Now, after 10 months of activities, participants of the 2002-03 Leadership Los Gatos program have become its second "graduating" class and will hopefully move on to serve the town through continued community involvement.

Meeting for the last time on June 6, the 22 program participants attended a luncheon at the Toll House Hotel, where they received their certificates of completion and hear dfrom Leigh Weimers, columnist for the San Jose Mercury News.

Class members were also to decide which of three projects that they've conceived over the past 10 months they wish to pursue in town, said program coordinator Phil Johnson. The proposed projects include working on a brochure to highlight nearby parks, scheduling a day of historic downtown walking tours led by historians and town leaders, and bringing holiday lights to be hung on Santa Cruz Avenue year-round.

"What I'll take from this is the experience of meeting other people from diverse backgrounds, another level of experience to make a difference in the world," said participant Karen Hebert, owner of a graphic design agency in Los Gatos.

Leadership Los Gatos, sponsored by the town in conjunction with the Town of Los Gatos Chamber of Commerce, was developed two years ago in hopes of getting individuals from all backgrounds to become involved in their community.

The program is designed to acquaint participants with their local government and community organizations; introduce participants to various needs and concerns within the town; and develop leadership and communication skills. Ultimately, the goal is to prepare class members for future roles on town commissions and committees, on school boards and with other civic organizations.

"I continue to run into folks who graduated last year, and they now serve in different organizations," said Diane McNutt, who co-chaired the program last year before she became a councilwoman.

For a $250 fee, participants met once per month for a total of 10 half-day sessions. Topics discussed throughout the year ranged from town government and economic development to ethics and values, public safety, effective communication and education. Often, class members would spend their half-day sessions touring different facilities in town, including Community Hospital of Los Gatos, the police department and the fire station.

"As far as understanding the inner workings of the town, that was fascinating. I never would have had access to that otherwise," Hebert said of the chance to meet town officials and other key leaders.

Jenny Partridge, a pharmacist who hopes to open her own business in town, said she now knows whom in the community to contact to help her meet her goals, both professionally and personally.

"If you have a personal passion, Leadership Los Gatos is an excellent way to learn how to best invest your time and energy," she said.

Through Leadership Los Gatos, Partridge learned of the "Alive ... and Loving Life" group, which addresses teen issues, and she says she wants to continue her involvement with that group. Additionally, with a background in grant writing, Partridge hopes to volunteer as a grant writer to help bring money into town.

While participants agreed the experience was ultimately worthwhile, Jeanne Rajabzadeh of Coldwell Banker said she wished there had been more time to go in-depth on some issues and that the half-day sessions weren't always enough.

"Our class always had a lot of questions. We kept running over time," she said.

Johnson, who hopes to keep the size of the new class in the low 20s, is accepting applications for the 2003­04 program. "We'll modify the format based on what outgoing participants say" they would like to see changed, he said.

This year's graduates are Rita Boren, Tim Boyd, Kristina Branch, Kevin Brennan, Jane Ferguson, Karen Hebert, Nicki Huber, Bettina Kohlbrenner, Scott Larson, Barbara Lawler, Teri (Henrikson) McGinnis, Philip Mills, Jenny Partridge, Dr. Jim Pietrantonio, Jeanne Rajabzadeh, Chris Ray, Dr. Beth Robie, Mary Ellen Seitz-Kaschub, Mark Sgarlato, Teri Naomi Tanaka, Patrick Welch and David Yick.

Applications for the 2003-04 Leadership Los Gatos program are available online at www.town.los-gatos.ca.us/new/leadership.html.