Upfront
Looking for a
Holiday Party Venue? The Woman’s Club of Palo Alto
inquiry@womansclubofpaloalto.org 650.321.5821 475 Homer Avenue, Palo Alto, CA 94301
Ecole internationale de la PĂŠninsule
Ě˝ ࣑ ੢ á„‘ á‹• ओ Outstanding fullday program.
LANGUAGE Longest running bilingual immersion school in the area. Experienced native-speaking faculty.
ACADEMICS Established English curriculum. Rigorous program in a nurturing environment. Low student-to-teacher ratio.
News Digest
and grief resources in Spanish and is equipped to respond to bereaved Spanish speakers and English speakers at schools, organizations and in person. When a fire destroyed onethird of Menlo Park’s private nonprofit Beechwood School, Maciel showed up to talk with the Spanishspeaking parents about how to equip oneself and empower oneself in the wake of tragedy and loss and how to help their children handle grief. “One lady said she wanted to thank us even before we got started because she couldn’t believe people who didn’t know them would take the time out to talk to them and make them better parents,� Maciel said. As Maciel hoped, the conversation with the parents eventually got onto the topic of the parents’ personal grief, whether it be from death, deportation issues, gangs or violence. Maciel and another Spanish-speaking counselor listened and talked about how to work through the grief. Of the 150 volunteer Kara counselors, most were, at one time, clients themselves. As the newest grief counselor and crisis team, Maciel has never been a client of Kara, but has experienced death and loss. She and the volunteers use their experiences of grief to relate to Kara’s clients. “It’s different than seeing a therapist who may not empathize as much because they have not been through a tragedy. The counselors can walk the road with you and hold your hand. It’s much more meaningful,� Kasper said. With Kara’s help, Kasper overcame her depression from losing a friend and has a new outlook on life. “Out of this tragedy, I have had a reawakening, and my life has taken on a new, different direction in a really positive way,� Kasper said. Through the Weekly Holiday Fund, this same opportunity is now available to Spanish speakers on the Peninsula. N Editorial Intern Lisa Kellman can be emailed at lkellman@ paweekly.com.
Student saved by $10 helmet
(continued from page 5)
• Company Parties •Weddings •Business Off-sites
PRE-SCHOOL
Grieve
WHEN IT’S YOUR CHILD, EXPERIENCE MATTERS. TEACHING MANDARIN CHINESE IMMERSION FOR 15 YEARS. A LEADER IN FRENCH IMMERSION IN PALO ALTO. ACCEPTING PRE-SCHOOL APPLICATIONS.
RSVP FOR A TOUR! PRE-SCHOOL OPEN HOUSE NOVEMBER 10, 2012
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF THE PENINSULA 7%" 777 )340 /2' s 0(/.%
Marijuana
(continued from page 3)
Support Palo Alto Weekly’s print and online coverage of our community. Join today: SupportLocalJournalism.org/PaloAlto Page 12ĂŠUĂŠ ÂœĂ›i“LiÀʙ]ÊÓä£ÓÊUĂŠ*>Â?ÂœĂŠ Â?ĂŒÂœĂŠ7iiÂŽÂ?ÞÊUĂŠĂœĂœĂœÂ°*>Â?Âœ Â?ĂŒÂœ"˜Â?ˆ˜i°Vœ“
cases pertaining to the city’s ability to ban marijuana without violating state law. A ruling on these cases is expected in the coming months. In a memo to their council colleagues, Yeh, Vice Mayor Greg Scharff and Councilman Larry Klein cited the legal confusion when they urged the council to adopt a resolution opposing Measure C (the council passed the resolution unanimously). “If the City issues permits for marijuana to be grown and sold within the City of Palo Alto, it is unclear what the legal ramifications of this could be,� the memo stated. N Staff Writer Gennady Sheyner can be emailed at gsheyner@ paweekly.com.
