March 17, 2003

IT'S ALWAYS A PLEASURE to report good news. Sunol Glen School's family is growing at an enthusiastic pace, with second semester new students raising enrollment to 182. A recent school board meeting was notable for leaving the melodrama to "The Vile Veterinarian." (No, this is not one of my transparent segues into writing about the Sunol Repertory Theatre - that'll come later!) We welcome the school's new arrivals - drop me a line and introduce yourselves!

Kids helping kids is always good news. Sunol Glen grad Katie Donovan is returning to her alma mater weekly to teach after-school color guard classes. Katie is now an award-winning member of Foothill High School's Color Guard - and she got her start right here on the SGS playground. The classes began with a workshop on March 4 and will continue with hour-long meetings for six more weeks. The students will perform a routine for their classmates at the end of the course.

Katie is volunteering her services to assist her school and our community's children. I'll take a chance and guess that her folks, Teresa and Terry, are mighty proud, as are we all.

THE BABYSITTERS CLUB: Sunol Glen is happy to announce sign-ups for the awesome Bill Baker Babysitting Course. Students 12-years-old by April 14 can register until March 28 for this great 8-hour course. Two intensive classes, on April 7 and 14 from 3 to 7 p.m., and each student will receive a first aid kit, and certification in C.P.R. and basic first aid. Camps, day care centers and most parents will pay a higher hourly rate for those credentials. There is a $40 fee for the program, which a busy babysitter can make back in a weekend or two…and then, the sky's the limit.

Instructor Bill Baker is a veteran paramedic and has designed a program that includes leadership skills, safety awareness and knowledge, C.P.R., basic first aid and more. All classes in this program are taught by professional Emergency Medical Technicians, paramedics and nurses.

This is a serious course requiring a genuine commitment - you have to attend all eight hours to receive the certifications - partial hours don't count, and there are no refunds for failure to come to classes. Caring for people's children is one of the most important jobs there is, so nothing but full-tilt committed responsibility will do. If you are a Sunol Glen parent or student, you can find the registration form and commitment contract in the school's weekly Eagle Flyer. For information or to obtain a form, please call the Eagle's Nest at 925-862-0525.

AND NOW THAT THEATRE SEGUE: If you think SRT's shows have, shall we say, unique names, how about "Revenge of the Space Pandas?" That's the play Sunol Glen second-to-fifth graders can put on their resumes by joining the After School Theatre Clubs' spring session. Starting April 2, Dublin Theatre Company will teach students about theater and the excitement of performing in a real play. There will be drama games, instruction in stage direction and a chance to take to the stage in "Space Panda's," an imaginative children's tale.

The classes and rehearsals will take place after school Wednesdays from April 2 to March 14 (no class April 23). All meetings will be at Sunol Glen until the final week, when the group will convene at the Dublin Theatre Company's playhouse (6620 Dublin Blvd.) to prepare for the 7 p.m. performance for parents, neighbors and friends. The cost of the course is $95, plus a $5 per ticket charge for the performance. There's a registration form in the Eagle Flyer, or call Eagle's Nest director Jan Cornish at 925-862-0525.

And, by the way, "The Vile Veterinarian" is absolutely fabulous - Sunol Rep has achieved record sales, with a virtually sold-out house for every performance. Way to go!

A MOMENT FOR DAD: Raise a glass of green beer or lime soda today to my dad, Harold Kushel, who passed away on this day in 1990. Every year on March 17, he joined in a green ale toast at the Irish pub across the street from his pharmacy. I'm sure he'd want me wish you all good fortune on St. Patrick's Day.