Thought of the Day
June Lamb reminded all that while we may not be able to prevent what happens in life, we have the tools and capacity to control our response.
Poplar Creek’s Management
In the temporarily-restricted meeting space at Poplar Creek, Alicia Petrakas, introduced herself to the club as the new proprietor of the Lodge at Poplar Creek. Many will recognize Alicia as the chef/owner of Three (formerly Astaria) in San Mateo. The club looks forward to the innovations she will bring to the luncheon fare as well as to the meeting space.
Scholarship Raffle
The Raffle has officially begun…even luring back Jim Engle from retirement in Tucson…both to kick it off and to promise he’ll return to bartend at the drawing on May 9th. If you were in attendance, you left with your packet of 6 tickets to either purchase or sell. If not, you will receive yours in the near future. Should you choose to purchase your tickets online, you can do so through the web site, and the committee will do the grunt work to make sure your stubs are included in the weekly drawing along with the May 9 finale.
Anne LeClair is being honored in conjunction with this year’s raffle. Anne is retiring early (emphasis on the ‘early’, she insists) and relocating to Austin with her husband, Jim, to be near their daughter. Few rotarians have been more actively engaged than Anne in her 34 year affiliation with San Mateo Rotary, and the club owes her a huge debt of gratitude. Knowing Anne’s type A personality, it is hard to imagine that she’ll be idle for long. We’ll miss you, Anne, and your wicked sense of humor!
Martin Harband, speaking on behalf of his fellow travelers (Leydig, Thompson, Sullivan) defended their appearance in a photo taken in an Antigua, Guatemala Coffee Roastery wearing backward-facing ball caps. Supposedly the ‘look’ satisfied the requirement that hair nets be worn in the facility. The group of Rotarians and partners accompanied the Hillsdale Effect students and advisors, traveling to Guatemala annually, to distribute funds raised during the school year supporting micro-lending projects.
Mike Peterson invited all who may be available to celebrate Arbor Day (Earth Day) Monday, 4/22 by assisting with the planting of trees in Los Prados Park. Show time is 8:30 AM; wear your gardening clothes and bring gloves.
Alan Talansky promoted the PAL 5K Fun Run Scheduled for May 11 at Coyote Point Park. The fact the he billed it as a ‘tune-up’ for the Rotary fun run in October may be the reason he avoided a fine….that and the fact that half of PAL’s board are Rotarians.
Margaret Taylor has been in touch with Kristin Jenkins who took a leave of absence from the club to help support and care for her daughter, suffering from advanced breast cancer. Kristen has missed Rotary and would love to hear from you (contact information below).
Kristen Jensen
607 Grove Street, Half Moon Bay, CA, 94017
krisjensen2000@yahoo.com
(650) 868-7149
Proud Dad
Jeff Lowenstein was recognized for his son Matt’s Eagle Scout project, which involved a carefully designed and constructed landscaping project on the Serra campus. It includes a time capsule that is to be recovered and opened in 25 years, in conjunction with Serra’s 100th anniversary. Joining the President’s Club a second time for Jeff was a no-brainer. (From this editor’s perspective, 25 years ago was the day before yesterday….and every closet contains multiple time capsules!)
Speaker
Chris Bischof, Principal and Founder
Eastside Academy, East Palo Alto
Statistics showing a high school dropout rate of 65% among students from East Palo Alto led Chris Bischoff to seek a solution.
Founding the Eastside College Preparatory School in 1996, he and his colleagues focused on students historically under-represented in higher education. More specifically, the school seeks to assist students who would be the first in their families to attend college. Over the ensuing years, Eastside Academy has accomplished the remarkable goal of 100% of it’s students being accepted to 4 year colleges and universities.
The success Eastside has achieved is based upon a model which challenges students academically, but also supports them with on-site tutoring and mentoring. The school day is 8:00-5:00 with both breakfast and lunch served on campus. Two 90 minute periods in each day are set aside for supervised homework, a critical need for those with home lives which might otherwise preclude study. The Academy has also adopted a year round curriculum, that encourages and facilitates internships in areas of career interest.
Eastside’s mission has now expanded to include supporting their college-enrolled alumni with continued guidance, counseling, and mentoring to achieve a degree completion rate well above the norm.
If some of the strategies sound familiar, it is because the Rotary Club of San Mateo has embraced similar concepts for decades through its work with elementary, middle, and high school students.
Thanks to Dick Bennett for the photos.
