Local Scene

LOS GATOS HIGH STUDENTS HONORED IN CYBERSECURITY CHALLENGE

Los Gatos High School senior Avni Hulyalkar and junior Mia McKee won Honorable Mention in the National Girls Who Code (GWC) Cybersecurity Challenge earlier this year.

Competing against middle and high school students from throughout the country, participants were challenged to create projects that explain what cyber-attacks are and present solutions in their own communities on how to prevent them.

Regular members of the Girls Who Code program hosted at the Los Gatos Library, Hulyalkar and McKee were honored for their project “Hacking a Teddy Bear.” CloudPet stuffed toys connect over Bluetooth to an app that allows a parent to upload or download audio messages for their child. Based on the 2017 accusation that the personal information of people who purchased Cloud Pet toys were being compromised, Hulyalkar

and McKee hacked into their own Cloud Pet toy to spread awareness about the cyber threat of bluejacking (using a Bluetooth device to connect to another device and send threats or phishing messages).

“By physically experiencing the process of hacking, we could truly appreciate the need for protections against cybersecurity,” the students shared in their project gallery.

Hulyalkar and McKee shared three steps in their project to protect someone from cybersecurity threats:

• Make your Bluetooth unfindable.

If your device is Bluetooth enabled, set it as hidden. It will prevent other Bluetooth devices from recognizing your device.

• Have two-factor authentication.

If bluejacking were to be used to harm someone, hackers would be able to find data and passwords to different accounts. Having two-factor verification can help prevent hackers from finding ways to take over your account.

• Be aware of phishing messages and emails. If a bluejacker were to successfully hack into your device you should make sure to never open files or follow links found in emails or texts.

The Los Gatos Library has partnered with @GirlsWhoCode to create a club that is open for youth ages 12-18. Participants are encouraged to impact the community in a positive way through learning how to build animations, games, apps and more. The club offers tutorials in Python, HTML/CSS, JavaScript and Java.

ALMA COLLEGE SITE RECOGNIZED FOR PRESERVATION

The California Preservation Foundation (CPF) has announced six projects from the Bay Area are among this year's Preservation Design Award winners, including the Alma College site in Los Gatos.

The awards are part of CPFs larger Preservation Design Awards program recognizing preservation projects throughout the state. Winners will be presented with awards at the annual California Preservation Conference, this year taking place April 19-21 at Fort Mason in San Francisco.

Sixteen total projects across the state will receive awards for work done in categories including restoration, rehabilitation, craftsmanship and preservation technology, cultural resource studies and more.

The Alma College Site is a winner for the 2023 Preservation Design Award for Preservation. Located in the Bear Creek Redwoods, the site illuminates important historical periods emblematic of California's history. Throughout its history, the eightacre property has hosted successive lumber mills, elaborate estates and Alma College, the West Coast’s first Jesuit school of theology.

Site rehabilitation has allowed the public to safely access and appreciate its cultural significance despite lying on the San Andreas fault.

➝ californiapreservation.org/ awards/alma-college.

BOATING SEASON BEGINS

April 15 marked the official opening of boating season in Santa Clara County. Coyote Lake and Stevens Creek reservoirs are set to reopen thanks to the copious amount of rainfall received this winter. They will now join Calero and Lexington reservoirs, which have remained open throughout the year. Anderson Lake will remain closed long-term in order to perform a seismic retrofit on the dam.

Boating is permitted on Santa Clara County Parks’ Reservoirs from 8am to a half-hour before sunset. Reservations are required for holidays and weekends beginning with Memorial Day weekend through the end of September. Call 408.355.2201 or visit gooutsideandplay.org to make a reservation.

The Santa Clara County Parks and Recreation Department is reminding boaters to prioritize safety while enjoying the County Reservoirs. This includes equipping recreational vessels with proper safety equipment, following state boating laws, avoiding alcohol and checking weather conditions to reduce the risk of accidents.

To avoid any regrets, make sure you are well-informed before heading out on the water, and take the necessary steps to clean, drain and dry your vessel before arriving at the lake for inspection. This inspection program is co-sponsored by Santa Clara County Parks and Valley Water, with the goal of ensuring safe water usage for generations to come.

➝ parkhere.org.

HERITAGE THEATRE ENDS SEASON WITH TWO PERFORMANCES

Campbell’s Heritage Theatre wraps up its 2022-2023 season with two music performances in one evening.

Taylor Dayne and Sheena Easton will perform beginning at 8pm on April 27. Between them, these two pop icons have garnered nine Grammy Award nominations, two Grammy Awards, two Billboard Music awards, one American Music Award, six Platinum albums, five Gold albums, 39 Billboard Top 20 singles, and 11 #1 Billboard singles.

With a career spanning three decades, Dayne’s debut single “Tell It To My Heart” turned her into an overnight international star in 1987. She

has sold more than 75 million albums and singles worldwide, earned three Grammy nominations, an American Music Award, multiple New York Music Awards, received New York Music Hall of Fame honors and ranked as the Number 18 Female Dance artist of all time by Rolling Stone magazine.

Easton’s recording career has included Gold and Platinum albums in the United States, Europe, and Asia. She has sold more than 20 million records worldwide. She received two Grammys, and was the first—and still only— artist to have a Top 5 record on each of Billboard’s primary singles charts.

Individual tickets are now on sale for $70 and are available online at HeritageTheatre.org, by phone at 408.866.2700, or at the Box Office (hours: Tuesday-Friday, 10am-4pm; Saturday, 10am-2pm).

KIWANIS TO CELEBRATE SCHOLARSHIP AWARDEES

The Kiwanis Club of Los Gatos will hold its 25th annual Turn-Around Scholarship Awards on May 4 at noon at The Wine Cellar Restaurant, 50 University Ave.

The Kiwanis Turn-Around Scholarship (TAS) Program provides scholarships for graduating at-risk high school seniors for their continuing education. These students often began their high school career confronting issues such as substance abuse, addiction, abusive parents or guardians, poverty, homelessness or an illness.

The program is a non-profit that raises funds for scholarships for students from more than 50 high schools in 10 different school districts throughout Kiwanis’ Division 12’s boundaries in Silicon Valley. The TAS Program annually awards over $220,000 to more than 170 students.

Many of these students are often the first in their family to graduate from high school and go on to college.

Winners are also offered a mentorship relationship with a Kiwanis member.

A scholarship is typically $1,500 per recipient per year.

Former Los Gatos Mayor and County Supervisor Mike Wasserman will emcee the luncheon.

➝ bit.ly/43xhh8M.

RESIDENTS ENCOURAGED TO TAKE PART IN HAZARD MITIGATION SURVEY

Santa Clara County residents are encouraged to take part in a hazard mitigation survey that will help coordinate efforts to reduce the risk of injuries, loss of life and property damage, emergency management officials announced.

The Santa Clara County Office of Emergency Management is working with nearby cities, towns and districts to create a new Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan, which will prepare local departments on climate adaptation and natural disasters.

County emergency officials are asking residents to share their experiences on natural disasters and other hazards that impact their communities.

The survey is available in five different languages on the emergency management department's website at bit.ly/3KL0dUn.

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