Dublin School Board Appoints Niranjana Natarajan to Interim Seat
Dublin, CA–The Dublin Unified School District has a new Trustee. Four-year Dublin resident Niranjana “Nini” Natarajan was approved at Tuesday’s Board of Trustees meeting in a 3-1 vote (Trustee Cherrier voting against) to replace former Trustee Joe Giannini, who resigned from the board in October. Dublin resident Gabrielle Blackman also applied for the interim post.
Niranjana Natarajan (red jacket) with DUSD Trustees and Superintendent
Ms. Natarajan was sworn in by Board President Miller, took her seat on the dais, and cast her first votes as a Board member.
“I believe Nini will bring new perspectives and fresh ideas to our board,” said Amy Miller, President, Dublin Unified School District Board of Trustees. “Not only does she bring valuable professional expertise, she also changes the complexion of our board to better represent the diverse and growing community in Dublin. As a parent in the community, facing the challenges of growth on the eastern side of town, her insight will be extremely valuable in shaping the direction of our district and the educational experience of our children.”
Dublin High School Senior Ryan Shipps’ Eagle Scout Journey
DUBLIN, CA–One of the perpetual challenges of high school life is to navigate the terrain and to find one’s place in this unique ecosystem. While some students attempt to embrace and conquer every aspect of this environment – others elect to form a cocoon of like minded individuals. There is no right or wrong way. Social fabrics are often formed with common interests including athletics, the arts, hobbies or academics. This is one of the reasons why we appreciate the broad diversity of students that attend our Dublin schools. With less than six months remaining in the current academic calendar, we are pleased to share the profile a Dublin High School student who has elected to carve his own path – while employing his natural, yet understated leadership to benefit others. Meet Ryan Shipps.
Ryan began his Dublin academic career at Murray Elementary School, promoted up through Wells Middle School and will graduate in May from Dublin High. His early interest in music led to a natural progression and development as a member of the Wells Roadrunner Marching Band. This experience culminated in him being elevated to Drum Major. Subsequently, he has successfully performed as a member of the Dublin High School Irish Guard. However, years earlier, his sense of becoming part of a team began with his experiences in scouting. Recently, Mr. Shipps’ Boy Scouts career culminated in attaining the prestigious rank of Eagle Scout – an accomplishment that is only achieved by 2-3% of all participants. We recently sat down with Ryan and asked him to reflect upon his DUSD career.
OneDublin.org: Participating in band programs has been a significant part of your life. As you began your career at Dublin High School, what where your personal expectations of what you were about to experience? Read more…
Dublin High School Senior Loic Scomparin Reflects on an Extraordinary Cross Country Season
DUBLIN, CA–Dublin High School senior and Cross Country Varsity runner Loic Scomparin recently ended his exceptional season with a sixth place finish at Saturday’s California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) State Championships, with a time of 15:12.2. His remarkable performance helped the Dublin High Cross Country Boys team secure fourth place in the state championships. Earlier this season, Loic placed first in his division in both the East Bay Athletic League (EBAL) and North Coast Section (NCS) Championships, leading his team to win first place at both championships.
Here, Loic reflects on his love for running, his relationships with his teammates and coaches, and his plans for the future.
Neha Harpanhalli: Given the variety of sports available to you, why did you choose to take up running in particular? Read more…
Heroes Recognized at Frederiksen Elementary School’s Annual Veterans Day Celebration
DUBLIN, CA–For the 13th year, Frederiksen Elementary School marked a school wide recognition of Veterans Day. Given its close proximity to Camp Parks, all branches of the U.S. military were celebrated on the blacktop in a morning presentation.
As in previous years, this ceremony was planned and executed by Ms. Catherine Brown and Ms. Jamie Perez. It was an event that was filled with singing, a nod to the history of In Flanders Field, the respectful process of flag folding, a moment of silence for fallen soldiers and outright gratitude to all of our veterans and current service members.
