February 24, 2005

SCHOOL SCENEin Almaden Valley

Project Cornerstone

Helping today’s young people prepare for tomorrow

By Jeanne Carbone Lewis
Staff Writer

It takes a village to raise a child, and the results of Project Cornerstone’s recent survey prove it’s true.

Attendees at the Project Cornerstone included, back row, Cornerstone Chair Mollie Tobias, Principal Don McCloskey, educator Stafford Baham, co-presidents of Community Club Sheetal Singhal and Debbie Droz; and front row, Community Club board member Kelly Noftz, eighth grade student Jonathan Gill and Assistant Principal Norma Murakami. Photo by Jeanne Carbone Lewis

Project Cornerstone [PC] is a Santa Clara County-wide collaborative with a mission to mobilize the entire community to be proactive—instead of reactive—when dealing with children’s problems. PC recently presented its 2005 survey results of 14,000 fourth through 12th graders in 95 schools in Santa Clara County and awarded asset champions at a breakfast last week at the Hyatt House.

“Project Cornerstone was founded and is sustained by the Youth Alliance,” said Dr. Colleen Wilcox, PC Advisory Board chair and superintendent of the Santa Clara County Office of Education. “A group of organizations who believe so strongly in the tenant of building developmental assets that they brought this into our community.”

The organizations include Big Brother, Big Sister, Boys and Girls Clubs of Silicon Valley, Catholic Charities of San Jose, Boy Scouts of America, Girl Scouts of Silicon Valley, mid peninsula YMCA, Silicon Valley YMCA, and YWCA of Silicon Valley.

The 2005 survey shows improvement in 27 of the 40 assets, including positive family communication, parent involvement in schooling, school boundaries and high expectations from parents and teachers.

Castillero Middle School Dance Infinia entertained at Project Cornerstone event. Photos by Jeanne Carbone Lewis

Castillero Middle School has partnered with PC and led its own asset building efforts achieving a 21 percent increase in a caring school climate, with a decrease in 20 of the 24 risk behaviors such as substance abuse, fighting and truancy and a 21-point increase in academic performance index scores.

“Project Cornerstone is a Santa Clara County initiative which motivates and supports all individuals and organizations to come together to nurture and develop competent, caring and responsible children and youth,” said Mollie Tobias, Cornerstone chairperson at nearby Bret Harte Middle School.

PC honored individuals and groups who achieved exceptional results in the mission: San Jose Police Sgt. John Rose worked with youths promoting anti-gang activities; Andrea Schacter of San Jose Public Library coordinates the library’s TeensReach youth council and volunteer group; Mountain View High School Unidos Club, an outreach program that tutors children learning English; Los Dichos Moms of Easterbrook Discovery and Anne Darling elementary schools, a group of Spanish-speaking mothers who read to children; and Booksin Elementary School, which developed programs combating bullying and encouraged parent participation at lunchtime.

“I was an urban kid with attitude,” remembered Don Iglesias, superintendent of San Jose Unified School District, at the breakfast. “There are those wonderful people in our lives who keep us focused. Mine was my homeroom teacher. For three years she was everywhere that I was not supposed to be. She gave me a great message.

That I was smart, that I had potential and that if I quit hanging around in the wrong places with the wrong people I could be somebody and that I might even be a leader.”

Which begs the question: what have you done to help a child today?

For more information on Project Cornerstone or to volunteer, visit www.projectcornerstone.org or call (408) 351-6482.

Back in the game

Thanks to NASA, Leland robotics lives again

By Kymberli W. Brady
Staff Writer

Determined to resurrect a cash-strapped program, Leland students are busy conducting final tests on Quicksilver 406 before heading to Portland’s “Triple Play” robotics competition.

Team Quicksilver irons out the last of the technical and mechanical kinks as they prepare for the robotics competition in Portland, Ore., next month. From left, Jennifer Mori, Gustav Arambula, and Gabriel Arambula, along with Jim Mori, Peter Lu, and Alejandro Arambula (at the robot), Amy Qian, and Michael Bella.

The ambitious undertaking couldn’t have happened without the help of teacher Helen Arrington or parents Jim Mori, along with Deborah and Gustavo Arambula, none of whom are strangers to robotics. However, it was a $6,000 grant from NASA that rocketed the project into gear and landed team Quicksilver a spot in the FIRST robotics competition March 9-12.

The determination stems from a desire to continue with the First Lego League [FLL] robotics program that many students left behind in elementary and middle school, including team leaders Amy Qian and Gabriel Arambula, along with Mori’s daughter Jennifer, who led her Castillero team, The Super Nova Girls to nationals.

