“Great communities like Morgan Hill do not happen by chance. It takes good planning, vision, and fortitude to achieve greatness. Morgan Hill would not be the same if we did not have the Centennial Recreation Center, the Library, the Community and Cultural Center, the Dennis Kennedy Aquatics Center, or our beautiful Downtown. I want to thank the many elected officials, the community leaders, our City partners and the many, many volunteers that have made Morgan Hill what it is today.” - Mayor Rich Constantine

Join us as Christina Turner, City Manager of Morgan Hill, gives us an update about some of the activities that are happening in our City currently and in the future. Learn about some of the challenges that exist while the City continues to provide great service despite rising costs.

​Practicing cyber safety can go a long way toward protecting your identity and sensitive personal information.  It may be difficult to achieve perfect security but our computers helpers will help you to make yourself a more difficult target.  Learn some tips to help keep you safe online, IRS scams, email phishing, stealing account passwords and more.  This class is the 2nd class in a series presented by our Computer Co-Pilots.  

We all knew, we are going to go battle. And we expect to win. But we never knew what immediate death was like until we hit the frontline on the first day.”  - Lawson Sakai

​

At a mere 21 years old in 1944, Lawson Sakai had seen and learned more about the stark realities of humanity, war, and loss than so many other people his age. After trying to enlist in the U.S. Navy in the wake of Pearl Harbor, he was denied the opportunity to serve his country due to the irrational, anti-Japanese fervor sweeping the West Coast.  But when word got out that a segregated unit comprised entirely of young Nisei (second generation Japanese Americans) was being formed in 1943, Lawson’s  desire to serve outweighed the sting of forced removal and anti-Japanese sentiment. “I’m just a young kid, not in politics, all I know is this is my country,” he says.

Join us as Lawson Sakai, a true American hero, tells his personal story about what happened to him after December 7, 1941. 

Have you always wanted to visit the Azores?  Then join us as Al Pinheiro from Caravelle Travel talks with us about the culture and atmosphere of the beautiful Azores off the coast of Portugal.  The Azores, an autonomous region of Portugal, are an        archipelago in the mid-Atlantic. The islands are characterized by dramatic landscapes, fishing villages, green pastures and     hedgerows of blue hydrangeas. São Miguel, the largest, has lake-filled calderas and the Gorreana Tea Plantation. Pico is home to the 2,351m Mt. Pico and vineyards sheltered by boulders.

Are you concerned for your health?  Would you like to learn more about your immune system and how it protects the body, how we can aid in that protection? Join us as Linda D. Caren, PhD and Biology Professor Emerita at California State University, Northridge presents information on infection and immunity. 

The immune system is a double-edged sword that can cause allergies and auto-immune diseases. With aging, part of the immune systems may be less robust, but that decline may help protect us from the increased incidence of autoimmune disease seen in seniors.

Dr. Caren has taught Medical Microbiology and Immunology throughout her career. She is coming to talk to us once again about the following important topics: vaccines, infections,  immune system and immunotherapy for cancer.

​“If we lose our free press, we lose our freedoms.  If we lose our freedoms, we lose America.”  Marty Cheek and Robert Airoldi from Life Media Group (publisher of Morgan Hill Life and Gilroy Life newspapers) will discuss the importance of the news media in today’s America and why hyper-local sources of news can positively impact the quality of life for everyone in a community.  The two will describe how to communicate effectively through the medium of newspapers and websites to promote nonprofit organizations or to share an opinion on local concerns. 

​

Marty Cheek is the publisher and co-owner of Morgan Hill Life and Gilroy Life newspapers.  He has worked in the journalism field for more than three decades.  He is the co-author with Congressman Jerry McNerney of the book “Clean Energy Nation: Freeing America from the Tyranny of Fossil Fuels.”

​

Robert Airoldi is the editor and co-owner of Morgan Hill Life and Gilroy Life newspapers.  He has worked in journalism for nearly four decades and has won several awards.  He recently married Kathryn Walker and the couple now live in Hollister. 

