Last hurrah for Joseph George Middle School in San Jose

Bert George helped work the barbecue pits with dozens of San Jose Rotarians on Thursday evening as they prepared to feed various students and family members during the spring carnival at Joseph George Middle School which was named for his grandfather when it opened in This is a celebration mentioned George who figures he and his family have been helping out at that and other events at the East San Jose school for at least years But this celebration was undoubtedly a bittersweet one as it ll be the last Alum Rock Union School District decided in December to close Joseph George along with several other schools in a consolidation plan Bert George school was named after his grandfather stands next to a poster sharing memories at Joseph George Middle School in San Jose Calif on Thursday May Shae Hammond Bay Area News Group Andres Ramirez attendee stands for a photograph with San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan while his friend Denie Gonzalez trainee takes a the picture during an annual spring BBQ at Joseph George Middle School in San Jose Calif on Thursday May Shae Hammond Bay Area News Group Richelle Shimada th grade math science and eld professor passes out cotton candy to Vanessa Marie of San Jose during an annual spring BBQ at Joseph George Middle School in San Jose Calif on Thursday May Shae Hammond Bay Area News Group Students read about the history of Joseph George Middle School in San Jose Calif on Thursday May Shae Hammond Bay Area News Group Sausages are served during an annual spring BBQ at Joseph George Middle School in San Jose Calif on Thursday May Shae Hammond Bay Area News Group Gael Favela a scholar picks out a prize at Joseph George Middle School in San Jose Calif on Thursday May Shae Hammond Bay Area News Group Gael Favela learner looks at his friend Abraham Soria Munoz pupil with a prize won during an annual spring BBQ at Joseph George Middle School in San Jose Calif on Thursday May Shae Hammond Bay Area News Group Joey Tango a Specialized Academic Instruction professor and Michelle Gilbert a P E guide of years speak during an annual spring BBQ at Joseph George Middle School in San Jose Calif on Thursday May Shae Hammond Bay Area News Group Jocelyn Cruz of San Jose gets an orange during an annual spring BBQ at Joseph George Middle School in San Jose Calif on Thursday May Shae Hammond Bay Area News Group People get food during an annual spring BBQ at Joseph George Middle School in San Jose Calif on Thursday May Shae Hammond Bay Area News Group Bert George school was named after his grandfather stands next to a poster sharing memories at Joseph George Middle School in San Jose Calif on Thursday May Shae Hammond Bay Area News Group People walk to an annual spring BBQ at Joseph George Middle School in San Jose Calif on Thursday May Shae Hammond Bay Area News Group Show Caption of Bert George school was named after his grandfather stands next to a poster sharing memories at Joseph George Middle School in San Jose Calif on Thursday May Shae Hammond Bay Area News Group Expand While several schools are named for land donors or famous alumni George says his grandfather was honored for his longtime role as a locality leader Joseph George came to the Bay Area in the s and bought a distribution company which became one of the largest beer wine and liquor distributors in the state He and his wife Edith attended the opening of the school and he died two years later At present the company has morphed into Joseph George Fine Wines on Meridian Avenue run by Bert George and his wife Cyndie In addition to families of current students the carnival drew a lot of guests including alumni like Brian Adams who was outstanding male apprentice in and faculty such as Jolene Bunnell who taught at the school from until she retired in Speaking of former teachers another in attendance was San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan who taught at the school in - as part of the Teach For America plan Mahan who taught English and history to seventh- and eighth-graders revealed he loved teaching at the school playing chess with students and coaching the girls soccer club one year When I was a tutor here it really felt like a area noted Mahan who was greeted fondly by other teachers who remembered him jokingly as an agitator Michelle Gilbert a P E trainer and coach who has been at Joseph George for years mentioned she s devastated about having to leave the campus after this school year But I m really upset that we re losing this connection with the George family she declared They ve been such an vital part of the school ever since I ve been here Anything we need they re there for us Like a great number of others in attendance Gilbert mentioned she hoped the district could find specific way to continue to honor Joseph George and his family If Alum Rock can find a way to do that I m sure Bert George will be happy to be part of that celebration DANCING HOLIDAY Los Lupe os de San Jose will be celebrating Cinco de Mayo on Sunday by hosting the sixth annual Folkloreada Festival showcasing more than folklorico dance troupes from around the Bay Area and Southern California at the Mexican Heritage Plaza in East San Jose Related Articles Goodwill of Silicon Valley opening its first outlet store in San Jose It s going to be a festive Cinco de Mayo weekend in San Jose Alcario Castellano used lottery jackpot to fuel society philanthropy World War II airman s remains receive a hero s welcome in San Jose Festival season gets underway this weekend in San Jose More than a showcase Folkloreada is a testament to the vibrant population spirit of East San Jose Artistic Director Samuel Cortez Balderas stated It s an event that s becoming a staple in the city of San Jose a place where we can come together and celebrate the beauty of Mexican traditions There ll also be food trucks and arts and crafts vendors at the festival which runs from noon to p m Get more information at loslupenos org -folkloreada HONORING NO The Dwight Clark Legacy Series is just a scant weeks ago and tickets are going fast for the May event which will take place at the Hammer Theatre Center in downtown San Jose ers cornerback Deommodore Lenoir has been disclosed as this year s recipient of the Dwight Clark Award given to the competitor who best exemplifies Clark s spirit of teamwork This year s event is titled Photographs and Memories and will celebrate the career of photographer Michael Zagaris who in the past few days turned and has been with the unit for years He ll be joined on stage by ers veterans Charles Haley Garrison Hearst Anthony Adams and Fred Warner who will talk about the stories behind certain of the photos And as invariably you can expect other Niners from legendary teams to be on hand and you never know who might show up to the p m event Go to www dwightclarkaward com to get tickets AT THE MOVIES Sometimes you ve got to celebrate a movie that s so bad it s kind of good That may be the scenario with The Room which has developed a cult following despite a reputation as one of the worst movies ever made Below Theaters in downtown San Jose will have a special screening of Tommy Wiseau s The Room on May The p m show will include special guest Greg Sestero who was a co-star of the movie and co-wrote a book The Calamity Artist about the making of the movie And if you missed out on seeing No Other Land when Saratoga s Westhope Presbyterian Church screened it last month another showing has been arranged for the film on May at p m The movie made by a Palestinian-Israeli collective of activists won the Oscar this year for best documentary but has no U S distribution deal Get more details and ticket information at westhope org