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(Photo: Susan Morning)

In California, we hear too much bad news about the state of public education; our schools face unprecedented budget cuts, growing class sizes and other challenges.

Thanks to the fundraising efforts of two local nonprofits, Mammoth Unified School District students have a brighter outlook and enhanced learning opportunities.

Since 2010, Mammoth Schools NOW Education Foundation (NOW) and Mammoth Mountain Community Foundation (MMCF) have worked together to fund programs, positions and technology that improve education in Mammoth’s schools. For the 2012-13 school year, NOW and MMCF are contributing some $300,000 to Mammoth Unified.

“ This ongoing fiscal crisis challenges us all to think creatively. The partnership between MUSD, the NOW Foundation and the MMCF has provided us with leadership opportunities that will allow us to continue to build programs that will meet the needs of our students,” said MUSD Superintendent Rich Boccia.

What is funded

NOW’s volunteer board members (representing the three Mammoth Unified School District sites) have worked with Superintendent Rich Boccia to identify four funding priorities for 2012-13: Increased class offerings/academic flexibility, technology, language pathways and visual/performing arts.

Over the summer, Boccia and his staff finalized a funding proposal that matches up with NOW’s priorities. It adds up to great programs at every grade level. At Mammoth High School, the NOW/MMCF partnership funds two full-time teachers and online courses for the Independent Learning Center; at Mammoth Middle School, a full-time Spanish teacher; at Mammoth Elementary, a part-time music teacher. District-wide, funding supports an information technology specialist and K-8 software for multiple subjects that enables students to utilize computers in the classroom and at home.

Mammoth Elementary School Principal Rosanne Lampariello praised the opportunities created at her school: “A love and appreciation of music is being cultivated at our school, starting with our youngest and carrying through to our oldest students—made possible by the generosity of the NOW/MMCF Partnership.”

How funding works

Both NOW and MMCF rely on private donations and operate with very low overhead so that more money goes into the schools. Through an annual fund drive and participation in the Mammoth Food and Wine Experience, NOW has raised $50,000.

Education is a cornerstone program for Mammoth Mountain Community Foundation, and for the last two years, the organization has committed to a $250,000 donation to Mammoth’s schools through the NOW Foundation. Much of that donation comes to MMCF from Mammoth Mountain’s guests: when skiers and guests stay at Mammoth Mountain lodging or buy a season pass, they have the option to donate a dollar or more to MMCF’s education program. An important part of that donation is funding the Independent Learning Center at Mammoth High School, which provides flexible programming (through a combination of online and in-class learning) to district students.

“It’s a win-win, allowing MMCF to bring additional resources to Mammoth’s schools while also creating a program that supports student athletes on Mammoth Mountain teams,” said MMCF executive director Stacy Corless.

How to help

Look for the NOW Education Foundation’s annual fund drive in early 2013. If you are interested in participating on the NOW Board or assisting in fundraising efforts, please visit www.MammothSchoolsNOW.org or call 760.453.0444.

MMCF and NOW are also collaborating on other fundraising efforts, working with the business community to develop ways for their customers to support local education. For more information, email Stacy Corless, MMCF executive director, at stacy@mammothfoundation.org and visit www.mammothfoundation.org.

-Press Release

When it comes to the State of California’s budget, it seems education can’t catch a break.

The latest projections from the Legislative Analyst’s Office in Sacramento indicate that successive monthly shortfalls in expected revenues are all but certain to trigger some hefty mandated spending cuts. Millions of dollars would be slashed from schools and public universities, as well as childcare programs and services for the disabled, among other areas.

California’s coffers will be $3.7 billion less than the “anticipated revenue” that lawmakers and the governor assumed in the budget they crafted last summer, said Mac Taylor, the analyst whom legislators look to for nonpartisan financial advice. Reductions were built into the spending plan to kick in if state revenue fell short.

Taylor’s announcement last Wednesday was the first official confirmation that reductions are likely.

The grim news prompted outrage from education officials who already have sharply pared their budgets. But it was no surprise to economists who had criticized Brown for balancing the budget with “anticipated” revenue, and failing to secure any Republican support for the spending plan. State revenues came in $1.5 billion below projections during the first four months (July-October) following the signing into law of Brown’s FY 2011-2012 budget.

