Meet Morgan Hill. No, we’re not talking about actually getting acquainted with Hiram Morgan Hill, the man our city was named after. He died in 1913. “Meet Morgan Hill” is the new tagline created by the Morgan Hill Tourism Alliance, a loose group of individuals, local businesses and city staff members started by resident John McKay to encourage out-of-towners to come visit our community. Good job, John, for helping Morgan Hill find a fun slogan to build our brand.
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Morgan Hill residents sure love our hometown community Fourth of July parade. Councilmember Larry Carr told us that some patriotic people as early as June 4 set up chairs along Peak Avenue across the street from City Hall. It’s prime viewing area to observe more than 2,500 participants pass by in celebration of our nation’s birthday. We had to go see this zealousness for ourselves. Yup. It’s true. An entire month before the parade, five chairs are lined up.
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The Sobrato High School National Honor Society cares about the comfort of members of the U.S. Armed Forces serving overseas. With a $1,000 donation from Valin Corp. and a $390 donation from the Morgan Hill Kiwanis, students put together 100 care packages May 24. They include personal care items, entertainment items, food and nearly 1,000 letters written by elementary, middle and high school students in the Morgan Hill Unified School District. The assembled packages were then taken to a local chapter of Blue Star Moms, supporting mothers who have sons or daughters in active service, which mailed the packages to service men and women May 28.
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November’s election campaign season starts early with Morgan Hill Unified School board member Claudia Rossi announcing she’s thrown her hat in the ring for the Santa Clara County Board of Education’s Area 7 seat. Rossi, who was elected to the local school board in November 2010, serves as the South County Outreach Coordinator for the YMCA’s Project Cornerstone, a program that advocates the county’s 41 Developmental Assets for youth. She teamed with leaders and educators to start Project Roadmap focusing on helping students who are the first in their families to go to college. She also worked with the Morgan Hill Youth Sports Alliance to develop sports mentoring for the district’s middle school students to use the Outdoor Sports Center. Former MHUSD Trustee Julie Hover-Smoot now sits on the Area 7 seat.