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PTA Community Calendar

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May, 2004

A year later, Jew enlisted the support of Rep. Frank Horton (R-NY) who, along with Rep. Norman Mineta, (D-CA), introduced House Resolution 540. This resolution proclaimed  the first ten days of May as Asian Pacific American Heritage Week. Senators Daniel Inouye and Spark Matsunaga  introduced similar legislation into the Senate. 

May was selected for the recognition because two significant events in history took place in that month: Japanese  immigrants first arrived in the United States on May 7, 1843, and the transcontinental railroad was completed on May 10,1869 (Golden Spike Day). Furthermore, since school is still in session during May, educators could capitalize on the opportunity to include APA history into the curriculum. 

On Oct. 2, 1978, President Jimmy Carter signed the Joint Resolution and the first Asian Pacific American Heritage Week was celebrated in May 1979. In 1992, the week was expanded to a month-long recognition when President George Bush signed the law permanently designating May of each year as Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. The law was unanimously supported by both the House of Representatives and the Senate. (from the University of Kansas Medical Center)

1 May Day is a spring festival celebrating human fertility and the renewal of nature. The festival originated with the celebration of the Roman goddess Flora and spread to other countries of the Roman Empire. May Day was especially popular in England during medieval times. Activities centered around the maypole, a tree collected from the woods and brought to the village to celebrate the upcoming summer. Many people participated in temporary sexual encounters while they were off in the woods. 

It was this latter activity combined with the temporary setting aside of the social hierarchy that Puritans  found objectionable. By 1644, May Day had been banned by the English Parliament although it reappeared  when Charles II took the throne in 1660. However, the overt sexuality of the festival went underground during the Victorian period and May Day was transformed into a celebration of England. 

May Day achieved little popularity in the United States because of the Puritan influence. However, in many European countries, it is a time of courtship. In Communist and socialist countries, May Day often features parades exhibiting military prowess. (from the University of Kansas Medical Center)

Birthday of  Terry Southern, author (biography)

2  Birthday of Benjamin Spock, pediatrician (biography)

State testing for elementary students begins

3  Birthday of Niccolo Machiavelli, philosopher/author (biography) and Pete Seeger, musician (biography)

4  Birthday of T. H. Huxley, scientist (biography) and George F. Will, columnist (biography)

5Cinco de Mayo. Cinco de May commemorates the May 5, 1862 Battle of Puebla (Batalla de Puebla) in which General Ignacio Zaragoza's Mexican troops defeated Napolean III's French forces. France, along with England and Spain, had occupied Mexico since mid-1861 as a result of President Benito Juarez' moratorium on foreign debt payments. Eventually England and Spain withdrew but the French remained in an attempt to
create an empire in Mexico. The French began a military advance on Mexico and on May 5, 1862, about 5,000 Mestizo and Zapotec Indians defeated Napolean's army. 

Many people confuse Cinco de Mayo with Mexican Independence Day (September 16, 1810). Cinco de Mayo is celebrated more in the United States than in Mexico and many people of Mexican descent celebrate with parades, music, and dancing. (from the University of Kansas Medical Center)

Birthday of Karl Marx, political scientist (biography)

6  Birthday of Sigmund Freud, psychiatrist (biography) and Orson Welles, film director (biography)

Berkeley High School Drama, the company that has been hailed as “brilliant” by Jonathan Moscone, presents to the public, uncut  and with original Broadway choreography, A CHORUS LINE..... One of Broadway’s longest running shows, A CHORUS LINE revolutionized the form. Createde outside the glam of Broadway, it celebrated not stardom, but the lives of the unknown working performers. In frank language, triple-layered dance and song numbers, this show tells the sad and funny stories of several dancers auditioning for a show, and giving everything they’ve got to get a space on “the line”. Prodded by a hard assed director, the performers tell their amazing stories with ballads, tap dances, and hilarious upbeat tunes like ,“I Can Do That”. Other songs you’ll be carried away by are “Kiss Today Goodbye”, “One” and “At The Ballet”....and the tune that high schools usually cut! This show is truly amazing, with caustic and funny writing, and real gripping moments. It was  developed through interviews with real performers. SEE IT NOW, a year before it’s scheduled Broadway revival!!! Music by Marvin Hamlisch, lyrics by Edward Kleban.

