From late January through March, Silicon Valley Reads will offer more than 100 free virtual events for all ages
By Robert Airoldi
Robert Airoldi
Silicon Valley Reads has for 18 years encouraged Santa Clara County residents of all ages to read books and join conversations relevant to a theme.
This year’s theme is “connecting,” with an array of books chosen to embody the importance of joining with each other and with things that bring comfort.
The event’s virtual kickoff will be 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 28 in partnership with the Commonwealth Club of Silicon Valley and moderated by Sal Pizarro, columnist for the San Jose Mercury News. Registration for the Zoom event is required and available at siliconvalleyreads.org/events.
“We’ve seen so many examples of this during the past months. Singing from balconies. Baking bread. Adopting a pet. Enjoying the outdoors. Re-reading favorite books. Contacting old friends,” said Jennifer Weeks, Santa Clara County Librarian, who serves as Silicon Valley Reads co-chair along with Dr. Mary Ann Dewan, Santa Clara County Superintendent of Schools and Jill Bourne, city of San Jose Library Director. “We have identified a set of recommended books that describe ways people can feel connected and experience moments of happiness in the most challenging circumstances.”
From late January through March, Silicon Valley Reads will offer more than 100 free virtual events for all ages including author visits, conversations around art and music, children and teen events, weekly UNAFF in libraries, films, a wide range of free classes to virtually connect with others, and conversations about nature, birdwatching and ways in which people can connect with their community.
The medley of books for Silicon Valley Reads 2021 includes two memoirs, two novels and two nonfiction books. Each approaches the concept of “connecting” from a different vantage point such as nature, music, food, animals, books and human contact for mental and physical health.
The complete schedule of events can be found on the SiliconValleyReads.org website.
Norm Alexander
Speaking of books, Gilroyan Norm Alexander (who was for several years a Morgan Hill resident) recently self-published a novel that’s a riveting saga inspired by true events of a family in Guatemala caught between immense tragedy and undying love. Its titled Revenge is the Hunter and can be found on the Amazon Books website.
“I actually experienced much of that depicted in the novel but, of course, in different settings,” he told us.
A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the novel will be donated to the Edward Boss Prado Foundation, a Morgan Hill-based nonprofit providing food and clothing to needy families.
Those experiences Norm describes were not only from his year in Vietnam but also his two years living and working in Mexico City and Guadalajara as well as his Army assignment in the CIA’s School of the Americas in the Panama Canal Zone. The school, dubbed the School of the Assassins by Latin Americans, is prominently featured with all its evils in the novel.
If you’re looking for laughs, the South Valley Civic Theatre has got something for you the weekend of Jan. 29 to 31. They’ve produced a group of “quick” comedy plays that will be performed online.
“We will be presenting five very short plays and the total playing time will be about one hour,” said Elizabeth Mandel, who is in charge of publicity for SVCT. “Each will be featuring different South Bay actors and directors. In order to comply with social distancing requirements, each cast was selected from within a family unit or COVID bubble.”
The online productions are free, but you must request a “ticket” by visiting the theater group’s website at www.svct.org.
Performers in these short plays will include Angie Higgins and Tom Shamrell in “Sure Thing,” Lauren Lebaron and Zach Goller in “Last Minute,” Megan Griffin and Chris Cruz in “Hail Caesar,” Cindy Weisberg and Aaron Weisberg in “Ferris Wheel,” and Valerie Valenzuela and Ronnie Misra in “DMV Tyrant.”
We can’t wait to see the shows. It’s great to see theater is still going strong in the South Valley.
Computers for kids are coming to P.A. Walsh Elementary School. The Morgan Hill Unified School District received a donation of 50 Chromebook laptops from Frontier Communications and the California Emerging Technology Fund.
These gifts are for students lacking Internet-capable devices at home to enable them to participate in distance learning.
“This donation could not have come at a better time, said Superintendent Steve Betando. “This pandemic has placed an incredible demand on technology in education like never before. This donation will enable students, many who are underserved, to stay engaged in distance learning until the schools reopen.”
A device such as a Chromebook has become essential to student learning and academic achievement. Officials thanked Frontier Communications and the California Emerging Technology Fund for this donation to help P.A. Walsh.
“We recognize the additional challenges created by the COVID pandemic that are impacting families and the education opportunities of students in high-need school districts,” said Joe Gamble, senior vice president for Frontier Communications West Region.
Parents will own the Chromebook and be encouraged to have their children use it to participate in P.A. Walsh virtual classroom instruction, not only enabling distance learning but also increasing parent engagement with their school and public services.
“We are honored to be selected for this donation and are grateful to both CETF and Frontier Communication,” P.A. Walsh Principal Shannon Rafat said. “We are always looking for opportunities to build partnerships with families to maximize student academic and socioemotional success. This device is a powerful tool that will bridge teaching, learning, connecting and communication beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.”
The families receiving the Chromebooks are being offered the option to sign up for Frontier Fundamental Internet, at $19.99 a month, or another affordable offer.
Photo courtesy Gavilan College Children’s Theater
Actors in the Gavilan College Children’s Theater rehearse.
The Gavilan College Children’s Theater invites families to view the fall production for free online.
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Children’s Theater was unable to allow audiences to view their performances in public. Instead they are bringing their plays to the safety and comfort of local homes.
Enjoy classic fable stories including The Tortoise and the Hare, The Oak & the Reeds, Hunter Maiden, and Coyote, while singing and dancing along to songs “High Hopes,” and “La Pulga de San José.” A how-to video will be included, so children and parents can learn to sing and dance along with the performers.
The list of free videos can be viewed atwww.youtube.com/user/gavtv/videos.
We’re sorry to hear about the recent death of former Gavilan Community College President John Joseph Holleman from dementia Dec. 17 in Stockton. John began his career at Merritt College in Oakland teaching sciences.
He served at Merritt for 20 years, leaving to become president of Vista College in Berkeley (now called Berkeley City College). Serving Vista for nine years he then became president of Gavilan College in 1985, retiring in 1992. During his time in the South Valley, Holleman was active in local community service groups including Rotary International and the Gilroy Community Foundation.
Morgan Hill Life publisher Marty Cheek was a student at Gavilan when Holleman headed the community college. He remembers the man fondly.
“He was a humble man who always took time to chat with students and encourage them in pursuing their life dreams,” Cheek said.
