It’s a full-fledged assault now on the charter school petitions from Rocketship and Navigator. Fascinating to watch unfold, there are “hatchet men” who likely expect to be rewarded down the line, teacher’s union petition bullies, master strategic planners and a whole bunch of folks who are wrongly becoming convinced that doom and gloom (lost jobs and the collapse of public education in Morgan Hill) are right around the corner should the County Office of Education approve the charters after the rejections of Navigator and Rocketship petitions to open schools – the latter rejection by the Board of Trustees looming just around the corner. As in any good modern American fight, the attorneys are next in line, salivating on the sidelines with thoughts of sugarplum taxpayer funded treasures dance in their heads. Everyone knows a teacher, of course. It’s the largest employee group in Morgan Hill according to the city – Morgan Hill Unified, 753 employees, Anritsu, 488. So, it’s uncomfortable stuff, especially with holiday parties ahead. But it’s too bad that cooperative learning is preached on a classroom level, but not practiced on an administrative level. The charter schools are agents for change and, if skillfully integrated into MHUSD, could lift the entire district. It’s happening elsewhere in this county, but MHUSD opted for a good old-fashioned all-out Nixonian political the-best-defense-is-a-good-offense assault, and the dust will not settle now for years to come.
Settling into a more pleasant topic, a hand-written note with some heartfelt words is powerful and, unfortunately, a waning practice. So much email, text and lickety-split communication. My grandfather, Ed Derry, used to write weekly letters to his children who were away from home going to college or pursuing endeavors. It meant a lot to get a note – and it still does. So it brought a smile when I read a local press release that started, “There is value in the hand-created note. It promotes thoughtfulness and generates good will and generosity. Think about the last hand-created, hand-written thank you note you received. How did you feel – happy, blessed, warm?” There’s a one-hour class in Karen’s Art Zone at BookSmart (80 E. 2nd St. Morgan Hill) on Saturday, Nov. 23 where you can create your own thank you cards. Kids welcome. Materials supplied. Just in time for Thanksgiving. Cool.
Cool is what it’s going to be when I soon visit daughter Mariah, who’s a senior at Oregon State University. A senior … oh my, I didn’t know it would feel so different when the last one zoomed ever closer to donning the cap and gown. But I get it now. There’s a line of demarcation floating around that signals this segment of your life’s journey and the work that has been your primary focus for many years, has passed. It is a wistful realization, but I’m sure going to enjoy the last few visits to OSU, a school and a campus I have come to think the world of. Go BEAVS!
Go get an application says Rosy B. who’s always at the beach. There’s $15,000 in Community Grants available through the Rotary Club of Morgan Hill just waiting for philanthropic project or program proposals. All the application materials are available on the web at morganhillrotary.com. Get some cash and do something for the betterment of the community with it.
The Morgan Hill Downtown Association is on a community betterment tear. Latest winner: A Thursday night year-round Farmer’s Market located on the corner of 3rd street and Monterey Road from 3 to 7 p.m. (winter hours) with later hours in the summer. Ca-ching. Bundle up, hit the market Thursday night for a little fresh produce shopping and a stroll, then have dinner at Bubbles, or Rosy B.’s or AJay’s or enjoy a glass of wine and a cigar at the always friendly establishment, the Morgan Hill Cigar Company and Wine Shop, where Joe and Eli and Jeff warmly welcome the world with good company, local wines galore and great smokes.
Smoked a brisket for 15 hours last weekend. Started the pit at 10 p.m.ish Saturday and sliced the brisket long after the 49ers beat up on the Jags in London. Really good flavor, but an early morning golf game that lasted too many strokes got me back to the pit about a half hour late, and that 7 degrees cost me some tenderness. So the elusive perfect brisket is still out there, but I’m getting ready to rumble if the No Bull BBQ competition comes back … hey what about bringing that baby back (catch that punny?) MH Downtown Association?
Associated props to the city for the landscaping plans in the center of the new Butterfield Bypass. It’s bright with purple flowers and the trees are really going to be a nice visual break in a few years.
In a few years we might have a new $10 million parking lot downtown, but it’s certainly worth looking at again to determine if that’s the best use of some of the leftover RDA cash.
Reach Editor Mark Derry at ed****@mo*************.com
