Around Town … with Robert Airoldi: Christopher High senior signs with University of Nevada Wolf Pack Spirit Program

Jaden, with her talent and experience, will be a great addition to our team, says coach

By Robert Airoldi

Robert Airoldi

Christopher High School senior Jaden Regallo officially signed a letter of intent May 27, joining the University of Nevada’s Spirit Program as a cheerleader for the 2020-21 season.

The Spirit Program, comprised of Cheer, Poms, Stunt and Mascots, cheer for the Wolf Pack’s football, basketball and volleyball teams. The co-ed team also makes many special event appearances and performs regular community service.

“It’s a grueling process to make it as a Wolf Pack cheerleader. The competition is fierce with more than 150 people trying out,” said Wolf Pack coach Kim Anastassatos. “But Jaden, with her talent and experience, will be a great addition to our team.”

Regallo cheered for the CHS Cougars all four years, including three as a varsity member. She was also named to the USA All-American team her senior year.

“Jaden was an outstanding tumbler and developed into an exceptional flyer for the Cougars,” said Cougar head coach Nicole Babcock. “She always represented CHS with class, style and poise.”

Regallo was also a four-year varsity gymnast for the Cougars. She was a three-time — and likely a four-time if not for the COVID pandemic — CCS qualifier and scholar athlete. As a sophomore she was the varsity captain, was named the team MVP in 2017 and 2018 and Most Inspirational in 2019. She began her competitive gymnastics at USA Sports in Gilroy.

“I’m thrilled to continue to do what I love,” said Regallo, who will major in business. “I’m looking forward to the new adventures I’ll have and the friends I’ll make on the Wolf Pack team.”

Congratulations, Jaden. Good luck in the future!

For the third year in a row, the Santa Clara County Library District is teaming up with its partners at Silicon Valley YMCA and Second Harvest Food Bank of Silicon Valley to offer free, nutritious lunches to children ages 2 to 18 and their caregivers. Due to the shelter in place orders, grab-and-go meals will be available at Morgan Hill and Gilroy Libraries three days a week beginning Monday, June 8.

Get lunches from noon to 1 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday at the Gilroy Library, 350 W. Sixth St.; and from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Morgan Hill Library, 660 W. Main Ave.

At each location, pre-packaged grab-and-go meals (two per person) will be distributed from the library parking lots for safety reasons. Please adhere to all social distancing protocols.

South Valley residents protested  peacefully against racism and police brutality by marching in downtown Gilroy June 1. The local protest was one of hundreds throughout the U.S. over the death of George Floyd, an African-American man who died of asphyxiation in Minneapolis May 25 when a police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes.

Carrying signs and chanting, the protesters walked to the police station and spent about 30 minutes there.

Gilroy Police Chief Scot Smithee said in a statement: “I am so very honored and proud of our community. We continue to show the rest of the world how to deal with tragedy by creating positive outcomes and supporting one another.”

During this time of rage throughout the United States where some have taken advantage of protests to loot and vandalize businesses, it’s good to see all the protests in Gilroy and Morgan Hill have remained respectful to Floyd’s memory.

The Morgan Hill Chapter WJ, Philanthropic Educational Organization P. E. O., handed out three $1,000 scholarships. This year’s recipients are Valerie Doan, Oakwood High School; Nubia Morales, Gilroy High School; and Eleanor “Ellie” Pickford, Gilroy High School.

Doan will attend UCLA in the fall, majoring in neuroscience — pre-medicine.

Morales thought she would attend the University of California, Davis in the fall. However, she was on the “wait-list” at Princeton and learned she was accepted. Her intended major is sociology/political science. She hopes to become a lawyer someday.

Pickford will attend the Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, VA., where her intended major is mechanical engineering.

PEO is a philanthropic organization that celebrates and supports the advancement of women; educates women through scholarships, grants, award, loans and stewardship of Cottey College in Nevada, MO.

South County Cal-SOAP, a nonprofit organization that works on several school campuses to help prepare low-income and first-generation students for college, will celebrate another year of creating educated communities, one underrepresented student at a time.

The nonprofit’s 5th annual fundraiser, AlumNight 2020, will take place from 6 to 7:30 p.m., June 18, via Zoom.

(Zoom Link: www.zoom.us/j/92075050735?pwd=Z1VVK3d2bFFoY1RkTEpSb3h6K3ovQT09

Meeting ID: 9207-505-0735

Password: 2020)

Enjoy a night of music, awards, prizes, and most importantly, to hear some of the student’s challenges, and successes.

In addition, South County Cal-SOAP will recognize Dr. Deborah Padilla with the Educator of the Year Award. Local high schools will also be recognized for their efforts in assisting students with scholarships and financial aid.

Details: (408) 780-8486, (669) 205-5474 [email protected] or visit  www.mightycause.com/Calsoapscholarshipfund.

One hundred percent of proceeds fund scholarships for college-bound Cal-SOAP students in the Aromas-San Juan, Gilroy, Hollister and Morgan Hill school districts.

With the global pandemic cratering the economy and forcing people into unemployment, work2future is there to help. Their career centers have shifted from in-person services to remote assistance.

Looking for a job? Want to build on you skills? Need resources for businesses? Take the first step towards a better future by registering for an orientation at www.work2future.org or call (408) 465-6995.