The COVID-19 pandemic — and the health orders instituted to slow its spread — forced the cancellation of high school graduation ceremonies around Santa Clara County and beyond. But Willow Glen High’s 366 graduating seniors will be able to show their pride in four years of work, just without the pomp and circumstance.
The Willow Glen Education Foundation designed and had produced lawn and window signs that will be distributed for free to all the school’s grads starting Saturday. “We hope seniors enjoy their upcoming graduation celebrations as best they can, and we wish every one of them good luck as they begin life beyond high school,” foundation president David Keller said.
The “Class of 2020” signs in Willow Glen High’s colors of red and gold, were designed by Willow Glen High parent Christy Wright, a professional photographer. They’re being delivered by Rise Fulfillment Network, a local delivery service managed by Marcus Vaca, and the whole thing was paid for through the foundation’s donors and volunteers. People can buy additional signs, including alternate designs, with proceeds benefiting Willow Glen Cares, the foundation’s program to serve low-income families and students.
While this won’t erase the disappointment of seniors looking forward to wearing their caps and gowns at commencement, it’s a wonderful way to to recognize the grads. It seems like a gesture that could be replicated for the other 60-plus high schools around the county before June. I’d like to think there must be an education-focused foundation or two in the valley that would foot the bill, right?
SAD FAREWELL FOR TEAM SAN JOSE CEO: Friends, colleagues and business partners of Karolyn Kirchgesler received heartbreaking news over the weekend in the form of a personal video message that revealed she was dying of cancer and stepping down from her role as Team San Jose’s CEO.
In the message, Kirchgesler said she had been fighting cancer of the small intestine since last fall but had decided to forego further treatment knowing the side effects of chemotherapy and would instead spend her remaining time close to her family in South Dakota. She sent the message by video because of shelter-in-place restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic that prevented her from telling people in person.
Kirchgesler arrived in 2013 to take the helm of the private-public partnership that serves as San Jose’s convention and visitors bureau and also manages venues like the California Theatre, the Civic Auditorium and the San Jose McEnery Convention Center. During her tenure, she worked to raise San Jose’s standing, especially with international business travelers, and pushed for partnerships to bring high-profile conventions, cultural events and shows to the city.
“We are deeply saddened but grateful for the time we had with Karolyn as Team San Jose’s leader,” Team San Jose board chair and Goodwill Industries CEO Michael E. Fox, Jr. said in a statement. “While revenue growth surpassed all expectation, we are most thankful for the strength, empathy, and courage Karolyn exemplified during her tenure. The depth and quality of the people she assembled is a wonderful testament to her and is the legacy she leaves to our team and to the City of San Jose. We will miss her greatly.”
My experience with her echoes Fox’s comments. Like many transplants to San Jose, she was impressed by how much the city had going for it and often expressed surprise about how hard it was to get people around here to blow their own horn. Fortunately, we had Karolyn Kirchgesler to do that for us from coast to coast and beyond.
TECH CHALLENGE GOES ONLINE: The Tech Interactive had no intention of disappointing the hundreds of students who have been working on teams for months on this year’s Tech Challenge, an annual competition to solve a real-world engineering problem. So the downtown San Jose learning center has created a virtual version of the event’s showcase, the two-day culmination of the yearlong effort to launch a device, have it land in a designated area and expand to a larger size.
Teams, made up of students from elementary to high school, were instructed to make videos of their project and submit them along with photos and digital journals to the judges this weekend. The public will get to check out the best and most creative work during a virtual awards ceremony scheduled for May 3. Go to www.thetech.org/thetechchallenge for more details.