Opinion

She flies, she sings and she dances—that’s what Heidi Oliphant does in this South Valley Civic Theatre production of Mary Poppins. Along with Zack Goller, who joins her as Bert the Chimney Sweep, and Elizabeth Calisi, who adds to the fun as the long-suffering Mrs. Banks, the three leads keep a lively crew of more than 40 kids aged nine to 70 moving in the right direction.

Think about being almost 80 (if you are not there already). One moment you are 20, and whoosh, you are almost 80. How did you get there, where did the minutes, hours and days go?

Dear Superintendent Betando and the Morgan Hill Unified School District,I implore you to rethink your high school graduation schedules. At the 2 p.m. June 3 graduation ceremony for Live Oak, the heat was so intense at least five people fainted. My 80-year-old parents were there to see their one and only grandchild graduate; they would not have missed it for the world. Unfortunately, despite sitting in the back row so that they could stay under umbrellas for shade and constantly spraying themselves with water, my father could only make it halfway through the ceremony. He became shaky and had to retreat to the car for air conditioning. My mother, whose heart is not functioning well, could barely make it back to the car after the ceremony.It was not just the spectators suffering. The entire front row of students was facing the sun in their full-length gowns. The teachers were in black gowns with no shade. The heat was so intense it was difficult to listen to the speakers. Those kids worked long and hard on their speeches, yet it was impossible to concentrate on what they were saying.After four years of supporting our children and their school, why would you subject us to sitting for hours in 100 degree temperatures on blazing hot artificial turf? June in Morgan Hill is often very hot and this is not the only year the temperature has been unbearable during graduation. Are you going to wait until someone actually dies in the heat before making changes?Please consider a morning or evening time for future graduation ceremonies.Becky WallingfordProud (but overheated) parent of a Live Oak graduate

When I first entered high school four years ago, I thought I would drop out. I thought high school would be like it is in the movies: everyone fooling around, learning things that you would never need in life, hanging out with friends and going to class when you wanted, IF you wanted.High school was not what I thought it would be. My first two years were not my best, due to my actions of ditching, drinking, not caring for me or my peers’ education.We were on a road to dropping out.Midway into my sophomore year, I woke up and realized that to get where I wanted to be I needed to be present and trying to succeed in class.  Slowly, what I began to understand is that we all need to be present—not just physically, but also mentally in a classroom. Why? A classroom is where we are all connected and can make a better future for us and our family. We help each other out, we have our amazing teachers to help us in any situation we have.Coming to Central High is a blessing. It gives us a second opportunity for our education, and our teachers here are our family. They care for us not just in education but outside of school as well.I also began to understand that we all need to be present in life. We need to be willing to go into tough situations where we do not know everything, and be willing to accept the challenge to fight through and be OK with being uncomfortable.You do not have to be perfect in life to succeed. A close friend, a brother figure once said, “Success isn't measured by the position that one has reached in life, but by the obstacles they have overcome while trying to succeed.”I owe the biggest thank you and appreciation to some key adults who helped me realize I needed my education: Saul Gonzalez, Veronica Diaz and Dori Ann Prado as well my mother, all of whom help me change and grow. They never gave up on me.  I'm thankful for my teachers Mr. Lines & Ms. Charlebois for teaching me about Economics and Civics. I thought these subjects would not be a part of my life. I’m glad I got my education from them because now I know how to fill in my taxes and make a resume, and I know about politics and my rights as a citizen. I learned to speak my mind and make my ideas count by giving sound reasons for my thoughts, by defending my position and standing up for what I believe.Having skills like this has prepared me for college as well as for life and for my future. I am the first one in my family to graduate from high school. I will be the first one in my family to go to college. And I will be the first one to GRADUATE from college!High school was not what I thought it would be. High school is where I woke up and realized I need my education.So to all my fellow class members, remember education is the key to everything and may God be with you through the years no matter where life takes you.WE DID IT, SI SE PUEDE!Jerry Juarez, Class of 2016, delivered the commencement speech at Central High School’s June 2 graduation ceremony. This piece is a slightly edited version of his speech.

Monday started with a roar and ended with a whimper.

Oklahoma! came roaring in with an effervescence that shows running almost 75 years usually run out of after a decade or so.

