Community briefs

Youth essay contest

Seventh- and eighth-graders in Cupertino have until Feb. 10 to enter an essay contest hosted by the city and Cupertino Rotary.

Participants in the inaugural “Drafting Cupertino’s Future” essay contest will write to city officials and describe what change they would make in Cupertino. The contest is designed to give students the opportunity to reflect on the role of local elected officials and city staff. Essays should reflect not only students’ ideas for improving their community but how they would implement those ideas.

Contest entrants must live in the 95014 ZIP code. Essays must be original, unpublished and written by the student. Entries of 350-500 words are encouraged.

Each essay — only one per student — must be accompanied by an official entry form, available at www.cupertino.org/home/ showpublisheddocument?id=28751. All essays must be submitted to teenapplications@cupertino.org by 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 10.

Contest winners will be announced in early March and will be introduced at a City Council meeting. The winning essay writer will receive a $150 cash prize, and the runner-up will receive $75.

Virtual hike for older adults

Bay Area Older Adults is hosting a virtual hike Feb. 18 for adults age 50 and older.

A Lunch and Learn at Monte Bello Preserve is set for noon1 p.m., hosted in partnership with Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District. Participants will learn about amphibians, reptiles and mushrooms that can be found at this preserve.

The program also includes a four-mile virtual hike up White Oak Trail in search of birds and mushrooms to reach an open grassland for views of Black Mountain.

Visit https://www.bayareaolderadults.org/bao-hikes to register and receive the information needed to join the conference call.