“Summer break” might be the two most wonderful words a student can hear.
I know growing up in Pleasanton that magical two-word phrase has brought smiles to the faces of thousands of students over the years, and with good cause.
Looking back, I remember the feeling of being free from the daily rigors of school. The possibilities seemed endless as to what the summer could hold.
Of course, while it is fun not being in school, by halfway through the summer you would start talking about how bored you were, and even, almost, kind of maybe, would think, hmmm … maybe school is not so bad.
Then there are those students that make sure the summer is full of activities, thus preventing the inevitable boredom from kicking in.
Christopher Lee of Foothill is one of those such kids.
Lee, who was the 2022 East Bay Athletic League tennis champion in singles and was a member of the Foothill team that captured the EBAL team title, is not taking summer vacation as most students do — just enjoying the summer and relaxing.
In other words — there will be no boredom!
For starters, Lee has been taking physics and has also continued his philanthropy.
He is collecting tennis balls to be recycled by a youth-powered nonprofit called Recycleballs. To date, he has collected 3,042 used tennis balls that were saved from the landfill.
If that’s not enough, Lee has organized a shoe drive for the past three years in partnership with the nonprofit Go Green Initiative.
The effort has led to 2,239 pairs of shoes being shipped out to those in need.
Lee has been recognized for his efforts by Pleasanton Mayor Karla Brown with an award last month not only for the environmental impact but for the community and societal impact.
Other students were encouraged to learn about and participate in his recycling drive and $27,000 in corporate grants to nonprofits were awarded to Razom for Ukraine, East Palo Alto Tennis and Tutoring (EPATT), and Foothill, because of the shoe drive.
Well done, Christopher; well done.
Track and Field Junior Olympics
There are 20 athletes from the Falcon Track Club who have qualified and will be competing at the USATF National Junior Olympics that take place July 25-31 in Hornet Stadium at California State University, Sacramento.
The team trains at Foothill High and has athletes ranging from the Under-8 division up through the 17-18 group.
The individual qualifiers from FTC include:
* 8-under girls: Victoria Daniel, 400M, 800 and 1,500 (regional champion).
* 9-10 girls: Erina Mitra, 400; Emma Lyon 1,500; and Emery Sutton, 800 and 1,500.
* 11-12 boys: Gavin Sutton, 800.
* 15-16 girls: Allison Oh, 400H.
* 15-16 boys: Ian Sweeney, 100, 200 and 400; Hassaan Chaudhary, 110 hurdles and 400H; Ranveer Rajoura, 200 and 400 (regional champion), long jump; Zach Payne, 400; and Aleksander Schade, 800 (regional champion) and 1,500 (regional champion).
* 17-18 girls: Aditi Kamble, 400H; and Lesley Townsend, high jump, long jump and triple jump.
* 17-18 boys: Tanish Kumar, 1,500; Patrick Lee, long jump and triple jump; and Landen Meonske, triple jump.
Two FTC relay teams qualified as well: the 15-16 boys 4x100M and the 17-18 boys 4x100M.
Editor’s note: Dennis Miller is a contributing sports writer for the Pleasanton Weekly. To contact him about his Pleasanton Preps column, email [email protected]