Saratoga students contribute to communities on Martin Luther King Jr. Day
MLK Day of service
About 60 Saratoga High School students participated in volunteer activities on Monday in honor of Martin Luther King Jr.
Students could participate in four service-learning projects with different local organizations. Lasagna Love had students help prepare 20 lasagnas that would be collected and distributed to local families, shelters and community programs. Participants cut the yarn that would be attached to knit beanies to create yarn wigs with the Magic Yarn Project for children who lost their hair due to cancer treatment. Volunteers also aimed to make 200 snack packs for Martha’s Kitchen to address food insecurity in Santa Clara County. Other students helped wash windows and repaint garbage and recycling containers to encourage people to sort their garbage, recycling and compost.
Avani Vijay, a ninth-grader, said she signed up for two shifts with the Lasagna Love project because her teachers encouraged her and other students to go and because she was part of the Interact Club of Saratoga. While she liked that she was helping people, Vijay said it was also “interesting” to learn how to make lasagna because she doesn’t cook a lot at home.
“I think that whenever we have the opportunity to volunteer, we should always take it up,” Vijay said. “Also, I’m here with my friends, so it’s a fun chance to do something nice.”
Vice principal Matthew Torrens worked with the school’s Associated Student Body and Parent Teacher Student Organization, principal Greg Louie and activities director Mark Higashioka to put together the event. The high school has participated in the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service several times since 2010. Students put in about 120 volunteer hours on Monday.
“Dr. King was just a great example of community service — national community as well as local community — and obviously fought for the rights of all peoples, and so we felt, on a smaller scale here on campus, how could our students reach out beyond our own community?” Torrens said.
Certificate program grant
West Valley College was the only community college in California to receive a grant from the U.S. Department of Education for the development of a new semiconductor certificate program.
The community college received a four-year grant of $3.9 million from the national department of education’s Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education. The grant’s funding begins immediately and runs through December 2029.
“This significant federal investment strengthens West Valley College’s institutional capacity, elevates its national visibility and enables long-term measurable impact for students and the broader community,” said college president Jennifer Taylor-Mendoza.
The money will allow the college to offer a semiconductor fabrication lab to give hands-on experience to students who want cleanroom and fabrication jobs. The certificate program can train and certify at least 120 workers per year for immediate entry into high-skill, in-demand jobs.
West Valley College was one of only 18 community colleges nationwide to receive the national grant. The projects that received funding include those that build capacity for quality, short-term work training programs.