October 25, 2007

SCHOOL SCENEin Almaden Valley

Castillero breaks the ice

By Shana Moore
Times Columnist

The weather may still be warm here in sunny California, but there was a flurry of snowflakes at Castillero Middle School on Oct. 18. The first annual Ice Breaker Day was designed to encourage kids to step outside their usual circle of friends to meet someone new, someone they might never have had the chance to meet before.

It’s a winter wonderland as Castillero seventh graders turn their friend into a toilet paper snowgirl. Photos by Shana Moore

Though the concept is not new to a school setting, the day took on a more festive tone when the Project Cornerstone teachers, students and parents took the theme to another level by transforming the indoor commons into a winter wonderland for the day’s activities.

To further enhance the blizzard-like setting, the students were encouraged to set their school uniforms aside for the day in favor of all white attire. They made for an impressive site as they descended on their respective eating areas to participate in the lunchtime activities.

The students received nametags with four different winter themes to organize them into groups. The students with penguin nametags started out at the Freeze Dance competition, where they danced along to “Ice, Ice Baby” until the music stopped and they had to try to hold their pose, much to the delight of the spectators. Both the music and a visit from Frosty the Snowman brought many students to their dancing feet.

The students with snowman labels were grouped into teams of five to transform a teammate into a snowman made of toilet paper. Nearby, the students with snowflake nametags were organized into a lively snowball fight of paper snowballs, while the polar bear labeled students were involved in a team ice-passing race.

To cool the kids off on a warm afternoon, the parents handed out frozen treats to the students, courtesy of the Project Cornerstone teachers Gwen Anderson and Jean Hendrickson, who spearheaded the event.

The Cornerstone students, with help from the art classes led by Anderson and Walker, spent weeks creating posters of icicles, penguins, polar bears and snowmen to enhance the snowflake setting brought in by the parents.

Anderson credits the staff for being open to trying new things and the parents who helped with the manpower to organize a student population of 1,275. “An event like this could not happen without parents eager and willing to put their time and energy together to devise a fun and valuable day for Castillero,” she said.

Other teachers showed their spirit for the event by decorating their classroom doors with creative snow-people and snowflakes, and by leading smaller group ice-breaker activities within their classes in the week leading up to the big event.

Hendrickson proved that the ice-breaker concept could be applied to any subject matter by involving her math students by asking them to fill out a simple questionnaire about their favorite color, movie, song and holiday. Then they tallied the results as a class and calculated percentages of the answers based on the class size.
“It was very interesting and the kids were into it. It was a fun way to use math while finding new people you have common interests with,” Hendrickson said.

The event is best summed up by the kids who had anything but icy feelings about the day. “It was so fun to have a theme day. We got to wear different clothes and play fun games at lunch… and we even got a free treat,” said seventh grader Amber Simms.

Reactions like that are exactly what warms the hearts of all the volunteers who made Ice Breaker Day a reality for the kids of Castillero.

Graystone kids collect 161 Halloween costumes for Sunday Friends

By Jeanne C. Carbone
Staff Writer

With Halloween is just around the corner, Graystone Elementary School students are thinking about more than just trick-or-treat candy. The students recently collected 161 costumes for the Sunday Friends Foundation.

Graystone Elementary School student council president Alex Kirby, left, vice-president Eric Barker and secretary Diana Koo with some of the Halloween costumes collected for the Sunday Friends. Photo courtesy of Gretchen Jung

“This is the first year we have collected costumes for Sunday Friends as a school,” said Graystone Elementary School teacher and student council adviser Gretchen Jung. “Last year my kindergarten collected costumes and so I thought we’d try the whole school this year. The kids were so excited the last two weeks as they saw the pile of costumes getting bigger and bigger!”

Jung became aware of Sunday Friends through the National Charity League. Her family volunteered at Lowell Elementary School on one of their Sunday events, which she called an “eye-opener” for her children. They witnessed parents purchasing basic necessities of toiletries with their earned tickets.

A Sunday Friends organizer approached Jung regarding costume collecting. She the presented the idea to the Graystone student representatives and the kids ran with the idea. At press time, they had collected 61 Halloween costumes as well as face paints, gory makeup, hats, wigs and capes so that other kids can have a magical Halloween.

“Wow!” said Janis Baron, Sunday Friends Foundation executive director, when she heard about the Halloween costumes Graystone students donated. “We’re so excited and grateful. We’re in the panic-about-costumes stage this year and this is wonderful news. You’re saving the holiday. Thanks so much.”

At the same time, Graystone Elementary School’s food drive is in full force. Students bring canned and boxed items and have already filled 15 barrels. Cash donations will be used to purchase fruit, vegetables and protein-rich meats. All food items will be donated to Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties.

Graystone student council president Alex Kirby, vice-president Eric Barker and secretary Diana Koo aren’t finished. They’ve organized a sock drive and are asking students to donate one pair of socks. That amounts to 820 pairs that will be given to InnVision and Sacred Heart.

Kirby had another idea—a recycling program. She and her mom created recycling receptacles they placed at Graystone lunch tables for bottles and cans. The fourth and fifth grade representatives are responsible for emptying the cans and replacing new bags. The items are picked up on the school’s monthly recycling days with the money raised paying for playground equipment like balls, hula-hoops and jump ropes.

“The kids are so excited about helping,” said Jung. “It’s contagious and so rewarding for the kids.”

Principal Dave Beymer is equally proud of Graystone kids.

“Graystone School has a long history of fund-raising for different charities and causes both locally and outside of our community,” said Beymer. “Under the guidance of our student council coordinator Gretchen Jung, our student council has done a great job on our current fund-raisers. Their efforts are reflective of the giving attitude that is a huge part of the Graystone School culture.”

Seeking School News

Do you have a school event to promote? Know of a student who has done something amazing or a teacher who has gone above and beyond what is expected of them? We’d like to hear about it. Drop us a line at newsroom@timesmediainc.com or send us a fax at (408) 494-7078.