Discovery Counseling Center launches fund drive
The Discovery Counseling Center of the San Ramon Valley hopes to raise $50,000 in its annual fundraising campaign. The Danville nonprofit center provides comprehensive and affordable mental health services for all ages, including school-based and preventive programs.
“The Discovery Counseling Center has been a vital piece of this community for years,” said Andrea Stephenson, board member and annual campaign co-chair. “The budget for Discovery has been pared to the bone. The only way we can offer Discovery’s program is by raising contributions from the community.”
The center plans to reach its goal through phone call nights, direct mail and an appeal for “President Round Table” donors of $1,000 or more. For information, contact interim director Thom Martin at 837-0505 or tmartin@discoverycenteronline.com.
High schools make top 1,000
The May 16 issue of Newsweek magazine evaluated all 27,468 U.S. public high schools and ranked the top 100 in its print edition and the top 1,000 online. Both of Danville’s high schools made the top 1,000.
Jay Mathews, the Washington Post education reporter who came up with the rankings, used a ratio to rank high schools. The ratio is devised from the number of Advanced Placement and/or International Baccalaureate tests taken by all students at a high school in 2004 divided by the number of graduating seniors.
Monte Vista High was ranked 568 with a 1.482 ratio and San Ramon Valley High was ranked 800 with a 1.235 ratio.
Mathews argues that regardless of how they do on the tests, students who take advanced placement and International Baccalaureate courses are better prepared for college than students who don’t
The top ranked high school was Jefferson County in Irondale, Ala.
Town needs volunteers to ‘Lend a Hand’
In celebration of Older Americans Month, the town of Danville is asking residents to come out for a day of light yard work June 4 to help senior neighbors clean up their yards. Volunteers will be assigned to one of eight selected residences. They can bring their own gloves and tools.
Applications to volunteer must be submitted to Danville Senior Services by May 31. “Lend a Hand Day” starts at 9 a.m. at the Danville Library and ends at 2:30 p.m. For information, call Christine Mabry at 314 3176.
Sewer rate increase deferred
Last year the Central Contra Costa Sanitary District approved a 3 percent sewer rate increase per year over the course of three years. However, this year, due to rate increases at other public agencies, the board decided to defer the 2005-06 rate increase.
CCCSD collects, treats and disposes of wastewater for more than 440,000 residents and businesses, including those in Alamo, Danville and Blackhawk, at an estimated cost of $42 million.