“Last year, we didn’t have any money for a robotics team,” explains Jennifer, “We applied for a Lego’s grant, but didn’t get that. Then we got the NASA grant and now we’re going to Oregon to compete.”

Once funded by the school district, Leland’s floundering robotics program fell victim to budget cuts last year. But that didn’t stop Arrington [at the gentle nudging of former principal Susan Votaw] to look for funding elsewhere.

“She said, ‘do I have something for you—just a few-page application,’” exclaims Arrington. “It ended up being a 14-page application that I needed to fill out for a NASA grant! Well, we got the grant and Mr. Mori has been our angel. He wanted robotics to be here and made it happen too.”

“We got it because the grant wasn’t taken,” said Mori. “The stipulation was that we had to go to Portland. “If we come up with more money, then we can use the robot and compete in local tournaments, but we still need to come up with the entry fees. If we do well, then we might be able to go to nationals, which of course, costs more money.”

Michael Bella demonstrates the robot’s ability to perform the challenge they will be faced with in the Portland competition.

The $6,000 NASA grant will cover entry fees and enough parts to construct a standard robot for the Portland competition. Airfare and hotel however, will be extra, along with entry fees and expenses for future contests. With a typical entry fee of $4,000, the nearly insurmountable goal hasn’t curbed their enthusiasm.

Raising the bar
But this is the big league, and along with the higher entry fees comes bigger challenges and even bigger robots—a task that requires the design and construction of a 28 by 38 inch robot that must weigh less than 120 pounds and be no more than 5 feet tall at the start of the competition. To keep it equitable, each team is allowed to spend a maximum of $400 on any one part and $2,000 on the entire robot.

However, there are no limits placed on the amount of time and materials obtained from outside contributions, resulting in the dramatic and elaborate entries that keep the competition on the cutting edge.

The theme, “Triple Play,” calls for each team to command their robot to move tetrahedron triangles [tetras] around on a playing field. One of the tasks will include stacking 3-foot tetras on top of larger, 5-foot counterparts.

The challenge will lie in trying to score the most three-in-a-row or tic-tac-toe –like formations in nine different positions for extra points.

Mori, a well-known and respected leader in local robotics circles, is now using his machine shop skills to help them step up to the new super-sized challenge.

Amy Qian and Michael Bella prepare holding brackets for their custom four-wheel drive motor, while Jonathan Boyd, Peter Lu, Alejandro Arambula, and Jennifer Tsau add decorative touches to the robot’s retractable arm apparatus.

“This is kind of the next step in robotics,” he admits.

“But it’s a lot of work. Basically, I told them they had a store-bought robot. But they didn’t want that, so I said, ‘start designing something.’ Now we’re spending every weekend on it. They come up with the sketches and I cut the parts for them. My company, Exatron, has been very supportive in allowing me to have free access to the machine shop for these kids. It’s really cool.”

“The kit,” according to Alejandro Arambula, “comes with a basic chassis, a two-wheel drive motor, diagrams and parts that give you a good chance to compete with other teams. With Legos, you have the pre-fabricated snap-on pieces. But with this, you either use theirs or you make your own, which we did.”

Thrifty and resourceful
“One thing I love about these children, they know we don’t have much money, so they savage around and find parts to use on the new robot. They’re so thrifty—I love it. These kids get so much out of this and I see so much growth—that in itself is worth doing this,”

Arrington notes, as she points to a former robot skeleton in the corner of the room.

In just five weeks, the Quicksilver 604 has been modified into an aluminum chassis with four-wheel drive for better traction and maneuverability, and features a pivoting, telescoping arm that is kept tightly in gear via a bicycle chain and rear derailer.

If it doesn’t exist or she simply can’t find the tool she needs, team leader Amy Qian is quick to make her own.

“Everything has been machined and remanufactured,” explains Alejandro’s father Gustavo. “The chassis, chains, pistons, and wheels have all been fabricated from scratch. It’s completely different and a lot of it was just brainstorming. It’s been a lot of work in a very short period of time. And there were always problems that needed to be solved, but fortunately, we’ve got some really sharp people here.”

“Now it’s crunch time,” notes Amy. “It’s every day after school, every day at lunch, and on weekends. You can kiss your social life goodbye. It’s totally worth it though. You have so much fun.”

Dream big and plan ahead
In addition, the group has an aggressive three-year strategy in the works, which includes fund-raising, recruiting, and an extensive Web site presence, as well as the recycling and reconstruction of the robot to meet the changing objectives.

