It’s been a decade since Alpha Public Schools opened its first charter school in East San Jose, and it marked the anniversary this past week with a celebration that included a special tribute to former Santa Clara County Supervisor Blanca Alvarado — the groundbreaking politician that first school was named after.
Under the direction of drama teacher Kelsey Wilk, students from Alpha: Blanca Alvarado performed “Blanca Stores,” a one-act play about Alvarado’s life, at the Mexican Heritage Plaza theater. Alvarado, who spoke at a reception before the performance last Tuesday, was touched by the gesture but also aware of what it meant for the students, too.
Alvarado, 92, said it was a unique experience to observe the students as they pieced together parts of her personal and professional life through research and group discussions. They spent weeks asking questions, memorizing lines and ultimately, she said, putting heart and meaning into the life of their school’s namesake.
“They learned to honor my past and to enact skits that highlighted my work to make social changes for the social good. ‘Blanca Stories,’ as written and performed by the students, is a true, true gift of love,” said Alvarado, who was the first Latina elected to the San Jose City Council and the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors. “And in telling these stories, these students have taken a first big step in expressing their thoughts and ideas about the world they live in. With their small voices, often barely audible, they are speaking to issues that impact the well being of their communities.”
Alpha Schools has continued to grow and now has three more campuses in Alum Rock Union School District: Jose Hernandez School, a TK-8 school named for the Stockton-raised NASA astronaut; Cornerstone Academy, a TK-8 school; and Cindy Avitia High School, named for the late immigration attorney and community activist who was a close friend of Alvarado’s. You can get more information on the schools at www.alphapublicschools.org.
ANOTHER DISASTER FOR CINEBAR: For more than two years after the devastating January 2021 fire that destroyed the Lawrence Hotel building on San Fernando Street in downtown San Jose, the Cinebar mural on the stucco wall next to the burned-out bar’s door remained untouched by taggers. They regularly hit the boarded up windows and doors along the rest of the block, but Cinebar had been spared — until this week.
By Friday afternoon, the tag had been painted over in black, but the damage has been done. Fans of the famed, decades old dive bar no doubt would like to see the mural restored ASAP, but more than that, they’d like to see the bar reopened. So would the Cinebar owners, but they can’t do anything until the building owner does. San Jose developer Swenson announced a proposal for a tower on the site that would preserve the historic façade in July 2021, but there hasn’t been any movement since. Except by the taggers.
WORTH THE WAIT: When John Michael Sobrato made the lead gift for the Center for Women’s Leadership at Notre Dame High in downtown San Jose, that donation came with naming rights for the building. The center opened in August 2020, but Sobrato kept his plans close to the vest until last week when he officially announced the building would be named after Mary Beth Riley. She is retiring as Notre Dame’s head of school in June after 38 years as a teacher and administrator there.
The announcement made at a reception at the San Jose Museum of Art on April 22 in her honor was a surprise — at least to Mary Beth Riley, though Sobrato told me it’s been his plan for quite some time. (For full disclosure, my wife works at Notre Dame High and was part of the team that organized the reception.)
SIGN OF HER TIMES: Some coworkers just send birthday cards, but Montalvo Arts Center Executive Director Angela McConnell got an even bigger greeting for a milestone birthday Friday. The staff hung a banner sign wishing her a happy birthday near the Highway 9 entrance to the art center in Saratoga. McConnell’s been there for 14 years, so they actually reused the same banner from a decade ago with a slight adjustment, replacing a 5 with a 6.
MAG HITS MIDDLE AGE: Bay Area Parent magazine celebrated its 40th anniversary this month with a redesign, just the sort of makeover people tend do when they hit that age. And it would probably surprise some people to know that the publication was purchased late last year by a company owned by media guy Dan Pulcrano, who also owns the alternative Metro weekly.
Expanding his reach toward families makes some sense as Pulcrano has become a father of three since he started Metro in the 1980s. It also means some of the singles who looked to Metro for club-hopping tips a few years ago may now be parents looking for the best playgrounds. Before you know it, I bet there’ll be a magazine catering to seniors on his radar.
GIANT CELEBRATIONS: The San Jose Giants’ Fourth of July celebrations at Excite Ballpark are going to be so big this year that they’re taking up two nights — one with baseball and one without.
The Giants will take on the Modesto Nuts on July 3, with a fireworks show following the 6:30 p.m. game. And while the team will be playing in Fresno on July 4, Excite Ballpark will be open at 5 p.m. for fans to enjoy a concert put on by Bay Country (94.5 FM), followed by a showing of that baseball classic, “The Sandlot” on the big screen at 7 p.m. Fans can watch the movie from the outfield grass and then return to their seats before the fireworks show after dark.
Tickets to each — admission to the July 4 event is $20 — are available at www.sjgiants.com. And yes, Turkey Mike’s BBQ will be open for business both days.
Source: www.mercurynews.com