By Allen Payton

Attached to an email received Tuesday morning at 1:03 AM, with the subject line “RE: Joint Press Release from Antioch and Pittsburg Unified School Districts,” from the email address of Pittsburg Superintendent Janet Schulze, but not on district letterhead nor signed by her, was an “Additional statement from PUSD Superintendent” defending the Pittsburg High School band and blaming the Deer Valley High School varsity football team coaches, for the incident before last Friday night’s game.

The AdditionalStatementfromPUSDSuperintendent reads as follows:

I support everything in the joint statement and our collaboration with Antioch as we continue the investigation. I do want to offer my additional individual assessment and clarification. I want to be clear that the PHS Band had no part in the miscommunications. They did a terrific performance, as usual! I commend the Band for their professionalism and talent.

It is my opinion that the DVHS coaches used poor judgment in running drills that went near and into the Band’s formation while the Band was playing. This created a situation that was potentially dangerous.

Janet Schulze

However, according to the rules for North Coast Section (NCS) football games, in section “305H Code of Ethics for Bands and Other Support Groups,” subsection “f.” it states “Bands, song girls, entertainment, etc., should never interfere with the officials, the practicing teams, or the playing of the game.” That’s the argument being made by those defending the football team’s actions.

A phone call to and emails were sent to Schulze asking if she was the author of the statement, and if so was she was pressured by her Board members, if she thought it undermined the joint press release with Antioch Superintendent Dr. Don Gill, and if she’s aware of the NCS rules, and why she sent it out without her signature, not on district letterhead and at that time of the morning.

12:52 PM UPDATE: In a phone call from Schulze’s Executive Assistant Barbara Jones, she confirmed that the statement was from Schulze.

In an email from Dr. Schulze, at 1:13 p.m., she stated “It was not at all meant to undermine the joint statement that the two districts worked on. I stated that as the first sentence in order to hopefully make that clear. I also informed Dr. Gill of the two items I would be sharing. I was not pressured by any Board members.”

10:36 PM UPDATE: In a further response to the questions, Schulze stated via email, Tuesday afternoon:

“Pittsburg High School’s Marching Band has a long history of performing pre-game at home games. Both home and visiting audiences have enjoyed the performances for years. It was also our Senior Night. It is not uncommon for the visiting team to be warming up during a Band performance. The Band Director had every expectation to believe the visiting team was aware before bringing out the Band. This is not a student athlete issue, nor is it a Band member issue. It is an adult miscommunication and judgment issue. We are in working in partnership with Antioch to learn from this and move forward together. We have always worked well and collaboratively with Antioch and do not want this one instance to characterize the students or communities.”

No response was provided as to why her additional statement was sent in the manner and at the time it was.

 

 

 

 

Following is the verbatim press release from the superintendents of both the Antioch and Pittsburg Unified School Districts.

October 19, 2015

6:00 PM

As you are probably aware, an incident occurred prior to the Deer Valley/Pittsburg High Football game over the weekend that has received a lot of media (and social media) attention. We felt it was important for you to hear from both districts regarding the incident and what we plan to do as a result.

First of all, please know that, as educational and community leaders, school and student safety is our highest priority. This commitment stretches beyond classroom walls and applies to sporting events, extra-curricular activities and community activities that involve our students and staff members. Thus, when we learned of an incident that may compromise the safety of students, we take it very seriously. Our districts and schools have always embraced a collaborative and positive working relationship, whether it is in the classroom, in the meeting room, or on the football field.

The incident involving football players and band members was regrettable and should not have occurred. We met today with school principals, athletic directors and other personnel to discuss the incident, collect more information and begin a joint investigation. At this point, we believe a series of miscommunications occurred that resulted in both the Pittsburg High band and Deer Valley High football team being on the field at the same time. This created confusion on the part of the Pittsburg band members and Deer Valley football players.

