February 10, 2005

SCHOOL SCENEin Almaden Valley

Bret Harte students sell CDs to aid tsunami victims and realize they can make a difference

Delong’s language arts students raised money for tsunami victims. From left, first row: Alysia Osato, Sylvia Chow, Kimberly Rodriguez, Elizabeth Yee, Allison Wu, Miranda Gahagan; and second row: Will Powell, Matt Hiasfroehlich, Jim DeLong, Amy Georgiou, Jon Gill. Photo courtesy of Kymberli Brady.

By Lorraine Gabbert
Staff Writer

Take one innovative teacher with a passion for music, 150 students who feel compelled to help those in need, and one life-altering cause. Add them together, and the result is the tremendous success of the Bret Harte CD project and the students’ ability to feel they are making a real difference in the world.

Guided by language arts teacher Jim DeLong, eighth grade students at Bret Harte Middle School recently raised $2000 for tsunami victims by selling CDs and collecting contributions. Along the way, they also learned about music, design, marketing and teamwork.

The idea to compose and sell CDs as a charity fund-raiser began as DeLong’s response to corporate radio. A musician himself, he learned about the foibles and frustrations of the music industry through his son, Matt, who played in a band at local clubs.

The catalyst came when DeLong read an article noting that “My Former Self,” a band his son played with, was a great band and really deserved to make it, but the cards were stacked against them because they weren’t signed to a major label.

“The bands that get all the airplay are signed to labels owned by one of the four corporations that control almost all of the radio in America,” says DeLong. But DeLong had a plan. He would introduce less commercial, but equally talented bands to Bret Harte students utilizing alternatives like satellite and Internet radio, and in the process, teach them a thing or two.

After listening to Internet radio sites like purevolume.com and Yahoo’s launch.com, DeLong’s students each picked out a song by a relatively undiscovered band, and wrote a persuasive essay aimed at motivating the reader to investigate the band further. A creative thinker, DeLong decided to add another dimension to the project, turning it into a fund-raiser by having the students compile their song selections onto CDs to sell at school. They weren’t sure how they’d sell, but they had high hopes. They sold out in 10 minutes, raising about $1,000.

“An undiscovered band is a great gift,” says DeLong. “And to have the chance to share that with the whole student body is amazing.”

With winter vacation quickly approaching, the next morning they scrambled to burn more CDs in time for the lunch break. Although they originally created the CDs before Christmas to provide food for local families, because Bret Harte’s fund-raising drives were so successful, the principal suggested they save the donations for another good cause. When the tsunami hit, they heeded the call.

“We came back after New Year’s and started burning and stomping CDs again,” says DeLong. In fact, they were so moved by the devastation left by the tsunami that they decided to add two new CD compilations to the mix to increase sales.

“I wanted to do something after the tsunami,” says student Alysia Osato, who created artwork for the CD labels. “It’s fun that Mr. Delong thought of this.”

Through music and art, the students connected, coming together as a cohesive team while capitalizing on their individual abilities. For a month, they came in early before school and stayed long afterwards to work on this production. Some students created original artwork for the CD labels, or burned the CDs and then stomped the printed labels on (scanning the drawings into the computer and printing them onto adhesive labels), while others focused on advertising, marketing and sales.

Together, the students decided which songs to feature on each CD and created attention-grabbing titles like “Little Smurfs No Control,” “Rudolf Gone Wild” and “Snuggans Parade (Thanks Jay and Silent Bob).” They also learned how to master the CDs, choosing the order of the songs, with attention to mood and tempo.

“I care a lot about the music. It’s part of my life,” states student Sylvia Chow, who assisted in compiling songs for the CDs.

DeLong was excited to see the extent of collaboration between the students. “There was a lot of group thinking and decision making. With 150 students with different talents, from different classes, it’s like a corporation with a lot of satellite offices working together to accomplish a selfless goal.”

They offered seven different CDs, each boasting between 20 and 24 songs, and sold them for $2 each. Students carried the CDs around with them during lunch breaks, their excitement infectious.

“Some of my friends were so excited to sell the CDs, they’d run in and say, ‘I sold this many!’” said project treasurer Miranda Gahagan. In two weeks, between sales and contributions, the students raised almost $2,000.

“I think the most wonderful gift is being able to use who you are and what you can do to do something that’s beyond you,” says DeLong. “To make the world a better place. We’re all called to act on that feeling in some way.
Suddenly, this tremendous tragedy happened and we were able to connect and help to make the world whole again.”

