Extra Credit

Local Teacher to Study Colonial History

A Nordstrom Elementary School teacher will be traveling back in time this summer, along with 25 others, thanks to a program called the Colonial Williamsburg Teacher Institute.

Fifth grade teacher John Loyd was selected to participate in the program, which offers teachers an extensive look at colonial history, from the first English settlement at Jamestown to the American Revolution.

Loyd’s participation in the week-long program was sponsored by 1st United Federal Credit Union, which joined credit unions in other states to send local teachers to the institute.

A Nordstrom teacher for six years, Loyd has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Saint Mary’s College in Moraga and a master’s degree in education in cross cultural teaching from National University.

Student Exchange Program Looking for Host Families

NW Services, a nonprofit and Council on Standards for International Educational Travel-approved program, is looking for families in the area to host high school students from Japan, Mongolia, Germany, Albania and other countries during the 2006-07 school year.

The students are 15-18 years of age and will begin arriving in August to spend the upcoming school year with a family while attending the local high schools.

Single parents, retired couples, parents with small children and couples without children can be host families.

The students are prescreened, speak English and look forward to learning about American culture while teaching the families about their culture and country. They have medical insurance and their own spending money to cover such things as clothing, school supplies and entertainment. Host families are not paid but may claim a $50 per month charitable contribution on their income tax. The students’ only requirements are a bed, meals and a supportive family to share their five-to-10-month stay in the country.

For more information on NW Services call

1-866-846-3977.

Nominations Sought for History Teacher of the Year 

The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History is seeking nominations for the annual California History Teacher of the Year Award. The Institute, in partnership with Preserve America, inaugurated the award in 2004.

The History Teacher of the Year Award is designed to promote and celebrate the teaching of American history in classrooms across the United States. It honors one exceptional K-12 teacher of American history from each state and U.S. territory. The selection of the state winner is based upon several criteria, including experience in teaching American history for at least three years; a deep career commitment to teaching American history; evidence of creativity and imagination in the classroom; and close attention to documents, artifacts, historic sites and the other primary materials of history.

The state winner will receive a $1,000 honorarium and will be in the running for the National History Teacher of the Year award to be selected this fall. His or her school library will receive a core archive of history books and materials.

The deadline for nominations is May 15. Contact Jack Bareilles at (707) 839-6492 or hu*******************@*****il.com.

Burnett Elementary School Turns 150 Years Old

The faculty and parents of Burnett Elementary School are planning a birthday celebration the evening of Thursday, May 18, with music, plays, guest speakers and refreshments. Invitations have been sent to hundreds of people in the community. Organizers need financial support for invitations, refreshments, services to reproduce old photographs and funds to build a Fourth of July float. The school is asking companies in Morgan Hill to help.

For more information contact the school, 85 Tilton Ave., at 779-5241.

Local Students Honored at the UCSB

University of California, Santa Barbara students Thomas John Flowers, Daniel A. Novalk, Danielle K. Tarp, Amanda Elisabeth Tewes and Michael Joshua Bennett have been selected for the UCSB dean’s honors list.

The honor, which is noted on their permanent records, is earned by students who have attained the qualifying grade point average of 3.75 on a program of 12 or more graded units in the College of Letters and Science, or 3.50 in the College of Engineering. With an enrollment of close to 20,000 students, UCSB offers bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs in most academic disciplines.

Annual Picnic at Machado School

The Machado School Heritage Society invites the public to its annual picnic on Saturday, May 20, from 12-3pm. Antique cars from the Valle del Sur Car Club will start the day with a scheduled noontime arrival. Jake Quesenberry and Carl Pagter, “The Old Men from the Mountains” will play their old-time music from 12-1:30pm. The South Valley Quilt Association will have a display inside the old schoolhouse. Machado School Heritage Society Historian Kathryn Rusconi will open the Society’s archives, including old class photos of former Machado School students. Local artist John Ward will host an exhibit of his artwork. Old-fashioned games for the kids will be available before and after lunch. Sue Howell of W.E.R.C. (Wildlife Education and Rehabilitation Center) will give a wildlife talk and show at 2pm.

Machado School is located at 15130 Sycamore Dr., Morgan Hill. Additional information: 422-9444.

First Annual School of the Blues Student Blues Festival

Join students, instructors and guest artists of School of the Blues for a fun summer day of original compositions and great classic blues music at 7pm, June 11 at the Morgan Hill Community Center Amphitheater. Listen to six bands, 40 individual student performances, the School of the Blues All-Star Band featuring John Garcia, Shane Dwight, David Barrett, Frank De Rose and Kevin Coggins as well as a special guest performance from Bay Area blues harmonica legend Gary Smith.

For more information call School of the Blues at (408) 224-2937 or www.schooloftheblues.com.