Los Gatos Weekly-Times

Letters

Manager makes a case for senior services

My name is Karen Mock, and I am the older-adult case manager for the Adult and Child Guidance Center providing service to the town of Los Gatos. As a case manager, I provide in-home assessments, information and referral, problem-solving and support for seniors (60 and older) living in this community.

My goal is to help seniors maintain a healthy and safe home environment and to assist in preventing their premature institutionalization. I help achieve these goals by linking seniors to community-based resources that promote independence.

My services are free to seniors, but donations to the Older Adult Program are always appreciated.

As of July 1, I will be providing drop-in service every Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Neighborhood Center at 208 East Main St.

I am also available for home-visit appointments and telephone queries Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 354-1514 or 288-6200.

Please feel free to call me if you have any questions about my services or if you need assistance. I look forward to serving you.

Karen Mock
Older Adult Program
Adult and Child Guidance Center

Skeletons in closet can't be denied

Your cartoonist has done it again! What a guy! He provides the only balance to the outrageous puffery your paper, and the Murky-News, offered up on behalf of Ted Simonson when, at long last, he retired from the local high school.

De Cinzo's cartoon in the June 24 issue of the Los Gatos Weekly-Times was delightful--and not one of the skeletons in the closet can be denied. There could have been more, no doubt; De Cinzo was kind. How about republishing the nifty picture of the stripper at LGHS football camp, her halter top overflowing with not only herself, but the bills being stuffed into it by the young player?

From whence does all this "meanspiritedness" regarding a local hero arise, I'll bet you're wondering? From my experience as a parent of three LGHS graduates is the obvious answer. All three were mediocre students at the school, and all three are graduates of the University of California system--no thanks to their high school preparation. Much time and effort went into getting them ready for, and into, UC-Berkeley and UC-Santa Cruz. The oldest has a Ph.D. in art history from Cal; the other two have been in graduate programs. I would have saved myself, and my kids, a lot of trouble had I been there to get them to Gunn or Paly High.

I know Ted's supporters, perhaps including you, are going to refute my outrageous commentary by publishing the long list of Ted's speeches to the high school community and the community at large, including those to the Chamber of Commerce, especially the Real Estate Board, the extensive bibliography of his articles on educational policy and his other contributions to the intellectual life at LGHS. But in the meantime, thanks for allowing me equal time.

George Green
Los Gatos

Students should be able to trust staff at LGHS

I am writing as a concerned teenager basking in a summer's thought. While reflecting on my almost complete school career--I'm entering my senior year at Los Gatos High School--I noticed one thing that really bothered me about the high school.

It was the extreme lack of trust between the staff and students. The issue of students' rights has been brought up many times in our town and the school loves to push the envelope when it comes to dealing with the kids.

There is a no-mercy mentality when it comes to a student's civil rights, even though we give up most of them when we enter the school grounds.

Does this mean that because we are on state property and we are under the supervision of state employees we deserve almost no rights whatsoever? We deserve the right to be treated like decent human beings.

When a school employs undercover officers disguised as kids and drug dogs while we are all in class, it brings down the level of trust in a school. They allow undercover officers to lie and make friendships in order to trick someone into buying drugs for them. They develop some trust and then crush any trace of it when the student that they manipulated finds out that it was in fact an undercover agent working for the police and your friendly school officials.

When there is no trust between students and staff, the learning becomes difficult and class incidents are more likely. Betraying someone in the name of the government and the almighty establishment is wrong. When a school uses manipulation tactics to catch kids with drugs, they are doing it to catch kids and not to catch the drugs.

A student's life can be ruined by a simple charge of possession. The student has a hard time starting over somewhere else and a hard time for the rest of his or her life. We need to re-establish students' rights and make our schools a place of trust and united learning.

Zach Lawryk
Los Gatos

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