Come join retired US Navy Captain and Naval aviator, Rich Hinnenkamp, as he talks about his experience in naval aviation and gives us a run down of naval aviation training and flying as well as airline and corporate flying. His presentation will include basic air traffic control, navigation, aircraft simulation technology, as well as rudimentary aeronautics, aerodynamics and safety.    Employment potential and some of the various avenues to a professional pilot career will be discussed.

Rich Hinnenkamp is a retired US Navy Captain and Naval Aviator. He was based in Pensacola, FL, Corpus Christi, TX,  Rota, Spain & NAS Alameda. Upon leaving active duty he joined the naval reserve and had a short career flying for 3M before joining United Air Lines. He retired at the mandatory age of 60 (at that time) as a 747 captain.  He then flew corporate jets for 10 years for a company called NetJets that is owned by Warren Buffett.  He currently does a little bit of contract flying of corporate aircraft on a fill in basis.

“Astronomy compels the soul to look upward, and leads us from this world to another.”— Plato, Philosopher

From the earliest times, mankind has looked up at the night sky in wonder, trying to determine what it all means. Over the ages, as our knowledge expanded, so did our awareness of the size of the universe and our place in it. Join Bill Hudson, a Fremont Peak Observatory Presenter, as he answers the age old question, “How do we know that?”  He will focus on new discoveries and new technologies in today’s world. 

Join Peter Mandel as he shares with us the many elements behind the scenes of a play. We will take a tour of the Morgan Hill Playhouse and discuss South Valley Civic Theater and its history.  Peter is an actor who has performed with many theatrical companies in the Bay Area and has served as the technical director for South Valley Civic Theater (SVCT) in Morgan Hill.

Peter most recently performed in ’1776’ as John Adams with SVCT. More of his roles include: ‘The Odd Couple’ (Murray) at Pintello Comedy Theater and ‘It’s Only A Play’ (James Wicker) at Limelight Actors Theater. Previously he has been seen in ‘Act One’ (Moss Hart), ‘God of Carnage’ (Alan Raleigh), ‘The Producers’ (Max Bialystock), ‘Guys and Dolls’ (Nathan Detroit), ‘Miracle on 34th Street’ (Fred Gailey), ‘She Loves Me’ (ensemble), ‘Gypsy’ (Herbie), and ‘Sylvia’ (Tom/Phyllis/Leslie).

Cera Malech has been keeping bees since 2012 where she learned the art of beekeeping on a rooftop in San Francisco, a very unlikely place to learn!  She has lost hives to Colony Collapse, caught feral bee swarms, been stung more times than she prefers to think about, and have tasted more honey varieties than you can imagine. Currently, she maintains 9 apiaries in Morgan Hill, San Martine, and Gilroy. 

Join Cera as she shares with us the love of

beekeeping.  She will share facts about inside the bee colony, caste system, and how it operates with its Queen, worker, and drone bees.  She will talk about pollination, honey production, consumption and benefits to humans. She will mention the problems with beekeeping today and have a special honey tasting, just for us!

Trekking enthusiast shares her experiences hiking up Everest, Mt. Kilimanjaro and Mt. Whitney.

Kathy Irvine has trekked Nepal three times, in 1984, 1986 and 1988.  Come hear about her exciting adventures through Everest and Mansala areas of Nepal. Her discussion will cover historical and cultural information as well as some of the unusual items she brought home from her trip.

If you have always wanted to visit Buenos Aires, also known as the Paris of South America, you can now learn about this city in a two-hour class session presented by Elena Anderson. Elena is a former resident of this beautiful city.

During the first hour, you will briefly learn about the city history, its layout and its different neighborhoods. Each one having a completely different flavor.

During the second hour, you will learn about the music of Buenos Aires: Tango.  You will learn its development, its almost disappearance and its revival.

Come and learn about the fascinating world of carnivorous or “meat-eating” plants! Chuck Rambo is a soil scientist who has a passion for carnivorous plants.  When a fly lands on the Venus Flytrap, it’s hairs are triggered which then signals the plant to close it’s trap.  The American Pitcher Plant traps it’s prey with an insecticide that makes the bug drowsy and then dissolves and absorbs into the plant.  These are just examples of what you will be learning about in his class.  In addition, he will talk about his travels to the southeastern swamps of the United States where he researched some of these plants in their true habitats.  You will also get to meet some of these plants up close and personal.  If you’re lucky, you may be able to bring one of these friendly plants home.

