Tag: gilroy high school

A local business woman found an innovative way to repurpose an accessory now used by many people and to give back to nonprofit organizations at the same time.Lanyards - thin pieces of cord usually found draped around the necks of students and attached to their school IDs - are  common sights on school and business campuses around the world. An easy way to keep ID cards from being lost, they serve a simple purpose.Gilroy resident Jamie Hernandez had the idea to put them to another good use by creating a lanyard that can serve as a safety tool in emergency situations. In return, the lanyards helped Hernandez in her own time of need when she was recovering from a debilitating illness.“I get migraines and I became paralyzed,” she said. “I was in a wheelchair for two and a half years. Then I got better and I wanted to do something that kept me busy.”Hernandez, who is originally from Morgan Hill, taught herself how to knot and tie paracord to create colorful lanyards, key chains, jewelry and other accessories.Paracord - or parachute cord - is a thin rope made of nylon or polyester most commonly used as suspension lines for parachutes, according to www.paracordplanet.com. For each lanyard, Hernandez uses about 30 feet of paracord 550, which can hold up to 550 pounds. The cord never mildews, according to Hernandez.As a former athlete, she knew the safety value of the lanyards.I did a lot of rock climbing before, but then I got sick,” Hernandez said. “A few years ago in 2007 I broke my hand, so I feel fortunate to be able to do this.”Starting as a hobby, Hernandez’ lanyard creations eventually became a business when her daughter, Jasmine Yanez, was on the Gilroy High School wrestling team. The school lost its funding for buses, Hernandez said, so she sold her lanyards at the Mid-California Wrestling Championship Tournament to raise funds for team transportation. She also made all the first place lanyards for each of the 14 weight classes in the two-day tournament.“It’s rewarding because if (the wrestlers) win first place, they get the lanyard and I’ve seen them around town,” Hernandez said. “We put a dog tag on it with their (place) and their class. To see the kids still wearing it, and using it and coming back for more is good.”Hernandez’ new business endeavor, InkBlossom Designs, became a big hit when her daughter left home to pursue her business management degree at Menlo College in Atherton. Yanez took the paracord lanyards to sell to fellow students. By then, Hernandez had added another safety feature: whistles to use to attract attention in case of emergency.The rest of her family also became involved in the business. Hernandez’ son, Solar, helps his mom by measuring and cutting the paracord before she begins knotting the cords for lanyards. And her husband, Steven Hernandez, is charge of sales and marketing.“My husband is my biggest cheerleader,” she said.  “He saw something I like to do and I’ve made it my own.”As her business grows, Hernandez continues to donate 40 percent of her profits to community organizations. To date, InkBlossom Designs has donated a total of more than $3,000 to the Fallen Hero Memorial Scholarship Fund, South Valley Middle School wrestling and cross-country teams, Santa Clara Valley Wrestling Association, Los Gatos Rugby Club, Pop Warner football leagues and Christopher High School sports.“If I can help bring a smile to someone’s face and help an organization, that’s the best thing for me to do,” she said.But Hernandez’ community outreach doesn’t end with InkBlossom Designs. She also volunteers as an assistant coach at South Valley Middle School and created the school’s annual Sumo Feast Fundraiser with dinner, live music and inflatable sumo suits for wrestling.Her contributions are greatly appreciated by the South Valley Middle School staff.“Ms. Hernandez is always around to lend a hand and is a valuable team player,” Athletic Director Jami Reynolds said.A handy way to keep track of those important items, lanyards serve a simple purpose..But Gilroy resident Jamie Hernandez cm to put them to another good use by creating a lanyard that can serve as a safety tool in emergency situations. In return, the lanyards helped Hernandez in her own time of need when she was recovering from a debilitating illness.“I get migraines and I became paralyzed,” she said. “I was in a wheelchair for two and a half years. Then I got better and I wanted to do something that kept me busy.”Hernandez, who is originally from Morgan Hill, taught herself how to knot and tie paracord to create colorful lanyards, key chains, jewelry and other accessories.Paracord - or parachute cord - is a thin rope made of nylon or polyester most commonly used as suspension lines for parachutes, according to www.paracordplanet.com. For each lanyard, Hernandez uses about 30 feet of paracord 550, which can hold up to 550 pounds. The cord never mildews, according to Hernandez.As a former athlete, she knew the safety value of the lanyards.I did a lot of rock climbing before, but then I got sick,” Hernandez said. “A few years ago in 2007 I broke my hand, so I feel fortunate to be able to do this.”Starting as a hobby, Hernandez’ lanyard creations eventually became a business when her daughter, Jasmine Yanez, was on the Gilroy High School wrestling team. The school lost its funding for buses, Hernandez said, so she sold her lanyards at the Mid-California Wrestling Championship Tournament to raise funds for team transportation. She also made all the first place lanyards for each of the 14 weight classes in the two-day tournament.“It’s rewarding because if (the wrestlers) win first place, they get the lanyard and I’ve seen them around town,” Hernandez said. “We put a dog tag on it with their (place) and their class. To see the kids still wearing it, and using it and coming back for more is good.”Hernandez’ new business endeavor, InkBlossom Designs, became a big hit when her daughter left home to pursue her business management degree at Menlo College in Atherton. Yanez took the paracord lanyards to sell to fellow students. By then, Hernandez had added another safety feature: whistles to use to attract attention in case of emergency.The rest of her family also became involved in the business. Hernandez’ son, Solar, helps his mom by measuring and cutting the paracord before she begins knotting the cords for lanyards. And her husband, Steven Hernandez, is charge of sales and marketing.“My husband is my biggest cheerleader,” she said.  “He saw something I like to do and I’ve made it my own.”As her business grows, Hernandez continues to donate 40 percent of her profits to community organizations. To date, InkBlossom Designs has donated a total of more than $3,000 to the Fallen Hero Memorial Scholarship Fund, South Valley Middle School wrestling and cross-country teams, Santa Clara Valley Wrestling Association, Los Gatos Rugby Club, Pop Warner football leagues and Christopher High School sports.“If I can help bring a smile to someone’s face and help an organization, that’s the best thing for me to do,” she said.But Hernandez’ community outreach doesn’t end with InkBlossom Designs. She also volunteers as an assistant coach at South Valley Middle School and created the school’s annual Sumo Feast Fundraiser with dinner, live music and inflatable sumo suits for wrestling.Her contributions are greatly appreciated by the South Valley Middle School staff.“Ms. Hernandez is always around to lend a hand and is a valuable team player,” Athletic Director Jami Reynolds said.