I’ve adopted several phrases that I use when life gets rough: “Someone out there has it way worse than me,” and “I’m doing this for something bigger than myself.” I used to tell myself these things when things were particularly bad in Afghanistan. I have continually referred to these lines in my time out of the service, however I never thought I’d need to use them while having mascara put on my eyes.At the Gavilan College Veterans Club, we’ve been looking for ways to help out in our community. We want to change the conversation that has become the norm when discussing veterans, especially combat veterans. A couple of months ago at a party, when one of the revelers learned that a friend of mine had done several tours to Iraq he asked him, “Are you alright? Up here?” pointing to his head. He managed to brush it off but, it’s not an isolated incident.Most of us have had someone just assume that we aren’t alright after doing a tour. One of the goals that we at the club wanted to do was put ourselves out there so that we could show combat veterans in a new light. If we could find an opportunity to help our community and simultaneously display that we don’t need to be taken seriously all the time, we win on all fronts.So when our club advisor Jillian Wilson came up with the idea of supporting Walk a Mile in Her Shoes, we all agreed it was a great idea. However, I wasn’t that excited when the suggestion came about for a tiered system of donations. With every monetary goal reached we’d make ourselves a little more feminine, and at $2,500 we’d go full drag.Some of the club members were thrilled (it raised eyebrows, but we don’t judge). I really enjoy being a guy. I grew a beard as soon as I got out of the Army. So the whole process wasn’t thrilling me. The money we would raise would go to Monarch Services (formerly Women's Crisis Support - Defensa de Mujeres), an organization that helps over 1,500 victims of sexual assault and domestic violence a year. So indeed this was “something bigger than myself,” thus it would be worth it.A couple of days away from the event it was clear that we’d make the goal for full drag. To add to the uncomfortability, I recruited my mom to help buy me a dress. It was definitely fun for her.On April 28 about 10 combat hardened veterans showed up at the Cosmetology Department at Gavilan, ready to get dolled up. We were greeted by a very eager team of women who couldn’t wait to get started on us. I was uncomfortable and they couldn’t help but laugh. I think every one of them really enjoyed doing this to us, so I’m not sure if I really need to thank them too much. A special thanks does need to go to Gilbert Ramirez and Michelle Terrano. (I know you did it just to get back at your brother.) By the time we got to Santa Cruz I think it’s safe to say we were all a bit nervous and we were right to be. All 10 of us were gawked at and even cat-called. So ladies, job well done.Our number one earner, Johnny Sandavol, who personally brought in over a grand in donations was probably the best looking out of all of us, if not the most revealing. Hopefully his lovely girlfriend Erika Linn Chesnutis will choose to dress him a little more conservatively next time. Ray Lopez, our team Captain, brought in over $700 just behind myself, although in my opinion he should redo the mile since he looked more like an 80s glam metal star.The biggest guy we got, Jake Hester, pulled in about a couple hundred. He ended up looking like a cross dressing Fred Flintstone. Jorge Gonzales was dubbed a cholo drag queen before we even left the campus. Thanks for giving me something to laugh at. Josh Santorro, with his waxed mustache and betty boop outfit, will forever haunt my dreams. Ben Sandavol went for a Marilyn Monroe look.Somebody described me as drag queen hippie Jesus; I’ll take it. In total we all raised $4,757, nearly doubling our original goal to walk a mile dressed in drag.It also wouldn’t be fair not to mention the women who joined us on this walk: Mayra Rios, Ray’s wife Elaine Estrada, Melissa Santorro, and of course my mother.The true title of queen of our group goes to Jillian Wilson as she’s the one who encouraged us to do this. A very special thanks goes out to Leeann Luna the Monarch Services Administrative Manager who was responsible for putting on this year's Walk a Mile in Her Shoes event.This was an eye opening experience. I’m happy that I did it. Even if I did exaggerate how uncomfortable I was, I’d still not like to do it again. Next year I think I’ll just stick to the shoes.Gilroy resident and Live Oak High alumnus Connor Quinn is Region IX State Membership Coordinator for Team Rubicon, a disaster relief organization that employs military veterans. He is also a VA work study at the Gavilan College Veterans Resource Center.

