Opinion

This is the year. No New Year's resolutions that fade in mid-January and disappear by February. Instead, make a bold commitment and accept a challenge to join me on a climb to the top of Yosemite's Mt. Hoffman on July 11, 2015.

Thanks for helping the communityThe Live Oak High School Chapter of the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) thanks the community for its generous support of the Thanksgiving Canned Food Drive for the 125 underprivileged families in the Morgan Hill Unified School District.  Through your efforts, they were able to have a happier Thanksgiving.It all began when you donated money and cans to the students who stood in front of the two Safeway stores in town Nov. 12 and 13 and asked for your contributions. In addition, cans and non-perishables were collected in the classrooms at Live Oak throughout the month—over 3,700 items. A small group at Martin Murphy Middle School also helped toward the cause. A former FBLA member who has scoured her neighborhood for over 10 years brought in over 500 items.  The names of the families were acquired from each of the schools in the district.All of the sorting and packing into the huge apple boxes and a large grocery bag for each family was completed Nov. 21 and 22. On Nov. 23, the pickups, vans and cars were loaded and the deliveries were made to each of the 125 families with the help of the Morgan Hill and San Martin Lions Club members as drivers who took two students with each of them.Each of the 125 families received a huge apple box (approximately 60-70 pounds); a large grocery bag full of potatoes, rice, beans, tortillas and non-perishables; a loaf of bread; a turkey; and laundry detergent. Over 400 man-hours were spent for this successful endeavor!Kiki Nakauchi, FBLA AdvisorMorgan Hill Take care of teachersI think it’s about time our teachers are taken care of.Time and time again, education is the first to get cut one way or another, and it’s upsetting. It is known information that a teacher’s salary is rather low in comparison to other professions, which can be discouraging for those who are innately qualified to teach our children.As a result, our children lose out. Offering low cost housing to educators will certainly relieve them of some stress, and will surely give them a reason to stay. Less stress often equates to happier life, and a happier person tends to perform better at work. This means that the children will have better education.My family is part of a different district and I hope this sets the bar for other districts within the county to start taking care of the people who give so much to create leaders.Claudia CortezSan Jose