Dublin High School ’72 Grad Dennis Jones Combines Beatlemania and the Law
Dennis Neil Jones on Guitar
OneDublin.org recently spoke with Dennis Neil Jones – a Dublin High School Class of 1972 graduate whose life after graduation proves that hard work makes it possible to fulfill your dreams. In Dennis’ case, those dreams included a love for music and a passion for the law. As Dennis put it, “get as much education as you can – all stats show that income is tied to the education you get – have the tenacity and discipline to work hard and you’ll succeed.”
Dennis did just that – and after graduating with the first 4-year Dublin High class he went on to complete an Undergraduate Degree in Public Relations at the University of Southern California (USC) in 1976, a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from USC in 1978 and finally a Law Degree from the University of San Diego (USD) in 1983. Dennis noted: “DHS prepared me well for college. I received several academic scholarships to USC, followed later by a graduate school fellowship and then a law school fellowship.”
Dennis spent much of his childhood growing up in Dublin (his family moved to Dublin in 1964), graduating with Dublin High’s first full 4-year class and experiencing Dublin High’s first new buildings (buildings that are now being replaced as part of the $120 million Dublin High renewal project). While Dublin High’s first campus was being built, Dennis and his classmates were bussed to Amador Valley High School (in Pleasanton).
Student Body President (1972)
While at Dublin High, Dennis was a role model for getting involved and taking advantage of everything Dublin High has to offer students – here is just a partial list of Dennis’ achievements while at Dublin High:
- Elected Student Body President
- Captain of the Junior Varsity Basketball, leading the team to win the first athletic trophy for a young Dublin High athletic program
- Editor of the Dublin Shield (Dublin High’s student newspaper)
- President of the Dublin Youth Council (which organized activities for Dublin teens, including booking the 70s classic band Tower of Power to play at Dublin High – for the grand total of $350 in 1971)
Dublin Patch Launches with Support from Local Writers and Students
Dublin Patch (www.DublinPatch.com) is part of the Patch.com family of local online newspapers. Patch.com was purchased by AOL for $7 million in 2009 as a “hyperlocal” news initiative filling the void created by the failure of local newspapers (or the lack of any local options) in small and medium cities. AOL plans to invest $5o million in Patch.com to rollout online newspapers to hundreds of communities across the US. OneDublin.org welcomes the arrival of Dublin Patch to fill an unmet need for objective, unbiased Dublin news.
Dublin Patch Website Home Page
Dublin Patch launched on September 15 (but was in the works for several weeks prior to the public launch), joining other local Patch sites (including Pleasanton Patch, Danville Patch and more). Dublin Patch editor Erika Conner enlisted a small army of local residents to write for the online newspaper (consistent with the hyperlocal focus), while getting to know Dublin and the community. Ms. Conner has over 10 years of journalism experience and grew up in the East Bay before heading to the east coast for college. Dublin Patch also provides an online resource for event listings, classified ads, business listings and local advertising. In addition to the Dublin Patch website there is also a Facebook page and Twitter feed. If you are interested in writing for Dublin Patch, contact Erika Conner at erikac@patch.com.
In just over a week since launch, Dublin residents and students have already published multiple articles for Dublin Patch covering education issues (as well as numerous articles covering local restaurants, events and other Dublin-centric news stories):
- A Student’s Perspective on the Dublin High API Score
- Dublin High: Back to School with Big Changes Ahead
- Interview with School Board President David Haubert
- Results of District-wide School Satisfaction Survey Presented at Board Meeting
- School Life Without Lockers
- Back to School – for Parents Too
Dublin Patch has also been actively following the controversial Green / Kolb / Fallon grade re-configuration issue first reported by OneDublin.org (read the latest on Dublin Patch).
AOL also recently announced a new partnership between Patch and leading journalism schools, colleges and universities to create PatchU. The initial partnering institutions include:
Tri-Valley College Fair 2010 at Dublin High, OneDublin.org Joins as Sponsor
College fairs provide a terrific opportunity for parents, students and the community to conveniently meet with representatives and admissions officers for multiple colleges, universities and other post-secondary options all at one location.
Dublin High School staff, working with other tri-valley high school and the Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities, expect over 75 colleges and universities (CSU, UC and private in/out-of-state options), military academy / ROTC, as well as vocational / technical schools to be in attendance. The event will be spread across the Dublin High School campus, in the cafeteria and gymnasium.
The October 7 (6:30pm – 8:30pm) event is free and open to the public.
This event is funded through donations from several Dublin organizations including the Dublin High School PFSO, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, DECA, Dr. Beanz, Dublin Cash & Carry, Dublin Lions Club, Dublin Chamber of Commerce, Mimis Cafe and OneDublin.org. A tri-valley corporation also made an anonymous donation.
