May 19, 2006

Evergreen SchoolScene

Mt. Pleasant students visit the nation’s capital

By Carol Rosen
Staff Writer

Thanks to Steve Poizner, 21 Mt. Pleasant High School students traveled to Washington, D.C. this year to study and learn about America's capital city.

Mt. Pleasant High School students enjoyed some free time and learned a few things about politics during a recent trip to Washington D.C. Here the 21 students are enjoying a sightseeing day around the nation's capital, at the steps of the Capitol building. Photo courtesy of Todd Richards

Poizner, who spent a year at the school as a guest teacher for an economics and government class, has provided $15,000 to $20,000 per year for the last four years to help subsidize the trip and allow students to go who would otherwise be unable to afford the expense. However, the former assembly candidate insists that the students also provide money through fundraising projects.

"He's guaranteed the money on a year-by-year basis," said Todd Richards, an economics and government teacher at the school. "We've done the trip for years. But we used to take only three or four students. It costs about $1,600 per student. With Steve Poizner's help for the last four years, we've taken about 20 kids annually."

According to Richards, the students raise enough funds to cover about half of their trip. They’ve sold hamburgers during the school's food festivals, See's Candies at Christmastime, and sometimes, although not recently, have sold items at flea markets.

"This year we took 21 students. Without Poizner, the majority of [the] students would not have been able to go," added Richards.

Most of the students are seniors, although a couple of younger students also went this year. For many of them, it's their first trip; for some, even their first trip on an airplane.

The seven-day trip included two days of travel and about five-and-a-half days of studying the federal government. This year’s chaperones included U.S. and world history teacher Robert Walter, world history and American Government and economics teacher Paul Osterkamp, and Richards. During the trip, the students spent most of their time--typically from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.--learning about the federal government and how it works.

The teachers had their own three-day program where they attended lectures or did their own thing. One of the days on the trip was a free day, so the students and the chaperones decided to visit the Capital Building, the Supreme Court, tour the Pentagon and Arlington National Cemetery, and finished up with some shopping at a nearby mall.

"The students were really impressed by the Capital Building. I think they found that the most fun thing to do," said Richards. "They met with their local congressional representative, Zoe Lofgren, and really had a good time."

One of the most interesting aspects this year, Richards said, had to do with meeting other students. The Mt. Pleasant seniors were housed two to a room along with two students from another school. Most of the Mt. Pleasant students are from the East Side, which is quite liberal, he said. Many were housed with very conservative students from Alaska.

This housing allowed the Mt. Pleasant students to experience a totally different perspective, Richards said.
"They were interested and learned respect for their roommates’ leanings," he said.

James Franklin Smith first graders shine

On May 11, the first grade students at James Franklin Smith School put on a smashing musical version of the book, “The Great Kapok Tree.” Led by their directors/teachers, Mr. Schorr, Ms. Diana Messamer, Ms. Gussin, Ms. Keller, Ms. Newton, and Mr. Nichols, the students told the story of the Amazon rain forest’s importance through the eyes of the animals that inhabit it. The stage in the school’s multi-purpose room was magically transformed by parents into a lush and colorful rain forest. This annual production is one of the highlights for first graders at J.F. Smith.

The band’s back together

After two-year hiatus, Silver Creek High's concert band is back in full swing

By Carol Rosen
Staff Writer

When Paul Hawkins took over as director of Silver Creek High School's fine arts program in 1996, the school offered band, choir and piano, and guitar lessons. Because of tight budgets, the band was cut for two years during the 2002-03 and 2003-04 school years.

The Silver Creek High School band entertains San Jose City Council members and others attending a council meeting. The band was invited to join the San Jose Metropolitan Band for a joint performance at the new City Hall Rotunda.

But thanks to a couple of school principals, the band is back together now and doing better than ever. This year it has played at several venues around the city.

Hawkins attributed the two-year loss to tight budgets and class arrangements requiring at least 32 students per class.
"If you had less than 32 students, you couldn't have a class, and we just didn't have enough students that could take the class at the time it was offered," said Hawkins.

He praised former Principal Art Darin and current Principal Thelma Boac for ensuring the school had a band. Darin, he said, started the movement when he allowed students to add a seventh period.

"He found the money, and today there are 31 students out of the 37 band members that are taking a seventh period,” Hawkins said. "When you have the right administration on board, they will find a way to make things happen.”

He called Boac "a little fireball. She's very much behind the music and the band."

In fact, he added, so many students have signed up for band next year that the school doesn't have the space.
"We're in the process of hiring a new music teacher," he said.

