Published in the May 11-25, 2016 issue of Morgan Hill Life
By Robert Airoldi
Robert Airoldi
Entrepreneur Frank Léal received city approval for his hotel project on the site of the old Downtown Mall building at Monterey Road and First Street. Named the Granada Hotel, it will include a “market hall” of food and drink vendors, an upscale steakhouse, a wine bar and a flower shop on the first floor.
The four-story project will be built adjacent to the Granada Theater, which Léal is currently renovating into a dinner theater. The 60-room hotel will include about 6,000 square feet of conference space on the second floor, a spa and vegetable garden on the roof, among other amenities.
The Granada Theater is nearly half finished and when complete will host comedy shows, school events and corporate events.
We look forward to the completion of the Granada Hotel as well as the four new restaurants going in at the corner of Third Street and Monterey Road after the demolition of the old Simple Beverages and More site.
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Congratulations to the Live Oak 2016 Winterguard for the completion of a highly successful season. They took first place out of 11 competitors in their Scholastic A Class at the CCGC Championship Competition April 2, 2016 at James Logan High School in Union City.
Color guard is an artistic interpretation of music through dance and flag/rifle work. Live Oak Winter Guard is a competitive Color Guard team. They compete against other guards in gymnasiums during the winter season. Then in the fall they perform with the marching band and compete on football fields.
Names from back left to front right: Brandon Miner, Elle Munk, Ellie Tuttle, Moises Martinez, Makenna Lewis, Ally Garcia, Marcos Arellano, Malynn Plaza, Julie Terrazas, Bryn Rassmusen, MacKenzie Mitchell, Rhyleigh Thompson, Rachel Sjostedt.
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The Morgan Hill Tennis Club held its annual junior round robin-style tournament that included 11 boys and six girls — all home-grown players.
Satyan Patel, the Sobrato High School No. 1 singles player, just edged Jordan Zimmer, a former Bulldog, 19 games won to 18 to win flight one in the boys division. Alec Tang, the Sobrato High School No. 2 singles player, also just got by Shreyen Patel, the Sobrato Bulldog No. 3 singles player, by one game 16-15. Alec Tang, flight two winner, then went on to defeat Satyan Patel, the flight one winner 3-2 in the finals of the tournament, crowning him the 2016 MHTC Spring Boys Champion.
In the girls division there were just the six players so there was no need of a two flight battle. It was still a fight to the finish as Sylviann Nguyen, the Sobrato Bulldogs No. 1 singles player, squeaked by Sobrato High School No. 2 singles player Ashley Whitaker 20 games to 17. Sylviann Nguyen was crowned 2016 MHTC Spring Girls Champion.
A notable mention goes out to the third place finisher Aubree Tomasetti, who was the youngest participant (13) who won 14 games while facing all varsity players from Live Oak and Sobrato High Schools.
Congrats to all!
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Ashley Ricks
Out of more than 16,000 freshman applicants, Ashley Ricks, a long-time Morgan Hill resident, was notified recently by Santa Clara University that she was selected as 1 of 10 “Johnson Scholars” for the Class of 2020 at SCU. Students selected as Johnson Scholars receive four-year, comprehensive merit awards that include full coverage of tuition, room, and board and a $7,500 stipend to use after the sophomore year. They are also enrolled into the prestigious Honors Program at SCI.
With SCU’s current costs for tuition, room, and board at $62,000/yr., means the award is currently worth over $250,000.
Ashley, who is graduating from Milpitas High School — her parents moved to Morgan Hill when she was small but continued in Milpitas schools — has had quite an exciting senior year. Among other things, she:
• Self-funded a three-week mission trip last summer to help poor children in the Philippine slums and typhoon-damaged areas.
• Helped raise money for a New York based nonprofit to buy bicycles for poor students in India.
• Was elected her high school’s Homecoming Queen.
• Ranked in the top 5 percent of her graduating class of more than 750 seniors.
• Winner of the prestigious Students in Action Jefferson Award and will be honored on the field at a San Francisco Giants game.
• Self-funded a three-week mission trip to Uganda the week after her graduation to serve at a disabled center and baby home.
Well done, Ashley. Hard work does pay off.
