February 23, 2007

Evergreen SchoolScene

Silver Creek freshmen learn to cut a rug from dancing duo on Valentine’s Day

Silver Creek freshmen got a handy tutorial in ballroom dancing recently when Mai Chung and Werner Haag, both Silver Creek parents, gave the school’s physical education classes an up-close look at how it’s done on Valentine’s Day.

Silver Creek P.E. instructor Margaret Nunes, whose classes were on hand for the performance by Chung and Haag, said the event was part of a unique approach by the P.E. department to satisfy California physical education standards for freshmen students. Since the beginning of January, the P.E. department’s instructors have been teaching their students the finer points of various styles of cutting a rug, including line, ballroom, square and folk dancing.

And while Nunes said the students’ comfort levels with dancing weren’t high to begin with, the freshmen now seem to be enjoying the activity.

Mai Chung and Werner Haag perform ballroom dance steps during physical education for classes at Silver Creek High School on Feb 14.

“It’s taken them outside the box, but for the most part, they’re doing an outstanding job,” she said.

The visit from the couple came when Haag mentioned to Nunes that he knew how to dance well, and had done so for several years with his wife, Chung, although neither one is a professional dancer by trade. Shortly thereafter, Haag offered to come to the school with Chung, so they could show the students “how it’s supposed to be done,” Nunes said.

Following the demonstration, said Nunes, the students had a chance to put their lessons from Chung and Haag into action, as students paired up to show the dancing couple what they had already learned.

—Photos by Dan Miranda

Members of the community are encouraged to purchase tickets for Macy’s 2007 Community Shopping Day to be held on Friday, May 11.

With your ticket, you can take advantage of storewide discounts off almost everything – including gifts for Mother’s Day, Graduation and summer weddings. When the $10 tickets are purchased through Silver Creek High School PTSA, 100 percent of the proceeds go to helping the students at Silver Creek High School.

The 2007 Community Shopping Day is at Macy’s Valley Fair. These tickets are also good at the Union Square and
Concord stores on the same day. If you purchase your tickets through Silver Creek High School PTSA, you will be entitled to receive discounts of up to 20 percent on nearly all Macy’s merchandise. This Macy’s event is known for having the fewest limitations and exclusions on their discounts.

Ticket holders can shop all day on May 11 or you can pre-shop and reserved your purchases up to two weeks in advance of the event. The $10 tickets entitle the ticket holder to the following:

Discounts: The discounts apply to all regular, sale merchandise. The 20 percent discount is on women’s, men’s and kid’s apparel and accessories. The 15 percent discount applies to fine, bridge, fashion jewelry, bed and bath items, house wares, frames, luggage, china, crystal and silver. The 10 percent discount is on all kitchen, personal care electrics and technology items, furniture, mattresses and area rugs. The only merchandise excluded are cosmetics and fragrances, as well as Coach, Kate Spade, and Dooney & Bourke handbags.

Drawing Stub: Drop your included ticket stub into the bin on May 11 for a chance to win a $500 shopping spree at Macy’s.

Macy’s Community Shopping Day is a wonderful community-wide event that gives non-profit organizations – including the Silver Creek High PTSA – an opportunity to raise funds and an opportunity for the community to help the students at Silver Creek High School through our PTSA.

For more information or to purchase tickets, please contact the Silver Creek High PTSA at silvercreekptsa@sbcglobal.net or call Ed Wong at (408) 309-0191.

Andrew Hill High School to host Susan Alves Memorial Scholarship Run March 31

Andrew Hill High School will be hosting the Susan Alves Memorial Scholarship Run on March 31 at 8:30 a.m. The event is a 5K and 10K run/walk to benefit senior nursing students at Andrew Hill High School, named in honor of Susan Alves, who died on January 3, 2005, after a courageous battle with breast cancer. She worked for Kaiser Hospital/Santa Teresa for 28 years as an Emergency Room nurse.

Rick Alves, her husband, was a staff member at Andrew P. Hill High School for 16 years as a teacher, counselor, activities director, and coach. Susan Alves attended many activities at Andrew Hill High School in support. She was a guest speaker at the school, regarding careers in the nursing field and also served the football team as a medical assistant.

Funds earned from the event will support scholarships for the school’s senior nursing students. The race begins at Andrew Hill High School, located on 3200 Senter Road, and will begin on the track at Andrew Hill High School before going through Hellyer Park and back.

Sponsorships are available for a cost of $500. A key sponsor receives their name on the T-shirts, which are given to each participant as well as on the entry forms. Other donations of food and water are also sought. Donor names will be on the entry forms as well. The possibility of putting ads, coupons, etc. in goodie bags that runners receive is also available.

For more information, please contact Mary Metz at Andrew Hill High School via email at metzm@esuhsd.org or by phone at (408) 347-4143. All donations need to be made to Andrew Hill High School by March 17, 2007.

Valley Christian Theatre Department presents ‘Guys and Dolls’

The Valley Christian Theatre Department will take a step back in time to the 1940s with gambling men and their lucky ladies when they present the spring musical “Guys and Dolls.” Featuring memorable numbers such as “Bushel and a Peck,” “Adelaide’s Lament,” “Luck Be a Lady,” and “Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat,” and the title number “Guys and Dolls,” this is a musical treat for the entire family. Performances will be held March 15, 16, 17, 22 and 23 at 7:29 p.m. and on the 24th at 2 p.m. and 7:29 p.m. Ticket prices are: adults $14, seniors and students $12, and children $10 (12 years and under). Call the Valley Christian box office at (408) 513-2438 to order tickets.

Assemblymember Joe Coto celebrates Lunar New Year with
Vietnamese American Literacy Event at Tully Library

Rhythmic drumming, clanging gongs, and acrobatic lion dancers.

No, this wasn’t the famous Tet Festival at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds held recently. Instead, the music and the dancers were at the local library.

What was described above was the opening act of the Vietnamese American Literacy Event and Tet Celebration held on Saturday, Feb. 10, at the Tully Branch Public Library. The event was the result of collaboration between the Office of Assemblymember Joe Coto of the 23rd District, which covers a large part of the city of San Jose and the Tully library.

To join in the ringing of the lunar New Year with the Vietnamese community, the day’s celebrations included a puppet show, musical performances, a Vietnamese story hour of a traditional Lunar New Year folktale by Coto’s office, and a three lion dance performance by the Far East Dragon Lion Dance Association. In addition to the festivities, 100 hardcover copies of the story book “The Tet Pole: The Story of the Tet Festival” also known as “S? Tích Cây Nêu Ngày T?t,” printed bilingually in Vietnamese and English were given to the families along with over 200 coloring and children’s activity books.

Coto, a former educator, stressed the importance of reading to the parents and children and said that, “the most successful students in school are not only read to by their parents, but they read to their parents as well.”

With almost 200 families in attendance, packed wall to wall in the Tully library community room, the event was by any measure a success.

In addition to his commitment to promoting good reading skills, Coto said he recognizes the importance of cultural preservation and the tangible benefits, both short and long term, that come with multi-lingual language skills; hence, the effort to not only promote a book that was printed bilingually but to make sure that all materials, coloring and activity books, were distributed in both the English and Vietnamese language. Coto plans on having future bilingual literacy events for the Spanish speaking and Vietnamese American communities based on the positive reception of the families, the library and most importantly the children.

The book give-away was sponsored in part by the generosity of International Children Assistance Network, Asian American Women’s Alliance, Assemblymember Coto and Pan Asian Publishers.

To learn more about future community events and ways that you can contribute, please contact the Coto office at (408) 277-1220 or check the “Important Dates” section on his web site, http://democrats.assembly.ca.gov/members/a23/.