DUBLIN, CA–Dublin High School’s annual Senior Awards Night filled the Dublin High School Athletic Complex with students, parents, educators and members of the community. Over $4.0 million in scholarships and awards were presented to Dublin High School Class of 2017 students for their academic achievements, including over 55 merit scholarships for colleges nationwide and a U.S. Air Force ROTC Scholarship awarded to Joseph Liu and a U.S. Army ROTC Scholarship awarded to Alexi Spooner.
Dublin High School Class of 2017 Senior Heading to Columbia University
Included in the event was the traditional passing of the gavel ceremony where outgoing senior and student body president Jennifer Dyer introduced incoming student body president Liliana Ogden.
Students were recognized for academic achievements across a wide variety of subjects and interests (full list below) and one student, senior Cedric Le, received the Best Attendance Award for not missing a single day of school throughout all four years of high school. The Dublin High School Class of 2017 also featured eight National Merit Scholarship finalists and one National Merit Scholarship winner.
OneDublin.org prepared the eigth annual edition of the popular “I am Dublin High” video (see below) featuring 144 Dublin High School Class of 2017 seniors sharing their post-high school plans.
Photos and video: James Morehead and Michael Utsumi for OneDublin.org.
DUBLIN, CA–The newest school in the Dublin Unified School District has a name. At Tuesday night’s Board of Trustees meeting, the Board approved the name for the K-8 school/park site that will be opening in the fall of 2018. The school will be called Cottonwood Creek School, named for a tributary that runs near the site of the school/park in the Jordan Ranch Development. The name was approved 4-1 (Yea: Megan Rouse, Amy Miller, Dan Cunningham, Dan Cherrier; Nay: Joe Giannini). Also considered were Colina Ventosa School (Spanish for “Windy Hill”) and Virginia S. Bennett School (which would have continued the tie-in with Dublin history).
“We are excited to mark this important milestone in the process of opening our new school and park site,” said Board of Trustees President Megan Rouse. “We think this is a wonderful, distinctive name and we look forward to the next steps in the process toward opening Cottonwood Creek School for our students and community.”
Dublin Parent and Volunteer Rob Bennett Brings STEAM to Frederiksen Elementary School Students
DUBLIN, CA–Is there a way to blend the art of sculpture and geometry? Of course there is. Centuries ago, Leonardo da Vinci demonstrated the link between concepts that included architecture, mathematics, astronomy and botany. It comes as no surprise that our current educational culture is actively promoting pathways to celebrate both the sciences and the arts for all of our students.
![IMG_0837[1]](https://onedublin.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/img_08371.jpg?w=600)
One thing can be assured: The exposure to Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) are clearly emphasized in elementary school education throughout the Dublin Unified School District. This is principally because the curriculum is fairly guided for each student and can be “fixated” to ensure that a specified number of hours can be devoted to all subjects from ELA, Math, Science, the Arts and Physical Education.
DUBLIN, CA–Each month, on a Friday during lunch, the Dublin High School Career Center becomes a very different space during the lunch period. At this time, students are welcome to file in and experience a unique hour of discussion. The event is called “First Friday” and it is hosted by Math Teacher Jeff Taylor. The program started this academic year and has provided a unique platform for students to both learn about and chime in on current events.
The program was the brainchild of Mr. Taylor. Jeff graduated from Dublin High School in 1996. Jeff completed a double major in Mathematics (BA) and Education at Principia College in Elsah, IL. He later achieved a M.A. in Curriculum Development with a Math emphasis from CSU East Bay. He has been a math teacher at Dublin High School since 2000. However, it was at Principia where he was exposed to the concept of educational seminar. In this environment, the emphasis was not on a one-way lecture from a professor. Rather, the goal was to encourage active engagement and dialogue from all of those in attendance.
While he fondly remembered that experience from several years ago, it was always his hope to someday foster this experience at DHS. It finally occurred last fall. He approached the administration and presented a once a month platform for this to occur. While it would have fairly easy to offer this seminar in his own classroom, an opportunity presented itself to host these events in a more centrally located spot in the Career Center.
DUBLIN,CA–Dublin High School Class of ’99 alum Rep. Eric Swalwell (CA-15) announced the winners of his 5th annual Congressional Art Competition at a reception Saturday at the Hayward Area Historical Society.
High school students from throughout Congressman Swalwell’s East Bay district submitted dozens of paintings, drawings, collages, photographs and other works of art, which were judged by a panel of distinguished 15th District artists and business owners who exhibit art through or collaborate with the Hayward Arts Council.
The first-place winner was Zhiyi Tang of Pleasanton – a freshman at The Quarry Lane School in Dublin – for a study in pencil entitled, “Chinatown.” Zhiyi’s work will be hung in the U.S. Capitol for one year, and she will receive round-trip airfare to Washington, D.C., to attend the unveiling ceremony.