Have you Ever wondered what happens during a Crime Scene Investigation????

Is it like what we see on TV???

Come and hear the Morgan Hill Police Department  speak on how Crime Scene Investigations are processed in Morgan Hill.

Speaker – Corporal Joseph Burdick, MHPD

Discover a new way to look at everyday things. Awaken your curiosity. Expand your imagination. Try something fun and exciting. In the modern workforce, sometimes it is not your specific abilities that are as important as your ability to think about a problem creatively and to work with a team. Be prepared to challenge your own thinking in solving hands-on problems to engineer solutions.

Nancy Fohner teaches design thinking and engineering to 7th grade girls through Tech Trek, a summer camp sponsored by the American Association of University Women.  She was the regional director of Destination Imagination for 5 years.  She taught 7th grade science for 15 years in the Santa Clara Unified School District.  She holds a BS in molecular biology from Smith College and a MS and PhD in nutritional biochemistry from Cornell University.  She lives in Gilroy with her husband George and loves to travel, hike, and read.

Discover a new way to look at everyday things. Awaken your curiosity. Expand your imagination. Try something fun and exciting. In the modern workforce, sometimes it is not your specific abilities that are as important as your ability to think about a problem creatively and to work with a team. Be prepared to challenge your own thinking in solving hands-on problems to engineer solutions.

Nancy Fohner teaches design thinking and engineering to 7th grade girls through Tech Trek, a summer camp sponsored by the American Association of University Women.  She was the regional director of Destination Imagination for 5 years.  She taught 7th grade science for 15 years in the Santa Clara Unified School District.  She holds a BS in molecular biology from Smith College and a MS and PhD in nutritional biochemistry from Cornell University.  She lives in Gilroy with her husband George and loves to travel, hike, and read.

​Join us for a presentation on how to keep you and your family safe as well as a conversation about current events in Morgan Hill.

Join us for a speaker who is passionate about Egypt and Egyptian History and wants you to experience it with him. As a child, Hamdy used to play hide and seek in Luxor Temple, walked through the big columns of Al Karnak Temple and was fascinated by the Valley of the Kings. His love for history and travel have taken him back to Egypt many times. Traveling to Egypt is an experience of a lifetime that you’ll want to go and see for yourself!

Join us for a discussion of consumer questions regarding the salmon species. With so much confusion and uncertainty about salmon among consumers, we will answer some of your most pressing questions.

 
What kinds of salmon are in the marketplace? 
Which are the best? Do they taste the same? Are they sustainable?
Should I eat farm salmon or wild salmon?  
How do salmon find their way home from the ocean?
Why are salmon plentiful some years and not others?  

 
We will also discuss:
Three major characteristics of salmon
Salmon species life history
The role of salmon hatcheries
Alaska private-nonprofit hatcheries
Salmon farming
Genetic engineering

Join us for a discussion of consumer questions regarding the salmon species. With so much confusion and uncertainty about salmon among consumers, we will answer some of your most pressing questions.

• What kinds of salmon are in the marketplace?

• Which are the best? Do they taste the same? Are they sustainable?

• Should I eat farm salmon or wild salmon? 

• How do salmon find their way home from the ocean?

• Why are salmon plentiful some years and not others?    

We will also discuss:

• Three major characteristics of salmon

• Salmon species life history

• The role of salmon hatcheries

• Alaska private-nonprofit hatcheries

• Salmon farming

• Genetic engineering

 Dr. Brian Allee grew up in Oakland, California and graduated from Berkeley majoring in zoology, continuing to receive his Ph.D. from the University of Washington in fisheries science. He has spent over 45 years in the field of fisheries biology working extensively with salmonid fish specializing in salmon research, restoration and enhancement in freshwater, estuarine, and marine ecosystems in Alaska, Washington and Oregon.

Discover, Explore, Expand

Have you noticed some people have a flame that burns bright, and seems to ignite passion within themselves and others?  Is your spark a flicker that needs fuel to burn brighter?  This will be a two-part interactive and entertaining class designed to inspire you to be your best self for 2018.  

