CUSD Students Clean Creek, Teacher Flies Blue Angels Jet

Village Elementary students removed 2,680 pounds of trash from Guadalupe Creek in January during a service day with the South Bay Clean Creek Coalition. The cleanup benefits salmon populations in the waterway.

Castlemont Elementary third grade teacher Hailey Robinson won the Key Influencer Award, which included a flight with the Navy's Blue Angels during Fleet Week. After a government shutdown postponed the event, the Navy rescheduled her flight. Robinson flew in an FA-18 Super Hornet in February.

Santa Clara County Supervisor Susan Ellenberg honored the district during the Arts, Innovation, and Music Showcase with a proclamation recognizing Youth Art Month. Ten student projects from kindergarten through fifth grade are on display at the County Building, 70 W. Hedding Street, 10th floor in San Jose, during regular business hours.

Selected students are Delilah Velasquez Espino (Blackford), Shiori Doi (CSI), Aivy Troung (Capri), Freddie Marmarou (Castlemont), Julian Chiu (Forest Hill), Noor Ahmed (Lynhaven), Henrietta "Etta" Makepeace (Marshall Lane), Emily Nicolle Jimenez Salcedo (Rosemary), Ximena Cruz (Sherman Oaks), and Cole Pearring (Village).

The artwork includes oil pastel landscapes, recycled weaving, Mehndi art on watercolor, and a guitar. Marmarou created an Arctic Hare project in kindergarten; Troung made a Treasure Island Map in fourth grade.