Treyvon Hall

The Antioch Chamber of Commerce announced Friday, February 26th the selection of the 2015 Antioch Youth of the Year is Treyvon Hall and the Runner-up is Savannah Vanderzwan, both juniors at Antioch High School.

The Antioch Unified School District, along with the community of the City of Antioch, continues to nurture and grow amazing young adults. The Antioch Chamber of Commerce has the opportunity to recognize the Youth of the Year for 2015 at the Antioch Chamber of Commerce Inaugural Gala on Friday, March 11th.

Treyvon Hall, Antioch High School Junior is being recognized as the Youth of the Year for 2015 and Savannah Vanderzwan, also a junior at Antioch High School Junior is the runner up.

Lucas Stuart-Chilcote, a senior at Dozier-Libbey Medical High School, along with Aimie McGoldrick, a senior at Antioch High School will be recognized as nominees for Youth of the Year.

Treyvon’s extra-curricular activities and club memberships include Conflict Mediation, Tobacco Use Prevention Education(TUPE), National Coalition Building Institute (NCBI), Careers In Teaching, Link Crew, Buddy Club, Care Club, Positivity Pals.

In addition, he plays on the JV football team as a receiver and corner, and on the JV volleyball team at Antioch High, and his interests include airplanes, motor sports and fitness.

Treyvon’s future plans include going to college and becoming a pilot or a flight attendant.

According to the Antioch Unified School District’s Facebook page “Both students will be honored at an awards dinner March 11th at the Lone Tree Golf Center. Both Treyvon and Savannah will be recognized for their work with fellow students. Treyvon works with students who are in conflict in order to find a non-violent and satisfying resolution to the conflict. AHS administration states that suspensions are down over 25% this year over last year — something they say Treyvon definitely had a hand in.

Savannah Vanderzwan

Savannah will be recognized for her work with special needs students. Last year, Savannah created the Buddy Club which paired special needs students with other students at Antioch High School. The students eat lunch together, attend events and, recently, attended the Special Olympics together –with AHS students cheering on their special needs friends.”

In addition to recognizing the 2015 Award winners:  Youth of the Year, Citizens of the Year, Non-profit of the Year and Business of the Year, Michele Copeland will receive the Chairman’s Award and Lindana Martell will receive the Ambassador of the Year award.

The Antioch Chamber of Commerce Inaugural Gala will be held on Friday, March 11th, 6 PM at the Lone Tree Golf & Event Center, 4800 Golf Course Road in Antioch. Tickets are on sale now at AntiochChamber.com, emailing JDossey@AntiochChamber.com or by calling (925) 757-1800.

Pearls of Perfection Cotillion dance was held on January 9, 2016 at the San Ramon Marriott. photo courtesy of Jovanka Beckles from her Facebook page.

By Nick Goodrich

The Contra Costa Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta started 2016 off right. On January 9th, their Pearls of Perfection program held its annual Cotillion Ball, in recognition and celebration of the eleven young ladies that successfully completed the 9-month process.

These young women began their journey in early 2015, when they were officially inducted into the program as Debutantes. Nearly a year of hard work and dedication culminated in the black-tie Cotillion Ball, held at the San Ramon Marriott Hotel in San Ramon.

Pearls of Perfection is a comprehensive program that has produced well-rounded graduates since it’s inception. Girls become eligible for Pearls of Perfection after 11^th grade, but may participate as a Lady-in-Waiting for a year before beginning the main program. Once they are accepted as Debutantes, the young ladies attend a series of events and workshops over the next year, focusing on personal growth and education as they prepare for the next step after high school.

Pearls of Perfection’s goal is to provide young women with the resources and ability to succeed in the future, and become active contributors in their community. That means that academic excellence is emphasized, along with etiquette programs, promotion of self-awareness and self-esteem, and other skills that participants can rely on for the rest of their lives. Community service is just one other aspect of the Pearls program, allowing the women the chance to participate in service projects to instill the importance of giving back to the community. The participants even plan out and execute a project to gain leadership and real-world experience, reminiscent of the Boy Scouts of America’s Eagle Scout projects. The current graduates of the program held a fashion show for their project, which sported a dual-theme of “college” and “TV shows”. The ladies began by presenting the colleges they planned to attend, and transitioned to the lighter theme of popular TV shows later in the evening.

But the program’s main focus, and one of the reasons it is valued so highly, is its emphasis on college preparedness. Delta Sigma Theta places a high value on education before, during, and beyond high school, and that is reflected in how Pearls of Perfection is constructed. Ladies undergoing the program participate in a series of college preparedness workshops, including resume-building, scholarship and financial aid seminars, and segments that emphasize awareness of and readiness for the college application process. By the time the annual Cotillion Ball rolls around, these women are focused and prepared for the excitement and challenges that college will bring.