We believe there was no intent on either side to disrespect the observance of our country’s National Anthem. Both AUSD and PUSD have coaching and support staff who served proudly in the armed forces and who deeply value our flag and country.

The investigation will continue to determine where communication may have broken down and to address the various allegations brought forth as a result of Friday’s game. If we determine any of the allegations to be true, we will take swift and appropriate action.

We will never condone poor sportsmanship at any of our events or activities. We are saddened by the negative messages being portrayed about our students in social media. Both teams showed great sportsmanship during and after the game and no other incidents occurred. We encourage our communities to please not jump to conclusions and understand that we are working cooperatively together, and will continue to work together to promote safe and positive experiences for our students.

Sincerely,

Donald Gill, Superintendent                             Janet Shulze, Superintendent

Antioch Unified School District                        Pittsburg Unified School District

To view a copy of the joint press release by the two districts, click here: AUSD PUSD Joint Press Release 10-19-15

Editor’s Note: Herald staff is currently investigating what occurred and will provide a more complete story on the incident, within the next few days.

Los Medanos College (LMC) will host the 25th East County College Night, on Tuesday, October 27 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. The event will be located at the college’s gymnasium at 2700 East Leland Road in Pittsburg. Parking is recommended in lots A and B, and parking permits are not required for participants.

The event is free and anyone who is considering going to 2-year and 4-year colleges and universities is encouraged to attend. Parents are welcome also.

Representatives from more than 50 colleges and universities in California and beyond will be available to answer questions about their colleges. Anyone considering attending college and/or transferring will benefit by attending this event.

For more information about College Night at Los Medanos College, visit www.losmedanos.edu/collegenight.

Los Medanos College’s (LMC) Appliance Service Technology Program has a new industry partner: LG Electronics. An innovative industry leader in the world of electronics, LG will be supporting training at LMC that will focus on their line of state-of-the-art household appliances.

LG will be providing some of their latest appliances for LMC students to work on in their training classes, along with curriculum materials, training aids, specialty tools and repair parts. Training experts will give technical training to LMC’s instructors. They will also provide training sessions for current LG techs in the field at the College, and LMC’s appliance service technology students will have the opportunity to participate.

On Thursday, October 8, Kyumoon Yu, President of LG Electronics Alabama Inc. (LGEAI) joined LMC President Bob Kratochvil as the two partners celebrated the new alliance at the College. The celebration included a ribbon-cutting and certificate presentation, and a classroom conversation between LG representatives, LMC appliance faculty, and current appliance service technology students.

Michael Kozlowski, Director, Field Service & Strategy; Jae Park, Senior Manager, Human Resources; and James Chalut, Senior Manager, Technical Information Services, accompanied LGEAI President Yu.

“We are honored that LG Electronics is committed to working with Los Medanos College on this venture,” said LMC President Bob Kratochvil. “Part of our mission as a community college involves preparing a quality workforce, and seeking partnerships that promote the well-being of our diverse and growing communities. This new alliance will prepare our students for careers in the region and beyond.”

Len Price, Chair and Faculty of the LMC program explained, “LG is one of the most supportive companies for service technicians in the field. Being able to work with this industry leader is an honor and a privilege for our college. Their product is up there amongst top-of-the-line products currently available. LG will be providing a wide variety of appliances for students to practice on including refrigerators, ranges and ovens, microwave ovens, dishwashers, and clothing washers and dryers.”

“One of LMC’s goals is developing strong industry partners as the college prepares a strong workforce for today and tomorrow,” stated Natalie Hannum, Dean of Career Technical Education & Social Sciences. “With LG sales continuing to grow, more trained technicians are needed to service these appliances. We look forward to working with LG Electronics to train our students for successful careers servicing their appliances.”

LMC’s Appliance Service Technology Program is the only credit program of its kind at a public community college in California. Students and current field technicians come from far and wide to be trained at Los Medanos College on the latest home appliances. Alumni have gone on to successful careers working for major appliance manufacturers and appliance service companies, while others have their own repair businesses.

