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April 1, 2017
Volume 1, Issue 6
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By Shannon Carr
Board Support & Communications Specialist
Danny Lau, Vice President of the Milpitas Unified School District Board of Education, passed away on March 20 following a serious illness.
“Danny’s passing is heartbreaking; he was a member of our MUSD family who dedicated much of his time to the success of our staff and students,” Superintendent Cheryl Jordan said that afternoon. “He sought excellence for kids, and knew that his part came in nurturing that in all with whom he worked. Danny was the kind of leader who illuminated the capacity and strengths in others. I will greatly miss Danny, and am grateful for his example of unassuming yet determined leadership.”
She emphasized Mr. Lau is an integral piece of the school district, which serves more than 10,000 students from Transitional Kindergarten through 12th grade.
Board President Daniel Bobay, who was first elected in 2008, has served beside Mr. Lau since he was appointed in 2011.
“We are very saddened by the passing of Danny Lau,” Bobay said. “He was the Vice President on our Board and we committed earlier this year to working to make the board and school district more stable in support of our Superintendent. For our friend and for his family, ‘We will miss you Danny Lau.’”
Mr. Lau, 59, has lived in Milpitas for more than 35 years, and has always been active in school and the community at large. He was sworn in by Superintendent Karl Black on March 15, 2011 after longtime trustee Mike Mendizabal unexpectedly announced his resignation, effective January 31 of that year. Mr. Lau ran again in 2012 to keep his seat, and was re-elected in 2014 to a four-year term.
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TRUSTEES HONOR DANNY LAU DURING BOARD MEETING
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Many items during the March 28 Board of Education meeting
were held in memory of Danny Lau.
A picture of Mr. Lau, which typically hung on a Board Room wall alongside pictures of the current board, was placed in front of his seat on the dais next to calla lily flowers.
During the Superintendent’s Report, Cheryl Jordan
shared a tribute PowerPoint slideshow. Following the presentation, she asked attendees to pause for a moment of silence “for our friend and leader Danny Lau.” Trustees and cabinet members shared their memories about Mr. Lau, emphasizing his endless compassion for Milpitas Unified School District employees and families, and his tireless work to try and meet everyone’s needs.
That evening, the Board approved having a student scholarship for music as a way to honor Mr. Lau, and also continue the tradition of the scholarship that was started by the board last year. Last year, board members committed to $250 each, and other donations were collected, allowing them to provide two years of community college for one student and two years at a institute of higher learning for another student to do career tech, according to Superintendent Jordan. To make a donation, please make checks out to Milpitas Unified School District, write "Danny Lau Board Scholarship" in the memo section, and send to: MUSD Business Services, 1331 E. Calaveras Blvd, Milpitas, CA 95035.
The Board also approved naming the Districtwide Spring Music Festival in honor of Mr. Lau. He was an avid supporter of the music program, and attended any event he could both in and out of Milpitas.
In addition, the Milpitas Community Educational Endowment has established the "Danny Lau Memorial Scholarship." To make a donation, please make checks out to the Milpitas Community Educational Endowment, write "Danny Lau Memorial Scholarship" in the memo section, and send to: Danny Lau Memorial Scholarship, c/o Milpitas Community Educational Endowment, 1331 E. Calaveras Blvd., Milpitas, CA 95035.
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Superintendent's Message:
Trojan Olympics – a Spotlight on the Heart of Milpitas High School
What is at the heart of Milpitas High School? Our students, staff and parents! Their care for one another filled the gym amidst the colorful cheering and fanfare at the MHS Trojan Olympics on Friday, March 31. My husband and I were captivated the moment the student dancers charged into the gym greeted by waves of color that adorned their classmates.
While the freshman, sophomores, juniors and seniors were dressed in their corresponding class colors of purple, maroon, orange, and pink, the mix of the four represented the vibrant joy that emanated among our students that night. While each class was competing for first place in the games, they never overlooked their connections to one another.
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The frozen T-shirt contest showcased their desire to see one another succeed. The senior competitor was the first to unfurl her frozen shirt that she took from the ice chest. But rather than go to the sidelines to bask in her accomplishment, she charged over to coach the other three contestants. The freshman was the last to decipher the technique of stretching out frozen T-shirts, and her success was the result of the other three standing around her demonstrating how to pull the cemented folds apart. They hoisted her up in victory, the disheartened look of panic she displayed earlier gave way to a triumphant smile. They succeeded as one team.
I noticed too this same sense of connection and love for our school on the faces of our staff and parents. I watched the expressions of an English and P.E. teacher standing by the sophomores. Their hearts were with the kids, they were grinning and completely in the moment. A social studies teacher crouching on the floor by the juniors had an expression of admiration for our kids as he watched them struggle with the frozen shirts. In the freshman stand, an English teacher bounced back and forth between cheering on his students and sharing his delight with his wife. In the senior stands I saw parents whose expressions were mixed with pride and at times a sense of sadness as they realized this would be the last Trojan Olympics in which they would see their children competing as one with their MHS peers.
As I walked away from the event I knew this would not be my last, and I am sure that many of those senior parents had the same thought. This was a night that brought us together to witness the camaraderie and spirit that makes MHS the grand school it is. It is about WE doing and being together for our kids.
