Saratoga Sampler
By Mary Ann Cook
Former Saratogan qualifies for hockey tourney
VOLUNTEER EXTRAORDINAIRE: Saratoga High parent Sandy Lewis was named Volunteer of the Year from the LG-Saratoga Joint Union High School District by the Association of California School Administrators. Lewis was the driving force behind the Saratoga Athletic Booster Auction for many years, having chaired it for four of the past five years.
She helped in the fundraising efforts for the Saratoga Aquatic Center and, even though her children are not in the music program, is a big supporter of the band. Her son Scott graduated in 2000 after starring on the water polo team. Daughter Katherine, a junior, is also an avid athlete.
Katherine's sports are soccer, water polo and swimming. Mother and daughter are also active in the National Charity League. "If you volunteer, you get to know what's going on with your kids. It's how you keep in touch," says Sandy. "So many people do so much behind the scenes at this school; I was really surprised by the award."
Husband Mark recently retired and is bending his efforts toward the fundraising for the Performing Arts and Lecture Center at Saratoga High.
THEY'VE GOT RHYTHM: People are still talking about the joyous program the Rhythm Makers put on at Montalvo. The Rhythm Makers are clients from Hope Rehabilitation Services who sing and play their hearts out, along with a handful of non-disabled volunteers.
Some of the volunteers are from Buchser School in Santa Clara. David Ladd Anderson is the Rhythm Makers' coach and also teaches at Buchser. Three members of David Ladd Downtown All-Stars played back-up at the performance. The Rhythm Makers employ maracas, gourds, claves and bongo drums.
Montalvo's outreach program is the sponsor, and the program is patterned on one developed in Bethesda, Md. Lisa Ramirez of Montalvo's outreach, and Wayne Malarich of HOPE went to Maryland to study the program. There will be a repeat next year.
"It's wonderful to see how much self-confidence they gain through their success," says Ramirez. "They're wonderful role models for the disabled."
So infectious is the performance that the audience is "up out of their seats, singing and dancing."
NHL POTENTIAL: Derek Evjenth, 18, won a berth on the team representing the Pacific Coast states in an ice hockey exhibition called Hockey Night in Boston, to be played in August. The summer showcase is used as a recruiting tool for colleges for scouting the top high school players in the country.
Evjenth competed against 94 players in Long Beach in June in order to qualify for the tournament. He led the Cushing Penguins at Cushing Academy, the prep school he attends in Ashburham, Mass., in most goals and most assists for the season, as well as winning an award for the best offensive player.
Evjenth will enter his senior year at Cushing this fall. His parents, Tim and Gail, report that he has been an avid hockey player since he was 8 and literally begged to be sent to a prep school in New England so he could be exposed to Eastern hockey and Eastern colleges.
For the past two summers, he has worked for the San Jose Sharks as an ice hockey counselor at the Sharks' summer camp, teaching youngsters the sport. The Evjenths are former Saratogans and the senior Evjenths work for the local Alain Pinel Realtors and have for 10 years.
TURNABOUT'S FAIR PLAY: Anna Rainville, (daughter of Willys and Betty Peck) is hosting a Finnish student, Paula, 15, for a month. This is a coming-full-circle event, because Rainville spent her senior high school year in Finland as an American Foreign Student.
There, Paula's mother, now an orthopedic surgeon, was her exchange sister, and Rainville lived with her family for the school year. Paula loves horses, so Saratoga is a mini paradise for her: she's spending a lot of her time at Garrod stables.
LIONS' OFFICERS: New officers of the Saratoga Lions Club are George Bunyard, president; Karin Dowdy, program V.P. ; Shirley Cancellieri, membership V.P.; Helen Lemmon, activities V.P.; Pete Kreamer, secretary; Bob Louden, treasurer; Willie Hirschman, tail twister; and Jean Funari, lion tamer.
Directors are Elaine Clabeaux, Dean James, Frank Lemmon and Hugh Hexamer. For information about membership, call Shirley Cancellieri at 408.741.5586.
PURSUIT OF THE TRIVIAL: Homicidal Fried Eggs, Steve's Ex-Wife, Macbeth, the Sopworth Camels--those are just a few of the names of the dedicated teams that play a form of trivial pursuit every Tuesday night at the Brittania Arms along DeAnza Boulevard, just north of Saratoga.
Some 17 teams are competing these days in three different divisions, including my team, the Sliding Snails. At our advanced age, it takes us considerably longer to answer the questions than the dot-commers surrounding us.
Steve Kraft is the one who makes up the weekly quizzes, and he says his dining room table is covered with reference books.
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Saratoga, California Since 1955
