December 4, 2008

SCHOOL SCENEin Almaden Valley

Almaden Country School holds its annual Thanksgiving Feast

By Virginia Nieuwsma
Special to the Times

Take 60 pies, add 23 turkeys, cornbread and Jell-O to feed 500 people, gallons of fruit salad and gravy, eight turkey pans full of mashed potatoes and 386 hungry school children, and the mouth-watering result is Almaden Country School’s annual Thanksgiving Feast.

Almaden Country School students enjoy the school’s traditional Thanksgiving Feast. Every child at school, from 4-year-olds to eighth graders, help prepare the meal.

For more than 25 years, the parents and students of the Almaden Country School have put on a huge food fest to honor this historical holiday devoted to thankfulness, with planning beginning in September. A master notebook of instructions and organization charts lays out the entire operation so nothing is left to chance.

“Every child brings something to contribute, whether it’s whipped cream or eggs, a stalk of celery or some fruit,” explained Maureen Conlin, a previous event chair who returned to ACS to help even though her daughter graduated and is in high school. “The cooking starts on Monday morning and goes until Tuesday when the eating begins at noon. Little ones make Jell-O and dressing, while older grades create piecrusts from scratch, make pie filling and mix together cornbread. The kids make it all.”

After so many years of organizing, planning and putting on this event, the wheels usually turn smoothly and this year was no different as the huge meal seamlessly came together. By 8 a.m. on Nov. 25, the school kitchen was humming and some of the 60 volunteers were already at work. Dads in aprons tended pots while exchanging jokes, moms poured themselves Starbucks coffee while supervising classes of kids making food and committee members cleaned pans in the sink or wrapped tables on the playground with brightly colored construction paper.

Even the tables were decorated with centerpieces the children made, and the eighth grade class took charge of table setup on Tuesday morning. “By eighth grade, they know how to do a Thanksgiving meal,” says Heidi Conradt, this year’s committee chair. “The whole community is involved, and it’s a real confidence booster for the kids.”

By noon, everyone was eating. “The kids are proud of what they have made,” said Conradt. “And they love to sit down and eat what they’ve made, too.” Many of the children dressed up as pilgrims or Native Americans, adding to the festive air. The crisp fall air and the smell of the stuffing and pumpkin pie was an added bonus.

In addition, a special celebration at the end of the feast honored the school’s founder, Nan Hunter. More than 25 members of her family flew in from out of town to join her in recognition of her 70th birthday and to watch as the school presented her with a framed portrait that will be hung in the school office.

The portrait signifies the enduring commitment to the school’s philosophy that is embodied in Hunter’s spirit and dedication to the school.

Almaden country School founder Nan Hunter is presented with a portrait to be hung in the school office in honor of her 70th birthday.

That school philosophy was articulated perfectly in the speech given by eighth-grade student Maya Kaul after the portrait was presented. She thanked Hunter and shared the impact ACS has had on her life and how grateful she is for the opportunity to benefit from Hunter’s belief that all children have a gift and need the right environment of a loving school to discover what it is.

After the community had their fill of food, the leftovers were shared with clients at CityTeam and InnVision. Because the food does double duty, the Thanksgiving Feast embodies the holiday spirit and serves as a charity event in addition to a special event for the whole school community.

“It’s essential to encourage gratitude and thankfulness,” reflected Head of School Ole Jorgenson after the meal.
“This year particularly, as we celebrate in a time of much uncertainty, we realize how much we have to be thankful for.”

“It’s more than our premier event,” added Richard Ravel, chairman of the ACS Board of Trustees. “It’s the event that best represents the whole philosophy of our school—every child takes part, everyone works together as a community.”

Leland Music Department to stage holiday concert

Leland High School’s music department recently announ-ced its holiday concert instrumental and choral ensemble performances, which will take place on Dec. 10 and 11 at the school.