Camp Parks Garrison Commander Sergeant Major Jason Johnson explained that on average, only 1% of the general population will elect to join the armed services. Yet these people make the sacrifice not only for themselves, but for the safety of our nation. VFW Post 6298 member Dave Ham explained the significance of the decorative poppies and shared that these are constructed by veterans that are recovering from combat injury. One of the most stirring moments was the playing of “Amazing Grace” on the bagpipes by Tesser Call of the VFM Local 1000.
DUBLIN, CA–To help you get ready for an evening of Halloween Trick or Treating and costumed celebrations with a dose of cute here is a cool video released by the Walt Disney Company from Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park in Florida.
Do you think pumpkins are fun? So do the animals in this video – fun and delicious!
Happy Halloween Dublin!
Tri-Valley Repertory Theatre’s “Guys and Dolls” Opens Sat Nov 3 in Pleasanton’s Firehouse Arts Center
PLEASANTON, CA–Tri-Valley Repertory Theatre’s Guys and Dolls opens Saturday November 3, 2018 at the Firehouse Arts Center in Pleasanton, and continues November 3, 9, 10, 16, 17 at 8:00 pm and November 4, 11, 18 at 2:00 pm. Guys and Dolls ran for 1,200 performances after opening on Broadway in 1950 and won a bevy of awards, including Tony Awards, Drama Desks and Oliviers.
“Set in Damon Runyon’s mythical New York City, Guys and Dolls is an oddball romantic comedy. Gambler, Nathan Detroit, tries to find the cash to set up the biggest craps game in town while the authorities breathe down his neck; meanwhile, his girlfriend and nightclub performer, Adelaide, laments that they’ve been engaged for fourteen years. Nathan turns to fellow gambler, Sky Masterson, for the dough, and Sky ends up chasing the straight-laced missionary, Sarah Brown, as a result. Guys and Dolls takes us from the heart of Times Square to the cafes of Havana, Cuba, and even into the sewers of New York City, but eventually everyone ends up right where they belong.” (source)
This show will delight those seeing it for the first time as well as those seeing it again. This exceptionally strong cast will entertain you with lots of laughs, well-choreographed dance numbers and extremely talented voices that harmonize beautifully with some of the most memorable show numbers of all time. Familiar showstoppers include: “Luck Be a Lady”, “Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat”, “A Bushel and a Peck” and “Adelaide’s Lament”.
Dublin School Board Set to Vote on $28.2M Deal with SCS Development for “At Dublin” Project
DUBLIN, CA–SCS Development, the owner of 76.1 acres along Tassajara Road near Dublin Boulevard, and developer of the planned At Dublin project, have reached an Agreement with the Dublin Unified School District for the accelerated payment of $28.1M in development fees plus an additional contribution of up to $100,000 towards the development costs of a preliminary schematic design for the future high school at the Promenade site. This agreement is conditional on the City of Dublin’s exercise of its discretion whether to approve the development.
[UPDATE 10/23/18 – The Dublin School Board voted 3-1 in favor of the Agreement. A short signing ceremony with representatives from SCS Development was held after the vote.]
“At Dublin” Project Concept
The proposed Agreement is available here and more details on the project from the City of Dublin are available here. The Dublin School Board is scheduled to debate and vote on the agreement at tonight’s Board of Trustees Meeting (5:30pm in the DUSD Boardroom).
According to information provided by DUSD, the “District takes no position as to whether the development should or should not be approved, as that is a matter entirely within the City’s sole jurisdiction. However, the District must take all steps necessary to ensure the availability of adequate school facilities in the event that the City does approve development. The agreement reached with AT Dublin gives assurance that adequate school facilities will be available for students who would reside in the project if approved. The agreement does so by providing for funding equal to the full mitigation of the school facilities impact of the project, at a level previously unprecedented in the District. The effect on the District is therefore neutral with or without project approval.
“The up-front mitigation payment provided for by the agreement is more than twice the statutory amount SCS is legally required to pay. The payment is being offered by SCS to help DUSD with its facilities needs, including the purchase of land and development of a new high school. The District recently selected and is moving forward with the Promenade site as the best option for the location of a Dublin high school. The high school will be designed for an ultimate capacity for 2,500 students, with the first phase to be built including capacity for 1,000 students.”
According to the proposed Agreement, SCS plans for the 76.1 acre site include: Read more…
