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As I Was Saying… Publisher | Steve Penna I, like most of you, was shocked when I heard about the five Kennedy Middle School students who have been accused of trying to rape two 12-year-old girls on a school field trip to Stulsaft Park in March. The girls did not report the incident until the last week of school, when they told their school counselor they had been sexually assaulted on the outing. The counselor immediately informed the school principal, Warren Sedar, who in turn informed police, which led to the boys being taken into custody during one of the last days of the school year. The boys, ages 13 and 14, appeared in juvenile court last month at the Youth Services Center in Belmont and are charged with felony counts of intent to commit rape, sexual battery and committing a lewd act on a minor under 14 by force. They were arraigned and set for trial this month. According to District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe, the boys could not be charged as adults and are being charged as juveniles, meaning if convicted, they cannot be held past their 25th birthday. It has not been disclosed yet whether any of the students are undocumented residents. School district authorities said the alleged attack occurred March 4, when 20 Kennedy Middle School students went to the park, chaperoned by a teacher and an aide. The 10-to-1 ratio is in accordance with policy. Reports indicate that there were also two adult chaperones on the outing. The juveniles all belonged to an optional newcomers class for students who’ve been in the country less than one year. The district didn’t disclose whether the students involved in the crime were separated from the others as part of the program or left the larger group on their own. But what is known is that the students were out of the supervision of any adult or school official for an extend amount of time. The district is conducting an internal investigation of the incident and the safety procedures in place, stated district Superintendent Jan Christensen. She also stated that she was “very distressed by the report.” “Nothing matters more to us than the safety of our students, and we are thankful the police acted quickly after the students reported this incident to their counselor. Our first priority is to assure that students are always safe at school and on field trips,” Christensen said in a prepared statement. Yes, indeed, police have acted fast and often in regard to the middle school. In fact, during the last school year, police received an average of 1.5 calls per school day from Kennedy administrators and also from concerned neighbors, according to police reports. Throughout the school year, there was one report of sexual battery on Sept. 9, in addition www.SpectrumMagazine.net to the attempted rape incident. Other charges included: three reports of assault or battery, seven reports of possession or possible possession of marijuana by a minor, six arrests, four reports of attempted robbery and one of attempted theft, three reports of vandalism, one report of obstructing or resisting a peace officer, one online impersonation with intent to harm, and four reports of mentally disturbed individuals. So the incident at Stulsaft is obviously a continuation of unlawful activities that occur on the westside campus daily. Kennedy Principal Sedar has since been reassigned to another school but, according to district officials, the move was planned before the incident came to light. One’s first instinct would naturally be to blame the school district and the faculty and adults involved — which I do to a certain extent. Should parents expect their children to be supervised the entire time they are on a field trip? I say yes, most certainly in one form or another. Where were these adults? To let a group of seven students go off on their own at Stulsaft Park, where there are unknown adults, gang activity and graffiti, homeless residents, and other people not connected with the school or district roaming the park — and to let them do so for a long period of time — is in my opinion unreasonable and, to be quite honest, irresponsible. Had they not been allowed to go off on their own, this incident would not have happened and these seven children’s lives would not have been changed negatively forever. I don’t know if it is the right time for the blame game, but it is time for district officials to recognize that current policies need to change. It is unacceptable for this type of activity to be related to any school, district or activity in our community. Students are sent to school with the basic expectation of being safe and supervised. Is that now too much to ask? Although all media outlets picked up and reported on the incident, there has been minimal outcry from our community or parents in the district. I would go out on a limb and say that it is most likely because the students involved were in this country less than a year and therefore perceived as being Latino. I can assure you, had this incident been reported by students of upperclass Caucasian families, our district officials would be preparing their resignation letters. Where are our Latino community leaders? In the meantime, district officials are awaiting an incident report before discussing possible action. Much will depend on the details of reports, including whether the staff members responsible for the safety of the students should be disciplined or dismissed. They are also promising their own investigation and a review of safety policies and procedures when it comes to off-campus school trips. Until then, five young boys are awaiting trial and will most likely be severely punished for the rest of their lives. Two girls have to deal with being traumatized and abused, while their parents are undoubtedly talking to attorneys about lawsuits. All this, when all of them should have been in an environment where they were protected. Very sad indeed. Let’s hope things do change. .