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GILROY—A founder and former board member of the respected Navigator charter schools in Gilroy and Hollister has called for removal of its director if allegations of mismanagement, nepotism and skirting state law are true.

Teacher Melinda Merten’s fourth-grade class at Oakwood School raised $1,398 to support children in Africa. As part of their history unit on African kingdoms, the fourth grade decided to run a three-week, school wide fundraising campaign. One of the fourth graders, Tsala Foley, has grandparents living in South Africa who are going to take the dollars raised and buy shoes, toys, school supplies, blankets and sports equipment to deliver to children in South Africa with the help of Emergency Children’s Help Organization (ECHO), a charity local to a region of South Africa that provides donations to many groups of people and children in need. The children who will benefit reside in the township of Khayelitsha, one of the poorest areas of Cape Town with a population of approximately 400,000.

Ann Sobrato High School’s Future Farmers of America celebrated FFA Week with a slew of events running from Feb. 9 through Feb. 13, culminating with the “Kiss a Pig” fundraiser on campus during their lunch break.“FFA Week is a week long celebration of our pride to be part of such an enriching organization,” said Emmanuel Calivo, Sobrato FFA Chapter Reporter.Sobrato’s FFA—which consists of about 500 members—hosted an assortment of contests and fun activities throughout the week, including Feb. 9 “Cowboy & Cowgirl Day;” Feb. 10 “Dress Like Your Ag Teacher Day/Bubble Gum in a Pie;” Feb. 11 “College Day” and Obstacle Course; Feb. 12 “Construction Day/Build a Barn;” and Feb. 13 FFA Day/Kiss a Pig Contest.Each day of the week, FFA students dressed up in different apparel to show their creativity and pride, according to Calivo. Activities were held in the Sobrato quad for all students to participate.FFA members raise various livestock animals on the sprawling Sobrato farm and then show them during the annual county fair, which is held July 30-Aug. 2 at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds located at 344 Tully Road in San Jose. Students also take agricultural science courses at school.

In pulling a consent item into public discussion from the Feb. 10 agenda that paid the $2,500 tab to Dana Tom Consulting for the school board’s annual retreat—held Jan. 23 at Clos LaChance Winery—Trustee David Gerard questioned the procedure used by district staff to pay for the event.

Something special is happening at Ann Sobrato High School, which is now in the top 1 percent of high schools in the nation that have reached equity among students enrolling in Advanced Placement courses, according to school officials.

Morgan Hill Unified School District’s Board of Education delayed a vote on a new policy regarding trustee reimbursement for professional development at the Feb. 10 meeting.

With workshops such as “A Cow’s Eye View,” “Pokemon Math,” “The Secret Life of Strawberries,” and “Jamba Juice Jenga,” local students were treated to a Saturday filled with academic enrichment Feb. 7 at the 14th annual Science Alive Conference on the Gavilan College campus in Gilroy.Middle school students (grades 6-8) from Morgan Hill, San Martin, Gilroy and Hollister were introduced to math and science based, hands-on activities in a wide variety of one-hour workshops spread throughout the day.In all, there were 18 workshops, where students explored such things as the principles of energy storage and conversion, the physics of sound and music, the magic of geometry, principles of electric circuits and how the heart functions. Each workshop called for students to construct a project to test what they had learned.Students pre-registered for the sold out event, filling in their four top choices of workshops they wanted to attend. Each student was then placed in three selected workshops.Instructors included faculty and students from Gavilan College, San Jose State University and Gilroy High School as well as others from the Chabot Space and Science Center and Gilroy Veterinary Hospital.

What inspires you?I’m inspired by problems that need to be solved. They inspire me to work hard and get things done.What is your favorite subject, and why?My favorite subject would have to be math because I like to understand how things work and find patterns, and there’s always a right answer.If you had the power to change one thing in the world, what would it be?I would make society more sustainable and environmentally conscious. Climate change is currently the most pressing global issue as it has the potential to be disastrous for everyone, with rising sea levels, droughts, and superstorms.If you could go anywhere, where would you go?I would go to Europe, making sure to visit my family in Norway and spending time in Spain to practice my Spanish.Name one big challenge in your life right now:The big challenge I’m facing right now is dealing with being constantly stressed and tired. I’m done with my college apps, but scholarship applications are just as stressful.What is your dream job?I don’t know what I want to do with my life right now, but my dream is to do something meaningful that I enjoy and help make the world a better place.What are your three favorite things?The sun, the water, and (vegetarian) food.Favorite book:“Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” by J.K. Rowling.What do you want to do after high school?After high school I hope to go to a four-year university, probably Cal or UCLA, and then go on to get a Master’s degree.Something that makes you smile:My friends never fail to make me smile. Because of them I successfully made it through a very stressful junior year and the first half of senior year.Top three most played songs of you iTunes or iPod:Currently the three most played songs on my iPod are “All of Me” by John Legend, “Wonderland” by Taylor Swift, and “I’m Not the Only One” by Sam Smith.

Pianist David Kerr, a senior at Mount Madonna School, will perform his first original composition as part of the United States Open Competition, which is scheduled for Feb. 16-21 in Oakland.The Morgan Hill resident, who started playing the piano at age 4 and currently studies with teacher K.K. Koo, will compete in two of the 88 events that encompass the music competition.“I absolutely loved the process of writing my own music,” said Kerr of his first composition. “Music has, and always will be, a huge part of my life. In creating my own music, I found that I learned more about myself and now have an entirely new field in which to expand upon my studies.”On Feb. 19, he will perform his original composition, titled “Thoughts Racing.” The next day, Kerr will compete at the senior level in a Liszt duo with partner Kristin Wolfe, performing “Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2.” For the duo competition, two pianists play simultaneously and both parts are considered solos.“Initially, I was very resistant, mainly because I felt I wasn’t good enough,” said Kerr of his first upcoming competition. “Now, I feel that it’s a wonderful way to push myself to new levels in terms of my performance. It does induce a certain level of stress, although for what I feel I am getting out of it, I am totally willing to put my best effort forward.”Kerr said he was inspired by a friend to work on his own composition. Eight months later, he completed “Thoughts Racing.”“I have always enjoyed playing the piano, although the countless hours of work required to reach that enjoyment is quite daunting,” Kerr said. “Fortunately, I stayed with it and now I’m at the point where even the hard work is enjoyable.”For more information on the competition, visit usomc.org.

What inspires you?What inspires me are the words my grandfather said to me: “You can do it all.”What is your favorite subject in school and why?My favorite subject in school is Geology because I’m really interested in what the earth has to offer.If you had the power to change one thing in the world, what would it be?StarvationIf you could go anywhere, where would you go?AfricaName one big challenge in your life right now?Deciding what will come next in my life.What is your dream job?My dream job is to film animals in the wild, or to work for National Geographic.What are your three favorite things?My farm animals, fixed gear bicycles, being self-sufficient.What is your favorite book/author?Maria SabinaWhat do you want to do after high school?Go to college.Something that makes you smile:TacosMost played song on your phone/iPod:“21 questions” by 50 cent