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Milpitas students gain jobs, experience at SCCOE WorkAbility Youth Job and Career Fair
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By Shannon Carr
Board Support & Communications Specialist
Approximately 40 students from Milpitas and Calaveras Hills high schools were among more than 200 from school districts around the county who attended the Santa Clara County Office of Education Annual 2017 WorkAbility Youth Job and Career Fair on March 17.
“It’s nerve wracking but it’s pretty fun,” Trinity Bocanegra, a junior from Milpitas High School said that morning. “I thought it would be fun to just get myself out there.”
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When Trinity arrived with the other Milpitas students that morning, they convened in a smaller room with Elyde Torres, Career Services Coordinator with Expandability from Goodwill Silicon Valley. Elyde walked the students through everything they needed to know in order to be prepared for the job fair that followed. This included asking how many students brought a resume that day to sharing how to dress for a job fair or interview (asking those who modeled the right attire that day to stand up); having volunteers participate in a mock interview, emphasizing the importance of smiling, eye contact, and a firm handshake; encouraging students to know what type of job they want before applying; and sharing the importance of follow-up phone calls.
Following the meeting, the students were released to the event, which offered students a chance to put their practice into action.
“This has been such a phenomenal experience every year for these kids,” said Suzanne Moffett, a Special Education teacher at Milpitas High School.
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Event showcases STEAM projects across Milpitas Unified School District
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More than 100 students and their parents along with employees from Milpitas Unified came together to celebrate its learners during the fourth districtwide STEAM Showcase on March 4.
The event showcased projects including 3D printing to the economics and ethics of producing man-made beef, printing organs, and robotics from students in kindergarten (our first from Randall participated this year) through high school from Sinnott, Weller, Randall, and Curtner elementary school to Thomas Russell Middle School and Milpitas High School.
“These students and their teachers were so excited to share their learning,” said Dr. Kimi Lynn Schmidt, an MUSD teacher on special assignment. The event was held in collaboration with MUSD and the Milpitas Community Educational Endowment.
“The idea was to really to provide an opportunity for students to show the community how they use technology at school,” Robert Jung, co-founder of the event, Board Member, and founder of the Milpitas Community Educational Endowment, said about creating the event. “The STEAM Showcase gives students the opportunity to share content from technology (ie. google suite), robotics, and art.”
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Weller fourth-grader wins first place at 2017 CalChess Scholastic State Championship
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The Board recognized Devesh Mamidi, a fourth-grader at Joseph Weller Elementary School.
Devesh won first place for the kindergarten through eighth-grade beginner level at the 2017 CalChess Scholastic State Championship held in Santa Clara March 11-12.
Hosted by San Jose-based Bay Area Chess, the two-day chess tournament - also known as Super States - is held annually for young chess players. Devesh won five out of five games to claim the trophy. He will advance to the national competition in May.
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MUSD students honored for winning entries
in Black History Month Writing Contest
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The Board recognized MUSD student winners from the City of Milpitas' Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Black History Month Writing Contest.
This year’s contest theme was “I Have A Dream." The city received close to 100 essays from students in first through 12th grade, and five judges ranked the essays based on a rubric provided by the city.
There were four grade level categories for this year’s winners:
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Elementary Division, Grades 1-3
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1st Place: Grace A. Zodiacal, a third grade from Spangler
2nd Place: Surabhi Kar, a third grader from Pomeroy - 3rd Place: Gerard Caronongan, a first grader from Burnett
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Elementary Division, Grades 4-6
- 1st Place: Anjali Nair, a sixth grader from Curtner
- 2nd Place: Tanvi Sudireddy, a fourth grader from Sinnott
- 3rd Place: Shreya Athur, a fourth grader from Curtner
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Middle School Division
- 2nd Place: Alannis Guerrero, an eighth grader from Russell
- 3rd Place: Leila Phillips, an eighth grader from Russell
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High School Division
- 1st Place: Yugam Satija, a ninth grader from Milpitas High School
- 2nd Place: Nathan Thai, a 10th grader from Milpitas High School
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Milpitas High School junior Neil Sadhukhan writing young adult dystopian novel
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Editor's Note: This article was originally written for the campus newspaper, "The Union." Editorial staff have submitted the article for use in this edition of the District newsletter.
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Outside of school, a whole world of extracurricular activities is available to students. Some students choose to volunteer, take classes, or participate in club activities. Others may choose to take time to study, tutor their peers, or play musical instruments. However, some students, like junior Neil Sadhukhan, are writing novels in their spare time.
Sadhukhan’s novel is a young adult dystopian fantasy in which a large, unacknowledged and unseen country suddenly starts to fight and conquer long-standing kingdoms in the hopes of achieving world peace. The main storyline follows a group of orphans living in a newly-oppressed city who attempt to escape and unite the remaining kingdoms against the ever-growing fanatic country. Among other things, modern fiction and young adult novels provided inspiration for his novel.
“It’s inspired by modern fiction like
The Hunger Games, elements of Harry Potter, and
The Earthsea Cycle by Ursula K. Le Guin; that was a big inspiration for me,” Sadhukhan said.
He began his project in the summer of eighth grade, when he wrote the prologue of a story without any intention of turning it into the major project that it has become. However, in the time period between the summer of his freshman year and the beginning of his sophomore year, Sadhukhan began to build on the small prologue, working on the story more seriously.
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