We are very excited to announce the addition of two new members to our board, Felicia Gershberg and Vicky Gray-Clark. Felicia and Vicky have been participating in SBP in support roles up to this point and bring great energy and experience to South Bay Prep.

Vicky is principal of Ambient Public Relations and brings her knowledge and connections for one of our most important efforts, media relations. Getting the word out about SBP is one of the best ways to ensure our success.

Felicia brings to SBP an extensive educational background including high school teaching experience and a Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology. Felicia also brings connections to the parent-participation school community through PACT, an alternative school in the Mountain View Whisman Elementary School District, and Sunnyvale Parent Preschool.

A personal note from Kelly Lambert, founder and president of SBP: I am stepping down from my position as president. The time has come when SBP will benefit from the renewal that comes with selecting a new president and developing the next stage of its vision and plans. Some very capable people are stepping up to continue the vision. I will continue to assist SBP and I look forward to supporting the new board in the creation of a premiere charter school for our kids.

All of the current and new board members would like to thank Kelly for the immense amount of energy and work that she put into getting South Bay Prep off the ground and running. None of this would be possible without her. Thank you Kelly for all that you've done!

The good news is that we have an excellent chance at being approved as a County charter school this year.

The bad news is that the County has a policy that schools may not open in the year they are approved. This will require us to push the opening date of the school to Fall of 2008. The SBP board is now considering the possibility of opening with more grades so as to not miss those families who have been so supportive of the school and hoped that their students could attend this fall.

Because the grant funds we were offered were only for schools opening in 2007, we also had to release our grant. We were one of 20 schools offered the 2007 grant out of more than 200 applicants. We will apply again this spring for funds for 2008, and we have high hopes that we will again win the grant. The school will be able to open without the grant, but having the extra money would allow us to open with more resources.

As we move forward toward opening in Fall 2008, Mike Bolhorst has moved on in another direction. We are now actively considering candidates for the Executive Director position.

Mike’s knowledge and enthusiasm were instrumental in bringing together the people and ideas that have shaped South Bay Prep. His voice and influence are embedded in our charter petition and will long be felt as the school comes into existence. Thank you, Mike, for your enormous contribution to the creation of South Bay Prep.