March 9, 2007

Evergreen SchoolScene

Carolyn Clark Elementary School celebrates Read Across America day

Students at Carolyn Clark Elementary School were treated to story reading sessions from a host of guests in celebration of Read Across America Day on March 2. The event included readings by several Kiwanis club members from the San Jose area, as well San Jose City Councilmembers Judy Chirco and Dave Cortese, and Evergreen School District Superintendent Clif Black.

The Read Across America event is celebrated annually nationwide in honor of famed children’s book author Dr. Suess’ birthday, and was created by the National Education Association 10 years ago as a way to encourage reading to young students. Carolyn Clark Principal Jeff Smith said the day not only encourages reading to his students, but it also shows them that others in the community care about sharing the joy of reading with them.

“It shows them that adults will take time out of their day to stress the importance of reading,” Smith said. “…It just makes them realize that it’s not just the teachers telling them (that reading is important).”

Chirco, who read “The Egyptian Cinderella” to the sixth grade classes of teachers Maria Moreton and Leah Laughton, agreed.

Carolyn Clark students listen as District 9 Councilmember Judy Chirco reads “The Egyptian Cinderella” during the school’s Read Across America event on March 2.

“I think what’s really powerful about this that they’re not just seeing their parents read to them or their teachers, but they’re seeing people from the community come in and prioritize reading to them,” said Chirco, who represents District 9 and is also a Kiwanian. “I think it just adds more value and importance to the gift of reading.”

Cortese, San Jose’s Vice Mayor and District 8 Councilmember, read “Lou Gehrig: Pride of the Yankees,” an age-appropriate biography of the famed New York Yankees slugger’s life, to the fifth grade classes of teachers Christina Pennelly and Kirk Pleasant, and said establishing the importance of reading to young students is imperative.

“I believe the understanding of the importance of literacy being established at a young age is vital for our children's success in education,” Cortese said. “Programs such as Read Across America are based on this very idea of promoting literacy among students, which is commendable.”

Smith credited third grade teacher Cheryl Connolly and fifth grade teacher Bernadette Marcias, for organizing the event. Connolly’s husband, Dan Connolly, a Kiwanian, helped arrange the visit by the Kiwanis members.

—By Diego Abeloos

Presentation High School 41st Annual Scholarship Benefit Fashion Show March 23

Presentation High School recently announced preparations for the 41st Annual Scholarship Benefit Fashion Show, “On Location,” are in full swing with the selection of models and hostesses.

Featured on the runway will be members of Presentation High School’s Class of 2007, including 11 students from the Evergreen/Silver Creek area, as well as faculty, parents, board members, alumnae, and senior boys from area high schools. They will be modeling the latest fashions from top name area retailers.

This year, Presentation is pleased to include fashion partners Eddie Bauer, Tommy Bahama, Cache, Club Monaco, Indigo Palms, Lucky Brand, Talbots, Eli Thomas for Men, Trudy's, Urban Outfitters, Lacoste, Lucy, Ted Baker, J. Jill, REI and Fox. James Craig Hair Color and Design of Saratoga will be providing hair styling for the sixth year in a row and MAC Cosmetics of Valley Fair will return again this year to provide make-up for all of the models.

Presentation High School also announced San Jose Magazine as its media sponsor. Other sponsors include Presentation families, businesses, alumnae, and longtime friends of the school. The Fashion Show raises money to provide financial aid for students attending the all-female Catholic high school, located in the Willow Glen neighborhood of San Jose. Last year’s Fashion Show contributed $122,000 to the school’s scholarship fund.

The setting for “On Location” will be the Santa Clara Marriott’s California Ballroom on Friday, March 23. The luncheon show begins at 11:30 a.m. and tickets are $85 per person. Dinner festivities begin at 6:30 p.m., with tickets available at $150 per person, which includes dancing to music provided by King Raffi. For additional information, please contact the Presentation High School Development Office at (408) 264-5110 extension 2428, or visit the school's website, www.pres-net.com.

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.

Quimby Oak Middle School honored for innovative student development program

Quimby Oak Middle School, with Assistant Principal Ruth Stevens Radle and teacher Mandy Stracke, were honored as the “Caring School Climate-Middle School” Asset Champion at Project Cornerstone’s Fourth Annual Asset Champions Breakfast on March 1 at the San Jose Fairmont.

With the support of Principal Phil Bond, Stevens Radle and Stracke created PASSPORT (Preparing Adolescents for Success in School through Peer Mediation, Openness, Respect and Tolerance), a mandatory program that helps students identify their strengths, deal with their challenges, and foster relationships with their peers. PASSPORT has created a safe forum when students can address difficult issues, improve conditions on campus and develop critical coping and networking skills. Quimby Oak Middle School was nominated by Kathy Gomez, Director of Educational Services for Evergreen School District, who said, “Ruth and Mandy have spent countless hours promoting the importance of asset building with the staff and parent community at Quimby Oak. They are taking a leadership role and working with the staff to create a culture at the school that is safe and caring for all students.”

