Season 12 of “So You Think You Can Dance” featured auditions for thousands in various cities, six audition shows and 11 live performance shows. The big finale was tonight when the Final Four dancers are reduced to just one, who will be named “America’s Favorite Dancer.”. This season explored something new, pitting Team Street — dancers who excelled in hip-hop, krumping and street — against Team Stage — those who were trained in contemporary, ballet or tap. In the end, the judges and voting viewers decided that Jana “Jaja” Vankova (krumping/animation) and Virgil Gadson (hip-hop) of Team Street, and Hailee Payne (jazz) and Gaby Diaz (tap) of Team Stage were the finalists for the winner’s crown.

“Clear Story.” Temporary, site-specific walk-in installation by Bay Area artist Mildred Howard, presented by the Palo Alto Art Center, Through August m gemi ballet flats 2012, King Plaza, in front of Palo Alto City Hall, www.cityofpaloalto.org/artcenter, Palo Alto Art Center, Patrick Dougherty: A site-specific installation, Through Jan, 30, Palo Alto Art Center, 1313 Newell Road, Palo Alto, 650-329-2366 or www.cityofpaloalto.org/artcenter, “Rhythm III.” Fine arts photography, Through Nov, 17, Main Street Cafe, 134 Main St,, Los Altos..

Before the pilot took place, teachers assessed their students’ writing. Culinary artists then spent 10 weeks combining vocabulary and writing lessons with instruction in the kitchen. After the pilot, teachers reassessed their students, who showed a significant increase in overall writing abilities, specifically dealing with opinions and informative text. The pilot’s success has led to the district collaboration with Montalvo. The district is calling the new program the STEAM initiative. The goal is to program STEM–science, technology, engineering and math–with art. Eventually, the district hopes to use each grade level to focus one STEM subject with art.

The fight has moved from downtown San Jose, where in the spring the school district abandoned its plan to open a Downtown College Prep middle school at Washington Elementary School in the face of intense opposition from parents and staff, Now Rose Garden residents are voicing their opposition to the district’s new plan to locate the charter school at Hoover Middle School, A petition with 153 signatures was presented to the San Jose Unified board at its Nov, 20 meeting, stating, “We the undersigned members of the Rose Garden and Shasta/Hanchett communities speak out against any proposed plan by the San Jose Unified School District m gemi ballet flats to increase the number of students up to 400 at the Hoover Middle School campus..

For Father Zaferes another highlight is the dance performances. Each day, different groups perform in traditional costumes to traditional songs and teach Greek dancing to festivalgoers. “We have third- and fourth-generation children who have learned the different dances from different parts of Greece, and they’re very proud of having learned and performed them,” he said. “The really special part of this festival is seeing these wonderful young people perform these authentic Greek dances.”.