DeLong sent their donation in to Direct Relief International, and received a thank you note in return. “Thank you for all your generous donations and efforts to motivate people to give to the tsunami relief in Southeast Asia,” read the letter. “Direct Relief International will be able to supply medicines and medical supplies to aid these peoples and couldn’t otherwise do so.” DeLong also learned that their contribution went toward water purification chemicals, antibiotics and protective gloves when he spoke with Kate Firestone, the Director of Direct Relief
International.

Firestone sent DeLong photographs of the supplies their donations bought, marked to arrive in Sri Lanka and Laos. The very next day, the first sentences DeLong saw on CNN’s Web site focused on Southeast Asia and read “Tens of thousands of people need medical supplies, clean water and food. Colin Powell, while touring the area, pledged U.S. aid to Sri Lanka. A U.N. official said that every tsunami victim in Sri Lanka will probably have received initial aid by this weekend.”

“That’s what we did for them—we [helped to] provide those supplies,” said DeLong. “It was neat for the kids to know they made a difference.”

Direct Relief International works to improve the quality of life for people in need, providing essential material resources to locally run health programs in poor areas around the world and during times of disaster. To contribute to Direct Relief International, contact them by telephone at: (805) 964-4767 or online at: www.directrelief.org.

Listen—do you hear ‘The Stampede?’

Pioneer’s KMTG reaches new heights in radio broadcast education

By Justin Petersen
Staff Writer

Thanks to recent events, listeners can finally enjoy the renegade Mustang radio station. Pioneer High School relocated its broadcast antennae in August, gaining the maximum wattage allotted to non-commercial education hosts by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

Pioneer radio students pose in the KMTG studio following an installment of “Surf’s Up,” with Steve Pinheiro and Jamie Hopper. From left, Angelica Woods, Matt Miyake, Chow Vu, David Ashby, Lisa McKean, Anthony Manzano, Steven Pinheiro, Gary Singh, Jamie Hopper, Matt Hanlon, Josh Tidwell (lower right, hand on cheek.)

For Mustang radio station KMTG, 89.3 FM—The Stampede—the move extended reception from a 10-mile radius surrounding Leland High (the site of the previous radio station), to approximately 30 miles, given the antenna’s new location at a San Jose Water Company tank-site near Web Canyon Port and the Echo Valley intersection.

Broadcast students can now be heard 24 hours a day from Almaden Valley to Tully Road, and south to Gilroy.

“When the antenna was on top of Leland’s gym, it was literally at the lowest point in Santa Clara Valley,” said Steve Dini, head of Pioneer’s radio broadcast. “We scoped out some different locations and the San Jose Water Company was kind enough to let us use one on the hill, more than 600 feet above the valley.

In conjunction with the move, Dini jumped KMTG’s wattage from 150 to 300.

“The high school wrote a very persuasive letter detailing with why this was the only particular site they could use,” said Tom Victorine, director of maintenance at SJWC.

“It made sense that we had enough land there for their transmitter, and we felt it was a good community service project. A lot of our employees at the water company also have children that went through the San Jose Unified School District and we felt it was a good way to support their education as well.”

Career builder
“It’s a great opportunity for kids,” said Dini.

“We work like any professional radio station, following FCC guidelines with permits and licenses in place. We have four breaks an hour, news reports and public service announcements.”

“It’s really still a new program,” added Pioneer Principal Barbara Lepiane. “It’ll still be a couple more years before we see where the program lands kids. But so far they seem really enthused. Mr. Dini and his students work on some very nice projects. Recently they aired a PSA stressing the importance of STAR Testing, which is really an asset to what we are trying to accomplish.”

In addition to his longstanding duty as drama chair, Dini spearheaded the radio program when Leland declined to renew their FCC licenses in 2001.

Previously, Joe Lobue ran Leland’s KLEL beginning in 1977. However, when he retired in ’98, the Chargers were left without an heir to Lobue’s “throne.”

Leland turned to Lobue as a consultant twice, in separate attempts to hire and train a successor. Neither stuck, and the KLEL frequency went up for grabs.

“If you really want to get into radio broadcasting, high school programs are the way to go,” said Lobue. “During the 70s, I had kids working locally as sound engineers based on the experience they acquired at KLEL alone.”

Lobue disciples include Chris Jackson of KUFX, Joe Hoskins, who reads traffic reports on Channel 11 Mornings and Mark Carbarnero of KNRY Monterey.

“Kids were getting into radio at 17, 18 years old and you never heard of it,” continued Lobue. “They were working part time as engineers and changing tapes and still going to Leland.”

Spin control
Dini lobbied for the orphaned program immediately.

“I was sad to see it go,” said Lobue. “Because that’s where it started, at Leland. Though I am pleased it has continued to provide students such a great opportunity. I’m also glad it stayed within the school district.”

