A group of Bay Area dancers recently competed in an International Amateur Dance Competition in Barcelona and won two trophies. The dance director, Vishal Ramani and one of the dancers, Pooja Chirala, are Morgan Hill residents.
Dancing in Barcelona A group of Bay Area dancers recently competed in an International Amateur Dance Competition in Barcelona and won two trophies. The dance director, Vishal Ramani and one of the dancers, Pooja Chirala, are Morgan Hill residents.
Meeting Congressman McNerney Congressman Jerry McNerney met with 26 Oakwood School students on the east front steps of the U.S. Capitol April 16.
The congressman chatted with the eighth-graders about life in Congress, how he was initially inspired to run for office and the wind energy engineering work he did before coming to Washington. The group was on the East Coast for a whole week, spending several days in Washington, D.C., and also touring other historic sites including Williamsburg and Jamestown, Va., as well as Gettysburg, Pa.
California ranks 40th in national education survey Based on a variety of indicators, the American Legislative Exchange Council's "Report Card on American Education" found no direct correlation between conventional measures of education inputs, such as expenditures per pupil and teacher salaries, and educational outputs, such as average scores on standardized tests. For instance, class sizes in California today are 10 percent smaller than they were 20 years ago, yet of the 10 states that experienced the greatest decreases in class size, only one, Vermont, is among the highest performing states in the rankings.
Even with dramatic increases in the amount of educational resources spent on primary and secondary education in California during the past two decades, student performance has improved only slightly, according to the report. State expenditures rose to an all-time high of $8,505 per pupil, yet 76 percent of eighth-graders are still performing below proficiency in math and 78 percent in reading, according to the 2007 National Assessment of Education Progress.
The council recently released its 14th edition of the Report Card on American Education: A State-by-State Analysis, detailing the 2006-07 school year. This comprehensive guide ranks the educational performance of the school systems in the states and the District of Columbia, with Minnesota placing first and the District of Columbia last. "Raising student achievement levels and improving our schools must involve new and innovative solutions, and examining the data in this publication is a step in the right direction," said council Education Task Force Chairman Senator Nancy Spence of Colorado. "We need to hold our schools accountable, demand results and provide parents with more choices when it comes to their children's education."
Vendors needed for GavFEST on May 3 Local arts, crafts and nonprofit vendors and exhibitors are invited to participate in GavFEST, the annual spring festival and open house at Gavilan College from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. GavFEST 2007 drew 2,000 visitors.
GavFEST 2008 will include bands, food, a college open house, hairstyles and manicures, a soccer tournament and GaviLAND kids area with reptile zoo, bounce attraction and climbing wall. This year's festival has a special environmental theme, "GavFEST Goes Green" and will include environmental and green building exhibits. Admission and parking are free. Vendor fees are $25 for nonprofits and $50 for commercial exhibitors. The fee includes a six-foot table and two chairs.
Alcohol-related traffic fatalities rise during graduation season The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration released data from its Fatality Analysis Reporting System showing that alcohol-related fatalities increase between the middle of April and the middle of June. What's significant about these time periods is that it happens to be when teenagers tend to do a lot of partying, namely prom and graduation.
"Alcohol is one of the most difficult drugs to combat, especially with youth," said Gary Smith, executive director of Narconon Arrowhead, a drug and alcohol abuse treatment and education program. "Being a legal drug that is easily obtained, clear and effective prevention and education measures must be taken."
The FARS data showed that in the year 2000, 58 percent of traffic fatalities were alcohol-related during the prom and graduation period, compared to 41 percent for the rest of the year. In addition, 36 percent of all alcohol-related traffic fatalities are young people between the ages of 15 and 20, below the legal age to consume alcoholic beverages.
Although the Morgan Hill Times does not have any obligation to monitor this board, the Morgan Hill Times reserves the right at all times to check this board and to remove any information or materials that are unlawful, threatening, abusive, libelous, defamatory, obscene, vulgar, pornographic, profane, indecent or otherwise objectionable to the Morgan Hill Times in our sole discretion and to disclose any information necessary to satisfy the law, regulation, or government request. The Morgan Hill Times also reserves the right to permanently block any user who violates these terms and conditions. All threats to systems or site infrastructure shall be assumed genuine in nature and will be reported to the appropriate law enforcement authorities. Submission of any comments will be considered permission to use online or in print.
Grease fire scorches kitchen
Suspicious fire guts Gilroy school for second time
Suspicious fire guts Gilroy school for second time
