Published in the May 13-26, 2015 issue of Morgan Hill Life
By Robert Airoldi
Lori Ross of Los Paseos School was named the MHUSD’s 2015 Teacher of the Year.
Robert Airoldi
Lori Ross, a Los Paseos Elementary School educator, is the 2015 Teacher of the Year for the Morgan Hill Unified School District. Each school in the district submitted the name of a teacher and from that pool of qualified candidates, Ross was selected for the top honor.
The other Teachers of the Year are:
Janet Lammers, Barrett Elementary School; Patty Meehan and Angie Hays, Jackson Academy of Math and Music (JAMM); Lisa Clark, Nordstrom Elementary School; Paula Reynolds, San Martin Gwinn Elementary School; Richard Punches, Britton Middle School; Frank Lines, Central High School; Sandra Briley, Sobrato High School; Paula Dennery, El Toro Elementary School; Chuck Garcia, Paradise Valley Elementary School; Mary Kellogg, P.A. Walsh STEAM Academy; Marilyn Chong, Martin Murphy Middle School; Jim Hemeon, Live Oak High School.
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The Morgan Hill Sister City Exchange is looking for students and their families to host six students and two chaperones from Mizuho, Japan Aug. 22-30. The six students selected will then travel to Mizuho in July 2016. Applications are due May 22. For more information about the program contact Cindy van Rhijn at [email protected].
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One of the most poignant and important events in Morgan Hill takes place the weekend of May 16 and 17. The annual Relay for Life, an organized, overnight community fundraising walk with teams of people who camp out around a track with team members taking turns walking around the track. So far, 35 teams and 198 participants have raised more than $36,000. Be sure to stop by and support those raising funds to battle cancer.
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The Gavilan College Board of Trustees voted to confer an honorary degree upon Lorraine Welk, who recently retired as the director of the Morgan Hill site of Gavilan College. Welk was a fixture of fundraising and community not just at Gavilan, and Morgan Hill, raising hundreds of thousands of dollars over the years for local organizations. She’ll receive her award and address the graduates May 22 at the Gavilan College Graduation Ceremony.
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There is an organized effort underway to get John Carey and his cat Sunrise into a home. Morgan Hill Life featured John in a recent story and a few residents have picked up the baton. So far, about $3,700 has been raised at http://dm2.gofund.me/syfm2w That money will go toward food, clothing, shelter and any other incidental needs he might have. A generous donor has even come forward with a beautiful fifth-wheel trailer that he can use but needs a place to park it with water and electric hook-ups. He is waiting for Section 8 housing as he is approved but there is a long waiting list. We’re sure there’s someone out there who can help.
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Paul Hernandez, Mark Harrier, Kevin Crowell and Robert Giambalvo celebrate their golf victory.
Finally, on a personal note, three friends from Morgan Hill and Gilroy and I met a friend from the Los Angeles area and his three friends for a three-day golf tournament in Nipomo. We bought a small cup and had it engraved with the name we dubbed the Mid-Cal Cup. Alas, the boys from So-Cal beat the boys from Nor-Cal 5-3 in a Ryder Cup-style competition. The golf was a blast, but the best part was the friendships formed. Congratulations — begrudgingly — to So-Cal captain Kevin Crowell and teammates Mark Harrier, Robert Giambalvo and Paul Hernandez. Nor-Cal Captain Chris Yacenda, and brothers Glenn and Martin Scott and I have vowed revenge and intend to return that cup to its rightful place in Northern California.
