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Posted by Leslie Carmichael
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The Rotary of Morgan Hill's Outstanding Student Achievement Recognition Program honored eight exemplary young men and women from secondary schools for their academic performance, individual leadership, commitment to the community and overall commitment to excellence. The event held at the Morgan Hill Community & Cultural Center on March 23, 2016 took place during the Clubs regularly scheduled lunch meeting.
Superintendent Steve Betando and fellow Rotarian Leonette Stafford recognized each student and their families. “We are exceptionally proud of all of these young men and women who showcase positive leadership amongst their peers, and we know they will go on to achieve amazing things in life,” said Superintendent Steve Betando.
Each of these students were selected by their principals or teachers and are great scholars or students leaders who strive to make our community a better place. These students selflessly give of their time to help those in need in our area or have preserved in their education and life in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds.
Students were acknowledged with a framed certificate and a cash award after their principal or teacher spoke about their accomplishments. The outstanding students also talked about their successes, and many described their aspirations and future goals.
The Morgan Hill Rotary Club was proud to recognize the following students: 8th Grade: Katie Meager, St. Catherine's School, Jodi Rodriguez, Britton Middle School, Jaylene Baltazar, Martin Murphy Middle School.
High School: Ben Millward, Oakwood School, Samantha Sadoff, Live Oak High School, Arthur Rodriguez, Jerry Juarez, Central High School, Ana Barocio, Community Adult School.
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Q& A with Junior Achievement Club: Live Oak High School students learn how to start, run a business: School’s Junior Achievement club creates chalkboard-themed mugs
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Reprinted from April 13-April 26 Morgan Hill Life
Junior Achievement is a nonprofit youth organization founded in 1919 to help educate young Americans about free enterprise. Live Oak High School’s Junior Achievement club works with local businesses and organizations to teach financial literacy, work readiness and entrepreneurship.
About four million students from grades kindergarten to high school senior participate in various Junior Achievement programs. This school year the student company at Live Oak was overseen by volunteer advisers Jeff Perkins from Heritage Bank and Armando Garcia of Dicar Networks.
We asked Isaac Muniz, Kaden Kim and Ashley Cowell, three of the Live Oak students in this year’s club, about their experience in Junior Achievement and what they learned creating their company, which produced coffee mugs that people can write chalk messages on the outside.
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Personal reflections by 5 Rotarians
by Victoria Battison-Makinster
When our club newsletter editor Dave Allen first asked me to write an article about Dennis for our Club, I felt overwhelmed and wanted to say “no”. There were a lot of things going on in my life and with my schedule, and I didn’t want to admit how little I really knew Dennis. Although I enjoyed talking with him about his Alcatraz swim, the drought, and various little things, I didn’t know him well enough to write an article about him without spending about 20 hours researching his life, interviewing people, and putting together my thoughts in a cohesive manner. As I thought about how to write an article, I suggested, and Dave agreed, that we approach a number of Rotarians to write their own articles about Dennis. (I wanted to restrict this to Rotarians because the media had already begun their own articles on Dennis, including a number of stories published by the Morgan Hill Life and Morgan Hill Times.)
When the articles came to me, I felt the love and warmth that people felt about Dennis and how he touched their hearts and others around him. Although I have enjoyed getting to know Dennis more over these last few days, I can’t help but be saddened by the thoughts that I can’t ask him about some of the other things he did both professionally and personally. This journey of mine, thanks to Dave Allen, brought home to me that before we, too, cross the bridge that Dennis recently passed, we should take stock of our own lives and write down our own article about ourselves, asking friends or colleagues to share a few thoughts about us. For now, though, I invite you to learn a little more about Dennis that might warm your heart and bring a smile to your face. And Dennis, if you’re reading this, too, I hope the water is warmer than it was for your Alcatraz swim, the currents more gentle, and that your knees are healed, allowing you to run mile after mile as you pursue your new journey. We shall miss you and remember you, and strive to be like you, affecting others’ lives and effecting change where it is needed.
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Posted by David Allen
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A resident of Santa Clara County for over 60 years, Dennis called Morgan Hill home for the last 40 years. In the spirit of Service Above Self Dennis served in a variety of capacities in public service, in community organizations as well as in professional and business organizations.
Dennis moved to Morgan Hill in 1976 and entered local politics the following year. He served three terms on the Planning Commission, two terms on the General Plan Update Committee, and was elected to the City Council in 1990. His public service also included being Chairman of South County Regional Wastewater Authority, on the Board of Directors of the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA), and a Past President of the Santa Clara County Cities Association.
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Posted by Diana Schoberg, published in the April issue of The Rotarian
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What Kerstin Jeska-Thorwart remembers is the silence. No birds chirping, no dogs barking, no car engines revving. Nothing. “I’ve never heard such a silence before, and never since,” she says. “I knew something must have happened.”
It was 9:35 the morning after Christmas 2004, and in Sri Lanka, it was a Poya Day, a Buddhist public holiday held every full moon. Jeska-Thorwart, a lawyer from Germany, was on vacation in Hikkaduwa, on the island’s southwestern coast. Any other morning of her holiday she and her husband would have been on the beach, but today they stayed back at their vacation home, up a small hill about a half-mile from the water’s edge, to clean and prepare for guests.
After a few minutes, sound returned, as though it had been switched on. Now she heard people running, crying. She went down the main road to see what had happened. She saw people in swimming suits, shoeless, covered in blood.
They told her there was a big wave.