Gilroy's Adrianna Orozco Rocha was two spots away from a trip to the California Interscholastic Federation state championships. 

This summer, administrators at Gilroy High School have been working to fill five positions—including the activities director, assistant principal, counselor and two teachers—after staff members left their posts.“I've been in the business for 20 years, and I can't ever remember having five different staff members from one site leave in one year,” GHS Principal Marco Sanchez said, adding that two people climbed the ranks within the Gilroy Unified School District.Kanani Pratt, formerly a Social Studies teacher at Gilroy High, became the school's assistant principal after Christine Anderson moved on to serve as the principal of Rucker Elementary School.“I’m going from the micro level to the macro level, from the department to the whole school. It’s a big jump and it’s an exciting jump with different responsibilities,” Pratt said. “I’ll definitely miss the intimate interaction with the students inside the classroom. I’m going to be very visible on campus, but it’s not the same as having a captive audience for two hours a day in a classroom.”“I've always enjoyed working with Kanani as the department chair of social studies and our Advanced Placement coordinator,” Sanchez added. “She has been fantastic there and I know she'll do a great job as an assistant principal. She's done a marvelous job so far over the summer just helping me hire and fill vacancies for teaching positions.”Former English teacher, department chair and GHS graduate Ethan Stocks became the assistant principal at Milpitas High School, and former academic coordinator Julio Villalobos is now the assistant principal at Alum Rock Union Elementary School.Eleven-year GHS veteran and former activities director Jeremy Dirks—also a Mustang—left to accept a position as assistant principal of San Benito High School. According to Sanchez, former activities director at South Valley High School, Chris Leong, will replace Dirks.“I really enjoyed my time at Gilroy High School,” Dirks said. “To be honest, the place made me into the person I am today and it's difficult—but I'm looking forward to an exciting new opportunity.”Though the transition was made easier simply because he's lived in the Hollister area for the past 11 years, Dirks said he'll miss the students and staff at Gilroy High.Stocks, Pratt and Dirks graduated from San Jose State—from the same program—and worked alongside each other at GHS for more than 10 years.“Their talents will all be missed,” Sanchez said, speaking to the three staff members moving outside GUSD. “We spent the whole summer finding their replacements and that's been difficult.”GHS administrators are hoping to hire two teachers this summer—a Social Studies teacher and an English teacher, according to Sanchez.

Holiday parade a wonderful event driven by generous donations of time and effort

Gilroy's game against Harbor can be summed up in one word: Dominate.

GILROY — North Monterey County didn’t beat Gilroy. Gilroy beat itself.

The Gilroy cross country team got a taste of what to expect at the Central Coast Section Championships this year.

Felicia Newell has the same interests as any other 17-year-old girl: she likes to exercise, dance and play sports. The only difference is that Newell has cerebral palsy, which Mayo Clinic defines as “a disorder of movement, muscle tone or posture that is caused by injury or abnormal development in the immature brain, most often before birth.” Her condition also resulted in a mild case of mental retardation.

After five years of working out at South Valley Middle School, Gilroy will finally have a place to call their own

Actress Helen Hayes once said, “The expert in anything was once a beginner.”