The speaker at Rotary San Jose East/Evergreen's meeting on December 19 was Dr. Hilaria Bauer. Dr. Bauer is the newly appointed superintendent of the Alum Rock Elementary School District. She spoke about the current state and future plans for the school district.
A dynamic speaker, Dr. Bauer gave us a little background about her youth in Mexico; about her work in the district; about Alum Rock ESD not benefiting from the federal "No Child Left Behind" program; about short and long term goals for raising expectations of success for students, families and teachers. She presented a well-organized structure for reaching goals and emphasized the need for universal early childhood education and English proficiency by the 3rd grade as markers for future success.
"When I was very young, most of my childhood heroes wore capes, flew through the air, or picked up buildings with one arm. They were spectacular and got a lot of attention. But as I grew, my heroes changed, so that now I can honestly say that anyone who does anything to help a child is a hero to me."
Rotary's top priority is the eradication of polio, but our members take on far greater responsibilities to fight disease. They set up health camps and training facilities in undeveloped countries and in communities struggling with HIV/AIDS and malaria. They also design and build the infrastructure for doctors, nurses, governments, and partners to reach the one in six people in the world who can't afford to pay for health care.
Disease prevention and treatment takes on many forms, from supporting studies to helping immunize people to improving drinking water and the sanitation infrastructure. The world relies on Rotary to tackle these global challenges, and to set an example for others to follow.