“This is the just the beginning,” explains Gustavo. “This is a really good rookie team and next year, it’s going to get even better. We want to build a full robotics organization, with department heads and officers. If we do good in Portland, it will be a big boost to the school and generate more interest with the kids. We know they’re out there. We just have to find them.”


FIRST [For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology] Robotics focuses on expanding the creative, tech-savvy minds of students while challenging them to perform specific tasks and compete with others in the spirit of fair play. For more information, visit www.usfirst.org.

Students interested in the robotics program are encouraged to contact Ms. Arrington in Room E-1.

Anyone interested in keeping Leland’s Robotics Program alive through financial or material contributions can call (408) 535-6290 and ask for Mrs. Arrington.

Brothers in law

Leland alumni returns to coach brother’s mock trial team

By Patti Wolf
Staff Writer

Kevin Hammon spent two years arguing and debating as a member of Leland High School Mock Trial team.

Members of Leland’s prosecution team include, back row, from left, Allie Roe, Aseem Padukone, Chris Mogannam and Ramzi Kawar; and front row, from left, Christine Pham, Christine Chang, Tanya Sukhija, Cory Hammon and Rina Parmeshwar.

Now a practicing attorney, he is back at Leland coaching the Mock Trial team, which includes his brother, Cory.

Leland was one of 25 Santa Clara County high schools who participated in the annual mock trial event held recently in the county’s Superior Court in downtown San Jose.

Each mock trial team had the same case—an alleged drag race gone awry, leaving one driver dead and the other charged with negligence. Each team had four shots at the case, two as the defense and two as the prosecution.

Leland had two wins and one loss as the team entered the final night of regular competition as the prosecution team pitted against a defense team from Valley Christian. For nearly two hours the prosecution and the defense called witnesses, questioned recollections and espoused theories. In the end, Superior Court Judge Neal A. Cabrinha, playing himself, found the defendant not guilty.

Leland still had a chance to move onto the next round. Three attorneys, sitting in the jury box, judged every aspect of both teams, from the questions they asked to how they dressed.

“These are the two best teams that I have scored,” said James M. Gentile, an attorney with Mullen and Filippi. “The defense jumped on reasonable doubt and the prosecution rehabilitated their witness.”

In a close contest, Valley Christian, in only its second year with a mock trial team, boasted a higher score and beat Leland. Valley Christian later moved on to the quarterfinals along with Palo Alto, Lynbrook and Lincoln. Palo Alto beat Lynbrook, last year’s winner, in the final and moves on to the state competition next month in Riverside.

Leland’s attorney-coach, Hammon, said he was impressed with the drive and determination of his team. “But more importantly,” he said. “We learned a lot about the law and had fun while we were at it.”

Santa Clara Country has hosted mock trial for more than 20 years, said attorney Angela Storey, who oversaw the event. “It gives high school students a great opportunity to learn about the law.”

Castillero Middle School students celebrate Chinese New Year

Students learn to appreciate Chinese music, martial arts and dancing

By Sheila Sanchez
Staff Writer

More than 300 Castillero Middle School students gathered Feb. 17 to celebrate Chinese New Year with an hour-long assembly that featured traditional oriental music, martial arts and dancing.

Castillero Middle School Principal Sandy Engel, Castillero Middle School musician and student Chi-ling Wu, and his mother, Su-Fen Wu, a Castillero Middle School special education aide, participated in a Chinese New Year’s assembly Feb. 17. Photo by Sheila Sanchez

Organized by Chinese national Su-Fen Wu, 50, a school special education aide and parent, the students were pleasantly surprised to learn that the celebration is similar to the Western New Year’s celebration, swathed in traditions and rituals.

Wu, who’s been working at the school for three years, said she wanted to give her Chinese New Year presentation to a bigger audience this year after her past efforts had become so popular that other teachers wanted to be included.

“Chinese New Year is happiness. It’s a spring festival,” Wu said, explaining the centuries-old celebration began Feb. 9, the first day of the lunar calendar, and will continue for 15 days, ending Feb. 24. “We eat, dance and party just like Christmas here.”

Dressed in a bright-red Chinese-style shirt, Wu decorated the school’s indoor commons with bright red paper lanterns that hung from the ceiling, Chinese calligraphy writing signs and shiny gold posters of roosters. She also gave students colorful rooster paper bookmarks after the assembly.

“I started thinking that we have so much diversity here that we should do something about it,” she said. “It always takes one person to initiate this.”

The mother of an autistic student who plays in the Castillero Middle School band brought with her a group of Chinese student performers from Saratoga High School and Argonaut Elementary School.

Castillero Middle School teacher Laura Carroll was pleased with the assembly as her students last week finished studying in their social studies class a chapter on ancient China.