Session One will focus on rediscovering the life you want to live and who you want to be, discussing what gets in the way of you being your best self, and establishing key strategies to help you overcome being stuck, or push you to try something new or different.  

Session Two will be an opportunity to hear from other amazing individuals who have different passions, stories, adventures, but one common trait of living a life and inspirational life of passion and purpose.

Discover, Explore, Expand

Have you noticed some people have a flame that burns bright, and seems to ignite passion within themselves and others?  Is your spark a flicker that needs fuel to burn brighter?  This will be a two-part interactive and entertaining class designed to inspire you to be your best self for 2018.  

Session One will focus on rediscovering the life you want to live and who you want to be, discussing what gets in the way of you being your best self, and establishing key strategies to help you overcome being stuck, or push you to try something new or different.  

Session Two will be an opportunity to hear from other amazing individuals who have different passions, stories, adventures, but one common trait of living a life and inspirational life of passion and purpose.

From the earliest times, mankind has looked up at the night sky in wonder, trying to determine what it all means.  Over the ages, as our knowledge expanded, so did our awareness of the size of the universe and our place in it.  Join us for a discussion of the size/scale of the universe, the history of astronomy, and how our knowledge of the universe has expanded since ancient times.

​

Presenter:  Bill Hudson-Fremont Peak Observatory presenter with a lifelong interest in science, particularly astronomy.

​This class will cover the presenter's unexpected adventure in love and compassion at a children's community in Tibet.  Stories will include the grueling trip there and back, meeting the children and teachers and living with them each day, sharing meals and adventures, as well as personal stories of change and development in love and compassion.  "The last place on earth I ever expected to find myself was high in a remote village in the Himalayan Mountains!  It was never on my bucket list, but now it is at the top of my "have to return to"list".

​

Presenter: Lila Levinson-Interior designer with an unexpected adventure story of love and compassion at a children's community in Tibet.

This class explored how underwear modifications revealed the daily lives of people throughout history.  Discussion included the life-saving undershirts of ancient Mongolian warriors to Madonna.   

Humor and humanity of Erma Bombeck, one of our most beloved writers.  Her columns were taped on refrigerators and mailed to kids at college.

​

Presented by:  Susan McGough, MA, American Studies, University of Hawaii.

Our immune systems can be both helpful  (fighting infection), as well as harmful (causing allergies and autoimmune diseases).  This class explored the mechanisms for fighting infection and the effects of aging.  

​

Presented by:  Linda Caren- Ph. D. in Medical Microbiology from Stanford University.  Professor Emerita of Biology, Cal State university, Northridge.

Session one:  How does the science really work?  How are remains identified?  What questions must be answered? Are TV portrayals accurate?

​

Session two: Hands-on exercises.  Have some fun getting down to basics. Examine and “feel” how age is estimated and sex is determined.  

What happens to your online personal information when you no longer are able to manage it or upon your death?   Online banking, email, medical records, and others can become problematic when they are not protected or managed.  This class delivers legal and practical approaches to managing your “digital life,” now and into the future.

Flesh eating mammals in Morgan Hill?  You bet!  Join an expert in mammalian carnivores to discuss the myths and realities of our relationship with the large predators in our midst.  Is our fear misplaced or entirely reasonable?  Learn the truth about our wild neighbors.

What's going on (an UP) in Morgan Hill? 

​

Spend some entertaining and educational time with City Manager Steve Rymer as he shares how your tax dollars are being spent, the internal workings of the City, new developments, priorities, master plans, initiatives and much more.  Don’t miss your chance to be in the know!

How it works in our communities

​

Special Agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) will give a general overview of the FBI and how it works within our communities and other law enforcement agencies to protect and serve our citizens.

Unconventional Warfare in Afghanistan's Pech Valley

​

"Hammerhead Six" is an authentic war story describing how this Green Beret's elite team won in Afghanistan's volatile Pech Valley using unconventional warfare. The team was assigned to figure out how to turn civilians away from the insurgents and terrorists hiding in Afghanistan.  They also needed the people to support the Afghan government and Americans while trying to track down an Al Queda operative. 