when:
Friday May 6.......8pm.
Saturday May 7..8pm
Sunday  May 8...7pm
Friday May 13....8pm
closes Saturday May 14th, 8pm.

price: Sunday is pay what you can....all other shows 12$ for adults, 6$ for students. Cash only.
No reservations needed or accepted, but please show up at least 20 minutes early, these shows do sell out.

who: More firsts! This show is directed by a senior at Berkeley High, Simon Trumble. Simon, who starred in last years’s smash “Man in the Musical” is an accomplished professional performer, a veteran of three productions of A Chorus Line, and just a real nice talented guy. He is available for interviews! Music Direction by professional actress and vocalist Scarlet Hepworth. Produced by Jordan Winer, Drama Teacher.

where: Florence Shwimley Little Theatre, on the Berkeley High Campus. On Allston way in Berkeley between Milvia and Martin Luther King. Near the corner of Martin Luther King.

Contact: Producer, Jordan Winer, (510) 332-1931, Hypedrama@aol.com

7  Birthday of Peter I. Tchaikovsky, composer (biography) and Eva Peron, political icon (biography)

A Sister-to-Sister Summit organized by Berkeley students, the Berkeley Branch of the American Association of University Women and the Girl Scouts of San Francisco Bay Area will take place on May 7th, 2005 from 9:00-2:00 pm at 101 Moffitt Hall at the UC Berkeley Campus.  Lunch will be provided

We are writing on behalf of the Berkeley Branch of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) and Girl Scouts of San Francisco Bay Area to invite your school to participate in a special
sister-to-sister Summit put on by the above two Organization.

The Summit opens dialogue among girls to help girls build a network and strengthen their voices, sister to sister. The Sister-to-Sister Summit will be bringing together diverse girls to address issues such as sexual harassment, violence, early sexual activity, substance abuse, body image, academic/career planning, and ethical leadership. The AAUW research has revealed that such issues are inextricably linked to education. Teen girls who use drugs, fear violence, become preoccupied
with their physical appearance, join gangs, or get pregnant cannot take full advantage of the educational programs available to them.

Yet, societal messages glamorizing sex, smoking, alcohol, and thinness pervade our culture, reinforced by peer pressure to experiment with risky behavior. Sister-to-Sister Summit will bring these issues to light, allowing girls to express themselves and propose strategies to address their common concerns. We hope that the Summit will result in a platform of action-a consolidation of concerns and steps toward solutions.

Now, you may ask “why put on such a Summit, especially for girls?” Well, research has shown that in adolescence, girls often experience a dramatic drop in self-esteem and lose the vibrant, strong voices they once possessed. Each teen girl views her life from a unique perspective that, if shared, can spark a rich and productive dialogue. Girls’ discovery of their shared experiences can affirm their views and spur them to action, sister to sister.

Give girls an opportunity to talk about their fears and frustrations, their dreams and ideas. What challenges do they face? What steps can they take to solve problems? What support do they need? Listen to their voices, then watch their self-esteem rise and, with it, their involvement and participation.

With their concerns identified, girls will articulate the messages they want to convey, services they need, and changes they want to make. We will then help the girls transform their thought and frustrations into a platform for action. The platform for action on paper will become an agenda for change in our schools and communities.

Besides the involvement of the AAUW and the Girl Scouts of San Francisco Bay Area, we will be collaborating with such organizations as YWCA and Allstate.