For more information about LMC’s Appliance Service Technology Program, visit www.losmedanos.edu/appliance or contact Len Price, Program Chair at lprice@losmedanos.edu, 925-473-7737.

COLOR RUN / Walk for Breast Cancer fundraiser

Friday, October 16, 2015 3:30 -4:30 p.m.

Dozier-Libbey Medical High School Parking Lot

• $10.00 entry fee students $20.00 entry fee adults

• Students must complete and return permission slip

• Make and wear your own tutu (optional)

• Put a memento of a loved one on our table of remembrance (are you walking for someone?)

• Decorate your own t-shirt (date TBA)

• Get splashed with color every few laps. The more color the better.

• All profits will be donated to the National Breast Cancer Foundation

• Awareness alone isn’t a cure, women need to get regular mammograms

To participate, download the entry form, by clicking here: COLOR RUN Entry form

 

By Allen Payton

Thursday’s Pathway to Pipeline event allowed high school students from the nine Linked Learning academies in Antioch to share what they’re learning with local employers. In turn, it provided the opportunity for those employers to talk with the students and offer them potential internships at their companies.

Sponsored by the Antioch Unified School District, Antioch Chamber of Commerce, City of Antioch and the East County Business-Education Alliance, the event, held at the Antioch Community Center at Prewett Park, was held for the purpose of building the region’s future workforce. Launchpath, an effort of the Foundation for California Community Colleges and the Linked Learning Alliance, was instrumental in supporting the day.

During the morning, the students from the nine academies shared what they are doing and learning at school. Those academies include the Dozier-Libbey Medical High School, with booths about the school in general and their SportsMed class. The Business-Tech Marketing, Law and Justice, ACE Bio-Tech, Performing Arts Academies of Deer Valley High School were represented, as were the Environmental Studies, Media, Leadership and Public Service (LAPS) and Engineering & Design Green Environment (EDGE) Academies from Antioch High School.

ACE is an umbrella for other pathways, and stands for Academic Challenge and Enrichment. It provides students with opportunities to become expert in a STEAM field of their choice. STEAM is an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics.

Academies on Display

The EDGE Academy students had a 3D printer on display, creating a plastic toy from a design file found on a website, which they had downloaded to an attached laptop.

It took about 30 minutes to create the one-inch tall toy.

According to junior Hudson Preece, the students are trying to resurrect an older server to help make the 3D printer, that they can use to sell products they make, on a website they plan to set up, and to update the software to make metal objects, as well.

Also on display was an old robotic arm from the early 1990’s, from one of two inactive assembly lines.

“We’re looking to update it and integrate it into newer computers and software so that it’s usable for the freshmen to integrate it into their curriculum,” Hudson added. “We want everyone in the EDGE Academy to use these tools to further their education.”

“They’re little layers of plastic,” explained junior Robert Gochenouer. “It’s 0.5 of a millimeter per layer.

“The plastic is heated like in a glue gun,” said junior Kevin Roldan.

The students use designs they find online and sell their creations.

“Or you can create your own design,” Robert added.

New to the school in Fall, 2014, the printer they had on display costs about $1,000 to $2,000.

“The teachers gave it to us and said figure it out,” Hudson said.

“They have a bigger printer that can print the larger items and more accurately,” said Darian.

“That one cost roughly $17,000,” Hudson added.

Students in the Business-Tech Academy are starting a new, virtual enterprise that will be international, buying and selling products, as part of an online simulated economy.

“We were doing college textbooks,” shared senior Miraya Finau, Vice President of the Virtual Enterprise. “But, we just decided this morning to switch to noble teen fashions.”

“The classes in there, right now, are researching marketing and what prices to charge,” she added.

The Marketing Academy students run their own on-campus store. On display they had ssome of the school-related products, and other items, such as sports-themed laniards, which they sell.