Leland High School has enjoyed a stellar music program for decades. The music department is headed by Rian Rodriguez, the music director as well as conductor to Leland’s five award-winning ensembles—the women’s choir, the chamber choir, the wind ensemble, the chamber orchestra and the jazz combo, all of which will perform.

“We’d like to invite everyone in the community who enjoys music and has a desire to support the school and students to attend the annual holiday concert,” said Rodriguez. “Our student choirs and music ensembles have been working extra hard to practice for this year’s holiday performance events.”

“The groups have won several awards from competing in such activities as the annual California Music Educators Association (CMEA) competition, which tests not only performance quality but also crucial musical skills such as sight reading and technique,” said Rodriguez.

Rodriguez, a native of San Jose, has taught at Leland High School for six years. Prior he conducted performances, toured with international European competitions and received a master’s degree from San Jose State University. He maintains a professional career as a conductor and a trumpet player while managing and conducting the orchestra, choirs, wind ensemble, and jazz ensemble at Leland.

“The music will lift your holiday spirits,” said Aaron Jen, student president of Leland’s music department. “In the spirit of the holidays, there will be decorations and refreshments served after the concert, free of charge, and children under the age of 12 will get in free for all performances.”

The women’s choir and chamber choir will perform on Dec. 10, and chamber orchestra, wind ensemble and jazz combo will perform on Dec.11. All concerts begin at 7 p.m. on the Leland Stage located in the cafeteria. Admission is $5; children under 12 are free.

For more information about the event, please visit the Leland Web site at http://leland.sjusd.org/ or call the main office at (408) 535-6290.

Leland seniors breathe sighs of relief

By Christine Jehng
Times student intern

One thing on the minds of seniors since school began was the scary concept known as the future—taking the next step and moving on to bigger things instead of worrying about who’s got a date to the school dance or the next spirit day.

Seniors don’t really get a real taste of what growing up is until they have reached one of the finishing points of their high school careers. “It never really hit me that I was a senior until I finished my college applications. I can’t believe the time that I’ve been preparing for this since freshman year is finally over. It feels liberating,” said senior Helen Koh.

Nov. 30 was the deadline for all UC and CSU applications and seniors were feeling the heat. Undergraduate applicants not only have to fill out every personal detail from their high school career, but put themselves out there with personal statements limited to a thousand words.

“The hardest part of college applications is not just filling them out but worrying if you will get in to where you want to go,” said senior Nahal Shams.

And with the budget cuts, California state universities are even harder to get into and therefore raising the percentage of stressed-out seniors.

College applications are not only stressful for the students, but for the administration as well. Admini-strators, teachers and counselors have to work hard to write compelling letters of recommendation as well as dealing with students who are crunched for time.

“We can only give the students resources, the rest is up to them. The hardest part of the college application process would have to be getting the students to realize that it is completely an independent choice. Getting into the ‘brand name’ school may not necessarily be right for them but we can only help so much, the rest is up to them,” said Nancy Dauenhauer, assistant principal of guidance.

Through the application process the students have grown up a little bit and become more independent. After the stressful months of applying, proofreading, ordering transcripts and proofreading again, a majority of seniors can breathe collective sighs of relief because the worst of senior year is over. The day that we never thought would come has passed and now seniors can focus on the many ways to make their last year at high school as memorable as possible.

Christine Jehng is a senior at Leland High School.

CORRECTION

A story in last week’s issue failed to note the contribution Samantha Satalino has made to those less fortunate in the area. The birthday party, which the Times said was Natalie Culine’s party was actually a joint party held by both girls who asked their guests to bring non-perishable food instead of presents. Futhermore, it was Samantha who held a toy drive for a children’s shelter for her 5th birthday instead of Natalie as was reported in the story. The Times apologizes to Samantha—keep up the good work!

At right: Natalie Culine and her best friend Samantha Satalino stand behind more than 250 items the fourth graders at Holy Spirit School donated for the girls’ birthday party. The food was given to Sacred Heart Community Services.

Seeking School News

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