Sequoia substitutes get a raise

Substitute teachers in the Sequoia Union High School District are getting a pay bump, as the pandemic has made it more difficult to find subs than in past years, according to a Nov. 17 governing board staff report.

Substitutes will make $240 for a full day of work, an increase of $45 per day from the 2020-21 school year.

Subs on long-term assignments (more than 15 days for the same teacher) will make $260 for a full day of work versus $225 a day during the last school year.

Rates will be evaluated again next year, according to the report.

New assistant town manager in Portola Valley

The town of Portola Valley has hired Melvin Gaines as its new assistant town manager, according to a Dec. 2 town newsletter. He replaces Brandi de Garmeaux, who will transition to a new role with the town as a consultant on sustainability, emergency preparedness and software implementation.

Gaines most recently served as the lead analyst for the city of Mountain View for five years, according to his LinkedIn profile. In Mountain View, he managed the council's goal-setting and strategic planning, developed the budget for the City Manager's Office, served as staff liaison to the race, equity and inclusion council subcommittee and the public safety advisory board, among other responsibilities. Prior to that, he worked for the city of East Palo Alto in a variety of roles, including acting assistant city manager, management analyst working on economic development issues, and special projects manager with the East Palo Alto Police Department.

He holds master's degrees in public policy and urban planning from the University of Michigan, and a bachelor's degree in political science and environmental studies from Santa Clara University.

He lives in East Palo Alto with his wife and two young sons.

Woodside High junior's video featured on KQED

KQED chose Woodside High School junior Clara Chiu's video "Asian American Hate" as one of eight videos featured during the Nov. 10 event "I Made This: A Youth Media Celebration."

Chiu's video was chosen because of the "creativity and power of her video," according to Principal Karen van Putten.

Watch "Asian American Hate" here.

New Sacred Heart assistant principal of athletics named

Jason Armstrong has been named Sacred Heart Preparatory's (SHP) assistant principal of athletics.

Armstrong, who has been the school's assistant athletics director for three years, will succeed Frank Rodriguez.

"I'm thrilled that Jason Armstrong will be overseeing the athletic programs at SHP," said Rodriguez in a statement.

Under Rodriguez's guidance, 70% of the student body participates in at least one sport, and SHP athletes have earned over 50 Central Coast Section (CCS) team championships during his tenure, according to the press release.

"He's well-versed in the mission of the school, and regarded across campus as smart, responsive, hardworking, and student-focused. Student-athletes not only like him a great deal but have the utmost respect for him as well. He's the perfect athletic administrator to lead our Gator Nation."

Armstrong attended St. Joseph's School (the former name of SHS' elementary school). Since SHS did not have a football program at the time, Armstrong attended Menlo School, where he played football and baseball.

Armstrong holds a bachelor's degree in business administration from Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas. He also has a master's degree in sports science and coaching education from Ohio University.

After playing baseball in college, Armstrong was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays. He advanced through the club's minor league system. After the 2008 season, he became associate head baseball coach at Trinity and coached in the Cape Cod Summer Baseball League. From 2009 to 2016, Armstrong coached baseball at the University of California at Davis and San Jose State University.

He began his tenure at SHS as a sports information director, increasing the social media presence of the school's sports programs. He also served as athletics performance coach for SHP's football team.

Rotary Club's turkey drive

The Rotary Club of Menlo Park revived a charitable tradition of holding a turkey drive in local schools for Thanksgiving.

The Rotary Club, Sacred Heart Preparatory and Woodside Priory collected over 500 turkeys to donate to St. Anthony's Padua Dining Room, the St. Francis Center and Catholic Charities.

In addition, students developed a lesson plan on "Dining with Dignity" for fellow students about food insecurity and income disparity.

The school collecting the most turkeys per capita was dubbed the winner of the drive. The second place school must present a $1,000 check to St. Anthony's, and Menlo Park Rotary will match the $1,000 donation.