Success Stories

The half-day also provided the opportunity for those in attendance during lunch, to hear from Antioch Superintendent Dr. Don Gill and students who participated in an internships, this past summer.

“Linked learning works,” Gill stated. “When we had freshmen first come in to the EDGE Academy many of the students were underperforming.”

As a result (of their experience in the academy) those kids soared and those students reached the level of proficient and advanced,” he said. “Now, about 80% of students in the Antioch high schools are aligned to a link learning program.”

He thanked the James Irvine Foundation for providing $3.5M to Antioch’s linked learning program.

Gennie Barr, a Supervisor at Verizon praised the work of the three interns, over the summer.

“In 10 years I’m expecting them to be my boss,” she said. “I told them to give them work. Not just busy work. After six weeks I had everyone ask me ‘can we keep ’em?’”

One of her interns was Matthew Hilton, a senior in the EDGE Academy.

“I had to do a resume. It was like a real job interview,” he said about the process for getting accepted into the internship. “I got to see what it was like to be with these firms. I was looking at different designs for cell towers. I actually took the place of a project manager before she left on vacation. It was a lot of work, essentially.”

“For the most part I was actually working there. I was shoving a 9 to 5 into a 9 to 3,” Matthew continued. “I got to see and prove I could make it in the business world. There was never a dull moment.”

Matthew ‘s father, Rick Hilton, offered his praise for the EDGE Academy.

“I’ve never seen a group of teachers who are more dedicated to their students than in the EDGE Academy,” he shared. “It’s not just the engineering teachers, but the others associated with the academy like the English and math teachers, as well. They definitely believe in the team teaching approach.”

Dr. Sean Wright, the CEO of the Antioch Chamber concluded the lunch time presentations with his thoughts.

“This isn’t the future of education renaissance. It is education renaissance,” he stated. “We need the business community to continue to support this.”

Wright mentioned aspects of Linked Learning academies.

“It must be rigorous…raising the level of education,” he said. “It must be relevant. It needs to matter. It must be work-based learning to engage with us as business owners.”

After lunch, that’s exactly what students had the opportunity to do, as local employers participated in the Antioch Careers Expo, hosting tables at which they shared information and offered internships. Participating employers included those in the fields of real estate, health, law enforcement, government, technology and media.

For more information about LaunchPath, visit www.launchpath.com.

In celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Disability Awareness Month, Los Medanos College (LMC) is hosting a screening of the three-time award-winning documentary, Fixed: The Science/Fiction of Human Enhancement, on Thursday, October 15, 2015 from 6:30-9:00 p.m. in the LMC Recital Hall.

The screening is free and the community is encouraged to attend. To reserve your seat, register at http://www.losmedanos.edu/access/. The College is located at 2700 East Leland Road, Pittsburg, CA. Parking is available with purchase of a permit ($3.00). The best location to park for this event is Lot C.

This event is an interdisciplinary effort by the LMC Disabled Student Services and Programs (DSPS) and the Drama and Counseling Departments.

Fixed is shown as a preview of the longest running disability film festival in the world, Superfest International Disability Film Festival, and is in collaboration with San Francisco State University’s Paul K. Longmore Institute on Disability and LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired.

A little about Fixed:

From botox to bionic limbs, the human body is more “upgradeable” than ever. But how much of it can we alter and still be human? What do we gain or lose in the process? Fixed explores the social impact of human biotechnologies and rethinks “disability” and “normalcy” by exploring technologies that promise to change our bodies and minds forever.

Starring NPR radio host John Hockenberry, MIT bionics engineer Hugh Herr, disability justice educator Patty Berne; biochemist and ability studies scholar Gregor Wolbring; Ekso exoskeleton test pilot Fernanda Castelo; robot scientist Rodney Brooks; bioethicist and policy advocate Marcy Darnovsky; reproductive rights advocate Sujatha Jesudason; disability lawyer Silvia Yee, disability studies scholar Dominika Bednarska; futurist Jamais Cascio; brain-computer interface study participant Tim Hemmes; and transhumanist James Hughes and philosophy professor Cressida Heyes. With cameo performances by some of the world’s leading integrated dance companies, featuring disabled and non-disabled dancers and artists, including the Anjali Dance Company, Antoine Hunter, AXIS Dance Company, Candoco Dance Company, Dancing Wheels Company, Heidi Latsky’s GIMP, Kounterclockwise, Lisa Bufano, and Sue Austin with Freewheeling.

