Gilroy Unified School District schools are set to open Thursday,
Aug. 23 at. Schools will also be hosting back-to-school nights
starting Aug. 21 and running through early September
District School Bells Set to Ring
Gilroy – Gilroy Unified School District schools are set to open Thursday, Aug. 23 at. Schools will also be hosting back-to-school nights starting Aug. 21 and running through early September to introduce students and parents to facilities, teachers and peers. Despite starting in August, students will still have a holiday for Labor Day recognized Sept. 3.
Details: 847-2700
Cougar Mascot for Christopher High
Gilroy – The new Christopher High School mascot will be a leaping cougar and the school’s spirit color will be gold, teal, black and white, trustees of Gilroy Unified School District unanimously decided Thursday night. The color scheme, designed by the district architects in conjunction with members of the rising seventh grade class – who will be ninth graders when the new high school opens in 2009 – resembles that used by the National Football League’s Jacksonville Jaguars . The logo and colors were also selected to ensure uniforms were unique for the Tri-County Athletic League, to which Gilroy High School belongs and which the new high school will join. They were also ratified by the new high school’s oversight committee July 24.
Joint-use for New High School Gym
Gilroy – Students will not be the only athletes working out in the auxiliary gym at Christopher High School. The Gilroy Unified School District board of trustees unanimously approved a resolution to share the space with the public. The resolution was the result of district lobbying the City of Gilroy to shoulder $2.2 million of the $7.4 million price tag. The joint use also allowed the district to cash in on about $3 million in state grants. The high school will also have a shared aquatics center and is slated to open in fall 2009.
Pinnacles Opens Closed Areas
Paicines – Pinnacles National Monument has opened climbing areas on several of its ancient volcanic rock formations that had been closed to protect nesting birds of prey.
Many of the climbing routes interface with sensitive habitats used by the park’s many species of raptors – or birds of prey, according to the park. The routes are closed seasonally from January through July for the breeding season.
Compost: Reduce Waste, Save Money
Morgan Hill – Residents looking to help the environment while reducing garbage bills have turned to the age-old practice of home composting. Now, the County of Santa Clara is looking to boost the practice of turning food and yard waste into fertilizers at home with free classes from its Home Composting Education Program. The workshops, being offered at various locations throughout the county including the Centennial Recreation Center in Morgan Hill, are running from now until December.
The next free local workshop will take place Saturday Sept. 15 from 10 a.m. until noon at the Centennial Recreation Center’s Senior Activity Room #1 at 171 W. Edmundson Ave., Morgan Hill.
Experts estimate that the average household that composts both yard and food waste will divert 579 pounds of waste per year. Home composting is a cost-effective way to recycle organic debris as it reduces the cost of yard trimming collection and processing, keeps kitchen wastes out of the landfill, and turns organic material into valuable product for gardens and houseplants.
Items that can be composted include plant trimmings, fallen leaves, coffee grounds and filters, tea bags, rinsed-out and crushed eggshells, and used paper towels. Do not compost such items as meat and bone, dairy products and grease, grains, beans and breads and animal feces.
Details: www.reducewaste.org, or call 918-4640.
Local Teen Vies for Miss Teen SF
Gilroy – Shyria Danyelle Winslow of Gilroy will compete in the 2007 Miss Teen San Francisco pageant Aug. 12. She will be competing for her share of more than $20,000 in prizes and gifts. Should Winslow win, she would represent San Francisco at the Cities of America National Competition in Orlando, Fla. More than $60,000 in prizes and awards will be presented at the national event.
There is no cost for participating in either pageant, but sponsorships are always helpful, said Winslow’s pageant coordinator Patty Niedert.
Details: Niedert at 1-800-569-2487.
Send news items to City Editor Robert Airoldi. FAX to 842-2206, mail to Gilroy Dispatch, 6400 Monterey Road, Gilroy, CA 95020, or e-mail submission s to ed****@ga****.com