Brown has since indicated he wasn’t entirely satisfied with the idea of balancing the budget with anticipated revenue, and said he will hold lawmakers responsible for covering the shortfall. Technically, even after the triggers are pulled, lawmakers have 30 days from the start of the next legislative session on Jan. 2 to either change the triggers or find the extra $3.7 billion in revenue.

Still, analysts aren’t optimistic of the historically dysfunctional legislature pulling off that hat trick. “Short of aliens landing on the planet with a big bucket of cash there’s no way we’re going to make (Brown’s) revenue projections,” Christopher Thornberg, a founder of Beacon Economics, told the Bellingham Herald.

If the economic picture does not improve in December, the triggers would include $1.4-billion in public school cuts that would even mothball state-provided student buses.

But Taylor’s analysis shows little relief in sight. It predicts that even with the new slate of cuts, the state will face a $13-billion shortfall in the next fiscal year. That gap would be so severe it would be difficult to close without going below the minimum funding that state law guarantees for K-12 education.

The cuts will become official Dec. 15 if the projections don’t improve, then be phased in over subsequent months. In September, Brown vetoed a bill that would have allowed the Legislature to reconfigure the cuts, saying it would be reckless to alter them.

Locally, the Mono County Office of Education and both MUSD and Eastern Sierra Unified School districts are putting plans in place. Layoffs aren’t necessarily inevitable, but cuts will likely be, resulting in at least some reductions in services. According to Mono County Office of Education Superintendent Dr. Stacey Adler, last Thursday ESUSD Superintendent Don Clark handed out preemptive pink slips to drivers. If cuts become necessary, ESUSD will start by parking its transportation program.

During last Thursday night’s MUSD Board of Education meeting, Superintendent Rich Boccia and Finance Director Valorie Gale said the district is contemplating some type of downsizing. Currently the district’s Reserve Fund is at about 5.8% of the budget, but that doesn’t include any Measure S funds, since those weren’t a certainty when the 2011-2012 budget was drawn up and approved. The state suggests that Basic Aid districts such as MUSD, which are funded largely by property taxes, maintain a 3% reserve.

This year already saw budget reductions of $921,000, including no summer school, reduced school business leaves and furlough days. Transportation dollars would be among the first to go in the trigger scenarios, and the MUSD has explored both the options of eliminating transportation entirely, and picking up all or most of the state cut $180,000 via the district’s General Fund. Furlough days could also be increased from 5 to the maximum allowed of 7, which would mean an additional $70,000 in savings.

Board Chair Jack Farrell said he thinks it could be “confusing to voters after passing Measure S that we’re now talking about cuts, and also looking at asking them to pass a facilities bond next November.” He pointed out that in Washington, D.C., anything that happens as a result of actions taken by the so-called Congressional Super Committee on Spending and Debt Reduction might not be felt at the state level for another 2 years. “Until then, it’s important to sustain programs that we’ve committed to previously, no matter what the state does,” he summarized.

“If we have the ability [to use the reserves] to absorb at mid-year, it gives us more time to figure out where to cut, ideally as far away from the classroom as possible,” Board member Gloria Vasquez commented. Board member Betty Kittle wasn’t so optimistic. “Look at this year … don’t let the Reserve dwindle away,” she said. “We need to look at serious cuts.”

Boccia was more moderate, reminding the Board that the district’s recent fiscal frugality has led to zeroing out $389,000 in annual deficit spending.

Adler said the county, which is a revenue limit district (as opposed to ESUSD and MUSD, which are Basic Aid and funded largely by property taxes), gets about $562 per student from the state, and would take a 75% hit if the triggers are pulled. The individual school districts would stand to take a 3.75% hit to their funding, including loss of 100% of transportation dollars.

The already precarious district budgeting process is, she said, made harder by the fact that 85% of the budgets are personnel, many under union contracts that can’t be renegotiated. “You can’t put all these ‘what ifs’ in the budget and then change the conditions after all the districts have finalized their budgets,” she commented. “It’s like trying to set up your budget by thinking, ‘I’m going win the lottery in three months.’”