… I recently got an email from the City of Redwood City informing me that I “may be interested to know that when developers seek to build multifamily housing here, the City strongly encourages and negotiates with them to assure that some of the units are affordable, or ‘below-market-rate’ (BMR). This is an important aspect of helping to provide quality housing in our community, at various income levels. It’s one way of addressing our ‘jobs-housing imbalance’ where the high cost of housing makes it very difficult for many people to work here and afford to live here.” OK, I knew that and I can buy into that. Great idea and something needed in our community. I even know a local magazine publisher who might qualify, and you will soon find out why. In case you do not know, the city has helped to provide the availability of affordable housing units in a number of developments in Redwood City, including the Franklin Street Apartments, Villa Montgomery, City Center Plaza, Habitat for Humanity townhomes on Rolison Road and the Wyndham Place condominiums. And in the near future, we’ll be seeing affordable units at the new One Marina project on Bair Island Road and affordable, special-needs–supportive housing on Cedar Street, both of which are just starting construction. All great projects and great for our community. Redwood City has had some great accomplishments in this area. The email went on to inform me that “there are six ‘moderate’ BMR rental units available at the 885 Woodside Road project.” As you may recall, during this project’s initial approval process, the developers were met with resistance by neighbors who were concerned that the units would not sell and that they would have to be rented out, thus making the development a less desirable neighbor for them. Guess they had a point in their objections, wouldn’t you say, since that is exactly what happened? What does affordable mean? In the case of the 885 Woodside Road development (and (continues on page 22)
I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for Queen Bee By Nicole Minieri, contributing writer Let’s face it; there is absolutely nothing more refreshing than a big, delicious scoop (or two) of your favorite flavor of ice cream on a sizzling hot summer day. And, with the grand opening of Queen Bee Ice Cream, nestled in the newly remodeled Marsh Manor Shopping Center, Redwood City residents now have more than just the marine layer to cool them down. Owned and family-run by husband-and-wife team Ken and DeAndra Axlund, this ice cream parlor features the famed Marianne’s ice cream from Santa Cruz and a wide-ranging selection of exotic ice cream flavors, frothy sweet beverages, delectable treats, and a variety of scrumptious sundaes. “The ambiance of the ice cream shop is very inviting, warm, quaint, charming and slightly vintage. And serving the community with a quality product and making them happy is really important to all of us.” The eclectic menu is mainly how this independent ice cream shop has quickly gained so much public favor over other ice cream stores in the surrounding area since opening its doors back in February. The shop usually carries 37 flavors, including sherbets with no added sugar and sorbets. “But we are a full-service ice cream shop, serving more than just ice cream,” said DeAndra. We make all sorts of layered milkshakes, cream soda and root beer floats, malts, banana splits, brownie sundaes, caramel sundaes and hot fudge sundaes. We also have a special cappuccino ice cream drink, where we take one scoop of ice cream and then pour cappuccino on top. And [we] bake fresh homemade snickerdoodle, chocolate chip and oatmeal raisin cookies every Sunday.” Two particularly enticing specialties that are made from scratch on the premises have had customers coming back for more. “We make our own homemade ice cream sandwiches in the back. We bake four different types of cookies, and then let the customer choose the ice cream they want for the middle,” said DeAndra. And, in May, she premiered another signature sweet treat, ice cream cupcakes: small, angel heart–shaped cupcakes with ice cream, filled in the center and topped with frosting and miniature decorations. Choosing a prime location such as Marsh Manor for the ice cream shop has certainly been advantageous for this business. “I have been coming to this shopping center for many years to get my hair done. I noticed some vacancies and also that they were renovating it. There weren’t any ice cream stores in the area, but lots of families, so we thought it would be the perfect spot. The neighborhoods around us have been very supportive and are pleased to have an ice cream store here. Plus, there are many businesses in walking distance, so we get a lot of traffic,” said DeAndra. With their three daughters grown and after she had worked as a social worker for over 31 years, DeAndra and Ken, who have been married for 25 years, felt it was the perfect time to open up a business. “My husband and I originally talked about opening up an ice cream store about nine years ago, but our girls were still in grammar school. And now seemed like a better time since they are older and can help us at the store,” said DeAndra. “Even my dad, who is 86, comes once a week from Sunnyvale to help us out in the store.” Being able to own and operate an ice cream shop with her immediate family brings back a lot of fond childhood memories for DeAndra, who was an only child. She was born and raised in Redwood City and attended local schools: Roosevelt, Kennedy and Sequoia, where she and Ken met. They have been inseparable ever since. Growing up, she shared a special bond with her grandmother Phyllis, and she named the ice cream store after her. “She was the next to last born of 18 children in England. Her nickname was Queen,” said DeAndra. The closeness DeAndra has shared with her family, especially her grandmother, has been intentionally incorporated into the culture of the ice cream shop. “It’s very family-friendly here. It reminds me of an old-time family spot I went to as a kid,” she said. “The ambiance of the ice cream shop is very inviting, warm, quaint, charming and slightly vintage. And serving the community with a quality product and making them happy is really important to all of us. We want to make sure all of our customers have a good experience here.” (continues on page 10) DeAndra Axlund in front of her Marsh Manor shop. The friendly staff is ready for you. DeAndra and Ken Axlund, owners of Queen Bee Ice Cream. The Spectrum 7
Page 1 and 2: MORE As I Was Saying… Redwood Cit
Page 3 and 4: The Spectrum.JULY.2011 Table of Con
Page 5: RCSD Corner: News From the Redwood
Page 9 and 10: Redwood City’s new SANDWICH SPOT!
Page 11 and 12: P.S. The People Speak: Letters to t
Page 13 and 14: Nonprofits In Action Get Involved!
Page 15 and 16: Elks Honor Redwood City Safety Offi
Page 17 and 18: Schoenstein. “I get to go out and
Page 19 and 20: Community Interest Redwood City Nei
Page 21 and 22: Insurance Tips: What Happens If Ano
Page 23 and 24: OUR BRANCH San Mateo Credit Union
Page 25 and 26: The Spectrum 25
Page 27 and 28: Jim Massey at Keller Williams - 650

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