High Gear, April 26 2017 Posted by Rosalie McCloud on May 01, 2017   Not perfect spring weather, but very San Francisco with sometimes heavy mist.  Our views were not bright and shiny, but engaging nonetheless.   PLEDGE AND INVOCATION President Stan asked Helen Lau to lead the pledge.  Her “I” was delivered with the appropriate dramatic tone, and the Rotarians did their part beautifully.   Uh oh, someone forgot the invocation.  We carried on. Guests and Visiting Rotarians A table full of educators joined us, including a proud Maggie MacIsaac, to celebrate the two 2017 Burlingame Rotary  “Teachers of the Year.”  They are Christina Wade and Andre Monney. Accompanying the teachers were their schools’ respective Principals: Pam Scott of BIS and Terry Lien (standing in for Paul Belzer) of BHS.   Andre Monney is Burlingame Intermediate Teacher of the Year. Christina Wade is the Burlingame High School “Mangini Teacher of the Year.”  Yes, our very own Vic Mangini who taught at BHS, was a revered track coach, and eventually Dean of Boys; this award is named in his honor. Christina has been teacher BHS for 21 years, having earned her degree in mathematics and music at UC Davis.  She is also a mom to two active future soccer stars.  Still,  well into her career, she decided to go back to school to learn JAVA coding language.  Her past included learning FORTRAN, but apparently that’s old stuff.  She brought coding into her math and science classes just so that the students would know that they COULD do math as well as advanced forms.  There was no coding exposure in the Burlingame Schools; now all schools in the District offer training in computer science. Christina also founded the Iron Panthers, BHS’s robotics team.   The team just competed in the National Championships in Texas and did well. Andre has been a teacher at BIS for 5 years, having earned degrees at  UC Riverside (BS) and the University of Michigan (MA).  At BIS he teaches algebra and math to 8th graders.  Andre also coaches a wrestling club at BIS and is the JV wrestling coach at Serra in his “spare” time.   CONGRATULATIONS to the Teachers of the Year, Andre and Christina!  Thanks to Mike Heffernan and Jennifer Pence for your work with the Teacher of the Year Awards! Anoucements President Stan reminded that the monthly Rotary Board Meeting is being held this afternoon, 4:30P, at City Hall.  Attending a Board Meeting is one of the tasks to be completed to earn a square badge.  New members alert!   Also, the Program Committee will be meeting  at 7:00 A.M Tuesday at Carr McClellan.  We hear tell Lage makes coffee.  Shout out to the Program Committee for this year’s excellent programs…and for getting up in the middle of the night! Program Speakers for the day were Dr. Peter Webb and his daughter Hilary Johnston, PA-C.  Dr. Webb is a member of the “junior” San Mateo Rotary Club.  Their meetings are on Thursday, one day after ours.  No truth to the rumor that they get our leftovers. Who said that???  Bad.  Dr. Webb was impressed that Mark Johnson was almost on time.  Dr. Webb is a board-certified dermatologist specializing in medical and cosmetic dermatology.  He earned his Ph.D. in biochemistry from Princeton University and his M.D. from the University of Miami.  He completed his internship at UCLA and his residency in Dermatology at UCSF where he is a member of the Clinical Faculty . Dr. Webb is a board-certified Dermatologist, a member of the American Academy of Dermatology, the California Medical Association and the American Society of Dermatological Surgeons. Dr. Webb’s daughter is a Stanford-trained Physician’s Assistant and joined her father in their presentation. Dr. Webb and his daughter are affiliated with the California Skin Institute located at 136 North San Mateo Drive, San Mateo.   May is Skin Cancer Awareness month.  As such, the California Skin Institute is offering a Free Skin Cancer Screening on May 6, 2017 from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. To sign up, call 650-696-4306. Dr. Webb presented important facts about skin cancer: One in five of us will have a skin cancer; most types of skin cancer can be treated with excision of the lesion.  Warning signs for skin cancer:  spots that are red and scaly;  a pimple that does not resolve in a few days; a  pigmented spot with irregular borders. Risk factors for skin cancer:  light hair, blue eyes, older age, exposure to sun/weather and family history. One in 70 of us will have a melanoma which can be fatal if not caught early; there are approved drugs which are used in combination with surgery; new and promising drugs are being studied in clinical trials. Hilary Johnston talked about prevention of skin cancers.  Key points included: Using sunscreen is probably a waste of time; it is OK to use but not the best practice.  Best practice is a coverage with hat and long sleeves and long pants.  Hilary recommended limited use of topical ointments:  Avoid Neosporin on most skin wounds; it causes rashes and the antibiotic properties may not be appropriate for infecting bacteria or fungi; in most cases, clean the wound and keep it covered and dry.  Do use Neutrogena 85 as a sunscreen.  Do not use Tinactin; use Lotrimin instead for fungal infections of the nails.  For dry skin, use Cetaphil, Dove soap, and Eucerin lotion – and limit time in the bath or shower. Take 2,000 units Vitamin D daily as a supplement to maintain healthy bones.  For itching, use over-the-counter hydrocortisone cream 1%. Main take-home messages are: Minimize sun exposure:  Long sleeves and broad-brimmed hats the prescription of the day!  Tanning beds increase risk! The face has an 80% risk versus 20% for the body.  Most skin cancers start in youth and develop over twenty years.  It takes 14 days for skin to regenerate after being abused. Thanks so much, Dr. Webb and Hilary Johnston.  Thanks for the samples, too!A children’s book is being donated to the Burlingame Library in your name.   Calendar   May 3 – Program Speaker is Dr. Kevin Skelly, SMUHSD   Happy May Birthdays!    May 4  -  Jay Doker, May 5 - Greg Mendell and Scott Williams May 13 -   Pierre Bouquet, May 17 - Mike Mahoney   Read more...