA (MPG) – For a small town, Arbuckle has had its share of tragedy, but more remarkable is how the community turns its sorrow into something positive and productive, which ultimately makes it stronger.
Such was the case last week when the Pierce High School Parent Club put on a middle school basketball tournament in memory of former Johnson Junior High School science teacher and Arbuckle native Carlos Corona, who sadly and unexpectedly passed away in January of last year.
By all accounts Corona, who attended Arbuckle schools before heading to UC Santa Barbara for college, was an exceptional human being, dedicated to his craft, a positive role model and beloved by his students.
In that spirit, Noah Gomez, principal at JJH, enlisted the support of the Pierce Parent Club to put on the Carlos Corona Classic for seventh and eighth grade boys basketball teams.
According to Gomez, it made perfect sense to honor Corona in this fashion given his passion for positively impacting his students.
“This tournament is the type of thing that Carlos was all about,” said Gomez. “He loved JJH, he loved Arbuckle and he wanted to get kids involved constructive activities.”
Participating in the inaugural event were teams from JJH, Williams, Bidwell Jr. High (Chico), Chico Jr. High, Lee Middle School (Woodland), Sycamore Middle School (Gridley), Walden Academy (Willows) and Woodland Christian.
In the end, although the team from Bidwell defeated JJH, whose players were all Corona’s former students, for the eighth grade championship, more significant was the making of memories, something that was reflective of Corona’s philosophy as an educator.
Proceeds from the tournament will go towards field trips and assemblies that will contribute to the engagement and growth of JJH’s students.