After a two-night strategic planning session last week, Bullis Charter School Principal Wanny Hersey reported that parents continue to support the school’s mission – even in the face of a program split between two campuses next year.

The Los Altos School District, which provides facilities for the charter school, offered the charter school space on two of its campus for the next school year, Egan Junior High and Blach Intermediate schools.

Move over gardens and chicken coops, front-yard libraries are writing the next chapter in creative yard use.

Bucking the trend toward eReaders, Alexa Morris of Mountain View installed a miniature book exchange in her yard in March. She joins a growing network of people nationwide who are stewards of the Little Free Library movement.

Los Altos High School’s Future Business Leaders of America members recently competed at the State Leadership Conference in Santa Clara, posting a strong performance despite tough competition.

The Los Altos team performed well in events ranging from individual test-taking to team case studies and presentations.

BridgePoint at Los Altos is scheduled to honor centenarian Florence “Sunny” Kane, 101, at a luncheon June 5.

Kane, a resident at BridgePoint, a Kisco Senior Living community, joins the First Century Club, created to celebrate those who reach 100 years of age. Kisco premiered the club in May, National Older Americans Month.

Sometimes a book is successful not because it’s exceptionally well written, but because it strikes a nerve with a segment of the population. Such is the case with Michael Gates Gill’s “How Starbucks Saved My Life: A Son of Privilege Learns to Live Like Everyone Else” (Gotham, 2007).

Reminiscent of the biblical story of Jericho, the walls of Menlo Park Presbyterian Church (MPPC) came down, figuratively speaking, April 27 and 28. In place of formal church services, MPPC and its satellite campuses, including Open Door Church in Mountain View, sent out its members to serve the community as part of its eighth annual Compassion Weekend.

“Compassion Weekend is not so much about projects as it is about people,” wrote Mission Pastor Mark Swarner in a booklet describing the service opportunities. “It is about helping children learn, the hungry eat, the lonely find community, the homeless find shelter, the hopeless find hope.”

Betty Jean Walker passed away peacefully at her residence at Merrill Gardens, San Jose on Thursday, May 2, 2013, she was 85. She died of natural causes after a two year decline from Alzheimer’s.

Betty had worked for over 40 years with her husband Hal, at the roofing company they began, Cardinal Roofing, in Mt. View. She did volunteer work as a “pink lady” at El Camino Hospital in Mt. View for many years and was an active member at Wesley United Methodist Church for over 60 years. Betty played tennis into her eighties, competing in local seniors tournaments. She and her sister-in-law, Jackie Holbein travelled and teamed up in tennis games together for the past 10 years.