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by Peter Anderson
On April 9 six Rotarians enjoyed the closest thing one could get to an Argentine dinner here in Morgan Hill. Hosts Peter and Elena Anderson opened up their estancia (private landholdings) to Laura and Jeff Lundy and Judy and Bruce Henry. The three couples enjoyed Torrontes (Argentine white wine) and Malbec (Argentine red wine) dined on an asado (BBQ beef), a corn dish typical of the Argentine pampas, and an asparagus Porteño dish (typical of the city of Buenos Aires). However, “Gaucho” Peter made an American compromise by BBQing over a gas burner, rather than spending the two or three hours needed to prepare the proper traditional “carbon” (charcoal) fire normally used for the properly ceremonial asado, but no one complained.
by Carol Carr
Carol and Larry Carr hosted an Italian themed dinner at their home in the San Martin foothills. The evening provided a great opportunity for Dave and Lesley Allen, Carol and Larry Carr, Jim and Carolyn Jeisel and Leonette and Tony Stafford to get to know one other. The menu started with a lovely cheese tray with fig and walnut cheese and brie along with some decadent yummy nuts. Wine was more than plentiful and it turned out that everyone drank red wine and we had some very fine ones too. The main course was Linguine with Pancetta and our home-made tomato sauce accompanied by a lovely Caesar salad and crunchy Italian bread. Dessert was a walnut and ricotta cake which was wonderfully light and delicious. Interestingly, the subject of Rotary rarely came up if at all!
by Jeff Santos
 
Marc and Anne Minton, Paula and Barry Haaser joined hosts Jeff and Georgia Santos for Global Gourmet Portuguese themed dinner. Portugal was chosen as that is part of Jeff’s heritage and as it turned out also Ann’s heritage. Portuguese cheese, salami, appetizers and wine provided by the Haasers kicked off the night. Conversation and fellowship dominated the night as we worked our way through a Shrimp with Goat Cheese starter, Portuguese green salad and a Spicy Azorean Style Beef Stew with Portuguese potatoes and green beans prepared by Georgia Santos. The meal was finished with a Portuguese Spiced Carrot Cake with Orange baked by Minton. Great food paired with wine and conversation made for an excellent evening.
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Posted by Theresa Kiernan
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What was in Milpitas you may ask? The answer…the District Assembly. It was held at the Indie Community Center and a group of us attended and represented our Club well.
This particular event is held every year around this time with the intent to have members attend from the 50+ clubs in our District. Various sessions are run giving each person the chance to learn something specific to a role they may have, to become more versed in what Rotary is all about, and to get new ideas by sharing best practices with each other.
I thought it might be interesting to hear comments from two of your fellow Rotarians as they reflected on the evening. Sylvie Charles, a brand new Blue Badge, and Victoria Battison, an officer on the path for Presidency in 2018/19, were each asked to respond to either one or both of the following questions; what was the highlight or aha moment for you during the evening, and/or what one idea would you like to explore at our club?
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An enchanting summer evening affair awaits you on May 27 at the Rotary Club of Morgan Hill's premier Dazzle event. Filled with the allure of Tuscany at sunset and once again held amidst the pristine views and rustic elegance of Clos LaChance Winery, Dazzle will welcome you into the winery estate's grand salon and out onto the stone terrace where your evening will begin with a champagne and wine reception.
Mingle with friends and browse the unique treasures and gifts offered in the raffle showcase and silent auction.
As sunset approaches, a Tuscan dinner and Italian serenade await on the lawn overlooking the vineyard covered hillside and CordeValle.
The evening celebration culminates with the always exciting live auction of select trinkets and destination experiences.
For more information about how to support this philanthropic event, please contact Rachel Hill at Rachel@rachelh.net.
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Posted by Sherry Hemingway
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Morgan Hill Rotary’s newsletter, website and Facebook page have swept top honors in the “large club” category of the Rotary District 5170’s annual public relations communications competition.
Recognition certificates will be presented to David Conragen, as club president, at the Saturday morning breakfast at the District Conference in San Ramon on Saturday, April 30. To attend, please visit http://www.dc.rotarydistrict5170.org/.
The hard-working authors of those prize-winning communications are David Allen, editor of our monthly newsletter; Ken Murray, webmaster for www.morganhillrotary.com, and Leslie Carmichael, editor of our club Facebook page.
“I could not be more proud of David, Ken and Leslie for their generous flow of quality work on behalf of our club,” said Club PR Director Jeff Santo.
Please give them your congratulations for honors well deserved!
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Posted by Dave Conragan
on Apr 12, 2016 |
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Tne lesson I have learned as a parent and a coach is that kids will work just as hard as anyone, as long as there is something in front of them. As soon as there is down time and waiting, their attention quickly wanes, and the call of their iPhones and video games pulls them away. This is the same for Rotarians. We are a group of doers. When there is a project to do, we jump in full throttle. When we hit slow times, we are drawn away from Rotary and more towards other pursuits. Golf anyone?
Over the next several weeks there are a number of options of how you can spend time with your fellow Rotarians including
- April 23 - Rebuild America: We are volunteering with an organization to help rebuild senior housing; we will also sponsor our own club project in October
- April 29 - May 1 - The Rotary District Conference in San Ramon: Check out the district's website for more information
- April 30 - Dennis Kennedy’s service: To be held at St Catherine’s Church
- April 30 - Cops and Robber’s Ball: Support our local Peace Officers
- May 14 - Area 6 project: Our club needs volunteers to work alongside Gilroy Rotarians on this joint service project to clean up and map St. Mary's Cemetery in Gilroy
- May 27 - Dazzle!: A fun-filled event to support Rotary's philanthropic activities
There are a lot of opportunities to get involved. Come and join us.
Dr. Dave Conragan
2015/16 Club President
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