Bishop Oscar Cantú of the Diocese of San Jose helped St. Francis High School get its school year started with a blessing ceremony for the Mountain View Catholic school’s new Welcome Center, a state-of-the-art gathering space for students, faculty and other members of the St. Francis community.
U.S. Rep. Anna Eshoo, who joined Bishop Cantú and Mountain View Mayor Pat Showalter at the ceremony Friday morning, said she was very impressed with the building from the moment she drove up.
“Such a building is usually found on the campuses of universities,” Eshoo said. “So this is an extraordinary achievement.”
The multistory building — along with the adjacent Innovation Center that also was recently opened — includes student and faculty dining areas, as well as collaboration spaces and conference rooms for the school’s 1,700 students and faculty. And if parents need to grab a cup of coffee and plug into a Zoom meeting after dropping off their kids, that’s OK, too.
Eshoo, who toured the building with students after the ceremony, said, “Certainly, you’re going to be sharing a lot of stories with each other and ideas that will strengthen your classroom learning and the camaraderie of the community.”
The blessing ceremony and Mass was also attended by Br. Tom Dziekan C.S.C, Provincial Superior of the Congregation of Holy Cross, Moreau Province; as well as other members of the Brothers of the Holy Cross, the order that founded St. Francis in 1955; St. Francis board members and donors and members of the Devcon Construction team and HMC architects who worked on the project.
Students presented gift bags to the Brothers of the Holy Cross, Showalter and Eshoo, but Bishop Cantú received a special gift — a St. Francis varsity basketball jacket embroidered with his name — presented by St. Francis President Jason Curtis. I’m not sure it goes with the bishop’s mitre as a fashion statement, but I’m sure as a big basketball fan, he’ll find the right occasion to wear it.
BREW NEWS: Chef Rodney Baca’s known as a real innovator in the food scene, but it turns out he’s also got a great nose for beer. Baca recently collaborated with Hapa’s Brewing Company owner Brian Edwards on a new Valley Craft line of beers that pay tribute to the flavors of the Santa Clara Valley.
The first result of the partnership is an Apricot Summer Orchard IPA, which will be served not only at Hapa’s taprooms but also in the United Club at Levi’s Stadium (along with Hapa’s Prospector Golden Ale, which tips its hat to the gold-mining origins of the 49ers name). In addition to apricot, the IPA has flavors of honey and a touch of cayenne that doesn’t add heat but manages to bring out the other flavors.
Chef Rodney Baca and his wife, Madelyn Baca pose with cans of Orchard Apricot Ale, a beer made through a collaboration between Baca and Hapa’s Brewery, at Hapa’s location in San Jose on Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024. (Sal Pizarro/Bay Area News Group)
“We really love the valley, and it doesn’t get a lot of credit for what we have here,” Baca said at a sampling event at Hapa’s location on Lincoln Avenue. “Our goal is to do five or six beers that pay homage to San Jose and the Santa Clara Valley.”
The can for the Apricot Summer Orchard IPA also has a nod to Baca’s family history, too: The woman pictured on the can is the grandmother of Baca’s wife, Madelyn Baca.
SIGN OF THE TIMES: Former Santa Clara County Executive Jeffrey Smith was honored this week with the renaming of a street leading into Santa Clara Valley Medical Center as “Jeffrey V. Smith Way.”
Former Santa Clara County Executive Jeffrey Smith points to a new street sign with his name leading to Santa Clara Valley Medical Center’s campus in San Jose during an unveiling ceremony on Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024. (Courtesy of County of Santa Clara)
Smith retired last year after 14 years as county executive, and renaming a street at VMC after him makes sense as not only is Smith a medical doctor, he also was in charge at the county when the COVID-19 pandemic started. He also guided the county when it purchased O’Connor Hospital in San Jose and St. Louise Regional Hospital in Gilroy more than five years ago.
Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian managed to get the best line at the dedication ceremony.
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“I have been asked why is it Jeff Smith Way rather than Jeff Smith Street, boulevard, avenue, road. And the answer is because if you spend any time on this campus at all, you know everything is done the Jeff Smith Way,” Simitian said, adding that the new street name will make it easier to give directions to people trying to navigate their way around VMC. “Now I can just tell them, go down Bascom and take a right on Jeff.”
MUSICAL NEWS: The annual Rock the Block free concert series kicked off at Hillsdale Shopping Center on Friday night and will continue the next two Fridays in September. The act playing Sept. 13 may be someone you recognize, but not necessarily because of his music: ABC7 evening news anchor Dan Ashley will be playing Americana rock with his band starting at 6 p.m. Ashley is as serious of a musician as he is a journalist—he just gets to have more fun with the band.
MOVING RIGHT ALONG: If you’re a family with kids, Caltrain has definitely taken the lead in traveling between San Jose and San Francisco via public transit with its new $1 one-way youth fare. It’s your turn, BART; how about it?
Speaking of BART, if you’re looking for updates on the construction of the transit line to San Jose and Santa Clara — aka VTA BART Silicon Valley Phase II Extension Project — VTA has launched a new website, www.vtabart.org, with all sorts of info including the Thriving Business Program, which aims to help small businesses along the corridor stay afloat during construction.