She thinks Mono County could, however, fare better than some of its larger counterparts by virtue of our rural composition. “Cuts will have to be made, but the hope is they’ll be peripheral and not as drastic,” she said. Adler added her frustration with the legislature. “There’s a lot that’s fundamentally wrong with what we’re doing in California … the way things get done is not thought through. Until we get a handle on it, we won’t get education sorted out.”

The potential cuts have led labor groups and many Democrats to call for tax hikes to be placed on the 2012 ballot to stave off more reductions. Both state university systems have said they believe they can absorb their potential cuts, though this year’s austere budget led California trustees to approve a 9 percent fee hike last week (which led to well-publicized student demonstrations.) –Additional source: Bellingham Herald/McClatchy Newspapers

During a whirlwind visit to the Eastern Sierra portion of his district, State Senator Ted Gaines (R-Roseville) had some coffee talk with constituents in Bridgeport Monday morning, and said his two main priorities are public safety and education. When it comes to the latter, he’s concerned about Governor Jerry Brown’s 2011-2012 fiscal year budget, which he said isn’t a really a “budget,” in the strict sense. Brown’s spending document was passed in June along a strictly party-line Democratic vote, with no Republican support.

The final budget, which Gaines posits included an additional $11 billion in spending added at the last minute, relies on $4 billion in “anticipated” revenue that has to show up in order to avoid triggers that will mean substantial cuts, especially to public schools and higher education.

Gaines outlined a couple of scenarios that could end up rosy or rocky for schools, depending on how the next couple of months play out.

First, he talked about the budget, particularly the “anticipated” revenue. July figures came in about $500 million short of expectations. Gaines added that August came in a bit better, though still off at least $150 million. While trying to remain optimistic, Gaines also voiced concerns about what he thinks could be a slow down in the state’s economy.

He is, however, willing to give Brown credit where it’s due, and lent his support to a push by Brown to abolish more than 400 local redevelopment agencies, which could be worth as much as $5 billion in revenue savings. The legislature recently passed two bills, AB26x1, which eliminates the agencies, and AB27x1, which allows the agencies to come back into existence if they pay billions of dollars to the state.

The agencies, Gaines thinks, are little more than cash grabs for big developers who vie to curry favor with their legislators. Gaines was a key part in killing redevelopment agencies. As the lone Republican who crossed party lines and supported AB26 in the Senate, he helped provide a decisive swing vote.

Eliminating redevelopment agencies, he indicated, could mean an additional $1.75 billion freed up for law enforcement and other needs, including an additional $400 million for schools.

Brown’s first attempt had previously failed on a two-thirds majority vote. But it was switched to a simple majority bill because the measure doesn’t deal with the financial aspects of redevelopment.

Both 26 and 27 are tied up in litigation at the moment, but Gaines is remaining cautiously optimistic that the governor will prevail. “Nobody’s going to get everything they want, but it’s progress, and we’ll take what we can get,” Gaines said. “I’m fully committed to working with the governor and my colleagues on the other side of the aisle.”

Gaines’ wife, Beth, is newly elected to the Assembly (taking over the seat Ted vacated when he won the Senate seat). She gave an impassioned plea on behalf of 26, which she supported along with four other Republicans. All Republicans in both houses voted no on 27, though most other Republicans sided with the redevelopment lobby on 26.

Locally, few are as concerned about the shortfalls in expected revenue than Mammoth Unified School District Superintendent Rich Boccia and Business Manager Valorie Gale. The first trigger, Gale pointed out, is scheduled for Dec. 15, at $1 billion under, which is already looming uncomfortably close. At that point, MUSD estimates a loss of about $40 per student. Should that shortfall reach $2 billion under, cuts will directly hit the classroom and MUSD estimates an additional $260 per student loss, meaning approximately $312,000 of cut funding.

“With $18 billion in cuts to education over the last 3 years, we’ve streamlined everything we can, from class sizes and staff ratios,” Boccia commented. “This isn’t scare tactics, this is reality.” Part of that reality, he added, means that passage of Measure S, the $59 parcel tax renewal, is more important than ever.

“Last year, we were able to use the $660,000 more [from the tax] for enrichment, but the way things are going, this year it’s going more toward staples. We’re picking up more in the way of salaries, library expenses, counselors and other programs, such as music.”

