April 2, 2007

School Scene

Branham holds music fest, sets fund-raiser date

Branham High School held a Branham Palooza Music Fest on March 8, following its Music Open House for middle school families. The fest was designed to show Music Director Robert Barnes’ leadership and instruction as well as introduce the schools music program to middle school students who plan to attend Branham in the future.

The fest included concert bands from Branham as well as Dartmouth and Price middle schools, which played three pieces together. The Branham jazz and percussion ensembles also performed to show the prospective students a glimpse of the music program available at the high school.

“The music program continues to grow each school year and we hope to continue that trend,” said Kim Leichner, president of the Branham Music Boosters Association.

Her group has scheduled its second annual dinner social for Friday, May 11 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Last year the music and sports boosters partnered to raise funds and to create more community spirit on and off campus. “It was a great success last year and has become an annual event still partnered between both parent groups,” Leichner said.

The dinner and silent auction will feature live entertainment from multiple student ensembles in jazz, choir and concert band. The silent auction will offer a number of exciting and fun items including sports tickets, restaurants, attractions, theme parks, live theater, winery tastings and tours and more.

Tickets include a chicken dinner for $12 in advance or $15 at the door. Kids meals also are available for $6 and dessert will be sold. Proceeds will benefit the school’s music and athletic departments. For more information, or to buy dinner tickets, go to www.BranhamMusic.com.

Leigh High School presents Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast”

Leigh High School’s Center Stage Theatre will present Disney’s rollicking musical, “Beauty and the Beast” this March at the high school’s auditorium.

The play is considered one of the most enduring of fairy tales. Set in a French provincial town, a young girl dreams of far-off adventures and a poignant Beast learns a life-altering lesson in selflessness. It is a story of dreams, loyalty and redemption. Enjoy an evening of comedy, song and dance performed by dedicated student actors and crew.

Tickets are on sale now. They are priced at $12 for reserved seats or $40 for a four-seat package (party pack). General seating prices are $10 each. Sign up early for Reserved Seating.

The musical will run for two weeks, Thursday to Saturday from March 8-10, and Thursday through Saturday, March 15-17. The box opens at 6:45 p.m. The house opens at 7 p.m. with the entertainment starting promptly at 7:30. Come early to enjoy delicious fare at Café de Lune.

Leigh High School is located at 5210 Leigh Avenue, San Jose 95124. For more information, or for tickets, contact Stephanie Holt at (408) 627-1575 or e-mail beautyatleigh@yahoo.com.

Willow Glen High School Parent Club presents Friday Night Out!

Willow Glen High School Parent Club will be holding their annual nighttime fundraising event, Friday Night Out, on Friday March 16. The event will be held at the F.O.E. Eagles Hall, 1036 Lincoln Ave. from 7- to 10:30 p.m. It is for adults only.

The evening will feature Texas Hold'em Poker as well as live and silent auctions, raffles, a large selection of appetizers and no host bar. All the money raised will be used to benefit the students of Willow Glen High School.
Advance tickets are $40. Ticket sales at the door are $50.

For information contact mholback@cisco.com or call Michelle Holback at (408) 448-3181. For tickets sales, e-mail sjdebolts@comcast.net. or call Maureen De Bolt at (408) 293-4998. To help with a donation, please e-mail mirabella@covad.net or contact Nancy Mirabella at (408) 802-5528.

CCOC students win medals at StRUT competition

Central County Occupational Center students won three medals—a gold, silver and bronze—at the seventh annual StRUT (Students Recycling Used Technology) competition at Mission College on March 24.

“We were quite surprised we got the gold as we were one of the only two-person teams at the event,” CCOC student Travis Cook said. “It was nice to see all the different grade levels competing against each other.”

The gold-winning team consisted of Travis Cook from Piedmont Hills High School and Matt Sharp from Evergreen Valley High School. The bronze team from CCOC’s afternoon class included Ben Parker from Branham High School; Patrick Decker from Los Gatos High School; Andrew Miles from Evergreen Valley High School; and George Booth from Leigh High School.

Students from CCOC’s computer technology class worked in a team of three with an alternate and a team of two and were scored in three different timed areas: computer build/presentation, challenge and written exam. Students in grades kindergarten-12th grade participated in the competition and were judged against other students in their grade range.

The computer build/presentation is a timed portion in which students take apart and rebuild a computer as fast as they can. The team gives a presentation to judges who score on their ability to communicate, organizational skills, use of visual aides, delivery and teamwork.

In the challenge portion, students troubleshoot 10 different computers, determine the problem and suggest a solution. Students also take a written exam with 100 items on computer knowledge and A+ certification content.

“The challenge portion was realistic of the problems you would get if you worked in computer support,” Ben Parker from Branham High School, said. “I really enjoyed the whole experience. It was really fun and worthwhile.”

CCOC, a unit of MetroED, provides career-technical education for high school students in six districts: Campbell Union High School District, East Side Union High School District, Los Gatos-Saratoga Joint Union High School District, Milpitas Unified School District, San Jose Unified School District and Santa Clara Unified School District. Students attend CCOC for half of their school day and attend their home high school the other half of the day.

MetroED is the largest career-oriented educational organization in Santa Clara County, comprised of high school and adult occupational, academic and community programs. It annually provides 35,000 diverse students with the skills to help them be productive, income-earning and tax-paying contributors to Silicon Valley.

Hammer Montessori celebrates two anniversaries

On March 27, Hammer Montessori Elementary School joined more than 5,000 Montessori schools throughout the world in celebrating the 100th anniversary of Montessori education. At the same time, the Willow Glen school celebrated its 10th anniversary as a San Jose Unified elementary magnet of choice.

The third, fourth and fifth graders at Hammer Montessori School presented a play on the history of Dr. Maria Montessori’s life, and then the students demonstrated Montessori materials.

The anniversary celebration was quite successful with more than 250 people in attendance. The school opened its program with a demonstration of 100 golden beads. That was followed by the third, fourth and fifth graders presenting a play on the history of Dr. Maria Montessori’s life and then the students demonstrated Montessori materials.

Devised and developed by Montessori, Italy’s first woman physician, the Montessori method of education offers many unique qualities. These qualities consist of various lesson formats, freedom within limits, student choices and peacefulness. The classrooms are designed to help students develop into successful, independent thinkers. Lessons and materials are set up from simple to complex and from concrete to abstract to assist the child in learning skills easily and without undue stress.

The school, which is also part of Galarza Elementary School, has planned its spring open house for Tuesday, April 24 from 7 to 8 p.m. It will offer a self-guided tour and access to all classrooms. Hammer is located at 1610 Bird Ave. in San Jose.