Wilcox Lady Chargers Softball Heading into CCS Playoffs in Top Form
By Robert Haugh
With a combination of experienced upperclassmen and a plethora of youthful stars, the Wilcox Lady Chargers’ softball team’s amazing season will be culminating soon, having earned the No. 2 seed in the Central Coast Section Division I playoffs.
With only five losses on the year by a combined ten runs, the Chargers (22-5, 11-1 division) clinched the SCVAL De Anza division crown with several games remaining.
Leading the Chargers’ youth wave is Freshman Morgan Ratliff, who is 13-3 on the mound, also leading the Chargers in batting average with a .449 mark and 23 RBIs. On the mound, Ratliff has amassed 80 strikeouts with only 13 walks, one HBP and one wild pitch, only allowing one HR, pitching nine shutouts and 12 complete games with a 1.24 ERA. A pair of Freshman also anchors the offense, with Amanda Ramirez and Hailey Thompson. Thompson compiled a .372 average with 17 RBI, 18 runs and four doubles while Ramirez compiled a .360 average with 21 runs and 15 RBI. Ramirez also compiled four wins on the mound, with 24 strikeouts and a 2.16 ERA. Sophomore Alyssa Parra was 4-2 with a 2.33 ERA and 12 strikeouts.
Experienced players helping the Chargers excel during the stellar season include Senior Brianna Massey, who led the team with 28 runs, three triples, six doubles and eight stolen bases.
Mission College President Speaks at White House Summit
Mission College President Laurel Jones returned to campus mid-April from the White House where she had the opportunity to highlight the Mission College Center for Innovation and Technology (MC2IT) during a summit that focused on entrepreneurship and innovation in higher education.
Her comments as a panelist at the White House Summit on Entrepreneurship for Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Minority Serving Institutions provided the only perspective from a California school, as well as the only one from a community college.
PowerPoint Proposal Brings Together Nurse Managers at KP Santa Clara
You could call it a PowerPoint proposal. Because of it, a recent leadership meeting for Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara came to a laughing and cheering stop and two young nurse managers at the medical center are now on the road to matrimony.
"We had chatted about marriage," said Davelyn Miguel, of the SCL Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, "but this was a total surprise."
Recent and Pending Projects Hope to Boost Economic Development
By Robert Haugh
Having lingered through one of the worst recessions in history, the City has seen many businesses and redevelopment projects come and go over the last several years.
With the economy slowly rebounding, several new projects and redevelopment projects are moving forward or progressing, including the dilapidated Mervyn’s Shopping Center at Homestead and Scott and the former Kaiser sire of Kiely.
Getting into Medical School Stat!
Benjamin Yates’ story is as unique as he is. As a young boy growing up, he dreamed about being a fighter pilot or a doctor. Other careers entered his mind, but in the end, being a doctor kept coming up as the profession he wanted to pursue. Being confident and direct, when he came to Mission College in 2009, he went right to the science building, found Dr. Jim Burrell, the department chairperson, and said, "I want to be a doctor. What do I need to do?" The chairperson introduced him to Dr. Thais Winsome, a biology instructor, who explained in great detail the classes Benjamin needed to take, in what order, and shared a few stories of former students who had graduated and went on to become doctors.
Hanwha Solar Opens in Santa Clara
By Larry Sacks
When one thinks about Silicon Valley, it’s not hard to think of high-tech chip, computer and software companies. Names like Intel, AMD, Apple, HP, Texas Instruments, Applied Materials, Google, and Yahoo typically come to mind. However, even given those blockbuster names
Girl Scouts Deliver Dishes to Dogs
Alyssa McCullough of Santa Clara, Noelle Dea of Mountain View, Gigi Mitchell of San Jose, and Amani Abukhater of Cupertino, four members of homeschool Girl Scout troop 60425 completed their Bronze Award last Saturday when they delivered 75 pounds of donated items to the Santa Clara County Animal Shelter.
"It was a lot of work," said Mitchell.
"But we had fun working on it together," added Dea.
In September of 2011, the girls of troop 60425 discussed their interests and skill sets. They researched different volunteer opportunities in the area and voted on their top picks. The girls chose to collect donations for the animal shelter.
Courageous Kids and Families Celebrate Mother's Day at Great America
By Diane Andrews
More than 600 courageous kids with cancer and their equally courageous parents and families celebrated Mother's Day May 13th at the County Fair Picnic Grove at Santa Clara's Great America for the 23rd annual Courageous Kids Day, a unique event sponsored by the American Cancer Society.
All the kids were given red baseball caps, so it was hard to tell who had cancer and who didn't. It was just a bunch of kids in red caps and their families enjoying a sunny day at the park—picnicking, playing games, taking rides, and having family portraits made. Some of the kids had travelled from Oregon and Nevada.
Eighteen-year-old Jazmine Garcia from Morgan Hill is one of this year's Courageous Kids Ambassadors selected to share their stories with the community. It's her twelfth year to attend Courageous Kids Day.
Santa Clara Chorale's 50th Season Finale Unites Its Four Artistic Directors
By Diane Andrews
Santa Clara Chorale's 50th anniversary grand finale concert began with trumpet fanfare and ended with a standing ovation after the chorale's powerful performance of the Carmina Burana May 4 at Mission Santa Clara.
The chorale was joined by the Santa Clara University Concert Choir and accompanied by Symphony Silicon Valley for the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to hear the chorale perform under the direction of all four of the artistic directors it has had since its beginning in 1962. Present Artistic Director Dr. Ryan J. Brandau orchestrated the celebration, which sold out at 650 people.
Five-Alarm Fire Rips Down Model Homes; SCFD Responds Rapidly
By Robert Haugh
With flames pluming up to 100-feet high, a five-alarm blaze engulfed and destroyed two three-story, nearly-completed model homes, as well as several vehicles in the late evening on May 9.
According to eyewitnesses and nearby residents, some sort of "whooshing" like explosion sounded followed by mountainous plumes of smoke enveloping the night sky.
Thanks to the rapid efforts of approximately 50 responding firefighters, the five-alarm fire was quickly under control, with firefighters containing the fire within an hour -- neighboring homes only slightly damaged from smoke and flames, as well as sprinkler systems damage.
Islamic Art Exhibit at Central Park Library Through May
By Diane Andrews
"We saw a need to have a show of Islamic Art as it has evolved in different forms, not just the traditional, classic art," says Nabeela Raza Sajjad, founder of the nonprofit Islamic Art Exhibit (IAE), now in its third year in the Bay Area.
"The Miracles of Qur'an," the sacred book of Islam, is the theme and inspiration for a collection of about fifty pieces by artists in the Muslim community. The exhibit is on display at the Santa Clara Central Park Library, 2635 Homestead Road, through the end of May.