The District is already covering unfunded state and federal mandates of $800,000 in special education costs out of the General Fund. Without Measure S, Boccia and Gale explained, MUSD could easily face $1.2 million in cut funding, including cuts in Class Size Reduction mandates that would be unable to be met.

Education, Boccia insists, could have a huge impact on crime, which at a cost of $53,000 annually per prisoner would soon pay dividends to law enforcement. “And California has some of the highest education standards, but in terms of funding, we’re $1,400 per student below the national average. If we could get at least up to that average, that would mean an additional $1.7 million to the District; we can do a lot with that,” Boccia observed.

The 5-year extension of the Measure S parcel tax goes before the voters in November. Boccia and the District are already in the midst of a vigorous “get out the vote” campaign.

Mono County Office of Education Superintendent, Stacey Adler, kicked off her new lunchtime project, “Soup with Superintendent,” last Wednesday. Once per month, Adler plans to make a pot of soup and welcome the community up to the conference room at MCOE to ask questions, discuss issues in the community or at MCOE, and just to get to known her and her staff.

It’s a new version of the Second Cup of Coffee, which Adler implemented while serving as the Principal of Mammoth Elementary School.

“It’s a way to allow the community to come up here and chat, find out what’s actually in this building if they don’t know, and get to know me if they don’t already,” Adler, a nine-year Mono County resident, said.

The next Soup with the Superintendent lunch is scheduled for Oct. 20 from 11:45 a.m. – 1:15 p.m. Please RSVP with Jan at 760.934.0031 if you plan to attend.

Amid state and federal budget crises, funding for all things educational continues to sit on the chopping block. Yet, in spite of all the unknowns, the Mono County Office of Education is pushing forward to fulfill its mission statement of providing “exemplary educational programs” to the community.

“We can’t just assume we can’t do things because we don’t have the money,” said MCOE Superintendent Stacey Adler. “We can’t let that stand in our way.”

With that mindset, MCOE is reviving two of its programs, Adult Education and Student Mentoring, which have been out of commission for several years.

The first adult education class MCOE will offer is English as a Second Language, scheduled to begin this month. The two free classes, which will be taught by fully credentialed bi-lingual teachers, are full at this time. MCOE will wait and see how many people actually show up on the first day of instruction and then determine whether a third class will be added in order to accommodate everyone that is interested in attending.

“We haven’t done a lot of adult education because of funding, but it is our big mission this year,” Adler said of MCOE’s three year hiatus. The hope is to now grow the program and offer other types of classes as well.

“We receive a small funding stream for adult education, which we have held onto for the past few years to create a reserve,” Adler explained. “We are surveying local teachers right now to see what they might want to teach, and would also love to hear from the community about what type of classes they would like to take.”

Ideas can be technical like the English as a Second Language class, or take a more fun approach like quilting. Some of the fun classes may have a fee associated with them in an effort to sustain the program.

“We are not looking to make money off the program, we just want to keep it running and continue to expand,” Adler said.

If you have ideas for classes you would like to take or to teach, e-mail Adler at sadler@monocoe.k12.ca.us or drop by the MCOE offices and see her.

The second program revival is gaining momentum on a purely volunteer basis. Several years ago, the Stand by Me Mentor Program fell by the wayside, again due to funding issues. The program had paired students up with adult mentors that helped them with their homework, participated in activities with them, and just hung out.

“Sometime kids with amazing parents still need another adult relationship to really turn into super stars,” Adler explained.

And she’s not the only one who realized this. Cassandra Millan, who had seen the Stand by Me Program in action, realized its value and is now leading the charge to get a new Mono County mentor program up and running, starting with Mammoth Middle School.

With MCOE shepherding the program and Millan volunteering her time to organize the pairing of mentor to mentees, the only thing still needed are mentors.

“It is a little bit difficult to ask people to be mentors because as part of the process they have to get fingerprinted,” Adler said. With tight budgets all around, MCOE is unable to subsidize the cost of this required documentation.

“It’s tough to ask people to pay $70 to get fingerprinted during these hard times,” Adler said.

But the rewards for the investment are unlimited.

“There is a once a month big group meeting of all the mentors and mentees, but the rest is up to the mentor and the student who can meet as often or as little as they want,” Adler said. She did recommend, however, that people interested in becoming mentors plan to set aside at least one hour per week to meet with their mentee.

