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John F. Germ
2016-2017 
President Rotary International
Our President
The African Queen
Kathy Gailey
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Speakers
Jun 15, 2017
Club Assembly
Jul 06, 2017
Club Goals for 2017/18
Jul 13, 2017
Hear from the students about their experience at these camps
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Paula Gross is the Director of Customer Success at atEvent, an event application company, right here in San Ramon.  She has been with them almost 7 years and has helped develop the platform from infancy stages to full adoption to over 5,000 users.  She is the current Executive Director of Miss Contra Costa County Scholarship Organization a local 501c3 dedicated to promoting positive self-image and self confidence in women by providing a platform for tomorrow’s leaders to express their opinions, talents, character and intelligence. 

 

 

Paula is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley where she majored in Political Economies of Industrial Societies.  Paula currently resides in Mountain House with her husband Phil, their 3 year old daughter Peyton, 1 year old son Parker and their dog, Olive.

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Schedule of Greeters
June 15
Gunning, Mike
 
June 22
Harlan, Bill
 
June 29
Harvey, Dennis
 
July 6
Hennigan, Patti
 
Greeter Protocol
 
When you are assigned the duty of being our greeter, you should remember the following:

1. You should be at the meeting by 11:45 AM in order to greet everyone as they come to the meeting.

2. You should bring a "Greeter's Gift" for the raffle. The gift should be approximately $20.00 in value.

3. You will be leading the giving the inspiration of the day, leading the salute to the flag, and introducing the visiting Rotarians. It is a good idea to watch the visiting Rotarians sign in, so that you can ask them about any complicated names or classifications.

4. If you cannot attend, it is your responsibility to find a replacement.
 
 
Russell Hampton
National Awards Services Inc.
Sage
ClubRunner
Welcome to the Rotary Club of San Ramon
Service Above Self
We meet Thursdays at 12:00 PM
Crow Canyon Country Club
711 Silver Lake Dr.
Danville, CA  94526
United States
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Meeting Notes for June 8, 2017
 
Scribe Notes, June 8, 2017
 
 
Jeff Disch, filling in for the missing Kathy Gailey, called the meeting to order, reminding us that the R.I. President is John F. Germ and his theme for the year is “Rotary Serving Humanity.”
Our Greeter, Paula Gross, led us in the Salute to the Flag and gave us her Thought for the Day, by Marjorie Moore, “Volunteering is the ultimate exercise in democracy. You vote in elections once a year, but when you volunteer, you vote every day about the kind of community you want to live in.”  Paula Gross is the Director of Customer Success at atEvent, an event application company, right here in San Ramon.  She has been with them almost 7 years and has helped develop the platform from infancy stages to full adoption to over 5,000 users.
This Scribe then led the group in the singing the Patriotic Song, “My Country Tis of Thee!”
 
Visiting Rotarians:  None.
 
Other Visitors:   McKenna Lay, daughter of Colette.
 
 
Announcements: 
 
PP Ray Giles took a “Rotary Moment” to explain that many members have accumulated points toward their Paul Harris Fellow awards but have not yet decided how to use them.  They can be used for your own advancement or to sponsor a relative or friend.  See Ray for more details.
 
Ray then went on to award PP Chris Gallagher his “Paul Harris Fellow +3,” Sapphire pin.  Congratulations, Chris, now you understand why we tolerate you!
 
PP Chris Gallagher bragged about his new custom-built truck  --  refer to my comment, above  --  that he went to Guthrie, Oklahoma to pick up and drive home.  It is, apparently, two separate vehicles, each cut in half and then glued back together.  The best features of each half are thus incorporated into a single vehicle!   We all KNOW that Rene insists on Chris having nothing than the best!
 
On his drive home, Chris stopped off to visit Marc and Robin in Sidona, Arizona.  It seems all is well there.
 
