Class Notes

In November, San Carlos-based DemandTec, Inc., a provider of on-demand optimization solutions for retailers and consumer products manufacturers, announced the winners of the fourth Annual DemandTec Retail Challenge, a flagship component of the company's Corporate Citizenship initiative. This year in the San Francisco region Sequoia, Silver Creek, South San Francisco and Mountain View high schools competed for $10,000 in scholarships. Team Demandate, Elise Sugarman and Jody Zhang from Mountain View High, won. Grocery retailer, Safeway, teamed up with DemandTec to sponsor this community outreach scholarship program. This two week, online competition for high school seniors simulates the real-life responsibilities of retail marketers and merchandisers. Thirteen high schools and approximately 120 students took part in this year's challenge, and members of winning teams will be awarded scholarships to be applied towards college education expenses. *** On Monday, Nov. 23 Sunnybrae Elementary School fifth grade students donated approximately $2,000 to UNICEF. As part of the International Baccalaureate program at Sunnybrae, students work hard to become international citizens who are aware of not only the issues in their own community, but also around the world. As such, students choose to raise money for the "Trick or Treat for UNICEF" fundraising campaign after they researched where the money goes and found that it helps children around the world receive immunizations, clean water, blankets, school supplies and much more. Fifth grade teacher Mark White said, "Last year, students raised over $1,000 for the program, this year the goal was to raise at least $2,000. I am so proud of our students here at Sunnybrae for caring about children all over the world. They have shown such compassion, and they are so excited about the money they have raised. This year we had our strongest participation yet and are confident we will reach our goal of $2,000." *** Lincoln High School graduate (class of '97), Kevin Myers, and Burlingame High School graduate (class of '01), Barrett Raftery, recently joined Wilson Kimeli Naiyomah, Maasai tribesman and Stanford graduate (class of '08), in Nairobi, Kenya to fulfill a mutual dream they are calling the Solar Maasai Project. They plan to electrify the Emprukel schoolhouse near the Maasai village of Enoosaen in rural Kenya, bringing lights, fans, computers and a vaccine refrigerator to the school of 350 students. This remote village will soon experience something brand new to them, electrical power. A 5 kilowatt solar electric system will bring this community to the forefront of clean, renewable energy technology, leap-frogging past fossil fuel based energy sources the rest of the developed world has grown to enjoy. To track progress of the Solar Maasai Project, visit www.solarmaasai.org *** On Tuesday, Oct. 20, Mid-Peninsula Water District hosted its first district field trip. After the two-hour event, MPWD expressed thanks to those at Central Elementary School who participated -- the third grade teachers, their students, the parents who chaperoned and its staff for their hard work and effort. The district's calendar remains open for the current school year. Any affiliates of a Belmont~Redwood Shores public or private school grades three through five are free to contact MPWD at 591-8941 to learn more about this free opportunity.