June 14, 2007

SCHOOL SCENEin Almaden Valley

John Muir Falcons fly high with news that assistant principal will take top job next year

As the John Muir Middle School community was eagerly awaiting the assignment of its new principal, a cheer could be heard when the announcement was made that the current assistant principal, Gloria Marchant, will be appointed the top job.

The appointment was made by San Jose Unified’s Board of Education at the June 7 board of education meeting. Marchant will begin her position on the 1st of July, as current principal Shannon McGee moves to new quarters as she becomes the principal at Willow Glen High School, her alma mater.

Marchant says she is excited to be the principal of John Muir and to continue to work with the staff, students, and community. She has been an assistant principal at John Muir since 2002 and has a wealth of experience working with middle school students. Marchant has been a science teacher and has had a direct influence on the education of English language learners.

Board of Education Trustee Veronica Lewis stated, “It has been my pleasure to work with Principal Shannon McGee. She has been a great leader and source of inspiration to her staff, teachers, students, and parents. Shannon, along with her administrators, has formed a team, focused on our student’s safety and achievement; they also made the transition of merging the former Steinbeck students and Muir students to form one student body. I will miss having Shannon at Muir and wish her success at Willow Glen High; they are very fortunate to have her. Gloria Marchant will be the new principal for Muir and we are in very capable hands. Gloria has been part of the Muir administration for years and has shown her leadership and love for our students; I welcome her in her new position."

Holy Spirit School holds class of 2007 graduation

The Holy Spirit School liturgy and graduation ceremony took place at Holy Spirit Church on June 1. Fr. Brendan McGuire was the celebrant at the liturgy and ceremony. The day before, the class of 2007 celebrated at a luncheon at the Cinnabar Hills Golf Club with parents, faculty and staff.

The class of 2007 proudly pose for a group photo with Principal Eileen Cully and Fr. Brendan McGuire.

Members of the class of 2007 are Negeen Abrishamcar, Drew Antes, Ryan Baer, Craig Barber, Diana Beck, Christopher Chiappe, Eric Devlin, Dylan Dullea, Elizabeth Edwards, Margot Estrade, Shanna Flynn, John Galvin, Matthew Gault, Aryanna Harandi, Lauren Heer, Alexandra Hencken, Misha Homara, Joshua Jones, Steven Karr, Sabrina Li, Kimberly Marinconz, Michael Medeiros, Kristine Mijatovich, Cinthia Morton, Ann Nakamura, Ramey Parks, Julie Perrone, Jamie Pierce, Joseph Pisacane, Alexandra Piunti, Nicolette Qubain, Timothy Reynolds, Krystal Rios, Heather Roberts, Alexandra Ronco, David Rosas, Celine Ryan, Maria Saenz, Dominic Santomieri, Kathryn Tagart, Rachel Teixeira, Jacob Van Domelen, and Devin Walton. Fr. Brendan, Eileen Cully, and Peggy Krewson awarded the diplomas.

The Athletics Awards were presented to Lauren Heer and Steven Karr. This award is given to one boy and one girl who have played for Holy Spirit School during their eighth grade year. This individual showed dedication to the school team, displayed a positive attitude, is an outstanding team player and is a coachable player.

The President’s Education Award: This national award recognizes educational excellence and academic success in the classroom. A congratulatory letter from the president of the United States, George W. Bush, was also read. This award was presented to Drew Antes, Ryan Baer, Eric Devlin, Sabrina Li, Kristine Mijatovich, Julie Perrone, Jamie Pierce, Alexandra Piunti, Timothy Reynolds, Alexandra Ronco, David Rosas, Celine Ryan, Maria Saenz, and Dominic Santomieri.

The Knights of Columbus Award is given to two students who have shown exceptional Catholic Christian qualities to their classmates as well as dedication to their church and religion. This award was presented to Ramey Parks and Michael Medeiros along with a Bible.

Other awards included The PeaceBuilder’s Award, Katy Tagart and Josh Jones; Leadership Award, Timothy Reynolds; Principal’s Award, Alexandra Ronco; Citizenship Award, Dylan Dullea, Alexandra Hencken, Steven Karr, Kristine Mijatovch, and David Rosas; Service Award, Rachel Teixeira and Craig Barber; General Excellence Award, Timothy Reynolds, Ryan Baer, Jack Galvin, and David Rosas; and the Pastor’s Award, Julie Perrone, who also received $100.

The Holy Spirit School Award is the highest honor given to a Holy Spirit School graduate, and the student receives $100. Timothy Reynolds was given this award, and he also delivered an exceptional commencement speech at graduation.

Eileen Cully, principal, stated, “I am proud of the class of 2007. In addition to their other awards, all of this year’s graduates earned service awards. They participated in service projects at the school and in the community and volunteered over thousands of hours of community service.

The majority of students will be attending local Catholic high schools including Bellarmine, Presentation, Archbishop Mitty, St. Francis, Notre Dame and St. Lawrence. All of Holy Spirit School students who applied to a Catholic or private schools were accepted, and many were accepted into more than one high school.

For more information, call (408) 268-0794 or visit the school Web site at www.holyspirit-school.org.

The Magical Land of Oz comes to Williams Elementary School

The third and fourth grade Williams Elementary School classes of Barbara Moore and Kenneth Leung performed the play "The Magical Land of Oz" on June 7 before an appreciative crowd of parents and fellow students. Mr. Leung also served as the director of the production.

—Photo by Mandana Farrahi

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