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$1 • Friday, February 2, 2018 • Vol. 124, No. 5 • morganhilltimes.com • Serving Morgan Hill since 1894

District ups ante for parcel tax poll SECOND SURVEY TO ZERO IN ON $75 AMOUNT Scott Forstner Reporter

➝ Parcel Tax, 16

THE LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE OF MORGAN HILL, GILROY & SAN MARTIN

FEBRUARY 2, 2018

OU T & AB OU T OF DA R CA LENEN TS EV

Gilroy resident awarded 2018 Volunteer of the Year

Generous Joyce A supplement to the Gilroy Dispatch & Morgan Hill Times

Inside this issue: Joyce Duarte named Volunteer of the Year

Scott Hinrichs

With Morgan Hill Unified School District moving toward placing a parcel tax on the June ballot, its Board of Trustees Jan. 23 approved a $15,000 expenditure to conduct a second survey of voters for further assurance that such a measure will pass. The purpose of the new poll is to determine if a $75 per parcel amount would pass the necessary twothirds threshold, according to district staff. The $75 amount would generate $1.5 million annually to the school district. A 4-2 board vote gave the go-ahead for the second survey, which will poll 400 potential voters, at random, on their ANTICIPATION The Maker Bots of Santa Clara watch their robot successfully complete one of its tasks.

Kids build brick bots ANN SOBRATO HOSTS ANNUAL ‘FIRST’ LEGO CHAMPIONSHIP Debra Eskinazi

Magazine and Features Editor

Brick bots blazed trails at the annual NorCal FIRST LEGO League Silicon Valley Championship in Morgan Hill Sunday, Jan. 28. The FIRST LEGO League (FLL) event, in partnership with the nonprofit Playing at Learning,

boasted more than 300 attendees cheering on 32 local robotics teams at Ann Sobrato High School in Morgan Hill. Although the Ann Sobrato robotics team did not compete this year, Principal Courtney Macko said its robotics club, started by former instructor Peng Yav, has hosted the championship over the past few years. Yav worked with other area schools and Playing at Learning to begin hosting the robotics tournament.

“Everyone was very supportive, including our administration, the district, and the Live Oak Foundation which helped to provide a grant for $1,000 for our team,” Yav said. Macko is excited about the collaborative work being done by the school and Playing at Learning. “We are hopeful this partnership with Playing at Learning will spur our club to compete in future events,” Macko said. Founded in 1989, the

FIRST is an international nonprofit organization that aims to inspire young people from kindergartners to 12th-graders to pursue STEMrelated careers. Its name is an acronym centered on those ideals to further innovation: For

Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology.

With nearly 600 teams and three districts in northern California, Playing at Learning hosts a championship for each

district including Peninsula district, Capitol district, and one here for the Silicon Valley district. Each year FLL competitors—teams of students in fourth through eighth grade—are tasked with designing, building and programming an autonomous robot whose mission is tied to a realworld theme. This year’s theme focused on hydrodynamics. Each team was ➝ Legos, 11

Inclusive playground gets $2M county grant FUNDING WILL BRING CITY HALFWAY TO $5M PROJECT GOAL Nicholas Preciado Reporter

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The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors last week awarded a $2 million grant to the City of Morgan Hill to go toward the construction of an all-inclusive playground

project that would cater to all the community’s children and grownups, including those who are disabled. The county board created the All-Inclusive Playground Grant Program in 2017 to provide grants to local jurisdictions and nonprofits to build all-inclusive playgrounds within Santa Clara County. Playgrounds funded under the grant must be designed to address the needs of

KEEP YOUR CAREER ADVANCING WITH REAL PROJECTS AT TOP COMPANIES.

people with Autism Spectrum Disorder, sensory challenges, visual and auditory Impairments, plus medically fragile individuals and those with cognitive, developmental, and physical disabilities. The playground is expected to include synthetic turf with slides and a climbing wall, a tree house, sound play garden, sand play area, water spray mister, swing zone, a climbing area, an outdoor classroom and

amphitheater and a quiet area for kids to take a break. Santa Clara County District 1 Supervisor Mike Wasserman, who represents Morgan Hill, made the motion on the funding recommendation in support of the city’s grant application. “Children of all abilities deserve a safe and fun place to play, which is why I am proud to report that I and the Santa Clara County Board

of Supervisors approved $2 million for the Magical Bridge Playground in Morgan Hill,” Wasserman said in an email to the Times on Tuesday. “The playground is the result of the Morgan Hill community coming together to create a special place for children and families.” The $2 million county grant will go a long way when it comes to paying for the project. Current ➝ Inclusive, 19

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northeastern.edu/pan/experience


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