Kari Byron – Host of Head Rush, MythBusters – Speaks with OneDublin.org
Kari Byron - Host of MythBusters and Head Rush
If you’ve ever watched MythBusters and were convinced you’ve seen Dublin hills in the background, you’d be correct. MythBusters has filmed many episodes in Dublin at the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office bomb disposal range (the bomb squad is based in Dublin – another fun fact for the water cooler at work). According to Sgt. JD Nelson, Public Information Officer and Bomb Technician for the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office, “We got connected with MythBusters about 6 years ago through retired FBI agent Frank Doyle who has appeared in many episodes. MythBusters needed a place to do an experiment with explosives, we had a suitable bomb range and the rest is history. I’ve helped them with at least 25 episodes. Every time that they come out I learn something new. Their crew and staff are nothing but nice which is why we continue to work with them.”
Interested in learning more about Mythbusters’ long relationship with Dublin, OneDublin.org reached out to Kari Byron, one of the hosts of Discovery Channel’s popular MythBusters and host of a new science-themed show Head Rush that debuted in August on the Science Channel (Head Rush is targeted at middle school-aged children). Ms. Byron graciously agreed to a OneDublin.org interview:
Dublin High School 2010 API Jumps to 868, District Jumps to 878
Dublin High School’s API jumped again in 2010 to 868, a 26-point increase over 2009 and a 70-point increase over 2008. Along with Dublin High’s academic improvement has come recognition including GreatSchool.org recently raising Dublin High’s rating to a 10 out of 10 (from a 9 out of 10). Earlier this year, Newsweek included Dublin High School in its list of America’s Best High Schools.
Schools across the Dublin Unified School District improved resulting in the overall District API improving to 878 (a 24-point increase over 2009). Wells Middle School’s API had the largest gain of 49-points to 838 (from 789), followed by Murray Elementary School’s API which rose 34 points to 870. Almost every school in the District achieved its highest API ever. Dublin Elementary, Fallon, Green Elementary and Frederiksen Elementary all improved. Dougherty Elementary slipped slightly to 939, still holding the highest API in the District. A detailed breakdown of API results is available here.
The large increases were due in part to dramatic increases among significant sub-groups including African-American (19-point increase), Latino (21-point increase) and Socioeconomically Disadvantaged (37-point increase). According to Dublin Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Stephen Hanke, “Our commitment is to see that every Dublin student is proficient or advanced on all California Standards Tests and meets our new enhanced graduation requirements.” As part of the effort to continuing raising standards, Dublin High School, supported by parents and the community, introduced the Dublin High Advanced Scholar Diploma last year.
Full details of the 2010 API results for each school including 2010 STAR / CST and CHSEE test results that are used in calculating API scores are available here.
- Dublin High School Spirit Rally 2010 – Freshman Class of 2014
Dublin High Sophomore Ryan McRee on the California State Summer School of the Arts
Only one in three high school students are accepted into the prestigious California State Summer School of the Arts program held at the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) each summer. Dublin High School sophomore Ryan McRee was one of those students and he writes about the experience of a lifetime.
by Ryan McRee (Dublin High Class of 2013 sophomore)
“Theatre has nothing to do with ‘self’. It has to do with relationships. Theater is not about discovering who you are, but it is about discovering your relationship to the audience, the people around you, and the universe.”
These are the words of Michael Fields, the head of the theatre program at the California State Summer School of the Arts (or “CSSSA”, as my fellow students and I came to know it). The school was made a permanent program in California in 1985, with the goal of attracting young artists from all over the state of California to be educated in their field and go on to have success in their careers. For the summer of 2010, the program was held at the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) in Valencia, the first degree-granting university specifically for the visual and performing arts in the United States established through the vision and generosity of Walt Disney in 1961.
Volunteering in Ghana, Africa: A Dublin High School Alum’s Story
Given how the mainstream media treats Africa, as a soundbite or homogeneous state, it is easy to forget that Africa is a continent. Africa, the continent, is home to more than a billion people, a rich tapestry of 54 sovereign states, where well over 1,000 languages are spoken and every one of the world’s major religions observed. The experience of Kelsey Finnegan can’t even begin to tell the story of Africa and this article won’t try. This is a story of one determined individual helping the children of a remote village in Ghana, Africa.
Kelsey Finnegan graduated from Dublin High School in 2007, went on to attend Santa Barbara City College before transferring to the UC Santa Barbara for her junior year of college (majoring in Communications with a minor in Global Studies). Kelsey grew up in Dublin and attended Frederiksen Elementary School and Wells Middle School before moving on to Dublin High. After graduating from high school Kelsey worked towards fulfilling a childhood dream of volunteering in Africa – an idea that required research, planning, money and (reluctantly at first) the support of her parents.
