Congressman Eric Swalwell on Landing a Congressional Internship and the Intern Experience
DUBLIN, CA–Our next article covering college internship opportunities looks at public service at Congressional Offices. We spoke with Congressman Eric Swalwell (Dublin High School Class of ’99) on the role internships have played in his career, and the opportunities available for college students in his office – locally and in Washington D.C. We also asked if Congressional interns can look forward to a future where more internships are paid.
OneDublin.org: What role did internships play in your college experience? Read more…
Candlelight March to School District Office Demonstrates Support for Dublin Teachers
DUBLIN, CA–The compensation agreement between the Dublin Unified School District (DUSD) and the Dublin Teachers Association (DTA) has remained unresolved – dating back to the 2016-17 school-year. The impasse has now extended beyond 18 months of negotiations.
While a state mediator with convene with both parties on December 7th, DTA sought to strike a more visible show of community support. As the sun began to set on Tuesday evening, teachers, students and community members gathered at the plaza in front of the Dublin High School Performing Arts Center at 4:30 PM. Members of DTA leadership reminded the crowd of what was important. These elements included the fact that many surrounding districts have successfully negotiated employment contracts and that fair/equitable compensation which includes health benefit support would aid in attracting and retaining teaching talent.
Dublin Teachers Association Announces Protest March for Tuesday’s School Board Meeting
DUBLIN, CA–The Dublin Teachers Association (DTA) announced a candlelight march to the Dublin Unified School District (DUSD) Tuesday night coinciding with the bi-weekly Board of Trustees meeting. California Teachers Association President Eric Heins plans to attend the march which will include several speakers. DTA claims hundreds of teachers will be participating in the protest.
Parents and students have also been invited to join the march which starts in front of the Center for Performing Arts and Education at Dublin High School, 8151 Village Parkway, at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 5, and ends three blocks later at the Dublin Unified School District Boardroom,7471 Larkdale Ave., Dublin, 94568.
DTA declared an impasse earlier this fall after receiving the latest offer from DUSD in mid-October. Both sides will meet with a state mediator on Thursday, Dec. 7. In November DTA announced via social media that a practice strike vote had been held with wide support from teachers.
Read more…
DUBLIN, CA–I’ve met so many adults that don’t understand why kids even get involved in the community. Sure, they applaud us if we accomplish something, but they bet on our failures if we take on a project that adults would normally do. They count the hours before our “immaturity” or “irresponsibility” ruins the project. If we do indeed fail, they pat our backs and tell us that it was okay because we are just kids. Although it sounds reassuring, it accentuates how little some adults expect from us. So how do we as kids avoid the fear of fulfilling this stereotype? We don’t participate. We don’t get involved in our community. We don’t dare to do anything that an adult does typically. After all, an adult always does it better. Right?
In middle school, I joined an organization that would change my perspective on exactly how much difference a kid could make. The advisor of that club is the one who encouraged me to write this article. She would always leave projects to us, the board, to facilitate, and would simply help if we needed guidance. Her firm belief was that the youth contained enormous amounts of potential, but it simply wasn’t known or expressed. With a team of about twenty youths leading over two hundred students, we the board started fundraisers, raised awareness, and even hosted a regional conference. We followed in the footsteps of the previous board, and we passed the legend on as we moved into high school. However, something that we kept for ourselves was the understanding of a youth’s potential. With this mindset, we pressured ourselves to think outside of the box. We took charge and crafted our own paths. This revered knowledge was a maxim that we lived by.
Frederiksen Elementary School Fundraising Delivers Wish List Marquee
DUBLIN, CA–On the Thursday prior to the Thanksgiving break, a group of hearty souls gathered in the Frederiksen Elementary School parking lot. Why would these parents and students gather together at 4:30 PM with rain beginning to fall? To understand this scene requires some context.
As one of the oldest schools in Dublin, Frederiksen is a stalwart site in the Dublin Unified School District. As Frederiksen approaches its 40th anniversary, it greatly benefitted from the passage of Measures C and E in previous years. The basic elements of HVAC and roofing issues needed to be addressed. In addition, as enrollment continued to increase, the construction of a new kindergarten classroom section was essential to provide an adequate teaching environment for its youngest students.
New Marquee Ribbon-Cutting
All along, family leaders and members of the Parent Faculty Club (PFC) had dreams of someday upgrading the long existing message board into an electronic marquee that would be equivalent to many of the newer schools throughout the District. In fact, the “dream” began about 20 years ago. However, the drive to complete more significant projects can often be impacted by various other needs that require more immediate attention. Of course, the objective is to maintain the relevance of commonly accepted goals – as families continue to matriculate through the site every three to six years. Priorities can change.
