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Blackhawk helicopter makes a special visit to San Jose school

Blackhawk helicopter makes a special visit to San Jose school

Students and faculty watch as a Blackhawk medical helicopter lands on the field at Sartorette Elementary School in San Jose on Friday, May 31, 2024. The visit, arranged by the California National Guard, was to celebrate the completion of DARE, an drug awareness program, by the school's fifth-graders. (Sal Pizarro/Bay Area News Group)

There are some things you just don’t expect to happen in a residential neighborhood in San Jose. Like a U.S. Army helicopter touching down at an elementary school.

“Since the school opened in 1959, it’s safe to say only birds, kites and maybe drones have landed on our field,” said Sartorette Elementary School Principal Debbie Stein, “but never a Blackhawk military helicopter.”

But that’s exactly what happened just after 1 p.m. Friday, as more than 300 Sartorette students, faculty and parents watched the dark green chopper approach the Cambrian Park school from the south and land on its field to cheers. The special visit was arranged through the California National Guard to celebrate the completion of the drug awareness program called DARE by the school’s fifth-graders, who got to explore the helicopter.

Students and faculty gather to take a school photo in front of a Blackhawk medical helicopter that landed on the field at Sartorette Elementary School in San Jose on Friday, May 31, 2024. The visit, arranged by the California National Guard, was to celebrate the completion of DARE, an drug awareness program, by the school's fifth-graders. (Sal Pizarro/Bay Area News Group)Students and faculty gather to take a school photo in front of a Blackhawk medical helicopter that landed on the field at Sartorette Elementary School in San Jose on Friday, May 31, 2024. The visit, arranged by the California National Guard, was to celebrate the completion of DARE, an drug awareness program, by the school’s fifth-graders. (Sal Pizarro/Bay Area News Group) 

Sartorette is piloting the DARE program for Cambrian School District, so for the past 10 weeks, fifth-grade students have gotten weekly visits from two members of the National Guard who talked to them about ways to avoid drugs and lead healthier lifestyles. One of them, Staff Sgt. Victor Del Real was at the school for Friday’s big event, providing updates to Stein as the helicopter made its way to San Jose from Fresno.

Stein first heard a helicopter visit was a possibility last fall and worked for months with the National Guard to make it happen. She was told this was the first time the National Guard had been able to get clearance to land a helicopter at a school, which clearly involves a lot of logistical planning. Stein made sure San Jose police were notified about it, and neighbors got wind of it recently on Next Door after the school advertised it on their sign. Several residents lined up along the fence on adjacent Noreen Drive to watch the midday spectacle.

Principal Debbie Stein stands next to the field at Sartorette Elementary School in San Jose where a Blackhawk medical helicopter had landed just minutes before on Friday, May 31, 2024. The visit, arranged by the California National Guard, was to celebrate the completion of DARE, an drug awareness program, by the school's fifth-graders. (Sal Pizarro/Bay Area News Group)Principal Debbie Stein stands next to the field at Sartorette Elementary School in San Jose where a Blackhawk medical helicopter had landed just minutes before on Friday, May 31, 2024. The visit, arranged by the California National Guard, was to celebrate the completion of DARE, an drug awareness program, by the school’s fifth-graders. (Sal Pizarro/Bay Area News Group) 

San Jose City Councilmember Pam Foley also was on hand to witness the historic event in her district, too.

“What a fun way to reward these students for all their hard work with the DARE program,” Foley said. “Having a Blackhawk helicopter landing is awesome.”

And undoubtedly more interesting than anything going on at City Hall on a Friday afternoon.

 

Sartorette Featured in Amazon Prime & Hulu "Advancements" Episode on Education

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Sartorette Appears on TV

 

 

Sartorette 5th Graders Organize Food Drive

Sartorette 5th Graders Organize Food Drive
Food Drive

 

Pianist Katya Grineva Performs at Sartorette

Sal Pizarro, San Jose metro columnist, ‘Man About Town,” for his Wordpress profile. (Michael Malone/Bay Area News Group)

By SAL PIZARRO | spizarro@bayareanewsgroup.com| Bay Area News Group

UPDATED: February 18, 2023 at 4:28 p.m.


Pianist Katya Grineva interacts with students at Sartorette Elementary School in San Jose on Friday, Feb. 18, 2023. (Photo Courtesty Deborah Stein/Sartorette Elementary School)Pianist Katya Grineva interacts with students at Sartorette Elementary School in San Jose on Friday, Feb. 18, 2023. (Photo Courtesty Deborah Stein/Sartorette Elementary School) 

CLASSICAL LESSONS: Pianist Katya Grineva played a trio of very special concerts this week at San Jose schools, performing at Hammer Elementary on Tuesday, Latimer Elementary on Wednesday and Sartorette Elementary on Friday. The appearances were arranged through Starting Arts, the San Jose-based nonprofit that provides hands-on arts education in schools, including visual arts, dance, theater and music.

At Sartorette on Friday, Grineva — who made her Carnegie Hall debut in 1998 and is the only female solo pianist to play there 20 times — had students close their eyes to concentrate on how the music made them feel, answered questions from the kids and left the school with a gift for its music library: CDs of her performances.