The school may have to share the teacher with another high school, he added. He expects that Boac's administration will be able to find the money, the space and another teacher to teach a couple of the classes.

Today, the fine arts program offers a multitude of musical programs. Among these are three choirs and one band. There also are four dance classes, two piano classes and one class for guitar students. The new music teacher will probably teach two classes at Silver Creek, he said.

Hawkins said band has helped several students turn their lives around through the music. One reason is that band members are very close.

"This has been a family of friends," he said of this year's band.

Many of the students had experience with instruments before they joined the band, but this year there are a couple of juniors and seniors who came into the band without any experience.

Among the concerts the band has performed was one at the new City Hall Rotunda. The San Jose Metropolitan Band, a community band composed of students and adults throughout the city, was given a grant to put together a concert at the rotunda. That band invited Silver Creek to play with them in a joint performance.

"We played on a Tuesday night when the City Council was meeting," Hawkins said. "It was a huge boost to our program. The city council members listened to us on their way in and it was really a fun time."

The band also plays for the elementary schools in the area during the holiday season. Hawkins said the band students walk with their instruments to local elementary schools and play Christmas Carols for the students.

Another performance for band took them to the Eastridge Mall at the Barnes & Noble store for the school's Spring Concert. The students must have played very well since they raised nearly $600 that night.

"Everyone has a good time," he said.

The musicians also held a Spring Concert at Eastridge Mall sponsored by Barnes & Noble. In addition, they participated in a district band festival and Hawkins took the choir to Seattle last year for the Heritage Festival where it took second place.

The band will play for audiences a couple of more times this year. On Saturday, May 13, the band plans to play at a music festival contest in Santa Cruz.

"Once we're finished playing we get to spend the rest of the day at the Boardwalk," Hawkins said.

The final concert will be held Tuesday, May 30 at 6:30 p.m. This is the 10th annual Concert on the Lawn, Hawkins said.

"At the end of every school year we offer a final concert on the lawn in the back of theater. There are steps to sit on and people are welcome to bring a picnic dinner, their children and their dogs," he said.

It's an informal, family-oriented event where the dress is very casual. He did caution that the audience and the band bring jackets.

"It gets pretty cold back there at night," he said.

Evergreen School District Students Earn Awards on Math Contest

On May 6, in the conference room of the Saratoga Library, excited students received certificates and trophies from the IMTA 2006 International Math Evaluation Test and Contest. A handful of them belong to the Evergreen School District.

Kevin Chang, Lawrence Li, Richard Qian and Cindy Liu [front from left to right], MPM students of Ms. Tu’s classroom, are the winners of 2006 IMTA math contest. Tu’s MPM classrooms are in Evergreen area, near the Evergreen Village Square.

These students are:

- Kevin Chang of Evergreen Elementary: awarded 3rd Place in 1st Grade

- Lawrence Li of Evergreen Elementary: awarded Honorable Mention in 2nd Grade

- Cindy Liu of Carolyn Clark Elementary: awarded 2nd Place in 3rd Grade

- Austin Shih of Tom Matsumoto Elementary: awarded Honorable Mention in 3rd Grade

- Richard Qian of Carolyn Clark Elementary: awarded 3rd Place in 4th Grade

The contest, covering levels from kindergarten to 6th grade, was sponsored by International Math Teaching Association (IMTA) and MPM Educational Institute. Approximately 260 students from counties around the Bay Area participated in this contest, most of them MPM students.

MPM, or Multi-Process-Model, is an after-school math-learning program, which provides elementary school students comprehensive training in in-depth analyses and problem solving, along with small sets of tools and blocks. Headquartered in Taiwan with branches in Singapore, Philippines and Canada, MPM now is becoming more popular in California and throughout the US.

The purpose of this contest was to examine the students’ level of understanding of mathematic concepts by their collective capabilities. Students will not only profit from self-recognition, but also gain a valuable learning experience from the mental stimulation.

“I really enjoy the MPM program, because it strengthens my capabilities in math solving skills, ” said Qian. “It’s different than what we learn in school and we use a lot of knowledge to complete the booklet. It’s very challenging.”

Evergreen Elementary turns 50

Local school to host golden anniversary event

By Justin Petersen
Staff Writer

Evergreen Elementary School will celebrate its 50th anniversary with an era-piece party on the premises on June 2.

While a playground panoramic now depicts single family homes, which replaced rural terrain, cherry orchards and vineyards at the school site across from the Mirassou Winery, staff and students maintain that the historic learning hub continues to epitomize East Side identity since welcoming its first class in the fall of 1955.

“The Evergreen School District moved the school to this current site 50 years ago,” said Shepard. “We have celebrated all year, but it is culminating with a big party June 2.”

