Quesada was being driven home from a party by a 16-year-old boy—later convicted of driving while intoxicated—when their vehicle slammed into a pole off of Hicks Road.

Shortly after the Los Gatos High School senior's death, town and school leaders met to discuss how they could prevent future tragedies like that one. A series of discussions and a March 2003 community forum led to the creation of the "Alive ... and Loving Life" initiative, which called for "a safe community committed to sharing responsibility for each other while supporting youth to be healthy, capable and confident in life."

The initiative pulled together existing programs and created new ones, including those that focused on drug- and alcohol-abuse resistance, police-youth relationships, parenting and positive recreational activities.

Just a year and a half later, two professional organizations have recognized the initiative with awards for excellence.

On Sept. 17, the League of California Cities announced that the town had received the Helen Putnam Award at its annual conference in Long Beach. The Award for Excellence, within the public safety category, was formally presented to the town at its Oct. 18 council meeting.

"It's telling us it's a worthwhile thing," high school junior Jacqui Kemp said of receiving the award. "We're not only affecting our town, but other cities, too."

She and four other Los Gatos High School students traveled to the Long Beach conference with Los Gatos­Monte Sereno Police Chief Scott Seaman, Town Manager Debra Figone, Los Gatos High School Principal Trudy McCulloch, Mayor Steve Glickman, Councilwoman Sandy Decker (who was mayor when the initiative began) and consultant Andrea Schneider.

Seaman will again travel to Southern California later this month to receive an award from the International Association of Chiefs of Police. Los Gatos was selected as a finalist for the community policing award—one of only two awards given to cities with populations between 20,000 and 50,000.

"It recognizes the department for being able to bring about, or begin to bring about, change in a difficult public issue—and one that doesn't have easy answers," Seaman said. "I feel honored that our project was viewed so strongly."

While he said he is impressed with the efforts of the department's officers, he was quick to credit the entire community with making "Alive ... and Loving Life" a program worthy of recognition.

McCulloch said the awards are a nice indication that the initiative is achieving its initial goals.

"I think it's important that the efforts that everyone has made are recognized," she said. "It gives a little more significance to the work that we're doing ... It means that other people think that you're on the right track and that some of the things you're trying to do are working."

The student leaders of the effort say it really is working. They have seen a change in attitudes about partying. They have learned how to accomplish things they never thought would be possible. They have seen the barriers come down between teens and adult town leaders.

"It's changed the relationships between students and adults," junior Julia High said. "We're definitely friends with [town leadership]. It's not like they're just doing it because it's their job. They really care."

The Long Beach conference gave the students a chance to see programs that other cities have oriented, as well as show off "Alive ... and Loving Life" at an 8-foot-by-8-foot display. They said teens and adults from all over the state were impressed with what they learned about the program.

"That's when I realized that what we have is special," senior Michael Floyd said.

But the biggest sign of the initiative's success is not in what is said about it, but what is not said any more.

"Kids are not complaining as much," junior Forest Galien said. "Teens know there's stuff to do in our town now."