Mount Madonna School and Mount Madonna Center, located on Summit Road in Watsonville, have begun installation of five different solar arrays to provide renewable energy for their major buildings.
After more than a year of intense planning - primarily figuring out how to fund the $1.3 million project - Independent Energy Systems of Santa Cruz will have the solar system up and running this August. The system will fulfill 100 percent of the school's middle/high campus electricity needs and more than 50 percent of the center's needs. The almost 10,000 square feet of SunPower solar panels will produce approximately 223,000 kilowatt-hours per year.
Mount Madonna's school and center funded the project with some of its reserves, a $350,000 Pacific Gas and Electric rebate and borrowing funds.
Figuring a 6 percent rise in energy costs per year, Mount Madonna officials expect that the project will break even in 10 to 15 years.
"We started out with the idea of doing the right thing," Mount Madonna project manager Ward Mailliard said. "I think we will ultimately find that we have done the smart thing. Because solar power is known to be expensive to install, organizations and individuals shy away from making the transition. However, it's not expensive if we see the bigger picture and internalize all the expenses - the political, social and environmental costs - associated with energy production and consumption. Going solar is not more expensive from this perspective."
Student exchange program with Mizuho, Japan to begin Aug. 2
Six middle school students and three chaperones from Morgan Hill's sister city, Mizuho, Tokyo, Japan will begin a 10-day visit to Morgan Hill Aug. 2. This will be the first student exchange group from Mizuho. The Mizuho superintendent of schools, his chief of social education and an English teacher will chaperone the students on the visit, which concludes Aug. 11. Everyone will be staying with host families.
Included in their schedule are tours of the city and Google, trips to San Francisco, the Santa Cruz Boardwalk, Roaring Camp and Monterey Bay Aquarium, in addition to Mizuho students selecting places to visit and things to do. They will also be learning about the history of local Japanese-Americans and exploring some local treasures, including the redwoods, Chitactac, hiking in Rosendin Park, near Lake Anderson, and swimming at the Aquatics Center.
Mizuho Town, Tokyo, Japan became Morgan Hill's sister city July 3, 2006. Mizuho was selected because of its similarity to Morgan Hill. Both share a similar agricultural background and are progressive communities. Morgan Hill's Sister-City Program is administered by Mayor Steve Tate and facilitated by the Morgan Hill Sister City Committee.
This year, Morgan Hill will host six 13- and 14-year-old students. Mizuho will host the same number of Morgan Hill students in 2009. After a rigorous competition, five female students and one male student were selected to visit Morgan Hill. The six students will stay with families who have middle-school students. Hosts have already begun e-mail correspondence with the students from Mizuho.
The Sister City Program has generously provided seed money for this first group, but additional sponsorship is needed, as this program's leadership looks forward to next summer and Morgan Hill students going to Japan. It will cost an estimated $800 to $1,100 to visit Mizuho Town in 2009 by participating students. That expense includes transportation, airfare, and some incidentals, such as local transportation, gifts, insurance and outside meals. To ensure equal opportunities to aspiring students to visit Mizuho, the Student Exchange Committee is actively seeking funds, including corporate and business donations.
Details: http://www.morganhillstudentexchange.com/ or Sister-City Committee member Brian Shiroyama at 776-0361 or 896-1021 or bshiroyama@yahoo.com.
State schools chief announces science framework focus groups
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell has announced that four focus group meetings will be held across California to gather public input on the update of the K-12 science curriculum.
The Northern California focus group meetings will be Oct. 27 at the San Joaquin County Office of Education, 2901 Arch-Airport Road., in Stockton, and Oct. 28 at the Alameda County Office of Education, 313 West Winton Ave., in Hayward. More information about the groups, including a form for those interested in participating, will soon be posted at Curriculum Frameworks - Science. All group meetings will be open to the public, and everyone is welcome to attend.
Details: www.cde.ca.gov.
First student dropout, graduation report released
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell has released a report on dropout and graduation rates for the 2006-07 school year that for the first time was compiled using individual student-level data.
The Statewide Student Identifier (SSID) provides each student a unique identification number and allows for more accurate information about how many students are or are not completing their education.
In 2006-07, 67.6 percent of public school students in California graduated, the adjusted four-year derived dropout rate is 24.2 percent, and 8.2 percent completed or withdrew from school and are considered neither dropouts nor graduates, such as students who transferred to a private school, left the state, or earned a general education degree.
"Twenty-four percent of students dropping out is not good news. In fact, any student dropping out of school is one too many, and the data reveal a disturbingly high dropout rate for Latinos and African Americans," O'Connell said.
Senate Bill 1453, authored by former state Senator Dede Alpert, was signed into law in September 2002 to require the assignment of SSIDs.
Local educational agencies have assigned all California K-12 public school students a SSID that is unique, yet non-personally identifiable. The dropout data for the 2006-07 school year were calculated by the California Department of Education's Data Management Division using information generated by the SSIDs.
It is important to note that it would be a mistake to simply compare this year's dropout numbers to last year's rate, which was 13 percent, because the numbers are based on different information.
Details: www.cde.ca.gov.
Live Oak High School class reunion barbecue is Saturday
Graduates of Live Oak High School, classes of 1938 through 1950, are invited to attend a barbecue luncheon at San Martin Country Park and Pumpkin Patch, on Monterey Road north of San Martin Avenue, at 11:30 a.m. Saturday.
Elvera Lico, who is planning the event, expects more than 160 former graduates to attend.
Details: Elvera Lico at 779-8431 or Ed Boni 779-3543.
16 Asian students to learn American culture in South County
People Link, a foreign exchange student training program, will welcome 16 foreign students to South County this weekend for a two- to four-week stint in American culture.
After weeks of extensive English practice and learning to function in an American household, the students from Korea, China, Japan and Thailand will live with a host family for a semester or a year of American school, said Gilroy teacher guide Susan Gareif.
A Japanese student will be hosted by a Morgan Hill family and attend Live Oak High School after completing the People Link program.
The People Link program includes daily English lessons and field trips.
Natalie Everett Natalie Everett covers education and city issues for The Times. Reach her at (408) 779-4106, ext. 201, or neverett@morganhilltimes.com.
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Behind the brews: the origin and making of El Toro beers