Shepard said alumni and former staff are all invited to join in the festivities, which will include a barbecue, a 1950s themed costume contest, games, and photographs of historic moments featuring the school and area history.
“It’s kind of unique to have a school this old in an area with so much history,” she said. “The last little grape vines are sitting in front of our school and the rest are all gone.”

Local lore holds that many prominent families in San Jose have at one time enrolled at Evergreen. Shepard said that Mrs. Henry Coe served as PTA president, as did Mrs. O.B. Whaley. More recently, Mayoral Candidate and District 8 Councilmember Dave Cortese graced the halls at 3010 Fowler Rd., a former gateway to the Southeast San Jose farmlands.

“It was always that everybody came here because it was the only school in the area,” said Shepard.

Evergreen School District technology resource teacher and resident historian Randy Hollenkamp elaborated, saying that Evergreen was actually the district’s third school project. An original school was built in 1860, with remnants still visible, reincarnated as an old apartment building near Hinman’s Evergreen Garage on San Felipe.

Hollenkamp said that the district built another Spanish-style school on Aborn and White, which lasted until the late 1950s. He said that’s when Evergreen School was erected, and the district moved it to San Felipe and Valor.

“We had one school, even after they built that initial Evergreen school,” said Hollenkamp. “It’s still viewed as our first school and our original school. It carries the district name for that reason.”

Evergreen teachers Janet Griffin and Julie Trowbridge arrived in 1972, and represent the most reliable source of history, considering they are the only current employees that were working at the school before development began. Trowbridge said that the terrain may have changed, but the character remains the same.

“Evergreen has always strived to do the best that we can and has maintained a high level of excellence,” said Trowbridge. “Children are academically ready to go on when they leave Evergreen.”

Trowbridge recalled navigating a snaky two-lane road—San Felipe—as a fresh San Jose State graduate, paying her dues in a substitute role at Evergreen School.

“We were surrounded by orchards,” she said. “The first time I ever came out there to sub, there was nothing but orchards and vineyards and this little tiny school right in the middle of it all.”

Trowbridge said that even earlier, while she was attending Presentation High School, she and her friends would visit the area conducting paper drives.

“We would go out and collect old newspapers and sell them,” said Trowbridge. “This was always a rich area for people who had collected old papers in their barns and things. There were so many old farms.”

While California practices in education and statewide mandates have evolved, for better or worse, Trowbridge and Principal Shepard both maintain that the historic school adheres to high standards of growth and academics imposed by local community members, staff and families.

“Our test scores are always competitive,” said Trowbridge. “Yet, the thing that stands out more is that strong sense of family in the school. People greet each other. There are always a lot of parents on campus in the morning before school.”

The sense of family is especially close to Trowbridge. Her daughter also teaches at Evergreen.

“Many alumni have gone into education, and they tend to keep in contact with their elementary school teachers,” said Shepard. “There is certainly a strong sense of family and academic excellence on the campus.”

Shepard said that anybody may attend the event, but that those interested in joining the barbeque must RSVP with the front office, by no later than Tuesday, May 23.

“We are proud to serve this community and be a part of the history of the area,” said Shepard. “It is unique that with all the growth and changes in the area, this school has maintained its charm and essence of what it was on the day that it opened 50 years ago."

The school will be celebrating the 50th Anniversary Celebration on June 2nd from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. There will be a barbeque at $6 per person and entertainment on the school grounds. Please RSVP to the school at (408) 270-4966.

ESUHSD to hold Public Hearings on Proposed Boundary Changes

Under the direction of the Board of Trustees, the East Side Union High School District administration is conducting public meetings to gather stakeholder input on the proposed student attendance boundary changes.

Several high schools throughout the district will host the meetings over the next several months so that stakeholders including parents, students, staff and community members will have the opportunity to offer comment, concerns and input.

Each meeting will focus on a different boundary change and its potential impact on a specific high school. Listed below are the meeting dates, times, locations and the schools affected.

For additional information on these meetings contact Jerry Kurr, Assistant Superintendent of Business Services at (408) 347-5050

June 13 at 6:30 p.m.: Evergreen Valley High School, Mt. Pleasant High School and Silver Creek High School sites will be discussed at the Mt. Pleasant High Gymnasium

July 18 at 6:30 p.m.: Evergreen Valley High School, Mt. Pleasant High School and Silver Creek High School sites will be discussed at the Evergreen Valley High Gymnasium

Sept. 13 at 6:30 p.m.: James Lick High School, Mt. Pleasant High School and W.C. Overfelt High School sites will be discussed at the James Lick High School Gymnasium