By The Record February 07, 2012 12:00 AM

STOCKTON – Teacher Carroll Martin of the Lafayette Elementary School District will speak today at University of the Pacific on the topic of creating a safe learning environment. her discussion is part of the university’s annual Teacher of the Year Speaker Series.

Martin, a 1972 graduate of Pacific’s Benerd School of Education, is an alternative instruction magnet teacher at Burton Valley Elementary in Lafayette. she is known for her hands-on teaching and commitment to her students.

The speech is scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m. in Room 208 at the School of Education at Pacific. The event is free and open to the public.

SAN ANDREAS – The California Highway Patrol office in San Andreas will offer a free start Smart teen driver class several times over the next few weeks. Space is limited, and at least one parent is required to attend with each teenager.

Statistics show teen drivers are involved in fatal collisions at a rate higher than other drivers. The class is intended to help newly licensed and learning drivers to understand that poor choices behind the wheel can damage lives.

Reserve a spot by calling (209) 754-3541.

Scheduled class times are:

? Copperopolis: 6:30 p.m. today at the Copperopolis Fire Department, 370 Main St.

? San Andreas: 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at mark Twain St. Joseph’s Hospital, 768 Mountain Ranch Road.

? Murphys: 6:30 p.m. Monday at the Murphys Fire Department, 37 Jones St.

? Jenny Lind: 6:30 p.m. March 5 at the Jenny Lind Fire Department, 6501 Jenny Lind Road.

Transportation officials are rolling out a new draft plan that maps out areas where cities in San Joaquin County can grow without sprawling outward.

And the public can come and take a look at workshops starting Wednesday in Lodi and Tracy.

The Regional Smart Growth and Transit Oriented Development plan includes recommended policies and a “smart growth scorecard,” according to the San Joaquin Council of Governments.

? Lodi: 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Lodi Library, 201 W. Locust St.

? Tracy: 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Tracy Transit Center, 50 E. Sixth St.

? Stockton: 6 p.m. Thursday at the San Joaquin Council of Governments boardroom, 555 E. Weber Ave.

? Ripon: 6 p.m. Feb. 15 at Ripon City Hall, 259 N. Wilma Ave.

ANGELS CAMP – The Bret Harte Union High School Academic Decathlon team was victorious Saturday during the Calaveras County Academic Decathlon competition against Mountain Oaks Charter School.

This year’s Academic Decathlon theme was The Age of Empire. Writing, test-taking and super-quiz quick-answer contests all focused on topics related to imperialism.

Bret Harte’s team will now go on to represent Calaveras County at the state-level competition March 16-18 in Sacramento. The winners of the state competition will go to the national Academic Decathlon championship April 25-28 in Albuquerque, N.M.

SAN ANDREAS – The Calaveras County Public Health Department is warning residents that the unseasonably warm winter this year means ticks are more active and thus more likely to spread Lyme disease.

Humans can be infected when they are bitten by a tick carrying the Lyme disease organism. Adult female ticks and immature nymphs can spread the disease.

Lyme disease symptoms vary but often start with a bull’s-eye-shaped rash around the bite and flu-like symptoms including body ache, fever, headache and chills. Prompt use of antibiotics offers the best hope of treating the disease.

To avoid tick bites, health officials advise wearing long pants and long-sleeved shirts, tucking in pant legs, and treating clothing with tick repellent.

If you find a tick on your body, remove it carefully to avoid breaking off the tick’s head and leaving it inside your skin.

Information: (209) 754-6460 orcalaveraspublichealth.com.

SAN ANDREAS – Calaveras Adult Tutoring is asking area residents to donate used books, DVDs, music CDs, games, puzzles, artwork and small collectibles. The nonprofit group will sell the items during the Spring Library Book Sale on March 3. Money raised will help support the tutoring program.

The nonprofit program operated in cooperation with the Calaveras County Library previously received some state funding, but that funding was cut last year.

At any time, the program’s volunteers are tutoring about 45 adults seeking to improve their reading and writing skills or who are preparing to take the General Educational Development test that serves as a route to a high school diploma.

Volunteers are also needed to work at the book sale. Information: (209) 754-6701.

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