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12/5/2020

Ashly Barrosso
Student from Mountain View Academy
5134 Gallant Fox Ave
San Jose CA, 95111

Dear President Donald Trump,

My name is Ashly Barrosso and I am a student from Mountain View Academy. I am writing this letter to express my thoughts on reopening the schools in the United States during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Due to the outbreak of Covid-19 in early March, you have closed down all schools in America to make sure safety guidelines are followed. Schools have switched to online education to be able to allow students to finish their education. However, it has been about 9 months since school has closed down and there is much debate about having schools reopen soon. I believe schools should stay closed because according to the statistics, America's covid-19 cases have only increased. If schools were to reopen we would be allowing the virus to spread between students and teachers. Millions of parents polled by their school districts around the country say they don't feel comfortable sending their children back to school for in-person education. A recent California survey reveals that nearly 4 in 10 parents want schools to remain entirely closed for in-person education "until the risk of Covid-19 is significantly reduced." Also the value of monitoring everyone. Even for people who are symptom-free, there will be an immense difficulty of subsequent contact tracking, as schools reopen in an increasing number of districts. Some school districts, if not most, school districts, do not have the ability to be monitoring everyone.

To resolve this debate, I would appreciate your help to keep schools closed. Keeping school closed will reduce the possibility of increasing Covid-19 cases. It would help keep families safe and keep those who do have Covid-19 in their home under quarantine. It will also save the country money by not having to buy testing kits or protection for every student attending in-person school. By keeping schools closed until Covid-19 cases decreased, students will be able to return to school faster in a safer environment.

I look forward to your reply and a resolution to this problem. Please contact me at the above address or by phone at 4088433327 if any questions arise.

Sincerely,

Ashly Barrosso

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Social Media posts about polluting our oceans

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Social Media posts about polluting our oceans

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Henry Chan - Active Citizenship Activity

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What Can We Do About Homelessness In CA?

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What Can We Do About Homelessness In CA?

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Aiylee Markay - Active Citizenship Activity (2)

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BLM/Protests in the city of Morgan Hill presentation 

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BLM/Protests in the city of Morgan Hill presentation 

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ISSUE The Issue GOAL 1 GOAL 2 GOAL 3 Get peoples attention. Take hands on action and get involved. And the third is to create a physical change Over the summer, the world witnessed the death of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. It was a very sad event that brought many to tears. So

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Dear Governor Newsom:

As you may know, thousands of students every year in california struggle with their  academic funds for higher education. I myself have had the privilege of attending expensive private schools my whole life, and I will never take that for granted. I graduate high school in the spring and the pandemic has affected my immediate family, and plans for college. I wanted to show you appreciation for the beautiful proposal of free tuition for full time students at community college.

I think this was such a smart decision, this gives students who are not quite prepared financially, physically, and mentally a great option for their next goal in life. This plan has helped thousands of students make steps in the right direction to become successful and confident. This is beginning to change the stigma surrounding community college. In my school a local community college is not talked about, we like to aim high, which is obviously not a bad thing, but knowing my finances and just the state in which the country is in at the moment, it's nice to know that at least my future is somewhat taken care of. Families all throughout california will be more confident and appreciative of the opportunity to send their children to college. With your help california students are one step closer to being as successful as they can be. Thank you for taking the time to read this and making a change in american education.

Sincerely,

Maya Aaron

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Just days into office, Governor Newsom unveiled his proposal to provide for two years of community college tuition-free for eligible students
SACRAMENTO - This week, as young people return to California institutions of higher learning, Governor Gavin Newsom is traveling the state to highlight that California will provide for two free years of community college to first-time, full-time California students for the first time in decades.

Just days after being sworn in, the Governor proposed that the California budget provide for two years of community college tuition-free for first-time, full-time students by expanding the California College Promise program. The Legislature approved the Governor's proposal over the summer, and the Governor signed the legislation in June. The 2019-2020 state budget includes $42.6 million to support a second year of free tuition for approximately 33,000 students.

On his first stop, the Governor made a surprise visit to a political science class at Cosumnes River College in Sacramento.

"This is real help for students trying to improve their lives and build their future," said Governor Newsom. "No one can argue with the fact that the full cost of attending institutions of higher learning is still far too high - both in California and across the country. But by offering two years of community college tuition-free, California is taking a meaningful step toward chipping away at the cost of higher learning for students and their families."

The California Community Colleges (CCCs) are the largest system of higher education in the nation, serving roughly one-quarter of the nation's community college students, or approximately 2.1 million students, and therefore, the largest system of higher education to provide this support. The CCCs provide basic skills, career education and undergraduate transfer education with 73 districts, 115 colleges and 78 educational centers. In 2017-18, the community colleges awarded more than 96,000 certificates and 160,000 degrees.

The state budget makes historic investments in areas that impact the student experience at community colleges, including $9 million for college students who are homeless or experiencing housing insecurity and $5 million to support veteran resource centers at community colleges. Additionally, a one-time increase of $4.75 million will support workforce development programs at some community colleges.

Later this week, the Governor will visit a community college in Los Angeles to continue promoting the state's free community college option.

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As California Students Return to School, Governor Newsom Highlights New State Investments to Make Two Years of Community College Tuition-Free | California Governor

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Just days into office, Governor Newsom unveiled his proposal to provide for two years of community college tuition-free for eligible students SACRAMENTO - This week, as young people return to California institutions of higher learning, Governor Gavin Newsom is traveling the state to highlight that California will provide for two free years of community college to first-time, full-time California students for the first time in decades.