A Palo Alto High School student was hospitalized after his bicycle collided with an SUV on his way to school Tuesday, Oct. 30. Sophomore Ken Shin, who keeps a photography blog on Tumblr, posted Sunday, Nov. 4, that he’s in stable condition, “but it’ll be awhile until I’ll be shooting again.� Paly Principal Phil Winston confirmed Monday that the student was hospitalized, “has undergone a few surgeries and is doing well recovering.� An accident matching the time of Shin’s collision was logged by police as “accident minor injury� at the corner of Cowper Street and Santa Rita Avenue, but police would neither confirm nor deny that it was the same incident. “It’s under investigation by our specialized traffic team that does accidents, and I have information, but I cannot give it to you,� police Officer Marianna Villaescusa said. Fire department logs indicated rescue vehicles were at the scene for about an hour and a half. On Sunday, Shin posted his own description of the collision on his Tumblr blog: “I got run over by a Lexus SUV four days ago while riding my bike to school.� “Both wheels went over my head and took out a couple ribs and most of my jaw. I would have died instantly, but my $10 helmet saved me. I’m in stable condition, but it’ll be awhile until I’ll be shooting again. Or eating solid foods.� N — Chris Kenrick
Palo Alto’s bicycle pioneer Ellen Fletcher dies Ellen Fletcher, a former Palo Alto City Councilwoman who spearheaded the city’s transformation into a nationally recognized bike-friendly community, died Wednesday, Nov. 7, according to her family. Fletcher, who was often seen riding her bike through the city into her early 80s, got involved in local issues in the early 1970s, when she served as safety chair at the Fairmeadow Elementary School, where her son was a student. She became a leading proponent of bicycles and joined the council in 1977. A Berlin native, she fled Nazi Germany in December 1938, moving first to London and later to New York City. She fell in love with bicycling while riding her mother’s bike in England and brought her passion to America in 1946, when she immigrated in New York. As a 17-year-old Ellen Fletcher student at Hunter College, she rode a bike on campus year-round, a rare sight at the time. In an interview with the Weekly last year, she said she was the “only one in college who had a bike on campus.� Fletcher moved to the Peninsula shortly after her college graduation, settling first in Menlo Park and later in Palo Alto. She lobbied persistently for bike-friendly improvements to streets around town as a volunteer in the school district and as a council member. The city recognized her leadership on the issue in 2002, when the council officially named Bryant Street as the “Ellen Fletcher Bicycle Boulevard.� Her efforts helped the city attain the designation of “Bicycle Friendly Community� from the League of American Bicyclists, a Washington, D.C.-based organization. Fletcher’s local legacy is expected to stretch for decades as the city embarks on a slew of other bicycle projects, including trails, a bike bridge over U.S. Highway 101 and new bicycle boulevards modeled after Bryant Street. In July, the city approved a bike master plan that aims to make Palo Alto one of the nation’s top bicycling destinations. Even at 83 and suffering from cancer, Fletcher rode her bicycle to City Hall to attend public hearings on the plan earlier this year. Though Fletcher owned a car, a 1964 Plymouth Valiant, she was famous for almost never using it. The sight of her pedaling through the city streets has been a common one for decades. A lifelong champion of bicycling, she told the Weekly that she hoped to demonstrate to people that just about everyone can do it. Information about services for Fletcher will be posted on PaloAltoOnline.com as it becomes available. N — Gennady Sheyner
Are you a holiday volunteer? Tell us your story Do you celebrate the holidays by giving back to the community? Does your family have a tradition of volunteering during the holiday season? The Palo Alto Weekly wants to hear your story. Practices could be anything from ringing the Salvation Army bell to volunteering at a soup kitchen or encouraging your children to perform a random act of kindness. Submit short write-ups (100-400 words) on your personal/family tradition, to be published in the Weekly at the end of November. Please email Online Editor Tyler Hanley at thanley@paweekly.com or contact him by phone at 650-223-6519. N