Cheers for SBHS’ STARS
The following people, organizations and events deserve either a Thumbs Up or Thumbs Down this week.
THUMBS UP: For San Benito High School, which saw significant improvement in it’s most recent Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) test scores. The school made a 25 point increase in its scores overall, which will improve the school’s statewide Academic Performance Index ranking considerably. That’s important because under the No Child Left Behind Act, schools can be severely sanctioned for poor scores. So congratulations for the increased emphasis on the test’s significance, for making changes to how the test is administered and the friendly peer-pressure campaign from students that lead to the impressive results. The effort obviously paid off.
THUMBS DOWN: For all the members of the San Juan Bautista City Council and city staff who attended a secret trip to Seattle to check on the status of the city’s troubled infrastructure grant. Though the District Attorney says the council cured any potential Brown Act violations by retroactively approving the mission, it is clear that three council members knew about the trip before going which violates the spirit of open government that people expect their leaders to uphold.
THUMBS UP: For quirky Jim Berkland, a former Santa Clara County geologist who now has a book out titled “The Man Who Predicts Earthquakes.” His fellow geologists drummed him out of the corps, so to speak, for his theories, which revolve around moon phases, tides and the number of lost dogs and cats in the newspaper classified sections. It’s an interesting theory. We can say for sure that Berkland excitedly called the Free Lance’s sister paper The Gilroy Dispatch in 1989 and predicted a strong quake. Regardless of what his fellow scientists say, if he phones in with the same prediction, we’ll listen.
THUMBS DOWN: For the fire that ripped through the Bolado Golfclub Clubhouse last weekend burning the building to the ground, melting trophies and destroying nostalgic items like hole-in-one score cards and championship plaques – $1 million in damages, all told. The two-story clubhouse, built in 1950, was the central hub of the public course, and duffers from all over the county are mourning its loss. But, as golfer Ray Sanchez noted, that won’t last long. “The trophies have melted but the memories will remain,” he said. “It’s home. We’re going to make it bigger and better.”
THUMBS UP: For community efforts to revive and enrich the music programs at Gavilan College. Culture nurtures creativity, and that’s a key component of a healthy society. Fortunately, we have people in the community who understand that and are willing to take an active role in supporting the arts.