Digital Media & Animation

​

We are surrounded by Digital Media constantly in our daily lives. Digital Media can e found in nearly everything we do every day:  Transportation, Communication, Entertainment, Banking, and so much more!  You name it, Digital Media is involved. 

In Part 1 of the session, Phil will introduce the various forms of Digital Media including text, audio, video, graphics and photography.  In Part II, he will explore the world of animation, including game design, character development, as well as audio and video production.  in short, we will see some of that magic that's involved in turning a concept into a final movie!  And you do not need to be an artist to be an animator!

Little Known Facts About Morgan Hills History:  Ever wonder how some of our streets got their names?  Who wereCochrane, Tennant and Dunne.  This presentation will divulge little known facts about street names and other fascinating information about the history of Morgan Hill. The Scandal that Shaped Morgan Hill:A look at interpretive history to explain why the Hills left Morgan Hill and California.  Our Community knows little about the life of our Citys namesake and his wife, Diana Murphy, at their Victorian home in Morgan Hill. We will take a look at factual information and try to fill in the blanks to explain their exodus from California.

Peter Anderson earned a BS in Geology and a MS in Engineering

Geology. He is licensed in California and founded a geotechnical firm here in 1988.  Peter periodically has served as a part-time “City Geologist” for Morgan Hill.  And, as he is quick to point out, he is “older than dirt!”  

This class covered the great songs, dance numbers and background music for films of the sound era beginning with “The Jazz Singer” in 1927, and continuing to present-day films.  We viewed film clips of selected great movies and heard commentary by the instructor to enhance our knowledge and interest in these films. We ventured back to some of the great musical moments that movies have offered us over the years.

Come and listen to an exciting presentation on Laura’s

travels to Antarctica, Iceland, and Greenland.  From her

Arctic diving experience, she will show how both a wetsuit and dry suit work and what the differences are between them.  She will present videos and photos exhibiting the abundance of ice, penguins and northern lights.  Her shots of waterfalls in Iceland and fjords in Greenland are

remarkable. 

Speaker Laura Perry is a local family law attorney with

extensive travel experience. 

What's this item about? What makes it interesting? Write a catchy description to grab your audience's attention...

Have you ever wondered what happens during a crime scene investigation?  Is it like what we see on TV?  This class provided information on how evidence and investigations are processed in Morgan Hill.  Corporal Joseph Burdick, MHPD did a great job!

​In the modern workforce, sometimes it is not your specific abilities that are as important as your ability to think about a problem creatively and to work with a team of people.  In this workshop we will cover the principles of design thinking and engineering.  Be prepared to challenge your own thinking in solving hands-on problems to engineer solutions (there are no grades!).

Nancy Fohner teaches design thinking and engineering to 7th grade girls through Tech Trek, a summer camp sponsored by the American Association of University Women.  She was the regional director of Destination Imagination for 5 years.  She taught 7th grade science for 15 years in the Santa Clara Unified School District.  She holds a BS in molecular biology from Smith College and a MS and PhD in nutritional biochemistry from Cornell University.  She lives in Gilroy with her husband George and loves to travel, hike, and read.

​In the modern workforce, sometimes it is not your specific abilities that are as important as your ability to think about a problem creatively and to work with a team of people.  In this workshop we will cover the principles of design thinking and engineering.  Be prepared to challenge your own thinking in solving hands-on problems to engineer solutions (there are no grades!).

Nancy Fohner teaches design thinking and engineering to 7th grade girls through Tech Trek, a summer camp sponsored by the American Association of University Women.  She was the regional director of Destination Imagination for 5 years.  She taught 7th grade science for 15 years in the Santa Clara Unified School District.  She holds a BS in molecular biology from Smith College and a MS and PhD in nutritional biochemistry from Cornell University.  She lives in Gilroy with her husband George and loves to travel, hike, and read.

This course will briefly cover pre-European population and Spanish colonization. We will quickly discuss the Mexican history years and how they affected the economy. We will cover how the Madrone and Burnett Townships were

established and formed into Morgan Hill. The remainder of the class will focus on the various commercial enterprises that brought people to Morgan Hill. There will be some nuggets about people who have added to the color of the community throughout the past.