DUBLIN, CA–Our next Life in College Series article profiles Dublin High School Class of 2016 alum Jessica Bouchard who just finished the first year of her college journey to earn a degree in kinesiology at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.
OneDublin.org: Walk me through your decision process to choose Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.
Jessica Bouchard: “Cal Poly was on my list from the start, both my parents are alumni, so I had lots of encouragement to apply! Cal Poly is just the right amount of away from home, where I’d be away but not a plane ride away, unlike some of the other schools I considered. A big factor is that Cal Poly has a kinesiology major, which a lot of the UC’s and out-of-state schools I also looked at didn’t have. Cal Poly was the only school I applied to under early admission, so when I heard back in December I had three weeks to decide – and if I said no that would be it. It was hard because I wasn’t going to hear from the other schools I applied to for several months, but in the end Cal Poly was the right fit for me.”
OneDublin.org: How would you describe what it’s like to be a Cal Poly student to students considering their college options? Read more…
Dublin High School Alum Camille Chabot Defeats Cancer Twice, Graduates on Time from Cal Poly SLO
DUBLIN, CA–Dublin High School Class of ’13 graduate Camille Chabot and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Class of ’17 alum walked the stage on Father’s Day to receive her BS in Liberal Studies. What is remarkable is she walked with her class, graduating on time in four years, despite battling stage IV Hodgkin Lymphoma cancer not once, but twice. Camille endured surgery, a dozen chemotherapy sessions, a relapse, and a bone marrow transplant. Camille continued her studies through a local community college, even working on a laptop computer during chemo sessions. She missed three quarters in the classroom at Cal Poly, but remained on track academically with the help of professors and advisors.
We most recently spoke to Camille after her first round of treatments, when she hoped cancer would be behind her. We circle back now with both cancer defeated and undergrad completed to learn more about how she stayed on track despite extraordinary challenges.
James Morehead: Describe the feeling of graduating from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo on Father’s Day, on-time with the rest of your class, after everything you’ve been through battling cancer.
DUBLIN, CA–The Rotary Club of Dublin hosts weekly meetings on Tuesdays. The most recent guest speaker was Maureen Byrne, Principal at Dublin High School. As an Assistant Principal for many years, she was elevated to the position of Principal in 2016 upon the retirement of Carol Shimizu.
At the Rotary meeting, Ms. Byrne’s presentation was a focused look at how the now three-year old Freshman Mentoring Program (FMP) at Dublin High School is faring. This concept was modeled after several members of the District staff made visits to Stevenson High School in the Chicagoland area. This is a high school with an enrollment in excess of 4,000 students. The reason why this institution has been hailed is two-fold: as a public school, the leadership of Stevenson had made a concerted effort to reduce the number of “D’s” and “F’s” attained by a portion of their students. One of the vehicles that provided this opportunity was a dedicated period throughout the day to prepare freshmen students with a mentoring program that directed their focus on how to successfully navigate high school. Further, this period could also be utilized to provide subject-specific tutoring to help ensure that student success goals could be clearly identified and achieved. While the overall program continues to be refined, it is clear that it is making a positive impact.
We sat down with Principal Bryne and to reflect on the significance of this past year.
OneDublin.org: Describe your tenure at Dublin High School and evaluate your first year as Principal.
School Overcrowding Protests Planned at Dublin Crossing “Boulevard” Development this Sunday
DUBLIN, CA–Local activist group “Dubliners United” has announced a second weekend of protests in front of the Dublin Crossing Boulevard development this Sunday June 11 from 1pm – 4pm. According to the organizers, “developers have been mitigating their financial responsibilities to the city and the school district to practically nothing” and that “developers must pay their fair share for Dublin schools – the schools that help significantly to sell their homes.” By protesting at the entrance to Dublin Crossing the group hopes to “bring awareness to potential buyers regarding the current state of our schools, how they are crowded and that there is no pathway to date for a second high school.”
