OneDublin.org

DUBLIN, CA–The City of Dublin’s annual Splatter Festival returns Saturday September 10 in Emerald Glen Park. The event, which runs from 12:00pm to 8:30pm, features Poets Take the Mic on the Side Yard Stage at 2:30pm. The 45-minute performance features eight local poets reciting original poetry.

2022 is a very significant milestone for Dublin – for many reasons. The city recently celebrated its 40^th year of incorporation. On the surface, that may seem to be a very “youthful” number, however, it’s helpful to consider some history. It is equally important to recognize one of the city’s pioneers and his steadfast support of the town’s students. That individual is Don Biddle. The establishment of the transcontinental railroad fueled the rapid growth of both Pleasanton and Livermore in the late 1800’s. For decades though, Dublin remained a comparable dusty patch that was known more as a hub for freight and the town had relatively few residents relative to its neighbors. However, with the onset of World War II, three separate military bases were rapidly constructed where troops lived and trained. By the end of the war, over 300,000 personnel had spent significant time in the area.

Earlier this month, the Alameda County Office of Education (ACOE) announced the 2022 Teachers of the Year, as selected by Alameda County school districts and Regional Occupation Programs. In sum, there were 18 educators recognized. Dublin High School’s Ramany Kaplan was selected as the recipient for the Dublin Unified School District.

Ms. Kaplan been in the education field for 14 years and she is completing her fifth year at DHS. Throughout this time, she has pushed beyond the boundaries of her classroom to positively impact the lives of students in all four grades. In our conversation, she disclosed discovering a unique balance of employing her professional skills with the confidence of feeling empowered to try innovative strategies. On top of it all, Ramany also serves as an advisor to both the Freshman Mentor Program and the Dublin Shield Newspaper. Given her very full schedule, we were delighted to find a mutual time to sit down together.

“Which of my photographs is my favorite? The one that I’m going to take tomorrow.” Imogen Cunningham – American Photographer

Middle school is often looked upon as the bridge between primary and secondary education. Mechanically, elementary students depart from the “cocoon” of largely remaining in one classroom with their teacher. As they matriculate, 6^th – 8^th graders learn to manage a daily structure that exposes them to multiple educators and to befriend fellow students that didn’t attend their previous schools. A true benefit during these years is to supplement one’s curriculum with self-chosen elective courses.

The three middle school sites within the Dublin Unified School District offer many elective options including courses in World Languages, Performing Arts and Visual Arts, to name just a few of the groupings. At Wells Middle School, Karey Ronnow has offered beginning and advanced photography courses for several years. Photography 1 teaches students the basic elements of composition and image design. This includes a focus on color, light, theory, and practical applications. Photography 2 adds skills to imagery, design, manipulation, and presentation. This is aided by advanced techniques in Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom.

While we will not initiate the debate on what “normal” can look like during a period where the Pandemic still exist across the globe, it is a fair bet to say that daily operations at all 11 DUSD school sites have gained solid functional footing with most students returning to classrooms in 2022. What may not have been clear at the start of the academic calendar was what masking/health requirements would look like, how students and staff would navigate their school lives in the second year of COVID and the global style of leadership provided by a newly installed Superintendent. Last summer, OneDublin.org sat down with Chris Funk to discuss some of his professional experiences gained in San Jose and to have him provide a peek into his vision for continued growth and success of the Dublin Unified School District.

Just prior to Mr. Funk’s arrival, a number of key decisions were made. In May, William Kuo was selected to a provisional appointment to fill the vacant Area 3 position on the board. This position was created by the sudden and unfortunate loss of incumbent Catherine Kuo. Additionally, the District elected to relocate the Valley High School program to the Dublin High School campus. The program is now functioning as a “Continuing Education Academy”. In late June, DUSD and the Dublin Teachers Association reached a tentative agreement that addressed improved health and wellness benefits for DTA’s membership.

DUBLIN, CA–Viewless Wings, in collaboration with the City of Dublin, today launched Dublin’s first ever Poetry Walk as part of the City of Dublin’s 40th Anniversary and National Poetry Month 2022. For the month of April, 26 locations across Dublin are displaying poems curated from over 150 submissions by Tri-Valley residents and beyond. Submissions were curated by City of Dublin Poet Laureate James Morehead. Residents and visitors are encouraged to share selfies with poems on social media using the hash tag #DublinPoetryWalk. Viewless Wings will select up to five Poetry Walkers to receive free signed copies of Morehead’s books “canvas” and “portraits of red and gray“. Explore the City of Dublin and read them all!

DUBLIN, CA–Dublin Poet Laureate James Morehead second book, portraits of red and gray, is on sale now. The collection of memoir poems takes readers on an unforgettable journey from the Cold War USSR to Savery, Wyoming, from the mountains of Tuscany to the peak of Yosemite’s Half Dome, from the Canadian wilderness to the beaches of Normandy.

The last two years have been extraordinarily stressful for students, parents and educators. The dislocation of the pandemic has also accelerated the adoption of new technology into the classroom that provides more flexibility in how education is delivered. Consistent with our mission to celebrate education excellence, we recently sat down with Jenny Buccos, Founder & Head of Content for EXPLR Media, an education streaming service that “creates standards-aligned videos to educate, inspire, and empower young people to become agents of change.” We’re excited to share Jenny’s vision on the future of education.

Benevolence (n) – “a disposition to do good, an act of kindness” Merriam-Webster

At times, words are insufficient to paint a complete portrait. It is often more rewarding to experience something to truly understand it. While COVID-19 has impacted every corner of the globe over the past two years, geo-political events have added another layer of resonance to many that have already suffered enough. When the United States declared a complete withdrawal of military forces from Afghanistan, it signaled the end of 20 years or war. It also triggered an extremely complex evacuation of refugees and personnel by August 31, 2021, before the Taliban would take control of the country. Many of those seeking to relocate included contractors and Afghani citizens and their families that assisted the U.S. military with intelligence and translation support. The plan was to immediately evacuate up to 65,000 individuals and up to approximately 95,000 in sum by the end of 2022. These evacuees were to be temporarily housed at eight U.S. military bases and then be resettled in up to 46 states. At its inception, California and Texas would receive the highest number of evacuees.