Brenda Captain-Edwards heard about the program in 2015, and it was not long before her daughter Brandi had expressed interest and was enrolled as a Lady-in-Waiting. That part of the program lasts a year, and is available to girls who have not reached the age requirement to become a Debutante, but are eager to get involved. It allows them to experience a healthy dose of Pearls of Perfection before starting as a Debutante, and to get a grasp of what the program is like and what they will be learning.

“Most of the participants started when they were seniors, and went right into the Debutante program,” said Captain-Edwards. “But there were a few others like Brandi that were 11th graders, and were preparing to go into the Debutantes. They’re similar but they do some things differently, like the Mock Trial, which was wonderful. Parents were able to come in and be the jury, so it was really fun.”

Parental involvement is a big part of the Pearls program, and they are able to participate in many of the program’s workshops and events. Mrs. Captain-Edwards found the financial aid and scholarship segment to be particularly helpful, as the college financial aid process can be confusing. But she and her daughter Brandi feel well-versed in the system. Confidence going into the college application process affords families the freedom to thoroughly explore every option and find the best fit for each participant.

As for Brandi, she has gotten a taste for the program after participating as a Lady-in-Waiting, and she is looking forward to the next step.

“Before I got into the program, I kind of thought I would be around snotty people, because you hear the word Debutante,” she laughed. “But once you get to know the girls, they’re the same as yourself. You start hanging out with them more, and it’s just a really good program.”

Brandi, a student at Deer Valley High School, completed the Ladies-in-Waiting program earlier this year, and is set to begin as a Debutante in March. As a junior in high school, she is already a great deal ahead of many of her classmates, who have not had the benefit of preparing for college as thoroughly or early on as Pearls of Perfection participants are able to.

Overall, Pearls of Perfection continues to produce graduates that are prepared to succeed at every stage of their lives. The program recognizes that college is an important part of the foundation that these women will build to rely on in the future, and Brenda and Brandi feel prepared to meet the challenge that it presents. “Since she’s been in the program, what I’ve seen is growth in leadership, etiquette skills, and an overall career awareness, which includes her academics now, and how she’s planning on mapping out her college experience,” said Brenda of her daughter.

“Polished, poised, and prepared” is the mantra of Pearls of Perfection, and they continue to guide young women in meeting these standards to the highest degree. More information on the Pearls of Perfection Program can be found at www.ccacdst.org/debutante.

Cornerstone Christian School Basketball team player #10 Devin Hicks, Antioch, Ca.,Feb.12, 2016. photo by Cathie Lawrence

Cornerstone Christian boys’ basketball has best season in program history

By Luke Johnson

Antioch’s Cornerstone Christian High School senior guard Devon Hicks was born with tight tendons in his hands, which makes him unable to fully extend some of his fingers on each hand. Despite that, Hicks leads the Small School Bridge Athletic League in scoring with 22.4 points per game.

“Some people look at it as a birth defect, but I look at it as motivation to get better,” Hicks said.

Thinking with positive mindset was not always easy for Hicks. He found himself frustrated at times attempting to perform simple tasks such as catching a ball. But he said he was able to persevere through his faith in God.

“I know God has a better plan for me,” Hicks said. “There are people out there who have it far worse… When I was little I sometimes questioned why it happened to me. But as I got older I realized instead of quitting to just keep working hard… That’s my motto.”

On Senior Night, the school presented Hicks with an honor of being Cornerstone Boys All Time Scoring Leader with 1,249 points and All Time Leader Three-Points Made with 182. He’s also a two-time recipient of All SSBL Honors.

In his freshman year, Cornerstone did not have a boys’ varsity basketball program because there were not enough players to fill the roster minimum of six. According to Pastor Steve Miner, the school has approximately 60 students grades 9-12, and less than half of them are male. Fast forward to the present — the team is having its winningest season with a 16-5 record, and earned a Division-VI North Coast Section Playoff berth for the first time in program history.

“It feels unreal, because I started out literally begging people to play,” he said. “I just want to set this up for future years to come at Cornerstone.”

Hicks is the only senior on team, and will soon leave behind a legacy that has encouraged the underclassmen to step up their game.

“He’s an inspiration to all of us by his work ethic, his good attitude [and] his sense of humor. He’s a good kid,” coach Ezra Hunter said.

The Cougars could not have reached this level of success if it were not for Hicks’s right-hand man, Amari Simmons. The 6-foot-2 junior ranks number one in NCS in rebounds with 11.2 per game, and is also among the top scorers with 19.7 points per game.

The postseason begins Wednesday, Feb. 24, and Cornerstone will start off by traveling 282 miles north to face Ferndale High School (15-10) in the first round of NCS.