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Dear Representative Eshoo,

My name is Sydney Chan. I reside in San Jose and I’m currently a senior at Mountain View Academy. I have worked on various community projects throughout the summer and into the school year. Some of those projects include a Black Lives Matter march through the city of Mountain View, a COVID-19 grocery drive for those affected by the pandemic, and a school supplies drive for a sister school up in Napa County who was affected by the wildfires.

As one of your constituents, I wanted to express my sincere gratitude for all the hard work you and your staff have done during these tumultuous times. As I have signed petitions, I have received letters from your staff thanking me for my efforts. I also attended the town hall meeting regarding COVID-19 in early November. Your efforts are always most appreciated and I thank you for always listening to your constituents and for always putting us first.

As you continue working in Congress I want to remind you that you are first and foremost representatives. As your constituents we will hold you accountable and we wish nothing but transparency. Please continue to listen to us and we will continue to encourage you. Thank you so much for your hard work and I wish nothing but the best for you.

Sincerely,

Sydney Chan

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I watched a local government meeting that was 7 hours long but, there were sections that were “closed meeting” with a timer that would count down to when the meeting would reopen for public affairs. Those who were present were those of the community, councilmembers, the city attorney, city manager, and mayor and vice-mayor. It was very interesting that the meeting was opened with the pledge of allegiance, reading of the code of conduct, and prayer.

The first order of business was fire prevention week which included addressing the wildfires/ the air quality and addressing that most of the fires that are started in Milpitas spark from the kitchen.  During this time the Mayor talked about the pandemic and how the first responders are responding with new protocols. There was a proclamation for Filipino-American history month and the frontliners (nurses specifically) who are working against this pandemic.

On the public forum, each attendee was given a minute to express their concerns and issues and each of those issues was written down by the councilmembers and was later responded to by the councilmembers and the mayor himself. Some of these issues included taking down the old hotels and building new homes and most of the concerns circled around homelessness and how to give them easier access to food, showers, and permanent housing. Many of the concerns around homelessness were around the lack of access to mobile medical help, laundry, and food services. There was also a lot of discourse for the housing of the homelessness and there was this back and forth between residents between disapproving and approving of the new housing. There were also many residents who were disappointed at the lack of communication from the mayor and the city council about their plans to take on this homeless project. Many residents addressed the lack of communication with not just the homeless project but with the correctional facility sewage and the landfill with the new expansions for both. With that, there were also many concerns about the schools specifically elementary and middle schools because there are quite a few in Milpitas. Milpitas has and area of 13.52 miles and much of that space is for residents and schools and the council has not been clear with their plans and are not communicating with the community.

I found it interesting that the council really stuck to the “agenda” that was put out and that they kept repeating “we hear you, please email us” and one person said, “you keep saying you hear us but you aren’t doing anything”. Then there was a transition where the mayor said that they cannot address it right now because of legalities and those things are not on the agenda. After that whole spiel, there was a brief discussion and vote about litigation and it transitioned to those affiliated with the resources of Milpitas which included water, electricity, fossil fuels, and solar-powered items and more specifically the budget for these things as well as the citizens budget. There are many ways that the city is trying to conserve energy and save money as well and is trying to go green and in this section of the meeting they were interviewing different organizations about solutions for resource alternatives that will be better for the community.

The final issue on the agenda was addressing the new homelessness project and how that will affect the community. There was a brief explanation of the plan five years ago and then an in-depth explanation for a plan that will be implanted for the next five years with different strategies for not only Milpitas but for Santa Clara county as a whole. The 3 core strategies for this plan include: Address the root causes of homelessness through system and policy change, expand homelessness prevention and housing programs to meet the need, and improve quality of life for unsheltered individuals and create healthy neighborhoods for all.

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Martin Funada

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By: eliana rincon

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Schuyler Huang - Active Citizenship Activity

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I am an International student, a youth living in Palo Alto city from 5 years ago to date. I am writing to express my gratitude for the work the government has been doing to ensure the safety of citizens. Recently, the government has been handling all health and security matters concerning the people of California in time and perfectly.

There is only one issue to complain about in California. The education funds put by the state and Palo Alto city leaders should be increased to cater for adequate facilities (Darling-Hammond, et.al, 2016). The Corona pandemic period has enlightened the city on the need to equip schools with modern technology learning facilities. Students have to study from home because of the second wave of the virus affecting the country.

My first gratitude is because of how the security officials of California handle natural hazard cases occurring in the city. While we cannot prevent natural hazards from happening, we can prepare to handle them and minimize their impact (Smith, 2015). The government handles the cases well and has increased preparedness by creating more safety homes in case of any other occurrence. Citizens now live with confidence that their safety is guaranteed, and information of any possible hazard is availed in time.

The second issue I would like to appreciate the government is how the coronavirus pandemic has been handled in California specifically Palo Alto city. The government has provided sanitizers and facemasks to the families and individuals living below the poverty line (Qeadan, et.al, 2020). The action was full of compassion towards the people who elected leaders to serve them. For a moment, the people of California felt that their elections were valid because their concerns and needs were put first before other things. The government put all measures possible to ensure that people of Palo Alto city were healthy and free of the virus.