  The American Association of University Women
The Berkeley (CA) Branch
1201C Solano Avenue
Berkeley, CA  94706
Phone:  510 528-3284 (Message Machine)

8 Birthday of Harry S Truman, 33rd President (biography)

9  Birthday of Dante Aligheri, poet (biography) and Howard Carter, archaeologist (biography)

10  Birthday of John Wilkes Booth, assassin (biography) and Fred Astaire, dancer (biography)

11  Birthday of Salvador Dali, artist (biography) and Louis Farrakhan, Nation of Islam Leader (biography)

12  Birthday of Florence Nightingale, nurse (biography) and Jiddu Krishnamurti, sufi (biography)

13  Birthday of Joe Louis, athlete (biography) and Richie Valens, singer (biography)

Malcolm X's Birthday Observed (no school)

14

15  Birthday of Claudio Monteverdi, composer (biography) and Jasper Johns, artist (biography)

16Malcolm X's Birthday. 1925-65, black leader in the United States, also known as El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz, b. Malcolm Little in Omaha, Neb. He was introduced to the Black Muslims while serving a prison term and became a Muslim minister upon his release in 1952. He quickly became very prominent in the movement with a following perhaps equaling that of its leader, Elijah Muhammad. In 1963, Malcolm was suspended by Elijah after a speech in which Malcolm suggested that President Kennedy's assassination was a matter of the chickens coming home to roost.He then formed a rival organization of his own, the Muslim Mosque, Inc. In1964, after a pilgrimage to Mecca, he announced his conversion to orthodox Islam and his new belief that there could be brotherhood between black and white. In his Organization of Afro-American Unity, formed after his return, the tone was still that of militant black nationalism but no longer of separation. In Feb., 1965, he was shot and killed in a public auditorium in New York City. His assassins were vaguely identified as Black Muslims, but this is a matter of controversy.  (from encyclopedia.com)

17  Birthday of Ruhollah Khomeini, ayatollah (biography) and Archibald Cox, Watergate prosecutor (more)

18  Birthday of Walter Gropius, architect (biography) and Frank Capra, film director (biography)

PTA Meeting at King Middle School. 1781 Rose Street. 7 p.m. In the library.

19  Birthday of Ho Chi Minh, Vietnamese leader (biography) and Pol Pot, Cambodian leader (biography)

Elementary Open House

PTA Council Meeting. Starts at 7 p.m.Place to be announced. Election to be held for the 2005-6 board.

20  Birthday of Toussaint L'Ouverture, leader of Haiti (biography) and John Stuart Mill, philosopher (biography)

21  Birthday of Plato, philosopher (biography) and Thomas "Fats" Waller, musician (biography)

22 Birthday of Arthur Conan Doyle, author (biography) and Laurence Olivier, actor (biography)

23  Birthday of Freidrich Anton Mesmer, hypnotist (biography) and Par Lagerkvist, author (biography)

24  Birthday of George III, King of England (biography) and Bob Dylan, musician (biography)

25  Birthday of Ralph Waldo Emerson, philosopher (biography) and Miles Davis, musician (biography)

26 The Birthday of the Lord Buddha occurs on the 8th day of the 4th month. It is a public holiday in Hong Kong.

Birthday of Mary Wollstoncraft Godwin, author, feminist (biography)

27 Birthday of Thea Musgrave, composer. (biography at about.com)

28  Birthday of Jim Thorpe, athlete (biography) and Ian Fleming, author (biography)
Employee Recognition Day.

29Birthday of Patrick Henry, American patriot (biography) and John F. Kennedy, 35th President (biography)

30  Memorial Day. Previously designated Decoration Day, it was inaugurated in 1868 by Gen. John A. Logan for the purpose of decorating the graves of Civil War veterans and has since become a day on which all war dead are commemorated. (from encyclopedia.com)

Birthday of Alexander Nevsky, Russian Tsar (biography) and Benny Goodman, musician (biography)

31 Birthday of Walt Whitman, poet (biography) and Franz Joseph Hayden, composer (biography)