Cornerstone is located at 1745 East 18th Street in Antioch.

Deer Valley girls basketball team members remove their jerseys in protest before the game on Thursday, February 11, 2016. photo by Michael Pohl

Parents allege their students were victims of bullying

By Luke Johnson

Minutes before a home game against Heritage High School last Thursday, players from Deer Valley’s varsity girls’ basketball team threatened to go on strike by taking off their white-home uniforms with their black-away uniforms underneath. This was in an effort to get head coach Linsey Bailey to resign or fired from his job.

DVHS girls varsity basketball coach Linsey Bailey leaves the court before the game. photo by Michael Pohl

Moments later, he proceeded to exit the gym, ending the protest, so that the game could resume under assistant coaches.

Immediately following the final whistle, DVHS administration conducted an investigation that resulted in 8 out of 12 players on the roster receiving suspensions for the remaining two games of the season with Bailey continuing at the helm the program. This course of action was announced Monday.

Principal Kenneth Gardner said every player was talked to during the investigation and that nothing was found leading to “impropriety or unprofessional behavior becoming the coach,” and only two or three of the players’ concerns were related to playing time. He added that two sets of parents voiced their distress prior to the protest, only regarding playing time.

“Playing time is based on merit and skill, and is at the sole judgment of the coach,” Gardner said. “We did what we felt like we had to do.”

On the contrary, parents claim that the protest had little to do with playing time, and that their kids were victims of bullying by intimidation and verbal abuse from Bailey. One parent, Melvin Davis, said that the “principal was lying through his teeth” after hearing his comments about the investigation.

In a 454-word email sent on Jan. 4 to Vice Principals Tim Cooper and Reggie March, Davis wrote:

“The coach informed the team he has no fear of putting his hands on a player, and offered proof by saying he was currently under investigation at Antioch Middle School for placing a child in a choke hold… The coach was witnessed punching walls on several occasions, visibly cries in front of team on several occasions. I view these as inappropriate.”

Cooper replied the next day, and told Davis he would look into his concerns and talk to players as witnesses.

According to Davis, this followed up with a meeting among himself, Cooper, Bailey and Athletic Director Dan Peters. He said Bailey denied all the allegations, and players were never questioned.

“After that meeting, his treatment of the girls became progressively worse. Myself and other parents continued to complain and were told administration wasn’t going to do anything until after the season was over,” Davis said.

Some parents chose to speak anonymously, while others declined to comment in fear of their children being punished even further.

“They were out of line, and it was very unfair,” an anonymous parent said about the suspensions handed out by DVHS administration. “They just care about protecting the name of the school.”

Numerous parents claim that Bailey, who is a first-year head coach at Deer Valley, was fired from his previous coaching job at Alhambra High School (Martinez). Gardner, nor Alhambra Athletic Director Pat Ertola, could neither confirm nor deny those allegations.

A December 3rd article in the Martinez Tribune states the Alhambra High School “Bulldogs dismissed Linsey Bailey” as head coach last Spring. No additional details on why that occurred are known at this time.

Deadline for Applications is March 20, 2016

The annual High School Internship Program, sponsored by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), is now accepting applications for paid summer internships with transportation agencies throughout the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area. Since 2000, the internship program has been providing Bay Area students the opportunity to work for a variety of local transit, planning and public works agencies. The program was conceived by MTC’s Minority Citizens Advisory Committee to encourage young people to consider careers in transportation.

Students will be employed, either full-time or part-time, for up to 250 hours between June and August under the mentorship of a transportation professional at the public agency. Previous interns have left the program with skills in marketing, public outreach, data analysis, AutoCAD, Geographic Information Systems and other valuable skills. “The internship program is not only about helping students build technical skills, but also about giving them a head start and experience with the job application process,” says MTC Internship Program Coordinator Yulee Kim. “Applicants compete with other students for a position, answer typical job application questions, and many of them go through a formal interview process at the public agency.”

Thirty-nine paid internships are available throughout Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano and Sonoma counties. A list of internship opportunities and the online application are available at: http://jobs.mtc.ca.gov/InternshipOpportunities/jobinternship.html.

To apply, students can submit the completed application online, including an attached one-page document that describes, in the applicant’s own words, a transportation problem in his or her community and what the applicant thinks could be done to resolve it. A letter or letters of recommendation from a teacher, principal, counselor, religious leader or employer also must be included. Students must live and go to school in the same county that they are applying for, must have completed tenth grade and must be at least 16 years old by the start of the program in June. Students graduating in 2016 also are eligible to apply for the internships. The application must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. on March 20, 2016.

MTC is the regional transportation planning, financing and coordinating agency for the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area.