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vol . 5 , no. 11 : november 12-18, 2025 : losgatan.com
police blotter p5 : serapi rug gallery p10 : sports round-up p12 : tesla grand opening p14 Laura Ness / Los Gatan
POPULAR LGHS ENGLISH TEACHER KURT KROESCHE NAMED PARADE GRAND MARSHAL
The new thrifting norm: Helping save nature, embracing your style Dinah Cotton Contributor
The two-time NCAA champ sings in the “Teacher Band”
On that one cold rainy day last week, I dropped by the Happy Dragon Thrift Store, the “Dragon” at 245 W. Main St. I had just read online that a person in Virginia had purchased a $3.99 vase at a thrift store that turned out to be worth over $100,000. Maybe I could find a valuable score, I thought. Perhaps a Rembrant painting, you never know. I was off for some adventure “thrifting,” as the kids say. The younger generations seem to be waking up to the value of second-hand shopping. Thrifting is now touted as fashion sustainability, a means of personal expression and ethical consumerism. It also offers exclusive, one-of-a-kind finds that cannot be achieved with fast fashion. Social media and increased eco-consciousness have been huge in raising thrifting awareness. Thrifting is about sensible budgeting. But it’s also just “cool.” With Los Gatos being an affluent town, the Dragon
Judy Peterson, Contributor
Celebrated English teacher Kurt Kroesche set down roots in Los Gatos in 2003, when he arrived in town for a job interview at Los Gatos High School. Kroesche, who grew up in the Pasadena suburb of Santa Marino, never looked back: He lives in town and raised two daughters here, both of whom are LGHS grads. “The thing I particularly love about the high school is it allows you to be part of something that’s bigger than yourself,” Kroesche said. “It provides so many spaces and places for so many of us to belong. That’s why (physics teacher) Rachel Peters and I started the swim team 19 years ago — we wanted to create a place where kids could belong.” Kroesche was a champion swimmer at Stanford: The 1989 Stanford grad is an All-American backstroker and a two-time NCAA team champion. “I love swimming in the ocean and being outdoors in the wilderness,” he said. Kroesche, who has also received the LGHS “Educator of the Year” award multiple times, said he’s especially proud of the combined philosophy and ethics class that’s popular with seniors. “We talk about how to lead a good life and what it means to ➝ Grand Marshal, 7
WHAT’S A ‘DRAGON’ DOING IN LOS GATOS? RAISING FUNDS FOR FAMILIES IN CRISIS
➝ Happy Dragon, 6
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HARVEST TALK Dave House of House Family Vineyards at Premier Cruz, a tasting event that celebrates cabernet sauvignon produced in the Santa Cruz Mountains American Viticulture Area. Read about this year's grape haul, P8-9.
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