Vote for experienceThe Voters within the Morgan Hill Unified School District will have a clear-cut choice to make in the election on June 7. Candidate Pamela Torrisi is a former paraeducator who worked for the district for over 30 years. She has proven leadership skills from several years as head of the classified employees union.Pam has been a member of our community for many years and is accepting campaign donations only from the local community. Her opponent Thomas Arnett has received $7,000 in campaign contributions from a group in Washington, D.C., called Leadership for Educational Equity. This is a pro-charter political action committee. He works as a researcher at an educational think tank that promotes disruptive innovation, yet he has limited experience as an educator in Teach for America and holds an MBA, but not a regular teaching credential.Voters must ask themselves what future they wish to see for our school district. Will it be a locally controlled free public education for all of our students, or a collection of for-profit corporate charter schools which could be controlled from anywhere in the country and selectively admit students to make their test scores look better and turn public tax dollars into profits for investors?Steven SpencerMorgan HillEditor’s note: See related news story on this website, in which Arnett says he is “not in favor of charter schools that are just trying to enroll students to make money.”Election should be about the issuesThe June 7 election is fast approaching, and as the national election gets more and more contentious, I’ve noticed that certain negative campaigning tactics have encroached upon the school board election here in Morgan Hill. I personally don’t feel that these methods have any place in a local election that involves two local Morgan Hill residents who both obviously have a deep dedication to education and to our school district.With that in mind, I’m writing to explain why, without cutting down the merits and reputation of Pam Torrisi, as a longtime Morgan Hill resident and alum of Live Oak High School, my family and I are supporting Tom Arnett in his run for MHUSD School Board. I’ve known Tom for over 15 years, my husband even longer, and graduated with him from Live Oak. At Live Oak, Tom was well known by other students, particularly in the music program in which we participated, for being a truly honest, caring person. It was no surprise to any of us when he was chosen to be the drum major of the Emerald Regime our senior year, and I wasn’t surprised either to see him pursue a career in education as his leadership skills were obvious even as teenagers.It seems like in the discussions I’ve seen on social media and in various local media outlets, there have been questions about Tom’s trustworthiness, even suggestions that he’s somehow shady or accepting money from nefarious sources who are seeking to, in the six-month time frame that Tom would be on the board, drastically change our school district in some way. Anyone who personally knows or has had a conversation with Tom would find these assertions almost comical, but I think it speaks to a bigger question of distrust in anyone running for political office. I often have those same misgivings where politics are concerned, but, fortunately, the decision to elect Tom or Pam does not need to be one based on who is corrupt or not.My family and I support Tom because we know he is dedicated to our district, we are interested in having someone with young children like we have with a voice on the board, and we are excited by Tom’s research and knowledge about innovative education methods.This election should be about the issues and policies that the candidates will be facing in the next six months. I urge you to make your decision in this election based upon which candidate best represents your interests and addresses your concerns.Sincerely,Hylary LocsinGilroy

On June 7, 2016 voters will once again have an opportunity to demonstrate their support for the acquisition, development, and operation of regional parks for everyone in Santa Clara County. With approval, Measure A will continue the Park Charter Fund, ensuring a critical local, stable funding source for Santa Clara County Parks until 2032.Measure A is NOT a new or additional tax— it simply dedicates a small portion of existing property tax revenue for County Parks. The Park Charter Fund equates to about 1 percent of the county’s total budget, and includes a mandate to acquire more parkland and develop new park facilities. The measure has been endorsed by scores of regional leaders, including all five county supervisors.Since 1972, Santa Clara County’s Park Charter Fund has acquired over 50,000 acres, including 29 parks, which provide a diverse range of recreational opportunities to residents and visitors alike. From kayaking on the bay to camping in the redwoods to learning about the history of agriculture in Silicon Valley, our regional parks provide enjoyment and inspiration for residents and visitors throughout the county.Santa Clara County is one of the fastest growing and most diverse regions in the country. Regional parks offer a multitude of ways for communities to connect and refresh.Upon the passage of Measure A this June, the county can use Park Charter Fund to ensure safe and well-maintained parks, open more lands to public use, enhance visitor experience, fund the regional trails network and complete the connected system of regional parks. In addition, Measure A will allow the parks department to continue to protect and preserve the natural beauty and biodiversity of our parks so current and future generations can enjoy all that nature has to offer.Larry Ames, former Santa Clara County Parks & Recreation Commissioner, said, “The county has done a remarkable job of acquiring and preserving land both for environmental protection and for future public enjoyment. But the county currently can’t open nearly a quarter of the land to the public yet; the lands need to be made safe and accessible. For example, old mine shafts need to be fenced off and old wells capped, and then amenities such as parking lots and sensitively sited hiking trails are needed so that the public can safely enjoy the lands they have helped preserve.”Yes on Parks! is leading the campaign to secure the next 15 years of park funding in Santa Clara County. For more information, visit YesOnParks.com.We are proud that our endorsers include: Honorable Zoe Lofgren, US Congress; Honorable Evan Low, CA State Assembly; Gustav Larson, Vice Mayor, Sunnyvale; Don Rocha, Councilmember, San Jose; Carl Guardino, President & CEO Silicon Valley Leadership Group; Peninsula Open Space Trust; Sempervirens Fund; SPUR San Jose; Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition San Jose? Parks Foundation.Garnetta AnnableChair, Yes On Parks