“Few high schools offer radio programs, on account of entrusting thousands of dollars worth of the equipment to kids,” said Dini, formerly known as KEZR’s Dj Fogey—“as in old!” he laughs.

“I hand pick every one of the kids. And they learn how to be real professionals.”

Those picked are enthusiastic and responsible.

Five teams of two students host five different morning shows, rotating responsibilities as their show turns in the rotation. Students, whose personal show will not air on a given day, read news, operate soundboards and research content material. Students are responsible for content, engineering, and play lists, which are looped 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Monday airs “Freetime,” followed with Tuesday’s “Morning Munchies,” Wednesday’s “Surf’s up,” Thursday’s “Crazy Monkies,” and Friday’s “Caffeine Substitute.”

“The station is completely self-sufficient,” said Dini, describing not only the product but also the funding.

“It’s awesome,” said senior Steve Pinheiro. “We get to choose what we play and we get to develop content. Mr. Dini gives us certain guidelines and let’s us know what’s going to get us pulled off the air, but ultimately we decide.”

Pinheiro shares airwaves with partner Jamie Hopper on “Surf’s Up.” The duo weaves loose conversation recapping recent surf tour events mixed in with an eclectic taste in music ranging from rock to rap.

“They are very good,” said Dini observing the show.

Following a break, Hopper cues Pinheiro, reputedly the finest sound engineer in the school. He flipped a switch on the soundboard and the duo mouthed single beats before Hopper entered dialogue, introducing a song during the musical overture.

“It’s called hitting the post,” whispered Dini. “It’s a professional move—talking up to the vocal. Jamie could go out and get a job at a radio station right now.”

The final project
Pinheiro was one of several students who joined Dini and independent broadcast consultant Don Mussel in relocating the antennae.

“We maneuvered through a lot of red tape,” said Mussel. “Anytime you deal with the FCC , you’re going to have a lot of specifications. Not only do you have to remember to cross your t’s and dot your i’s, but you have to explain why.”

One such obstacle was installing a directional antenna to protect KOHL, a training station in Fremont.

But to Mussel and a community who contributed approximately $18,000 and countless hours toward the project, the time and money was all well spent.

“At first I thought it was going to be just Steve and myself,” said Mussel.

“In the end there were more volunteers than I knew what to do with. He has a wonderful way with kids.”

From Leland deciding to give up the station, to the installation of Pioneer’s new antenna, the project spanned three years, including a nearly fatal fire scare—the radio equipment was miraculously salvaged when Pioneer’s PAC was burned in an arson fire in fall 2003.

“I don’t work with the big boys,” said Mussel, a 35-year industry veteran. “It gives me great pleasure helping out small community minded stations in reaching audiences. Private, community based stations tend to provide broader dialogue on the air, not just one type of music or speech. The air is opened up to volunteers and average people getting on to talk.”

“We are really fortunate to have this program at our school,” concluded Hopper. “It’s an open opportunity to learn about something I wouldn’t otherwise know much about. I’m not exactly sure what I want to do in the future, but I know I will pursue radio broadcasting further.”

SJUSD votes unanimously to close Randol and Cory elementary schools

SJUSD members take in community commentary on closing Randol and Cory Elementary Schools. Front row, from left are SJUSD Administrator Bob Gonzales, Assistant Superintendent Rosa Molina, Superintendent Don Iglesias, Secondary Director Bonnie Piche and Associate Superintendent Gerald Matranga. Second row, Vice President Richard Garcia, member Pamela Foley, member Leslie Reynolds and President Veronica Grijalvas Lewis. By Lorraine Gabbert

Despite the pleas of Cory and Randol parents to save their schools at recent San Jose Unified School District public hearings, school board trustees voted unanimously Feb. 3 to close both elementary schools. Although expected, the final decree brought tears to parents’ eyes and indignation to their spirits.

“Randol is the diamond in your district. It shines for you,” said parent Dawn Sanchez. “I’m pleading with you—please don’t close our school.”

Although they expressed regret at closing the schools, school board members felt they had no alternative, due to the district’s declining enrollment and a $9 to $10 million budget deficit. “I apologize for my vote, but it’s the vote I need to make,” said trustee Jorge Gonzales, who holds the state responsible for failing to adequately fund education.

—By Lorraine Gabbert

Fourth grade musical a hit

Simonds Elementary School fourth grade students thrilled their schoolmates and families with high melodrama and silly jokes during their recent performance of Val Cheatham’s children’s musical, “The Trial of the Big Bad Wolf.” Students not only acted, but designed the lighting, ran the sound system and took care of props and cue cards much to the delight of their families and teachers.