Teens cite anti-gay bias at school
At a time when bullying and teasing in schools is a growing concern for educators and parents, a new study finds that students who are gay or thought to be gay are most likely to be targets -- even more than children who are overweight or have disabilities.
( By Katherine Corcoran, Mercury News, 12/13/2002 03:01 AM PST)

JACKIE ARMOR
Age: 56 Years of service: She taught third, fourth and sixth grades at DeVargas Elementary School for nine years. She has been teaching eighth-grade language arts and social studies for the past six years. She also founded a service club for eighth-grade students at Kennedy called Lend-a-Helping-Paw.
( 12/12/2002 03:01 AM PST)

Judith Barnes
Age: 60 Background: Barnes has taught at McAuliffe for six years. She now teaches a seventh- and eighth-grade class. She earned teaching credentials in general elementary school education and special education from the University of Southern California and has a master's degree in science curriculum development from California State University-Hayward.
( 12/12/2002 03:01 AM PST)

Cool kids
Age: 17 Grade: Senior Accomplishments: During the summer, Alison was selected to serve as an intern for Assemblyman Kevin Shelley, D-San Francisco, as part of the Vision New America program. She was an intern for San Francisco's Chinese Historical Society of America, where she learned about Asian-American roots in the Bay Area. ``I regarded many of us as just foreigners assimilating into American culture, but we preserve our own culture while assimilating.'' She is also the editor of Castilleja's...
( 12/12/2002 03:01 AM PST)

Cool kids
Age: 14 Grade: Freshman Personal: Lives in San Jose with her father, mother and brother, who's a junior at Lynbrook. Accomplishments: Volunteering for the Organization for Special Needs Families. Christina works with children and teaches them fine motor skills through physical exercise and art. ``I learn to interact with children with special needs, and I enjoy seeing the children make progress every time I see them,'' Christina said. She is on the Lynbrook varsity cross-country team and the junior...
( 12/12/2002 03:01 AM PST)

ANNE BENNION ADAMS
Age: 32 Years of service: This is her fifth year teaching elementary school. Background: She has taught fourth grade in a Provo, Utah, public school; second grade in a private school in San Mateo; and now sixth grade at Oak Elementary.
( 12/12/2002 03:01 AM PST)

KENNEDY MIDDLE SCHOOL
Members of the Lend a Helping Paw service club at Kennedy Middle School have organized a ``giving tree'' in the school library in time for the holidays. The tree has 125 wish cards from underprivileged children in the Santa Clara Valley.
( 12/12/2002 03:01 AM PST)

YMCA
Students who are a part of Citizen Schools, an after-school program organized through the Southwest YMCA in Saratoga, presented their final fall semester apprenticeship projects this week.
( 12/12/2002 03:01 AM PST)

Loyola Elementary School
The Loyola Elementary School fifth- and sixth-graders in the band and orchestra have been preparing since the beginning of the school year for their holiday concert, which will be held Wednesday at 1 p.m.
( 12/12/2002 03:01 AM PST)

Shortage of teachers is subsiding
To the surprise of recruiters and the shock of many would-be teachers, the much-deplored shortage of teachers in California has eased significantly this year -- especially in Silicon Valley.
( By Larry Slonaker, Mercury News, 12/11/2002 03:01 AM PST)

County superintendent takes over at Ravenswood
For the first time since October 1985, the Ravenswood City School District had a new superintendent Tuesday. Floyd Gonella, for one, was surprised at how smoothly the new chapter began.
( By Sara Neufeld, Mercury News, 12/11/2002 03:01 AM PST)

Put on leave, schools chief now facing new probe
On Charlie Mae Knight's last day as superintendent of Ravenswood schools, prosecutors told the Mercury News they will investigate whether she tried to throw away potentially incriminating school documents.
( By Sara Neufeld and Sean Webby, Mercury News, 12/10/2002 03:01 AM PST)

Parent forum kicks off school uniform drive
A group of some 50 parents at Campbell's Rosemary Elementary School last week kicked off a campaign for school uniforms. The group, which arose out of Rosemary's ``La Junta'' parent forum, sees school uniforms as a way of cultivating school spirit while eliminating peer pressure over clothing.
( 12/10/2002 03:01 AM PST)

Book fair spotlight shines on Spanish
Spanish immersion: A Spanish book fair will be held from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday at Escondido Elementary School, 890 Escondido Road at Stanford.
( 12/10/2002 03:01 AM PST)

San Jose State president credited with putting university on map
When his friends at Towson University came courting, they knew just what to do to entice San Jose State University President Robert Caret: They dangled a challenge before him.
( By Becky Bartindale, Mercury News, 12/09/2002 03:01 AM PST)