Produced by Making Change Media, Fixed is directed by Regan Brashear, an Oakland, CA-based independent filmmaker, founder of Making Change Media, and an active member-owner of New Day Films, a social issue educational media distribution cooperative. Brashear will be present for Q&A following the film screening.

For more information about LMC’s Disabled Students Programs and Services, visit www.losmedanos.edu/dsps.

PLEASANT HILL, Calif., September 25, 2015 – Last Friday night, in an energy-filled and packed Concord Hilton banquet room, Contra Costa County Superintendent of Schools Karen Sakata, announced Maria McClain, of Antioch Unified School District and Kate Perry of Liberty Union High School District as the county’s 2015–2016 Teachers of the Year.

Maria McClain recently began her 28th year of teaching grades 10–12 for the Antioch Unified School District. For the past 19 years, McClain has been at Deer Valley High School (Antioch). McClain has taught high school pre-calculus, AP Calculus, AP statistics, and algebra, as well as junior high school mathematics and algebra. McClain obtained her undergraduate college units at Diablo Valley College, followed by earning her bachelor’s degree in mathematics and teaching credentials at California State University, Sacramento.

“Through her dedication, Maria McClain consistently demonstrates the finest qualities and attributes of a highly skilled educator and serves as a solid role model for her fellow peers,” says Susan Ceballos, vice principal, Deer Valley High School. “It is truly refreshing to observe how she creates an academic environment that is both engaging and enriching for all her students. On a daily basis, Ms. McClain maintains a standards-based instructional program that not only promotes an appreciation for mathematics, but also provides her students with the fundamental learning concepts for life-long application. At the same time, she implements successful instructional strategies that address the diverse learning needs of all students. In doing so, she differentiates her instructional approach by employing an array of strategies and activities to monitor student progress daily. Perhaps and most importantly, Ms. McClain is able to motivate her students by establishing high expectations while still maintaining a nurturing rapport with them during the instructional period.”

This past July, Kate Perry began her fifth year of teaching social science to grades 9–12 at Independence High School, in Brentwood. The nine-year teacher also taught social studies at St. Patrick-St. Vincent High School, in Vallejo, and worked as a service learning coordinator for Irvington High School in Fremont. Perry attained her bachelor’s degree in political science from San Francisco State University, earning her teaching credentials at Mills College and University of California Extension. Last year, she received her master’s degree in education from Mills College.

“I enrolled into Independent High School as a sophomore, after dropping out six moths prior from my first high school,” reports Perry’s former student, Tiffany Montana. “When I came to Ms. Perry, I didn’t have goals and graduation was farfetched. That was not good enough for her. She showed me that if I stayed focused on my schoolwork and I worked hard, I could graduate on time. Ms. Perry knew I could be anything I wanted, and helped me realize that I really could be anything I wanted to be. While attending Independence, she would text or call me before class to make sure I was going to come in. As a teacher, she provided me with the push I needed. Knowing my decisions could potentially disappoint her was enough for me to do my best. When I graduated on time, in 2014, I had a 3.7 GPA and was looking forward to my future. I owe this drastic change to Ms. Perry’s dedication to my education.”

After both teachers were named Teacher of the Year by their school districts, last March, McClain and Perry successfully proceeded, with the other 16 eligible county candidates, through a rigorous countywide selection process, it included an application screening, classroom evaluation, interview, and speech presentation. Their fellow finalists are Dawn Foote, Liberty Union High School District (Ron Nunn Elementary) and Paul Fitzgerald, Acalanes Union High School District, (Miramonte High).