“The town of Hohoe, (pronounced Ho-hway) where we live, is small and very rural. It is all dirt roads, shacks with roofs of tin and goats EVERYWHERE. I could go on and on about the goats. They are everywhere. They just roam the streets. Apparently everyone knows which goat is theirs and they go home at 6 to be fed along with the chickens and sheep.” – Kelsey Finnegan’s blog – Confessions of a Ghanaholic
Murray Elementary School started the 2010-11 school year with change – growing enrollment, school renewal projects funded by Bond Measure ‘C’ and a new Principal – Carrie Nerheim.
OneDublin.org met with Ms. Nerheim to talk about her experiences teaching in Dublin and approach as Principal at Murray Elementary School. Ms. Nerheim grew up in Stockton, California and started her college experience at San Joaquin Delta College, transferred to the University of California – Los Angeles (UCLA) to complete her BA in English and then went on to graduate from Chapman University before starting her career in education.
Green / Kolb / Fallon Grade Split Recommendation: An Open Letter
OneDublin.org received the following letter from Green Elementary parent Lisa Doherty, and has received permission to publish this letter which raises important points and questions regarding the Dublin Unified School District Boundary Committee recommendation to convert Green Elementary into a K-4, Fallon into a 5-8 and to open Kolb Elementary as a K-4, all in September 2011. Note: this recommendation has not yet been approved by the School Board.
This is clearly a major change with competing benefits and risks, and a change that will impact many parents. While the DUSD Boundary Committee includes parent representatives there is clearly a need for more community input and discussion. Dr. Hanke has assured me there will be a community meeting in the near future and I recommend concerned parents and/or parents wanting more information contact Dr. Hanke either via email) or by attending the next School Board meeting (Tues Sept. 14, 6:30PM). OneDublin.org will share details on the community meeting when available. More details on the Boundary Committee’s original recommendation are available here (this includes a list of Boundary Committee members).
UPDATE: This issue is next on the agenda for formal review at the 9/28/2010 School Board Meeting (6:30pm).
UPDATE: A Parent / Community Meeting regarding the Green / Fallon / Kolb Boundary Committee recommendation will be held on Monday Sept. 20, 6:30PM at Green Elementary School: http://dusd.schoolwires.net/dusd/icalsw/eventDetail.asp?DID=17549.
UPDATE [9/16/2010]: K-4 and 5-8 configurations exist in California but in small numbers compared to other configurations such as K-5 and 6-8. Here is an analysis prepared from databases available on the California Dept. of Education website:
| Config | # Schools | Avg API | Avg # API Tests |
| K-5 | 2,467 | 815 | 347 |
| K-6 | 1,991 | 806 | 376 |
| K-4 | 89 | 798 | 257 |
| 6-8 | 810 | 777 | 820 |
| 7-8 | 335 | 772 | 733 |
| 5-8 | 68 | 766 | 590 |
Note: in the data above # Schools is a count of schools listed as Active and having a published API score from the CDE databases.
Below is Green parent Lisa Doherty’s detailed and well researched letter to the community:
“Dear Friends and Families of John Green, I hope this email finds everyone happy, healthy and off to another great start here at Green! I am writing to you in regards to our children’s future at our wonderful elementary school.
OneDublin.org met with Dublin High School Principal Carol Shimizu today to talk about changes to the dress code that have just been announced. Since the first day of school (which coincided with one of the hottest days of the summer), there have been Facebook and kitchen table debates over the merits and challenges of Dublin High’s dress code. The dress code, which has been in place for over a year, has both been criticized as too restrictive and praised for creating a more business-like campus. The key change is allowing girls to wear clothing to “mid-thigh” in response to challenges many students and their parents have faced buying dress code-compliant clothing. Student leaders at Dublin High did recommend, however, that a zero tolerance policy be in place to enforce the revised dress code.
Principal Carol Shimizu shares her thoughts on reasons for the dress code and the changes now being implemented:
Dress code controversies are nothing new. In the late 90’s several large public school districts even went so far as to implement school uniforms (an approached used in other countries such as Japan and England). President Clinton stated in a 1996 speech: “If it means that the school rooms will be more orderly and more disciplined, and that our young people will learn to evaluate themselves by what they are on the inside, instead of what they’re wearing on the outside, then our public schools should be able to require their students to wear uniforms.”
Is this the last of dress code controversies at Dublin High? Doubtful. As long as there are teenagers there will be a tug-of-war over clothing.
OneDublin.org 