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Speak Out
Lincoln flags are welcome
I'm not sure who's responsible for the flags down Lincoln Avenue--maybe the merchants?--but my congratulations. I now view every flag, every lapel pin, every ribbon as a "thank-you" note to the people who lost loved ones Sept. 11 and to all the men and women serving to protect our freedom both here and abroad. It makes the statement, "We will never forget."
Oh, I know the "flag rules"--don't let the flag touch the ground, light it up or take it down after dark, etc.--but in times like these, just seeing the red, white and blue as I drive down Lincoln Avenue and through our town makes me so proud. When I think of the flag being raised at Iwo Jima and Ground Zero, I imagine the most important thing was our flag, not the rules.
Thank you Willow Glen. The flags are wonderful, absolutely wonderful; they make me proud to live here. Now I can tell all my friends, "Come see our Christmas trees, but don't miss our flags!"
Beth Concklin
Camino Pablo
American flags deserve respect
I notice that someone has decided to put flags up on Lincoln Avenue through downtown Willow Glen. I watched them loading their cars with flags from a pile on the ground. They nailed aluminum flagpole mounts to every tree, then put the poles on with duct tape.
Not only is it about the tackiest display I have ever seen, and damaging to the trees, but no provision was made, as far as I can tell, to take them down at night, or when it is raining, as it was when they were hanging them.
Patriotism is nice, but this is such a blatant case of commerce-driven disrespect for the flag that it makes my blood boil. I don't know who put them up, but I hope they will have the good sense to realize their blunder soon and correct this situation.
Theron Pogue
Willow Glen
WG students share with seniors citizens
I want to share an experience that I had a couple of weeks ago at the Markham Little Theater at Willow Glen Middle and Willow Glen High schools. I had gone to school to see my daughter, a freshman at the high school, perform in the play The Battle of Bull Run Always Makes Me Cry, by Carole Real.
This was not one of the big performances that premieres in the fall or spring, but rather a small one-act play. The middle school leadership class had asked teacher Ms. Miller if her middle and high school drama classes could work together to do a one-act play to perform for the senior citizens from the Lincoln Glen Manor on Plummer Avenue.
On the day I was there, the seniors arrived at the media center at 8:30 a.m. and were welcomed by the middle school leadership students. The seniors were then paired up with a student "buddy" and served muffins and juice. While they ate, students shared and talked about their art projects, poems were read in both English and Spanish, and there was a video presentation by the Robotics club. Then the journalism class handed out its newspaper, Under the Willow Tree.
What happened next is what really warmed my heart. The seniors were escorted by their buddies to the theater. They were pushed in wheelchairs, their walkers were guided or they were offered an arm to lean on. As the students led their guests to the theater, they truly made each senior feel special by carrying on conversations, talking about the school and activities, and asking the seniors things about their lives. The seniors were treated with respect and made to feel important.
As I sat in the theater waiting for the play to begin, I could hear so many positive remarks about how the morning had gone, but mostly about how wonderful the students were and how they hoped they would be invited back for future productions. The seniors enjoyed their morning out and the opportunity to learn more about the school in their community. As they left the theater, they were each handed a thank-you note from the students and then escorted to their van.
So in a world that doesn't seem to have a lot of heartwarming stories to share, or where teen-agers are not always seen in a positive light, I had to share this story with you. Children are doing good things for their communities, and on this morning they brightened the day of a lot of senior citizens.
Karen Clinton
Harmil Way
WG Elementary deserves better campus
Karen Potts brings to light an amazing statistic in your recent article, which detailed parents' pleas to the school board for major improvements to Willow Glen Elementary School. Potts reveals that two-thirds of Willow Glen families in the school's zone do not send their kids to their neighborhood school.
As the parents of two small children, we believed we were taking a chance sending our first child to Willow Glen Elementary. How thankful we are that we did! The teachers and staff are fabulous, and the neighborhood experience has been enriching.
Our concerns, however, echo those of Potts and San Jose Unified School board trustee Carol Myers--that visually, organizationally and functionally, the school's campus prevents most parents from getting in to meet the fabulous teachers.
There is no attractive front to the school, the campus layout is poor and the main classroom building is an open-style multi-class failed experiment of the '70s. In addition, the parking and drop-off situation is dangerous, the multipurpose building only holds one-third of the student body, and there are so many portable buildings one wonders whether the district plans to sell the property.
Willow Glen is a historic neighborhood community. Its elementary school, located at the entrance to downtown, deserves a functional campus that exudes self-esteem and a sense of permanence. These improvements would enrich the community and encourage the other two-thirds of Willow Glen's parents to join us in utilizing our excellent neighborhood school.
Dave and Sue Markham
Hicks Avenue
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Willow Glen, California Since 1992
