June 8, 2007

School Scene

Students “Run Wild” for Castlemont at annual Jog-a-thon

More than 700 students at World Fa-mous Castlemont Elementary School, in Campbell, got to “run wild” at their annual Jog-a-thon on May 24. Planners of this year’s event hoped to raise both money and community spirit for the school.

Second/Third Grade Principal's Running Team with Castlemont principal Shannon Gilligan (wearing hat) and Campbell Mayor Dan Furtado.

“The jog-a-thon is much more than a fundraiser,” says Kathleen Staub, a Campbell resident and this year’s Jog-a-thon chair. “It’s a tradition that promotes school pride and brings families, teachers and students together. It’s great to see the community cheering the kids on and supporting their efforts through donations and pledges.”

Proceeds from the Jog-a-thon will go to support Castlemont programs including assemblies, the library, field trips, outdoor life lab and more.

Campbell Mayor Dan Furtado helped kick-off the event, running alongside the children. Castlemont principal Shannon Gilligan led the Principal’s Running Team, a special group of students awarded from each grade level.

All participants received a T-shirt, lunch and Otter Pop treat. The student who brings in the most pledge money will receive a bicycle donated by Wheel Away Cycle Center, in Campbell.

A Castlemont student created the T-shirt design for this year’s jungle-themed event. The artwork, which features an upside-down monkey swinging from a vine, was chosen among 200 student entries in the annual t-shirt design contest.

Local students receive Kiwanis scholarships for turning their grades (and lives) around

By Carol Rosen
Staff Writer

Seven students from Boynton and West-mont High Schools received $1,000 scholarships from the Campbell Kiwanis Club for turning their grades and their lives around.

The students, Jonathon Gladstone from Boynton and Jacob Bryan, Stephanie Cavigliano, Christopher Chaney, Ashley Harden, Nikki Navarro and Melissa Viveros joined a number of other students throughout San Jose in winning the scholarships. The Campbell Kiwanians held a special luncheon celebration at Hobee’s Restaurant in the Pruneyard to award the scholarships while parents, friends, teachers and principals watched.

The Campbell Turnaround scholars, principals and counselors pose for a photo with the Kiwanis Turn Around Scholarship Chair, Marilyn West. Pictured, first row, from the left are West, Katrina Rubenstein, Desa Sredanovich, Hikki Navarro, Ashleigh Harden, Stephanie Cavigliano, Christopher Chaney, Melissa Viveros and Boynton Principal Karen Wagner. In the back row from the left are Campbell Kiwanis President Dennis Merrill, Jacob Bryan, Johnathan Gladstone and Westmont Principal Owen Hege.

A Turnaround Scholarship recognizes at-risk seniors who have “turned around” his or her life after a disastrous start in high school. These scholarship recipients have overcome problems like drug and alcohol addiction, abusive parents and guardians, poverty and homelessness to name a few. The young people have triumphed over tremendous obstacles and are graduating and going on to college. Most scholarships are $1,000 but many programs encourage students to reapply for additional funds in the future.

Turnaround scholarship chair Marilyn West talked about the students and how they had handled and overcome adversity, turning their lives around and holding that course and now graduating. She thanked the Kiwnais Clubs in general, especially the Campbell members who were helping the students with their dreams. In addition, she mentioned the Leo Shortino Foundation, which helps countless teens throughout the Bay Area go on to college and beyond.

West then presented each recipient with an award along with Boynton counselor Katrina Rubenstein and Westmont Counselor Desa Sredanovich.

“It’s pretty overwhelming the things these students do,” said Sredanovich. “The switch goes off and they turn everything around. It’s great keeping up with them so that we can see how they overcome these obstacles.”
Gladstone will be receiving a degree from Boynton High School. He wanted to become a fighter pilot for the Air Force but is too tall. He plans to get his pilot’s license and possibly attend West Valley College.

Bryan took night and online courses in order to graduate. At the same time, he started his own landscaping business. He plans to take his general requirements at West Valley and transfer to San Jose State as a business major.

Cavigliano was into the social scene and really didn’t want to do her homework. However, when receiving her scholarship, she told the audience that “doing your homework does pay off.” She too plans to take her general education courses at West Valley and hopes to finish her undergraduate education at University of Southern California.

“I’ve always seen Stephanie as a winner and it’s wonderful to see her come from giving up and not trying to doing the work and succeeding,” her mother said.

Chaney has spent the year taking nine classes at Westmont and CCOC. He too plans to go to West Valley College for general education requirements and to receive a degree in cosmetology.

Harden noted that she has messed up a lot and thanked her counselor and family for helping her turn around. She plans to go to DeAnza College for her general education with her final aim to be a crime scene investigator lab technician.

“Ashleigh has come a long way,” said her father. “I’m so proud of her. The fact that she’s here is amazing, and she did it all on her own. One day the light bulb came on and she turned her life around.”

Navarro noted that it’s been a hard trip to get to this point, but she’s glad she made it. She has been taking eight classes, working at a retirement home and raising a steer for Future Farmers of America. Her plans are to take general education courses at DeAnza and transfer to UC-Davis to earn a veterinarian degree.

“Nikki’s work shocked me and made me take a look at myself and turn some things in my life around,” her father said.

Viveros said she hung out with the wrong people as a freshman, but with support from her family, especially her father, and from Westmont, she was able to turn her life around. She plans to go to West Valley for two years and transfer to San Jose State where she wants to earn a degree as a forensic scientist and a landscape architect.

The students laughed and cried, but happily received their scholarships. Westmont Principal Owen Hege told the students that what they had accomplished “was just the start, keep up with your dreams.”

In 1970, the Kiwanis Club of East San Jose granted the first three Turnaround Scholarships ($250.00 each) to students in the three high schools in the East Side Union High School District. As the number of schools increased, the Kiwanis Club of East San Jose joined with the Kiwanis Club of San Jose Foundation to raise additional scholarship money.

In 1996, the first Turnaround Scholarship benefit was help and raised $2,500.00. Impressed by the impact the Scholarships were having, many other Kiwanis Clubs like the Willow Glen Sunrisers began their own scholarship programs in different school districts. The program was greatly aided by the late Leo M. Shortino who started by donating $2,500 in 1996 and steadily increased his donation level to $50,000.00 a year. Regrettably, Mr. Shortino passed away in 2004, but his Foundation, the Leo M. Shortino Family Foundation has been carrying on his support of this program.

There are currently 14 Kiwanis Clubs participating in the program and this year the clubs hoped to grant one hundred and twenty $1,000 scholarships in seven high school districts.

SCHOOL BRIEFS

District invites parents to Kindergarten orientation
The Campbell Union School District will hole a general Kindergarten orientation meeting on June 13 at 6:30 p.m. in the Hamilton Room at the district office, 155 North 3rd Street, Campbell.

This will be a welcome to the district meeting where administrators will discuss what parents might expect, what they can do to prepare their children over the summer and to get any questions answered that they may have. Call (408) 341-7275 for more information.

A step back in time
Rolling Hills Middle School held their annual Renaissance Day for all the seventh grade students on May 24. About 300 students and a dozen parent volunteers came dressed in Ren-aissance costumes and spent the day enjoying an array of activities which included Michel-angelo painting, catapulting, jousting, face painting, stained glass making, alchemy and a grand old game of tug of war. “They all remember this event as a fun part of their middle school experience,” said Renaissance Day Chairperson Lori Longmire.