Castro wins award
Castro Middle School has won the highest honor in the California Creativity State Finals. A team of six students--four sixth-graders and two eighth-graders--participated in the Destination Imagination program, which builds skills in long-term team problem-solving and spontaneous team thinking.
The team received the Da Vinci award for its outstanding instant challenge performance in the program state finals April 6.
The team was required to build a balsa-wood structure that would hold a maximum weight of 300 pounds but weigh less than 99 grams. The team also developed a recycling skit within eight minutes that related to the structure.
Team members were sixth-graders Diane Eilerts, Oshadhi Jayasuriya, Michael Littlejohn, Tyler Miner and eighth-graders Rebecca Campbell and Naz Isik.
Projects approved
Campbell Planning Commission members approved a list of capital improvement projects during its April 9 meeting.
Some of the projects include funding for street maintenance, making improvements to the community center, parks and public facilities, and spending $500,000 to build an animal shelter facility in the South Bay.
Campbell Community Development Director Sharon Fierro said the shelter's construction will also be funded by West Valley cities that use Silicon Valley Animal Control Authority services.
Baha'i Health
J. Carlos Portillo will be presenting a Baha'i point of view on the topic of health and its influence on an individual's spiritual and physical well-being at the Campbell Library Community Room, 77 Harrison Ave., on April 18 at 4 p.m.
Portillo integrates various elements such as nutrition, exercise and emotional well-being into his presentation.
For more information, call 408.793.0495.
COAF Program
The Children of Alcoholics Foundation (COAF) has introduced "The Ties That Bind," a new support program for the millions of Americans who are raising their relatives' children because of parental alcohol or drug abuse. According to the 2000 U.S. census, the number of grandparents raising grandchildren increased by 30 percent in the past decade, with 6 percent of U.S. children under 18 (3.9 million) now living in grandparent-headed households. Substance abuse is the leading cause for the rise of grandparent-headed homes.
For more information, call 212.595.5810, ext. 7763, or send a self-addressed envelope to: Kiki Samuels, Children of Alcoholics Foundation, 164 W. 74th St., New York, NY 10023.
Campbell, California
