Champion Kinder International School
(2 to 5 Years)
Summer Camp E
WWW CHAMPIONYES COM
nrolling N ow
3UNNYVALE 3ARATOGA 2OAD 3UNNYVALE s ! -ANDARIN )MMERSION 0RESCHOOL "RINGS A 7ORLD OF /PPORTUNITY
New School Year Enrollment Pre-K (4 to 5 years) Sunrise Class Demonstration Ă€Âˆ`>Ăž]ĂŠ >ĂžĂŠĂˆ]ÊÓ䣣ÊUĂŠx\Ă¤Ă¤Â‡Ăˆ\ääʍ“ .EW 0RESCHOOL &ACILITY s $ANCE &ACILITY s !RT 3CIENCE 3TUDIO s 'ROUP +EYBOARD s #HILDREN S ,IBRARY s SF )NDOOR #LASSROOM s SF 0LAYGROUND !REA s &2%% $AILY 0ROFESSIONAL %NRICHMENT 0ROGRAMS
#HAMPION 9OUTH %NRICHMENT 3CHOOL ÂxĂŠĂŒÂœĂŠÂŁĂ“ĂŠ9i>Ă€ĂƒÂŽ s s s s s
+INDERGARTEN !FTER 3CHOOL /PEN (OUSE AND #LASS $EMO
PALO ALTO CAMPUS
{ÉәÉÓ䣣ÊUĂŠ Ă€Âˆ`>Ăž]ĂŠx\ĂŽĂ¤Â‡Ăˆ\Îä
. #ALIFORNIA !VE # 0ALO !LTO s
MOUNTAIN VIEW CAMPUSĂŠĂŠĂŠ{ÉәÉÓ䣣ÊUĂŠ Ă€Âˆ`>Ăž]ĂŠx\ĂŽĂ¤Â‡Ăˆ\Îä 3UNNYVALE 3ARATOGA 2OAD 3UNNYVALE s
D S R A 5 C T D S 3EN ! 0O
Photo of Prapasri and Waroon at Wat Pratat Haripoonchai, Lamphun, Thailand. Take a photo with the Mountain View Voice on your next trip and email to digitalads@paweekly.com
C U S T O M
S O L U T I O N S
F O R
E V E RY
FREE
WITH
S T Y L E
CONS
M U LT
I-ME
A N D
U LTAT
E V E RY
B U D G E T
ION
CERTIFIED GREEN
DIA PROF UDED ESSI WITH SOM ONA E RE PURC L STRI HASE CTIO NS A
INCL
P P LY
MANUFACTURER’S DIRECT PRICING L A M I N AT E & R E A L W O O D M AT E R I A L C H O I C E S
VISIT OUR CAMPBELL SHOWROOM 1 1 9 0 D E L L AV E N U E LICENSE #782217 SINCE 1973
4 0 8 . 3 7 0 . 1 0 4 1 W W W. VA L E T C U S T O M . C O M
HOME OFFICES ! MEDIA CENTERS ! WALL BEDS ! CLOSETS ! GARAGES
6
â– MOUNTAIN VIEW VOICE â– APRIL 22, 2011
-PDBM/FXT
High school district goes solar for Earth Day By Nick Veronin
I
n observance of Earth Day, the high school district is holding a dedication ceremony today, April 22, commemorating its newly installed, 1.26-megawatt solar panel system. The ceremony, which begins at 9 a.m., will take place before a backdrop of the roughly 38,000 square feet of solar voltaic panels in the student parking lot of Los Altos High School. In total the Mountain View-Los Altos Union High School District has installed 95,000 square feet of solar panels on elevated canopies in the parking lots at both Mountain View and Los Altos high schools. “We hope to be a model for our community,� district Superintendent Barry Groves said, noting that the ceremony was held on Earth Day because of the environmental benefits of solar power. “It’s been a priority for the district to become as sustainable as possible.� In optimal conditions the solar panels will produce 1.26 megawatts of energy continually, and officials from Cupertino Electric, Inc., the company that installed the solar panels, estimate that over the 25-year life span of the panels about 39.3 million kilowatt hours of electricity will be produced. According to the Environmental Protection Agency’s online greenhouse gas calculator, 39.3 million kilowatt hours could cover the electricity use of 3,296 U.S. homes for a whole year. Additionally, that amount of electricity, if it were generated by a coal-fired power plant, would end up releasing about 27,158 metric tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Groves said that the solar panels will produce about 50 percent of the district’s energy over their life span, and will ultimately save about $500,000 on its power bill annually. The project’s estimated cost is $7 million — paid for with funds from the $41.3 million Measure A bond,
which voters living in the district passed on June 8. Steve Schumer, an engineering and development manager specializing in alternative energy for Cupertino Electric, said that solar energy projects are “very important� for his company. Speaking from his personal experience — 45 years in the power industry — Schumer said that he doesn’t think the world will see the end of fossil fuels “in my lifetime or in my grandchildren’s lifetime.� Nonetheless, he said, “It is absolutely essential that we continue to invest in renewable technology.� This project is an example of that “essential� investment, and Schumer hopes it may inspire the high school students who park their gasoline powered vehicles beneath the solar panel canopy on school days. Making solar energy highly visible to the next generation is important, he said. “It will make renewable power a part of the kids’ value system.� Having the system on campus will also help enrich the environmental science curriculum at the district’s schools. Groves said the students will be able to take pride in knowing that their schools are helping the environment, and they will be able to learn about green technology in the process. “There’s a curriculum that goes along with the solar panels that we will implement in our science classrooms,� he said. Science and environmental planning classes at both Mountain View and Los Altos high schools will have the opportunity to engage with PG&E and solar panel meters, in concert with energy management software, to track electricity generation and consumption on campus. That makes lessons less abstract and more real when the students can reach out and touch the solar panels and see the real-life applications of the subject they are studying, Groves said. V
Microsoft co-founder speaks at Computer History Museum Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen will talk about his new memoir at 7 p.m. Monday, April 25, at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View in an event co-sponsored by the museum and Kepler’s bookstore. In the memoir, “Idea Man,� Allen discusses the early days of Microsoft, his battles with lymphoma, and the things
he’s learned, through trial and error, in his various endeavors. Tickets include a copy of the book; they are $32 for one or $40 for two, and can be purchased on the Kepler’s website www.keplers.com/paul-allenevent-tickets, or by phone at 324-4321. The museum is at 1401 N. Shoreline Blvd.