“It really builds a lasting relationship and can be a very powerful thing for kids,” Adler said.

The Mono County Office of Education has its fingers in educational processes all over the county, and even runs all of the library branches, which is very uncommon according to Adler. In fact, MCOE is the only office of education in California to take on this task. To find out more about what MCOE can offer you, check out the website www.monocoe.org.

California has a budget as of Friday morning, and it only took 100 days to get it! After a record length of time without a spending plan, the state legislature recorded the final vote on the $87.5 billion budget at 8:25 a.m., after an “all-nighter” power session that saw intense work on the 20 interrelated bills that make up the document.

Passed with bipartisan support, the budget nonetheless didn’t please everyone, and only squeaked by with just enough support to win two-thirds majorities in the Assembly and Senate.

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who helped broker the deal that led to the vote, said he would sign the budget “quickly,” probably sometime during the day Friday. The governor called for a $1.2 billion reserve in his May proposal, but lawmakers approved only $200 million. Schwarzenegger said he’ll likely use his line-item veto power, which could mean further spending cuts, to increase the amount approved by the legislature.

Meanwhile, the government may have closed the original $42 billion budget gap, and saved the state from insolvency, but the budget is far from the cure for California’s financial ills. Waiting down the road for residents is a mix of tax increases and spending cuts, contrary to what was hoped for by the governor’s office. Under the new budget, residents will be asked to pay as much as $13 billion in “new” taxes. State spending, meanwhile, will be cut by $15 billion in the next 17 months, including $8.6 billion from public education.

K-12 public education and community colleges will share in $52.5 billion, but nearly $2 billion of that will not be paid until the next fiscal year. Schools also would get a $300 million payment on funds they are owed from previous years, but the budget also suspends Prop. 98, the formula used to calculate education spending. State university fees also head north in the new budget, though by how much is not yet clear.

Everyone will feel the budget sting, including the lower- and middle-class. For households earning $150,000, state tax increases will essentially cancel out the $800-per-couple tax credit in the stimulus package signed by President Barack Obama earlier this week, according to California’s Legislative Analyst’s Office.

The budget calls for raising the sales tax by one percentage point and adding 0.25% to state income taxes. Vehicle license fees are expected be adjusted up to 1.15% from 0.65%, a remarkable capitulation for Schwarzenegger, who resisted any such increase for the longest time. The governor won election in 2003 after campaigning to cut taxes and impact fees on vehicles registered from out of state, which he did after taking office.

Hoping to save $1.4 billion in payroll expenses, lawmakers plan to eliminate two state holidays, change overtime rules and furlough workers at least one day a month.

Even with the proposed tax increases and spending cuts, California will need to borrow money and use some of its share of federal stimulus money to make up the budget deficit.

In the midst of all the glum news, there are some budget winners: California’s prison system and some corporations. The new budget won’t cut prison funding a nickel. The budget also includes $700 million in tax breaks for large corporations, as the government tries to make a cushier berth to lure more business back to California and keep existing companies from leaving the state.

Interestingly, the budget forces Californians, and to a certain extent lawmakers, to tighten their belts. In addition to the national economic recession, California was hit harder than most states by the housing crash. Some homes lost as much as half their value over the past three years. December unemployment nearly doubled to 9.3% from 5.9% a year earlier.

California’s economy is large and diverse, and many economists still maintain that the state will recover, but perhaps a little slower because of the budget deal. A cut in state spending will result in even fewer jobs, some money experts think, while an increase in taxes may only further discourage already tightened consumer spending.

As expected, much wheeling and dealing ensued to get GOP lawmakers on board. For example: State Sen. Abel Maldonado (R-Santa Maria) cast the final Republican vote needed, after senate leaders met his demand to kill a gas-tax increase and add an election-reform proposal to a state ballot.

As of Aug. 31, California State Treasurer Bill Lockyer’s web page said the state owes $43,564,471,252 in total debt. That amount, however, reflects a 15.7% decrease from the same time in 2009.