About Project Cornerstone
Project Cornerstone, based in Santa Clara Valley, is a growing collaborative of more than 200 partners dedicated to engaging the entire community in the crucial task of promoting developmental assets, which are the essential building blocks of healthy youth. Project Cornerstone’s mission is to mobilize a critical mass of asset builders, thus making asset building a way of life in Santa Clara County. Its vision is to see that all individuals and organizations are motivated and empowered to come together to nurture and develop competent, caring and responsible children and youth. For more information about Project Cornerstone, visit www.projectcornerstone.org.

Local high school students compete in San Jose East/Evergreen
Rotary Club youth speech contest

By Thom Harney
Special to the Times

One student from Independence High School, one student from Oak Grove High School, and one student from Mt. Pleasant High School brought back certificates and monetary awards from the Annual San Jose East/Evergreen Rotary Club’s Youth Speech Contest, held in the Luncheon Dining Room at the San Jose Country Club on Feb. 13.

From left to right: Ruth Ashford, President of the San Jose East Evergreen Rotary, Oak Grove senior Rachel Cook, Mt. Pleasant senior Arianna Trujillo-Robnett and Independence junior Andrew Hsieh. Photo by Thom Harney

Andrew Hsieh, a student at Independence High School, walked away with the First Place Certificate, a $100 prize, and the opportunity to advance to the Rotary’s Area Speech Contest (held March 9 at the HP Pavilion at noon), where he will compete against other local Rotary club contest winners for a First Place prize of $200, a Second Place prize of $100, and the opportunity to compete in the Rotary’s Regional Competition, which will be held on March 27 in Castro Valley.

Rachel Cooke, a student at Oak Grove High School, garnered the Second Place Certificate, and a $50 cash award. Arianna Trujillo-Robnett, a student at Mt. Pleasant High School, won the Third Place Certificate and $25.

Each student chose a topic of interest for their four-to-five-minute speech, which followed the contest rules, i.e. related to the Rotary 2006--2007 Theme, “Lead The Way,” and included a reference to at least one principle of the Rotary International Four-Way Test:

Of the things we think, say, or do,

Is it the truth?

Is it fair to all concerned?

Will it build good will and better friendships?

Will it be beneficial to all concerned?

The Rotary Clubs of District 5170 sponsors the Richard D. King Annual Youth Speech Contest each year with three goals in mind for the Club Members and speech contest participants:

- To increase personal knowledge and awareness of the importance of being able to speak effectively before a group.

- To increase public knowledge of what Rotary is and does throughout the world, especially among young people. Through this knowledge, Rotary hopes that young students will learn, as Rotary members have learned in the past, that "They profit most who serve best."

- To increase participation in the contest and to provide all high school contestants an opportunity to win prizes as top public speakers.

"It is our hope that all the students who participated in the event felt that they grew personally from the experience of preparing their speeches and delivering them to us," said Ruth Ashford, President of the San Jose East/Evergreen Rotary. "I know that we benefited greatly from listening to these enthusiastic students, meeting them, and having them share the luncheon with us."

Following the event, Nick Leon, Co-chair of the Rotary Speech Contest along with Ashford added, "I don’t know how the students do it. This year, the speeches set a new high. The students were outstanding.”

Leon, a retired high school teacher and coach in the East Side Union High School District, added a special thanks to the Eastside Teachers’ Association for printing and distributing the Speech Contest fliers for the students in the Eastside Union High School District, as well as to the faculty and administration of the individual high schools in the district for their cooperation and support.

Former Youth Commissioner honored for outreach efforts

Adan Lupercio, the former San Jose Youth Commissioner and current Evergreen Valley College student, was honored as the “Positive Peer Influence” Asset Champion at Project Cornerstone’s Fourth Annual Asset Champions Breakfast, held March 1 at the San Jose Fairmont.

Lupercio was appointed to the Youth Commission in 2003 and elected as its chair in 2005. As chair, his work included presenting a workshop to promote positive interactions between youth and police at the 2005 YAC Attack conference. In addition to his work with the Youth Commission, Lupercio volunteers on behalf of his Washington Neighborhood Association programs and serves as a summer camp counselor for underprivileged children. Last March, he worked with then-San Jose City Council member Cindy Chavez to secure funding for 10 low-income families to visit Disneyland.  Lieutenant Richard Saito, recently retired from the San Jose Police Department, nominated Lupercio for the award and said, “Many younger kids know him and seek him out as an example of developmental assets in action. He always makes me work harder for the community through his positive energy and leadership.” 

Today, Lupercio continues to have a positive influence as a student leader at Evergreen Valley College.