*image from MetroED's FB Page.
The meeting was called to order by Michelle Myers Nelson for President Mike Norcia who is still home with Covid. We hope you feel better soon Mike. The meeting was held at Metro ED.
The Pledge was led by Doug Brent.
Inspiration was from Suzanne Boxer-Gassman. She wished a Happy New Year to everyone celebrating. In honor of Rosh Hashanah Suzanne spoke about new beginnings. Whatever the new beginning is, it reminds her of a fresh layer of new snow, without any footprints. All new beginnings are a time for new opportunities and new chances to be kind.
Jean-Marc Blanchard brought a flag from a Rotary meeting he attended in Berlin. He said the club has been working with refugees a lot recently. This was his last requirement for his red badge. Congratulations Jean-Marc.
Announcements:
- Oct. 15 Avenues of Service will be held at Mission College from 9:30-2:00. There is a link to register on the district website. This is a great opportunity to learn more about Rotary and our district in particular.
- Oct. 22 Rebuilding Together this a chance to make a difference in the lives of our neighbors.
- Sept. 30 we will be working with Second Harvest Foodbank at St. Lucy’s church.
- Crabfest will be Feb. 4, in person! Lisa Cheskin has taken over the auction from Patti van der Burg. She thanked everyone who is helping her on the committee. She also thanked everyone who has made a donation so far. She invited everyone to help. Please let her know if you know of anyone who has anything to donate. She would like you to speak to her first so there are no duplications with gifts the committee is working on.
Program:
We had a special program today; a tour of Metro ED. Alyssa Lynch, Superintendent, shared the 100-year history with us. They’ve gone through changes, including different names, but what remains are graduates who are very employable and go on to successful careers. However, it is not just a vocational school, 19 of the 23 programs are UC a-g approved and there are 8+ community college articulation agreements. There are over 1100 students from six high school districts, 11th and 12th graders can attend. We then split into 2 groups and toured the campus. Among the “classrooms” we saw were: medical/dental, HVAC, automotive (moving towards electric cars), and firefighting. They see themselves as a hidden gem of Silicon Valley and we are so lucky to have them here. Our own Michelle MN taught there. If you are interested there are many ways to help such as being a guest speaker, mentor, or sponsor.
NO lunch meeting next week, October 4. We will be meeting at Tina Orsi-Hartigan’s house for First Tuesday 5:30-7:30. See you there.