Research for this story came from stories in the San Francisco Gate and Wall Street Journal. -AG

The Mammoth Schools NOW Education Foundation will be hosting an Open House at the Mammoth High School Library on Monday, Aug. 23, from 6 to 7 p.m. Stop by and meet the new district leadership team, including Superintendent Rich Boccia, Mammoth High School Principal Gabe Solorio,  Mammoth Middle School Principal Joseph Skaff and Mammoth Elementary School Principal Rosanne Lampariello. You’ll also hear the goals and objectives of the NOW Education Foundation and find out what you can do to help our local schools!

The Mammoth Schools NOW Education Foundation recently formed as a non-profit to enhance educational excellence in the public schools of Mammoth Lakes through partnerships and fund raising to support programs that improve school culture, facilities, and academic flexibility.  The foundation provides a vehicle for individuals and corporations to make private, tax-deductible donations to be allocated to needed programs within our schools.

The NOW Education Foundation is governed by a Board of Directors comprised of concerned parents, community leaders, and school administrators. The Foundation will work closely with the community, school district, and site administrators to identify unmet needs. With no paid staff, the Foundation will rely entirely on the generosity of its donors and the volunteer efforts off its Board of Directors.  Board members include: Shanna Bissonette, President; Kristy Williams, Vice President; Bonnie Gregory, Treasurer; Jennifer Peckenpaugh, Secretary; Lea Ann Eller; Dan Dawson; Pam Bold, representing Mammoth Elementary School PTO; Julie Thompson, representing Mammoth Middle School Organization; Jeff DeSalvo, representing Mammoth High School Boosters, Gloria Vasquez, ex-officio, Mammoth Unified School District Board of Trustees President and Rich Boccia, ex-officio, Mammoth Unified School District Superintendent.

In 2009/2010, the NOW Education Foundation received a generous $250,000 donation from the Gregory Family to restructure the Charter School and integrate it into Mammoth High School. These funds have been used to form the Independent Study Center at Mammoth High School which benefits all MHS students by offering academic flexibly to student athletes and students who desire to take courses that are not offered in the standard curriculum.  Funds from this initial donation have also been used to support additional staff, tutors, curriculum materials and staff development. The NOW Education Board is working with the Mammoth Unified School Board and administration to identify other areas at all of the schools that lack funds to either support a new program or preserve an effective program that is being discontinued due to budget cuts.

Rusty Gregory, CEO of Mammoth Mountain Ski Area has committed ongoing financial support from the Mammoth Mountain Community Foundation (MMCF). The Foundation’s mission regarding education is to enrich the educational environment in our community by supporting existing institutions and by developing additional facilities and services to enable our students to reach their highest personal goals.

“The purpose of the NOW Education foundation is to support all of our students in the Mammoth Unified School District by engaging our community in the education of students as we prepare them for college and career in their pursuit to be competitive citizens in the global market place,” said Rich Boccia, Mammoth Unified School District’s new Superintendent.

”One of the greatest assets of our small town is our ability to work together towards common goals. The formation of the NOW Education Foundation will provide a platform for the public to become more engaged in funding programs that will have a positive impact on our students and our overall community,” added Shanna Bissonette, NOW Education Foundation president. “Come to our open house on Aug. 23 to find out more about the goals and aspirations of the foundation and how you may be able to contribute to the success of our students and community.”

-Press Release

The Mono County Office of Education is holding an informational Board Workshop on May 12 at 6:30 p.m. in Bridgeport Memorial Hall, Bridgeport. MCOE will be presenting information on programs and services they provide to citizens, school districts and students, with an emphsis on Special Education and Alternative Education.

Wangdowa and Deanna in his village of Phapre in Nepal. (Photo courtesy Wangdowa and Deanna)

