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Saratoga Sampler
Area student sells painting to local couple
By Mary Ann Cook
HUGE PAINTING: A wall-sized painting by Nacera Guerin of Saratoga was hanging this month in the West Valley College Art Gallery. Titled Woman, the Liberty, the painting questions whether or not women truly have liberty, not only in the United States, but internationally, as well.
Guerin is a student at West Valley who says her biggest thrill was selling Woman, the Liberty to a local Saratoga couple, Pergee and Sherryl Damir. The acrylic painting is made up of 10 separate canvases arranged together. The roots of the painting spring from Guerin's concern about how women have to fight for basic rights, both here and all over the world.
Other inspirations were the desire to acclaim the hard-won freedom of the American people; the many different nationalities and races of women in America; and the Statue of Liberty and the fact that it was a gift from France to America. "I am French and came to the U.S. in 1995," she says.
Though Guerin has only been painting for a year, this is the second time she's exhibited at West Valley. Her husband gave her a painting set for her birthday and that's what set her in motion. She is studying for a degree in art.
TURNAROUND: Here are the names of the winners of the Los Gatos Kiwanis Club Turnaround Scholarships, awarded recently: Joseph Adura-Miranda, Chelsea Purvis and Rachna Shah from Saratoga High; and Jeremy Bates, Sandra Bryant, Kristi Cuschieri, Lily Foster, Steven Lyman, Emily Reilly and Daniel Sporleder from LGHS.
These are students who started out poorly in high school for a variety of reasons and then turned their attitude toward initiative, work and school completely around, so that now all are making exemplary grades as seniors. This is the third year the award has been given.
OLYMPIAD OF THE ARTS: A cluster of Saratoga High students who competed in the recent Olympiad of the Arts competition held at West Valley College came home with honors. In classical piano Teresa Huang won first place; and Ching Yu Hu and Andrea Tang won honorable mentions.
Thus, out of 19 schools competing, Saratoga High students won three of the top eight places. Kathy Dougherty coordinated the music section of the competition. Visual arts winners were Kate Loomis, who won third place; and Katey Horn and Erika Handel, who won honorable mentions.
Poetry winners were Chelsea Elizabeth Purvis, first place, free verse; Stephanie Ku, honorable mention, free verse; Lindsay Levin, second place, light verse; and Katherine Tsai, second place, traditional forms. Shannyin Amy Chang, honorable mention, traditional forms; acting, David Herman, second place. Wendie Weisman was director of the Olympiad.
WILL HAVE A BALL: Cattle Baron's Ball co-chairs for 2001 are Mary Ellen Comport of Saratoga; Anne Parker of Los Gatos and Helena Chenn Junker of Santa Clara. The ball will roll out Sept. 29, at Moffett Field and benefits the American Cancer Society.
NEW EAGLE: Newest Eagle Scout of Troop 566 is Ian Andrew Hoare of Saratoga. His Eagle project was building notice boards and clearing nonnative vegetation at McClellan Ranch Park in Cupertino. The project required more than 100 hours of volunteer work. Hoare has racked up 23 merit badges in his scouting career.
GARDEN LUNCHEON: The Los Gatos-Saratoga Pan American Round Table will hold its annual fundraiser, a garden luncheon in Saratoga, on June 2, at noon. The money raised goes to college scholarships, Flying Doctors, Interplast and for aid in natural disasters. The cost is $25.
Call Frances Roberts at 408.354.8265. Pan American Round Table was founded in 1959, and charter members were Frances Beilharz of Los Gatos and Helen Syvertson of Saratoga. The local chapter is one of three in California and the international organization is "devoted to the advancement of friendship among people of the Western Hemisphere."
SARATOGA EARNS STAR: The city of Saratoga has been awarded the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in financial reporting from the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada. The award cited Saratoga's comprehensive annual report, saying the recognition is the highest in the area of governmental financial reporting.
Mary Jo Walker, administrative services director, accepted the award. The report represented a "spirit of full disclosure," according to a judges' panel of the nonprofit association.
MEMORIAL DAY REMINDER: Wil Morrison of the Saratoga Foothill Club and Bill Goehner of the VFW are two who will officiate at the traditional presentation of the wreath at Memorial Arch at 9:30 a.m. on Memorial Day.
At the service at Madronia Cemetery dignitaries include Marilyn White and Maxine Beck of the Saratoga Foothill Club and Mayor John Mehaffey.
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Saratoga, California Since 1955