“This has tied nicely with the sixth grade curriculum,” said Carroll. “It’s wonderful for them to get this enrichment.”
Castillero Middle School seventh grader Arielle Straus, 13, was impressed with the presentation’s dances and music. “It’s important to remember the cultures from the past and keep the history alive,” she said.

Leland High School student Jazmine Liew performed Chinese ribbon and fan dances for a group of Castillero Middle School students Feb. 17 to commemorate the Chinese New Year. The former Castillero student attends the Juipin School of Dance in Milpitas. Photo by Sheila Sanchez

Similarly, student Sophie Crinion, 12, said she liked the instruments. “It was really cool to see how fast she was moving. It looked really hard to do and she must have practiced a lot to be that good.

“A lot of us don’t know much about Chinese New Year or about the Chinese culture. It’s important to know there are other people out there who have good ideas, too,” Crinion said.

The students also learned about Chinese wushu, China’s popular national martial arts sports that has shifted from combat to performance, practiced to achieve health, self-defense skills, mental discipline, recreation and competition.

Saratoga High School student Jeffrey Lee, 16, showed students beautiful and difficult wushu movements.

Chinese instrument teacher Yang-qin Zhao played the hammered dulcimer or table harp. She also played the Chinese drum. Zhao belongs to the “Melody of China” music group.

Wu’s son, Chi-ling, 14, an eighth grader at Castillero Middle School, also played the hammered dulcimer.

Leland High School student Jazmine Liew performed ribbon and fan dances. The former Castillero Middle School student attends the Juipin School of Dance in Milpitas.

“The students were so enthusiastic to see the performance,” said Castillero Middle School principal Sandy Engel.

Graystone kids help school and planet with recycling drive

Money earned goes toward playground equipment

By Jeanne Carbone Lewis
Staff Writer

Graystone Elementary School children are buying new recess and physical education equipment with proceeds from their monthly recycling day. And in the process they’re helping the planet.

Graystone kids are making a difference—turning recyclables into needed school equipment. Photos by Jeanne Carbone Lewis

The first Friday of every month, the kids and parents deliver cans, plastic bottles and the like to be recycled.

Bins are set up throughout the school for items brought to the pickup area while parents dropping off kids deliver even more. So far, the recycling drive has netted the school $1,500 for balls, hula hoops, jump ropes and other equipment.

“It’s like having garbage bins full of cash,” said Cathy Palmen, one of the two volunteer parents who orchestrate the collecting and pickup of the valuable throw-a-ways. “I’d like to see the community around the school deliver their recyclables, too.”

“It’s like free money,” said Natalia Sydir, the other mother who is there rain or shine. “And the kids remind the parents and then even more is dropped off.”

And it all started with Brandon Mausler, a fifth grade student at Graystone, who recently read “50 Things Kids can do to Save the World.” Inspired, he wrote a letter to Principal Dave Beymer about recycling and that began a paper drive.

“I didn’t like that everything was going in the garbage,” said Brandon. “We started recycling for each of the classrooms and now every first Friday, we collect it all.”

Natalia Sydir and Cathy Palmen load up the trailer full of bags of recyclables to be turned into needed cash for Graystone Elementary School.

“He taught me and it’s a habit now,” said Rita Mausler, Brandon’s proud mom. “His idea is to change one person at a time.”

After Brandon’s epiphany, the volunteer parents’ group at Graystone decided to take the idea to the next level and request other recyclables. With that money they decided to buy recess and physical education equipment for the school’s students.

As the collection continues, Principal Beymer announces on the loud speaker for all students to deliver any recyclables. “They keep me on my toes,” said the principal of his 800 students.

The kids’ first class has started. Palmen and Sydir are left with heaps of plastic bags filled with recyclables. Victor Ramirez with TOMRA Pacific, who donates the time and equipment, arrives with trailer in tow. The three place the bags in the bed for Ramirez to deliver to the recycling center at Meridian and Redmond Avenues. Later, Sydir will pick up the vouchers and turn them into cash for more equipment for Graystone Elementary School.

From one simple idea, Graystone Elementary School is turning garbage into cash for its students and helping the planet along the way.


To contribute recyclables to Graystone Elementary School, the next delivery day is Friday, March 11 between 8:40 a.m. and 9 a.m. [Pick-up day is usually the first Friday of each month.] The school is located at 6982 Shearwater Dr., San Jose.

Parents, teachers against relocating Allen, Randol schools to Steinbeck campus

San Jose Unified Board of Education to make final decision March 10

By Sheila Sanchez
Staff Writer

The possible relocation of two elementary schools to the Steinbeck Middle School campus in August is further traumatizing and outraging parents already feeling displaced after education officials closed Randol and announced they may order Allen to move.

