How to Feel Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious
by Diane Andrews
Mary Poppins isn't the only person ever to feel that way. The Girl Scouts of Santa Clara Troop 60129 feel happy, excited, awesome, appreciated, helpful, effective, graceful, and—hold onto your hat Mary Poppins—supercalifragilisticexpialidocious about stocking the shelves of JW House with donated household and food items they collected. And they want you to know that you, too, can feel that way by serving the community.
"When you donate stuff, it makes you feel good and makes the people you donate to feel good," says Samantha.
On May 26, Girl Scouts Samantha, Andrea, Annie, Audrey, Elizabeth, Hazel, Jasmine, Kimberly, Ruth, and Sela—all nine and ten-year-old fourth graders at Eisenhower Elementary School—energetically loaded nine boxes of items that included linens, paper towels, toilet paper, detergent, tea, juice, energy bars, tuna, and 20 boxes of brownie mix onto red wagons and hauled it all inside JW House. They had just spent three weeks collecting the donations from their classmates as part of their Girl Scout Take Action Journey Project.
Kimberly and her mom had visited JW House and brought back its story to the troop. The nonprofit guest house, which opened in 2008 on the grounds of Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara.
Around Town
By Carolyn Schuk
Jane Pauley Salutes HOPE Services
Award winning broadcast journalist and author of the best-seller "Skywriting: A Life Out of the Blue," Jane Pauley was the keynote speaker last week at HOPE Services annual Rise & Shine fundraiser at the Santa Clara Convention Center, Mission City Ballroom.
This Week's Letter
Playing with Fire
by Diane Andrews
If you like to play with fire, the city of Santa Clara has the perfect volunteer job for you. However, there's a caveat.
You must be able to position and climb a three-story ladder wearing 75 pounds of gear, chop holes in a slippery rooftop with a flathead axe in a cloud of smoke, and wrestle a 1 3/4-inch hose with water flowing out at 150 gallons per minute/ 100 pounds per square inch. And those are just a few of the challenges of being a firefighter in the Volunteer Reserve Division of the Santa Clara Fire Department.
Christine Drago is Teacher of the Year
By Cynthia Cheng
Christine Drago, a mathematics teacher at Santa Clara High School, was invited to a teacher recognition tea on May 18. Before the event, Drago was told that another teacher was getting an award and she needed to be part of the presentation. Little did Drago know that she was the one to receive the Santa Clara Unified School District's Teacher of the Year Award.
"Andrew Ratermann, who is the President of the Santa Clara Unified School District School Board, read a statement about the Teacher of the Year," Drago says. "He didn't say who it was.
Sports Briefs
Wilcox junior Iesha Hardiman recently placed second in the CCS in the 400-meter dash and 200-meter dash events in Gilroy. Hardiman, an honor roll student, qualified for the state meet for the third consecutive year. This year's state meet was held June 3-4 in Clovis. Hardimann was the only Central Coast section runner to make the finals in the 400-meter dash, finishing eighth in the state with a 56.84 time. She was also the highest placing CCS runner in the 200-meter dash, claiming 15th.
It May Not Feel like Summer, But Clouds Won't Rain on Library Summer Reading Program
By Carolyn Schuk
Despite unseasonably cloudy weather, last Saturday the Santa Clara City Library kicked off its 56th annual summer reading program with a festive afternoon featuring Zippy's Almost Famous Balloon Circus, craft projects, and - of course - plenty of books for every age for long, lazy summer afternoons.
In 1965, then-city librarian Frances Klune launched Santa Clara Library's first summer reading club, after observing that "the library didn't seem important to Santa Clara children," reported the July 26, 1965 San Jose News.
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Names Man and Woman of the Year
By Cynthia Cheng
On May 21, about 180 people gathered at the Four Seasons Hotel in East Palo Alto to attend the Grand Finale Gala of the Man & Woman of the Year campaign hosted by the Silicon Valley and Monterey Bay Chapter of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. The gala recognized individuals from all over the region who helped raise funds for the non-profit organization, including the organization's 2011 Man and Woman of the Year, who are Dustin David of Los Gatos and Jansie Tompkins of Santa Clara.
Oops We Made A Mistake
In the article titled "Veteran's Honored at Annual Memorial Day Ceremony" the date of Pearl Harbor was incorrectly printed. Pearl Harbor happened on December 7, 1941.
In the article titled "Dogs Scout at HSSV" it was incorrectly stated that DSA Troop 198 meets the third Thursday of every month. DSA Troop 198 actually meets the fourth Thursday of every month with the next meeting scheduled for Thursday, June 23 at 6:30 p.m.
Many City Fees and Service Charges to Grow in Coming Year, Electric Rates Stay Steady
By Carolyn Schuk
In the coming year, Santa Clara residents and businesses can expect to see increases in city fees and service charges as the city aligns fees with the costs of providing city services in the face of flat or declining tax revenues.
Diving at Dan's
By Melissa McKenzie
Nearly three-quarters of the Earth is ocean and when the depth of the ocean is taken to account about 99 percent of the living space on this planet is ocean space and yet less than two percent of the population
Theater Has Gone to Her Head - JoAnne Bunker
Special to the WEEKLY
One might say that theater has gone to Santa Claran JoAnne Bunker's head.
Getting to Know Terri Hill and Laura Cabral
By Cynthia Cheng
15 years ago, Terri Hill and Laura Cabral met at a gay and lesbian running group in Palo Alto called FrontRunners.
Conspiracy Con Celebrates Counterculture
By Melissa McKenzie
You have been brainwashed.
At least you have been if you believe much of what was said at this year's Conspiracy Con.
Opening Doors - Nadeem Becomes First Muslim in Rotary
By Robert Haugh
Like JFK was the first Roman Catholic elected as U.S. President, Mohammed Nadeem is making waves, earning the distinction of being the first Muslim to run for City Council and first Muslim to join Santa Clara Rotary.