WATERLOO, ON (Canada)–As students across the United States complete college applications I recommend taking a look north of the border. By the time I graduated from the University of Waterloo (Waterloo, ON, Canada) with the Class of 1990 I already had over two years of full-time work experience thanks to Waterloo’s world leading (and largest) co-op program. While many colleges have career centers and provide resources to help students land summer internships, Waterloo makes practical work experience an integral part of their program. Students in co-op alternate between four month academic semesters and four month work terms, getting paid work experience with companies across Canada and North America. Waterloo’s reputation for computer science and software engineering means that Silicon Valley companies actively recruit Waterloo co-ops. Having the University of Waterloo on my resume was one reason I was recruited by my current employer.
To learn more about Waterloo’s co-op program I spoke with Peggy Jarvie, Associate Provost, Co-operative and Experiential Education at the University of Waterloo.
University of Waterloo Tatham Centre for Career Action
James Morehead: How did co-op get started at the University of Waterloo?
Dublin High School’s InvenTeam Wins $9,000 Lemelson-MIT Grant; Next Stop: Cambridge
DUBLIN, CA–The Dublin High School InvenTeam was recently awarded a $9,000 grant from the Lemelson-MIT Program to develop SpORT, an assistive technology device that will allow students with disabilities to participate in basketball and soccer events during the annual Tri-Valley Special Olympics. The team consists of a group of junior and senior students from the Dublin High School Engineering and Design Academy, advised by academy coordinator Eugene Chou.
I recently had the chance to catch up with the project leads after school, as the team was excitedly preparing for an upcoming visit from an MIT representative.
Neha Harpanhalli: How did the idea to start this team and create an assistive technology device, SpORT, come about?
Gagan Thapar: “This is the first time that Dublin High has had an MIT InvenTeam, or even participated in the program. Dublin High hosts the Tri-Valley Special Olympics competition, so our advisor, Ms. Chou, linked the two together: the Lemelson-MIT program, as well as Special Olympics. Dublin High Gael Force Robotics had already done a project which helped with Special Olympics basketball and soccer. We decided to build upon it and make it into a full-fledged machine. ”
Jeffrey Cho: “As a Gael Force Robotics team member, I can say our machine didn’t really have a concrete design. The machine needed to work with both soccer and basketball for Special Education students. Due to the time constraint of 2 weeks, we ended up building a quick machine with some parts that we already had. Of course, it was hard to preserve, so we’re trying to rebuild it.”
Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” Opens at Dublin High School This Thursday
DUBLIN, CA–Dublin High School Drama’s fall play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, opens this Thursday, October 26 at 7 PM in the Center for Performing Arts and Education, and runs through Sunday, October 29. This classic Shakespearean comedy follows four parallel events: the Duke of Athens’ marriage to the Amazonian Queen Hippolyta; the adventures of four Athenian lovers; a group of six amateur actors, and the fairies who inhabit the enchanted forest in which much of the play takes place.
To escape an arranged marriage, two of the lovers elope into the enchanted forest while the other pair, at odds with one another, follow in pursuit. Puck, a mischievous imp, gets involved but ultimately makes matters worse with the help of a poisoned flower. Chaos ensues when everyone’s world gets turned upside down to which Lysander laments, “The course of true love never did run smooth.”
Each performance includes “nightly perks”:
- Thurs, 10/26: food trucks
- Fri, 10/27: dinner provided by DHS Culinary Academy with the purchase of a $30 ticket
- Sat, 10/28: raffle
- Sun, 10/29: “Swag Sunday” + Family Meet and Greet
“Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind,
And therefore is winged Cupid painted blind.”
General admission is $10. For more information regarding tickets, showtimes, and nightly perks, please visit http://www.dhsdrama.com/tickets.html.
Tri-Valley Repertory Theatre’s “Bullets Over Broadway – The Musical” Opens Sat Oct 21
LIVERMORE, CA–Tri-Valley residents needing a comedic distraction should head over to Livermore’s Bankhead Theater starting this Saturday. Bullets Over Broadway The Musical is a musical comedy written by Woody Allen based on his film of the same name.
Domonic Tracy (David), Suzie Shepard (Olive), Eric Neiman (Cheech), Annmarie Martin (Helen St. Claire)
Bullets Over Broadway the Musical is filled with memorable old style musical numbers including “Up a Lazy River”, “I’m Sitting on Top of the World”, “Let’s Misbehave”, “Tain’t Nobody’s Biz-ness If I do”, “Yes, We Have No Bananas” and humor filled numbers you may not recognize (but will soon be humming) including “The Hot Dog Song” and “Here Comes the Hot Tamale Man”. The 1920s really does come “…roaring to life with showgirls, gangsters and more in this musical adaptation of Woody Allen’s madcap film.” The musical version of the Woody Allen film premiered on Broadway in 2014 and was nominated for six Tony Awards and six Drama Desk Awards, winning one for Best Costume Design. Read more…
OneDublin.org 