$1 • Friday, September 8, 2017 • Vol. 123, No. 36 • morganhilltimes.com • Serving Morgan Hill since 1894
Parents: Bullying is a big problem at Britton
Gavilan College kicks 17 players off team
POLICE HAVE DEALT WITH TWO INCIDENTS SINCE SCHOOL STARTED
ALLEGES THE FOOTBALL PLAYERS WERE ILLEGALLY RECRUITED, TOOK PERKS
Scott Forstner Reporter
Cheeto Barrera
➝ Bullying, 10
THE LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE OF MORGAN HILL, GILROY & SAN MARTIN
SEPTEMBER 8, 2017
ABOU T
OUT & OF CALE NDAR EVEN TS
A section of the Gilroy Dispatch & Morgan Hill Times
TAINS
MOVING MOUNTAINS
Gilroy Artist Elissa Nesheim is reconstructing landscapes
RAPAZZINI WINERY P8 | BAMBOO GARDEN P18 | REALTOR LORI ROBITAILLE BIASCA P20
Inside this issue:
Watercolor landscapes
Sports Editor
58015 02004
➝ Gavilan Football, 2
A life of art in MH INSTRUCTOR/ ARTIST OFFERS VARIETY OF CLASSES Scott Forstner Reporter
Local art instructor Anthony Stenberg wants to “build community through art and literacy,” and he’s starting with his new nonprofit business venture, the Morgan Hill Art School. “We’re starting small,” said Stenberg, who taught at various public schools over the last 13
years from pre-kindergarten to college. “As a nonprofit school, we can really go out and help the community.” The 42-year-old artist and educator earned his Bachelor’s degree in art at San Jose State University before acquiring his teaching credential and Master’s in education from National University. Before deciding to open his own art school, Stenberg created the art curriculum for one school district he was employed at and helped open an art charter school in San
MORGAN HILL ART SCHOOL Where: 1295 E. Dunne Ave., Suite 210 When: Daily classes in painting, drawing, ceramics Who: Art instructor/owner Anthony Stenberg Contact: morganhillartschool.org or (669) 888-3622
Jose called Ida Jew Academy, where he taught for six years. “I took some time off. I thought about opening an art gallery,” said the Morgan Hill resident who returned to teaching last school year while he “was trying to
Safety concerns at garage
CALLS FOR SERVICE
TOP FLOOR OF STRUCTURE TO BE CLOSED DURING PROJECT
Most common types of calls for police service at the Morgan Hill downtown garage since the facility opened March 2016:
Michael Moore
1
➝ Art School, 14
BUILDING COMMUNITY Local art instructor Anthony Stenberg, seen in his new Morgan Hill Art School on East Dunne Avenue, is offering educational art classes in painting, drawing and ceramics.
Editor
6
figure out what direction to go in” on his own. Stenberg noticed that in town there were a number of music schools and performing arts schools, but not any visual art
Gavilan College removed 17 out-of-state football players—all but one of them African American— from the team and campus last week, claiming the athletes had received improper transportation, housing and food benefits and were improperly recruited. Furthermore, two assistant coaches were placed on administrative leave pending an investigation and one of them resigned. The students claim the college removed them out of racial bias and the administration simply found an excuse to throw them out of school. The football players all lived in the same threebedroom house in Hollister, rent free for the month of August on the condition that they would buy school and housing supplies and start paying rent in September. They said the school treated them like “thugs” and “criminals,” including having seven patrol cars from the Santa Clara County Sheriff ’s Office and Gilroy Police called to the school the day they were told they were to be removed from the team. The players who spoke to the Dispatch said they
Robert Eliason
A parent of a Britton Middle School student claims her child, as well as two of his friends, are victims of persistent bullying by a group of classmates who have been targeting them since last school year. Parent Mary Brandon said her son began being followed before and after school last year, and now must be dropped off and picked up at the front office each day. He also eats his lunch in the library instead of with friends and the rest of the school outside because he’s afraid of being attacked. She claims the bullies are members of a local gang. “I’m very concerned about it,” said Brandon, who helped to spread the word of a parent rally outside of Britton last night to bring the issue to light with other families that may be enduring the same. “To any concerned parents in the community of Morgan Hill, there are gang members that are in our schools. We feel like our children are not safe.” Brandon said she met with Britton administrators on several occasions dating back to last school term, but the bullying has not ceased and the site leaders have not taken sufficient corrective action.
In response to ongoing reports of unsafe and “inappropriate” activity atop the downtown Morgan
Hill parking garage, the city will partially close the structure’s top floor until some permanent safety measures can be installed, according to city staff. At the Sept. 6 City Council meeting (which took place after the Times’ print deadline), elected officials were scheduled to consider up to $200,000 worth of enhancements to the structure in order
to protect its edges from rogue pedestrians. This could include some type of fencing or screening to keep people from accessing the edges and rooftop areas of the structure, which is located in downtown Morgan Hill between East Third and Fourth streets, according to a city staff report. ➝ Garage, 12
Theft of bicycle: 2 Warrant: 1 Number of cases opened by MHPD: Vandalism: 1 Found property: 2 Disturbance: 1
Disturbance: 44
Accident: 2
Reckless driving: 23
Suspicious vehicle: 2
Suspicious vehicle: 13
Theft: 2
Number of arrests:
Domestic violence: 1
Domestic violence: 1
Source: MHPD