PP Dennis Harvey noted that he was going to Cooperstown with his grandson, where he  --  the grandson, not Dennis  --  is to play in a tournament.  Quite an accomplishment for him (the grandson, not Dennis)!
Jeff Disch announced that the winners of the recent Rotary Golf Outing were John Tatum, with low score, and Guy Greco with longest drive.
 
 
Good News/Fine Free:  Pat Patterson mentioned, without being prompted, that he recently celebrated a birthday that included 82 candles!  Everyone was amazed because he doesn’t look a day over 80!
 
 
Recognitions:   Paula Sue was recognized, somewhat belatedly, for a birthday she celebrated on April 8.  Edgardo also had a birthday and he was recognized for $68.00.
 
Garth and Chris (Gallagher), who have their birthdays on the same day  --  May 20  --  were to meet at Hooters in Dublin , to celebrate, however Chris couldn’t find the place leaving Garth in a lurch!  Maybe it will work out better next year.
 
 
Program:  Marv Remmich introduced Rick Schmidt, Superintendent of the San Ramon Valley Unified School District, who has been in this position for about one year, coming from a San Diego area district very similar to ours.  He started by thanking the 75 percent of the families in the District which do NOT have students enrolled in our schools.  Their kids have already graduated, they are unmarried, senior citizens, and/or they never had children, yet they support this District financially through their tax payments!
Mr. Schmidt noted that current teaching strategies focus on critical thinking.  The days when “knowledge” was of primary concern is quickly fading because knowledge/information is now easily obtained through computers and smartphones. 
 
He mentioned that 85 percent of our students go on to college and that competition to get into the “best colleges” is quite fierce.   As they attempt to compete, other elements of the students’ lives  --  the things that help turn them into well-rounded adults  --  are pushed aside in order to excel academically.  Seventy-seven percent of students “feel pressure” to excel; 75 percent of that pressure comes from parents!  The New York Times ran an article on this last month, noting that this creates a lot of stress on high school students.  In fact, a recent Stanford Study revealed that nearly 50 percent of college students require some sort of “mental health support” since the rat race has become quite unhealthy.
Mr. Schmidt revealed that many students are taking too many “advanced” courses in order to get a leg up on their competition, however, this is generally a waste of time, energy and stress since most “better” colleges will use only a limited number of such courses in their acceptance decisions.   They are looking for more well-rounded candidates; students that have participated, either in the classroom or through extra-curricular activities, in a broader range of activities!
 
Lastly, Mr. Schmidt commented on the several recent incidences within the District that have received serious media attention.  New technology, particularly the smartphone’s camera and the various social media outlets have changed the nature of harassment and/or pranks to a degree that older generations cannot really relate to.  We “oldsters” also had bullies in school, it was a ”normal” part of growing up!  But this new technology has anonymity, a more far-reaching effect and a longer life than the playground bully we had to contend with.
 
As for the young man running for Senior Class President and the James Bond-style spoof video he made to get attention, Mr. Schmidt stated there were only 23 “viewings” of it before it was taken down.  In other words, all of the many stories about it, including the description of what was in it, were second-hand accounts.  The student who filmed it was not Caucasian and the ISIS “terrorists” he defeated were played by Muslim friends.  (He did get expelled for the “tasteless” video, however, a judge reinstated him citing his First Amendment rights to free expression,)
 
In summary, Mr. Schmidt stated that the two primary problems encountered by teenagers today are (1) lack of sleep; and (2) the over-scheduling of their lives, generally by their parents.
 
 
Raffle:   Somebody won the Greeter’s Gift; this Scribe was not paying attention because he was engrossed  --  pardon the pun  --  in his conversation with Paula!  He woke up, though, when his number was called for the opportunity to draw that elusive gold marble! To everyone’s dismay, he drew “Blue,” so he walked off with only $10.00.  The prize next week will be $260.00! 
 
 
Next Week’s Program:  Will be a Club Assembly for Succession Planning. The Greeter will be Mike Gunning.
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