The Cupertino Courier

Editorials

Dispute pits athletics against 4-H groups

At a time when all but a few remnants of Santa Clara Valley's agricultural past have disappeared, there's an anachronistic charm to the 4-H animal pens on the Los Gatos High School campus.

Now the high school says it needs more space for practice fields for its own students, so the pens will have to go.

The issue is an emotionally charged one. Old timers who've been friends for years have found themselves on opposite sides of the battle line.

In the best of all possible worlds, a compromise will be found. School board member Bob Allen met with 4-H members and a civil engineer over the weekend to explore the possibilities.

If, however, it turns out that there is not enough space for new playing fields and animal pens, then the 4-H clubs will have to find a new location.

The school has an obligation to its students, and the demand for athletic playing fields is much greater today than it was some 30 years ago when the school offered the space to the 4-H clubs.

Back then, boys dominated school athletics. These days, federal law mandates that schools offer equal opportunities for girls' sports.

As a matter of fact, back when the pens were built, who had ever heard of soccer? Now LGHS fields two girls' teams and two boys' teams.

When the fields at LGHS aren't in use by the school, they're available for league play for groups ranging from Little League to Pop Warner football.

The argument made at the recent school board meeting that there is a need for activities for young people who don't want to play sports is a valid one. But that doesn't negate the need for the school to provide enough fields to serve its own student population.

Surely, somewhere in Los Gatos, there's a small parcel where 4-H kids who aren't willing to cut themselves off completely from the valley's agricultural past can raise their farm animals.

Renaissance-bound

In the nine years Peggy Murray served the community as library director, she modernized, computerized and automated the Town Library. She also reduced staff without having to lay off any employees and always managed to stay under budget.

Just before her last day of work, the Town Council acted to accept a State Library grant to install two computers that will provide Internet access.

Now that the library's positioned to take on the 21st century, Murray is headed back to the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries, where she plans to make music on early instruments. She also hopes to carve out a little time to read some of those books that used to tempt her from the shelves while she was otherwise occupied being a busy administrator.

We wish her well on her journey.

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