Youth commission reaches out to more schools in city
By Kara Chalmers
The Saratoga Youth Commission is making an effort to extend its reach to more local schools this year. One way was by staffing a booth at Prospect High School's Club Fair on Sept. 12.
While commissioners who attend Saratoga High School always represent the commission at the Club Day at SHS, this year Commissioner Jen Levin, a Prospect senior, and Beverly Tucker of the Saratoga Recreation Department, decorated the booth at the Prospect fair with youth commission photographs, old flyers and recreation department guides for the first time.
"It got the word out because no one really knew what the youth commission was and now pretty much the whole school knows about it," said Levin, who is the first Prospect student whom the commission has had as a member in six years.
The youth commission is a Saratoga City Council-appointed arm of the local government. It raises money to help keep open the Warner-Hutton House, a safe, supervised and free after-school program for students in grades six through eight, in conjunction with the nonprofit Friends of the Warner Hutton House. The money raised also pays a percentage of the teen coordinator's salary.
The commission is also a liaison between the city council and the youth community in Saratoga and advises the council on youth issues, Tucker said.
The commission raises money by holding dances for sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade students, staging concerts by local bands and organizing special events, such as ski trips. The commission's biggest fundraiser is its annual appeal for contributions, sent to all parents of Redwood Middle School students--the students who are the biggest users of the Warner Hutton House--as well as the Saratoga Chamber of Commerce, all city commissioners and council members.
To publicize events, the commission posts flyers at schools, and, for the first time this year, the commission is creating an email list. Levin and Tucker collected about 60 signatures of Prospect students who signed up for the email list while at the club fair, Levin said.
While commissioners must reside in Saratoga to serve, people who live outside of the city may attend youth commission events.
According to SHS senior James Atkin, who was elected commission chair in August, the commission is creating a chart of Saratoga residents at all the local schools, to target schools the commission needs to focus its efforts for publicizing events and recruiting new commissioners.
"One of our major things is to try to reach Prospect, Lynbrook, any schools that have Saratoga residents," Atkin said.
This year's commission has representatives from six schools: Saratoga, Prospect , Monta Vista, Lynbrook and Presentation high schools and Redwood Middle School.
According to Saratoga Mayor Stan Bogosian, the council has sought to appoint members to the commission from all of the schools in Saratoga. He said the council would like representation from all of the school districts in the city.
This year's commission has also created a new committee--public relations. According to Atkin, the idea for the public relations committee stemmed from the commission's need to make itself known, particularly to reassure parents that they are allowing their children to attend safe, supervised events.
The commission held its first dance of the school year on Sept. 15, which attracted some 558 students from different school districts--a record number--chaperoned by college-age or older volunteers and parents.
"It was the most successful dance I've ever worked at," Levin said.
Because of the resignation of Commissioner Sheeva Ghassemi, there is one position open on the youth commission. Residents of Saratoga who will be in grades seven through 12 for the 2000-2001 school year, regardless of their school or school district, may apply.
Contact Saratoga City Clerk Cathleen Boyer for more information and for applications at 408.686.1269. The deadline to apply is Oct. 20 at 5 p.m. Interviews will be held Nov. 1.
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