Saratoga NewsLettersAccolades to Class of '97 I am writing to openly commend the Saratoga High School Class of '97. To the students of this very special class, I highly praise you for your accomplishments. Your success of attaining the highest academic achievements and acceptances to acclaimed colleges is enviable. Your concern for humanity is evident by your unselfish giving of time, energy and love to a multitude of causes benefiting the local community as well as global outreach programs. Your dedicated spirit and ambition is a model for all classes to follow. To Nicole Marie and all, I have much admiration for you and wish you the very best in your endeavors.
Velita Behnke Cheers for red chicken and working students While driving down Saratoga Avenue recently one evening, I almost ran into a red chicken holding up a "Free Car Wash" sign. Always being alert to the word "free," I followed the chicken's pointing wing and found myself in the parking lot of a nearby church. To my surprise, the chicken turned out to be a falcon, and the parking lot was a car wash hosted by Saratoga High School students who were raising money for the American Cancer Society. The students were willing to wash my car for free, but if I cared to, I could make a donation that would help support their high school team's participation in the American Cancer Society's Festival for Life Walk/Run, which was being held June 20 and 21 at Los Gatos High School. The teenagers had been washing cars since 8 a.m., had made over $600 and planned to hold another car wash the next weekend. All I can say is hurrah for these enterprising, hard-working, community-minded students. I know they must reflect their families and their school.
Joan Bose College chancellor an asset to district West Valley-Mission Community College District Chancellor Rose Tseng deserves praise for her accomplishments. During the last four years, she has brought the district financial stability and an increase in enrollment, recognition and outside funding. Specifically, she spearheaded a districtwide effort to trim $5 million from the district's 1994-95 budget, thus balancing the budget and ensuring financial solvency. Under her leadership, the two colleges reversed a downward trend in student enrollment from a negative 10 percent to a positive 5 percent. Dr. Tseng is also responsible for establishing an Advancement Office, which has already made significant headway in raising external funds for the two colleges. The colleges have significantly increased the number of grants received from federal and private foundations. Dr. Tseng is committed to shared governance and has demonstrated this commitment time and time again. There are numerous shared-governance committees that discuss budget allocation and other things. Both colleges have implemented strategic planning processes, including participation by faculty, staff, students and the general public. In addition, she has conducted a survey at both colleges to assess communications and implement follow-up projects to improve both internal communications and morale. She has built a solid management team, including hiring the two presidents and recruiting Les White, the former city manager of San Jose, as vice chancellor of administrative services. Dr. Tseng, however, is the first to admit that there needs to be additional improvements in internal communications efforts. The board of trustees is committed to working with the entire West Valley-Mission family, from Dr. Tseng and others on our administrative staff, to our faculty, to our students and the community, to make this the finest community college district in the nation.
Joy Atkins SHS students excel despite recent events Despite recent events at Saratoga High School that have landed our school on the front page of the newspapers, it is important to remember that on most days, what is happening at Saratoga High is exactly what should be happening. Teachers are challenging students, and students are meeting these challenges and doing exceptionally well. The opportunity for students to develop their talents and learn new skills is encouraged and fostered by a dedicated, supportive and capable staff. It seems that in whatever area our students participate--academics, athletics, speech, music or journalism--they excel. We have a principal and administrators who care about our students and are personally involved on a daily level. They want our students to succeed academically, but are just as committed to their development into responsible and self-reliant young adults. Our students may not always use good judgment, and our staff may not always respond with the best decisions. However, no one can say that our principal and school board lack integrity or that Saratoga High fosters a climate so prevalent in our society today--that of taking the easy way out. Unfortunately, not every problem that arises can be resolved in a mutually satisfactory way. We feel for the families who have suffered because of these unfortunate events; however, when all things are considered, Saratoga High is doing a very good job of preparing our students. There's a bigger lesson to be learned, and that is the importance of accepting the consequences of our actions. Isn't that what we have been teaching our children, hoping that they will grow into people with values who contribute to society and make it better by their actions? We all make choices every day. It's important that we also take ownership of the outcomes of those choices. By doing this, we build our reputation, not damage it; reaffirm our identity, not lose it.
Cindy Riordan Age-old wisdom still rings true Thank you so much for printing the excellent commentary "Are we falling into the trophy trap?" by Keith Lindstrom in the June 4 issue of the Saratoga News. My husband read it to me, and we both commented on the age-old wisdom and common sense truth of the Puritan ethic. Thank you for your continued excellence in bringing us such a great paper.
Herb and Lynn Brendlen
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This article appeared in the Saratoga News, June 18, 1997. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||