One man’s long, tasty trek to Mammoth

Wangdowa Sherpa is not your typical ski town bum.
First off, he doesn’t smell like Cheech and Chong, but rather like curry and turmeric. Second, his dark thick hair is always perfectly coiffed and not just stuffed under a wool cap like an unruly yak. Last, and most important, Wangdowa doesn’t do most of his conversing in inebriated monosyllables—instead, he comfortably communicates in a half-dozen languages.
Wangdowa Sherpa was born and raised in eastern Nepal, in a small village tucked some 7,900 feet high in a range of the Himalaya called Sierra Punchi. There he spent his first decade helping his five brothers and two sisters farm wheat and soy beans, taro roots and potatoes and raise animals like yaks, sheep and cows in one of the rainiest regions in the world.
”I never need to see rain again. I’ve experienced too much already,” Wangdowa explained, flashing a smile as warm and encompassing as the sun on a bluebird mountain day.
Growing up in the Himalayas, the first language Wangdowa learned to speak shares a title with his surname of Sherpa—an indigenous, unwritten language. And his first dream was to summit the nearby Mount Everest, the highest peak in the world, some 29,035 feet above the sea.
Wangdowa began his second decade by moving from the farm to the big city of Katmandu, where he began to master languages like Nepalese and Hindi, and work on Tibetan and English. He also began to fine-tune his dream to not only summit Mount Everest, but to be the youngest person ever to do so.
So as Wangdowa entered adolescence, he didn’t start courting teenage gals like other boys his age, but he turned his favors toward Mount Everest guide services instead.
“I even bought an expensive bottle of French wine to send to one of them,” Wangdowa said, as his dark eyes sparkled with a hopeful, energetic glimmer.
Eventually, he was able to woo his way into a job, and as Ronald Reagan’s ruling of the roost in America was coming to a close, Wangdowa got his chance to become the second youngest person to hike the mighty Mount Everest. But all did not go as planned.
Working as a guide and a cook, Wangdowa was able to reach 27,000 feet before Everest’s infamously foul weather put an end to the expedition. The trip was considered a success, however, and Wangdowa was awarded a certificate of recognition from the Mountaineering Association of Nepal.
Wangdowa then spent the next several years guiding trekking trips around the Himalaya and thinking about his next big goal in life—to graduate from college. While guiding a group of Americans, a couple from Oakland took to Wangdowa and offered him a free place to stay in the Bay Area for a couple of years so he could get started on his latest dream.
By the middle of the Clinton Administration’s reign in America, Wangdowa had not only earned a degree in Environmental Studies from Cal State Hayward, but he had founded the school’s International Student Fellowship program. Meaning the boy who grew up speaking an unwritten language in a remote corner of the Himalayas, on the other side of the world, had achieved his dream and graduated from college in the English speaking Golden State.
“Education became my Mount Everest, and this time I made it,” Wangdowa said, as we sat at booth at Café 203, the highly-acclaimed new Indian restaurant in the Best Western, where he now works as a chef.
As for how he wound up in Mammoth, well eventually Wangdowa decided to try to woo more than just guide services.
After graduating, Wangdowa moved back to Asia to open up his own eco-tour guide service. Political strife in Nepal drove him to Thailand, where he learned to speak Thai and to run a successful guide service running treks into India and Nepal. Thanks in part to the tasty, authentic meals Wangdowa offered, Sherpa-Travel (www.sherpa-travel.com) became popular with Americans, and one such woman from Lee Vining caught Wangdowa’s fancy. They bonded during a trek through southern Thailand and after Wangdowa came to visit his American sweetheart, he was hooked—not only on her, but the Eastern Sierra.
“It’s a great love story,” a starry-eyed Deanna Sherpa explained. “We’re definitely soulmates.”
“The elevation and mountains here are perfect for me. It feels like home,” Wangdowa said, adding, “and I like that it doesn’t rain much.”
The couple now lives in Mono City and Wangdowa thinks nothing of his commute to Mammoth Lakes. “When you’ve traveled all over the world, Mono City to Mammoth is nothing,” he said with a chuckle.
Besides cooking tasty authentic Indian and Nepalese-inspired dishes, which are served buffet-style and made up of whatever fresh ingredients Wangdowa can get his hands on each day, he still runs guided treks to India, Nepal and Thailand. For he still loves to share that part of the world with people, but not as much as he loves his wife.
When I told him that I was going to send a pretty local waitress who’s planning a trip to India over to talk to him, Wangdowa replied, “Oh, you don’t need to send me any pretty girls, Mike. I’m all ready married.”
Wangdowa Sherpa is a mountain man, as well as a husband, an eco-tour guide, a gardener, an acclaimed chef, a college graduate and he even skis. He’s just not your typical ski town bum—not by a long shot.
If you’d like to contact Wangdowa about a trip to the Himalaya, Southeast Asia and/or Northeast Asia, visit Sherpa Travel Inc. at www.sherpa-travel.com