The protests, organized through social media and a Nextdoor event posting, build on a large turnout at a recent Dublin Unified School District Board of Trustees meeting where the proposed (and controversial) Zeiss location for a second comprehensive high school was defeated in a narrow 3-2 vote.
Entrance to Boulevard at Dublin Crossing (planned protest location)
According to Dublin resident and activist Kerrie Chabot, “We are protesting to get the attention of developers, the City and the School District, in order to establish a multi-developer agreement that funds the true growth resulting from new housing construction. Dublin residents will continue these protests at developer sites, and raising awareness in the community and with potential home buyers, until the Dublin Unified School District, the City of Dublin Council and developers commit to a timeline and plan to allocate funds. We believe a second comprehensive high school should be first priority in this agreement. It is a win-win opportunity: our great schools help sell developers homes.”
A key point of contention is the $283M school bond (Measure H) Dublin residents passed in June 2016. The bond statement included the following language: “Dublin schools provide an outstanding education and families move here specifically for our schools. As a result, student enrollment has increased significantly. We need Measure H to prevent overcrowding so all students have a modern, high quality education. Measure H will ensure that developers pay their fair share to fund school construction costs. Plus, Measure H will construct the initial phase of a second high school to prevent overcrowding at Dublin High School. In addition, some of our schools are 50 years old and need updates to meet current safety codes. Improvements to science labs, science equipment and instructional technology are needed to provide modern classrooms for students.”
Dublin High School Class of 2010 and Stanford Class of 2014 alum Ravali Reddy has contributed multiple stories to OneDublin.org, going right back to our founding in late 2009. She wrote about her first semester at Stanford in one of our very first Life in College articles (there are over 70 now!). After graduating from Stanford she shared her story again, in a Life After College profile. Three years later Ravali has completed her first year at the Keck School of Medicine of USC so once again we (virtually) sat down with Ravali to learn about what it takes to get into medical school – and thrive once you get there.
OneDublin.org: Medical school is a multi-year commitment; at what point did you know it was the right path for you?
DUBLIN, CA–With recent weather that has been both unseasonably cold and hot, it was timely that Dublin High School’s Class of 2017 were able to enjoy the 47th DHS commencement ceremony in perfect weather. This year’s ceremony used words of Eleanor Roosevelt for inspiration, “The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience.” Principal Maureen Byrne and Superintendent Dr. Leslie Boozer both enjoyed their first commencement in their respective roles, while experienced volunteers and retiring teachers were recognized with awards. OneDublin.org took 500 photos during the event that are freely available for downloading and sharing (available here, please credit to OneDublin.org).
As was the case last year, Dublin High seniors were able to graduate at home, in Gaels Stadium. The growth in enrollment at DHS brings increased energy and excitement for each graduating class, with stands packed with grandparents, parents, siblings and friends. Each name read brings a burst of cheers from across the stadium building to the moment every student waits for – the turning of the tassels and flinging of mortar boards into a cloudless sky. Over 470 seniors crossed the stage this year, with more to come in future years.
LOS ANGELES, CA–Since we last spoke to Dublin High School Class of ’10 and UCLA Class of ’14 alum Deanna Hong, she was on the Emmy-winning NBC Rio Olympics team and produced a short documentary on Gold Medal Gymnast Jordyn Wieber that has been viewed over one million times. We caught up with Deanna to learn more about her Emmy-winning experience and building a career in video production.
OneDublin.org: What did it feel like to hear that the team you were on had won an Emmy?
Deanna Hong: “We found out we were nominated a few months ago. I worked for NBC Olympics, covering the Rio 2016 Games, and didn’t learn until after the winners were announced that we’d won. NBC hadn’t won this particular category since 2008.
“I was at home, in my living room, and I had forgotten it was the day of the ceremony! Several friends, a colleague, and my boss at UCLA Gymnastics texted me that the team I was on had won an Emmy. It was exciting; we opened up a bottle of champagne and spilled it all over the living room!”
OneDublin.org: Tell me more about the work the team did that led to the Emmy. Read more…