More than 400 attendees were on hand for an evening that will certainly not be forgotten. The audience was made up of the TOYs’ family members and friends, as well as numerous local educators, business partners, and elected officials. Kicking off the festivities were a few high-energy musical numbers, featuring intricate rhythms of percussion instruments and complementary harmonies of a 60-student group from Alamo Elementary. The tremendous performance was lead by their music teacher, Nancy Raaum.

The evening also featured Sakata introducing the TOY class of 2015–2016 of sharing with the audience her visits to each of the teachers’ classrooms, and the comments their students gave her about their teachers. This was followed by speeches of the TOY finalists on the topic: “What I have learned from my students.” After the finalists’ speeches were given, McClain and Perry’s announcement was made by Sakata.

McClain and Perry will now compete with all the other county representatives in the California State TOY competition. The California State Teachers of the Year are expected to be announced in late October. The county TOY program is coordinated by the Contra Costa County Office of Education. (For additional TOY info, visit the CCCOE’s Teacher of the Year page).

About the Teacher of the Year Program

In 1972, California began recognizing outstanding teachers, establishing the Teachers of the Year Program. This program is open to all teachers in public & private schools who teacher pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade. Contra Costa County has participated in the program since its beginning, when Joseph E. Davis, Jr., of the Acalanes Union High School District, was named the county’s first representative.

Since that time, four teachers from this county have been State finalists: Janet Neill, San Ramon Valley Unified (1975); David Eakin, John Swett Unified (1981); William Thomas, Mt. Diablo Unified (1982); and Janice Bergamini, Mt. Diablo Unified (1991). In addition, William Pence, San Ramon Valley Unified (1999), was selected to represent California at the National Teacher of the Year level. And, in the last two years, the County has had two other state representatives – Mary Allan, Antioch Unified (2001) and Janet Gower, Mt. Diablo Unified (2002). For a list of all of the Contra Costa County Teacher of the Year Representatives please click here.

The county’s TOY program is directed by the CCCOE. With such a high caliber of teaching professionals to draw from, the CCCOE’s TOY program uses a three-stage selection process, with a point and percentage system to determine the final candidate as follows:

Application Screening:

On March 20, a committee of 13, representing the county’s education, business, and public-sector partners meticulously reviewed the applications submitted by the school districts. This committee independently rated each application. After the application screening and scoring were completed, five teachers were selected to advance to the next phase as semifinalists.

Classroom Observation and Interview:

During the weeks of late April and early May, a small committee of education specialists and business partners will observe the semifinalists interacting with their students. Immediately following, the committee interviews the candidates, discussing topics such as their teaching philosophy and techniques. The results of the two screening processes are then combined to determine the four finalists.

Speech Presentation:

This coming August, the four TOY finalists will each give a three- to five-minute speech to another panel of a dozen educators, business, and public-sector representatives who will judge the finalists on their speech and presentation skills.

On the evening of September 24, 2015, all 22 TOYs, accompanied by their families, friends, and co-workers (an audience of approximately 400) will be honored at the annual Teacher of the Year Dinner Celebration, held at the Hilton Concord. Contra Costa County Superintendent of Schools Karen Sakata, who serves as master of ceremonies, introduces the TOYs by sharing a special story that reflects his classroom visits of each teacher during the recent spring and summer months. This will be followed by the four finalists giving their three- to five-minute speeches (same speeches given in August) to the filled banquet room. The excitement-filled evening will come to a dramatic close with the announcement of the 2015-2016 Contra Costa County Teacher of the Year.

The County representative is announced at the Awards Dinner in September at a gala affair that honors each district’s Teacher of the Year. Local business and community organizations generously donate classroom grants, services and other items to each of the district winners.

For more information and to see all of this year’s finalists, visit http://www.cccoe.k12.ca.us/supe/toy.html#about