During the San Jose Unified School District Board of Education meeting Feb. 17, a group of Allen Elementary School parents pleaded with trustees to move Randol elementary students to their campus citing concerns about Steinbeck’s large building with limited windows, uncarpeted classrooms, lack of water fountains and sinks, insufficient storage space and high noise level from nearby classrooms.

In two years, the financially devastated district has closed six schools. Erikson, Hammer and Hester were shut down last year. The board voted last December to shut down Steinbeck Middle School and it again voted earlier this month to close Randol and Cory Elementary Schools.

The district is facing a $10 million budget deficit and a steep decline in student enrollment, exacerbated by the valley’s prolonged recession and school desertions to private schools.

“A good elementary classroom is not exemplified by 30 desks facing a whiteboard,” said a letter addressed to SJUSD’s superintendent Don Iglesias, written and signed by the Allen Elementary School staff.

The letter also raises questions about Steinbeck’s lack of a cafeteria and the possible threat of a pool to the safety of exploring young children. The group also fears the campus’ proximity to Santa Teresa Boulevard, a six-lane thoroughfare. They said Allen’s playground is more protected and they are worried about Steinbeck having multiple exits leading to a shallow unfenced yard fronting on two different streets.

Parents and teachers also expressed dismay during the meeting after Ty Williams, the district’s director of school construction, and Rose Marie Pottage, the district’s director of fiscal services, made presentations to board members about how feasible moving the schools to the Steinbeck campus would be.

“Please don’t move Allen to Steinbeck,” pleaded parent Dawn Heinzmann. “Closing Allen now and moving to Steinbeck would be cruel and not in the best interest of our children and community.”

Allen Elementary School second grade teacher Suzanne Gregg believes relocating the campuses to Steinbeck would also not save money for the district and would be more expensive. Gregg also said relocating to Steinbeck would mean higher utility bills for the district, reportedly more than four times Allen’s utility bills.

Other parents asked how the district could justify moving the schools to the Steinbeck campus when it closed the middle school due to declining enrollment—780 students—just slightly over the combined enrollment of Allen and Randol elementary schools.

“We strongly urge you not to relocate our school to Steinbeck. Allen Elementary has been a neighborhood landmark for 40 years,” Gregg said, reading the letter prepared by the school’s staff.

Similarly, Allen Elementary School PTA President Lisa Haslemann worries about moving to a larger and more expensive facility and said the Allen campus would be easier to modify to handle Randol Elementary School students.

“The pool is a major concern,” she told the trustees. “All it takes is for one person to accidentally forget to lock the gate and it becomes a preventable tragedy.”

Parent Susan Sveinson, whose twin third-graders attend Allen elementary, said school closures and relocations are affecting student morale. She said her girls, who attended the closed Erikson Elementary School, are wondering what’s next.

“My third graders will have been in three schools by the fourth grade,” she exclaimed. “When will our children be able to concentrate on learning and growing to their full potential and not where they will be going to school each year?”

Parent Angela Menke said she resented the board’s relocation presentation without the inclusion of other alternative relocation plans. She said the absence of other relocation proposals make parents think the trustees have already decided to move the campuses to Steinbeck.

“We have seen the plan for Steinbeck several times and have been told that a decision hasn’t been made yet, but we still haven’t seen a plan for Allen. It doesn’t seem to me that a sincere effort has been made to make plans for Allen school,” Menke said.

Other parents said because no other relocation plans have been presented or discussed they believe there is no possibility for Allen to also be considered as a relocation site. “It’s a shame because it seems like the changes needed at Allen school are much fewer than the changes needed at Steinbeck,” Menke said.

Iglesias said apprehensions about the Steinbeck campus will be mitigated and that the district is leaning toward relocating the campuses there because it’s a larger site that could accommodate additional children in the future, with the school possibly become a K-8 campus in three years. “The capabilities at Steinbeck make more sense,” he said.

SJUSD’s Board of Education member Richard Garcia noted that the playground area was “awfully” close to the pool and stressed in order for the relocation to be possible to that campus the area would have to be fenced and locked at all times to protect children from drowning accidents.

Former SJUSD Board member Carol Meyers said Measure F funding doesn’t allow for the reconfiguration of the Steinbeck campus to bring two elementary student bodies there.

“This is just ripping us apart,” said Allen parent Vincent Contreras. “We need to see the pros and cons of both plans (Steinbeck and Allen relocation plans).”

Board members are expected to vote on the relocation plan March 10.