Second place was a tie. Alison Fang of San Ramon – a junior at Dougherty Valley High School in San Ramon – was recognized for an oil-on-canvas work entitled, “Quiescence in Pink.” And Sophie Fu of Pleasanton – a senior at Amador Valley High School in Pleasanton – was recognized for a pastel composition entitled, “The Self Contained.”
The third-place certificate was awarded to Tiffany Deng of San Ramon – a junior at Doughtery Valley High School in San Ramon – for an oil painting entitled, “Palace of Fine Arts.”
Alison’s, Sophie’s, and Tiffany’s works will be displayed in Rep. Swalwell’s district office in Castro Valley.
“Our 15th District is blessed with many gifted young artists, but even among the almost five dozen excellent entries we received this year, these four works of art demonstrated exceptional talent, thoughtfulness, and vision,” Rep. Swalwell said. “I’m so glad to be able to share these amazing works at the Capitol and in my office.”
The Congressional Art Competition began in 1982 to provide an opportunity for Members of Congress to encourage and recognize the artistic talents of their young constituents. Since then, more than 650,000 high school students have been involved with the nationwide competition.
Dublin High School Gaels Alum Helping Gaels: Building an Insider College Tour Guide Network
During my college application process, I glanced at each school’s website before deciding whether or not to apply. While looking at University of California schools, I took one look at UC Irvine’s website and decided I was not going to apply there. I judged the entire school based on the few poorly selected pictures I saw. The school website has since been updated, but the pictures I saw were of bland colors and boring buildings.
Despite my initial impression of UC Irvine, I decided I would apply. As many of my Dublin High School fellow alums know, I now attend UC Irvine as an Education Sciences Major and am learning to love my campus.
Why am I talking about my initial impression? I want Dublin High School Alumni that are currently in college to help our fellow Gaels see what our campuses have to offer. I know schools offer a general walking tour, which I do recommend, but to be able to have an insider look and hear personal experiences can truly help influence one’s final decision. I want future college students to know as much as they can about schools before they commit.
Pacific Coast Repertory Theatre Production of “Evita” Opens at the Firehouse Arts Center in Pleasanton
Pleasanton, CA–Pacific Coast Repertory Theatre production of the Tony Award winning musical Evita with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice opened tonight at the Firehouse Arts Center in Pleasanton. The show will run through May 14, 2017: Fridays, 5/5 & 5/12 at 8pm; Saturdays, 4/29 & 5/6 & 5/13 at 8pm; Saturday matinees, 5/6 and 5/13 at 2pm; and Sunday matinees 4/30, 5/7, & 5/14 at 2pm. Tickets are $19-$40 each, and are available at the Firehouse Arts Center Box Office, by phone at (925) 931-4848, or online at www.pcrtproductions.org or www.firehousearts.org.
Argentina’s controversial First Lady is the subject of this dynamic musical masterpiece. As an illegitimate fifteen year old, Eva escaped her dirt-poor existence for the bright lights of Buenos Aires. Driven by ambition and blessed with charisma, she was a starlet at twenty-two, the president’s mistress at twenty-four, First Lady at twenty-seven, and dead at thirty-three. Eva Peron ‘saint to the working-class, reviled by the aristocracy and mistrusted by the military’ was destined to leave a fascinating political legacy unique in the 20th century. Told through a compelling score that fuses haunting chorales with exuberant Latin, pop and jazz influences, Evita creates an arresting theatrical portrait as complex as the woman herself. Unforgettable songs include Don’t Cry for Me Argentina, What’s New Buenos Aires, High Flying Adored and Another Suitcase in Another Hall.
Dublin High School Video Production Team Partners with Amador Valley to Capture “Every 15 Minutes”
PLEASANTON, CA–It was an overcast Thursday morning in Pleasanton. But, frankly, it could have been any day of the week. The serenity of a Tri-Valley moment was suddenly shattered by the gruesome sound of a car collision and the associated horror of vehicular casualties. Fortunately, this articulation was not real and was created by a cooperative between the Pleasanton Police Department, Amador Valley High School and a small team of talented students from Dublin High School. In a scene that looked all too authentic, the junior and senior classes of AVHS witnessed Day One of the program “Every 15 Minutes” just outside the grounds of their school site.
Dublin High School Class of ’14 Alum Ioannis Kournoutas Wins $10,000 for Student Project
DUBLIN, CA–Dublin High School class of 14’ alumnus Ioannis Kournoutas, who studies at University of California, Davis, was awarded a $10,000 scholarship for a student project.
The scholarship comes from the Donald A. Strauss Public Service Scholarship Foundation, which annually awards as many as fifteen $10,000 scholarships to top California college sophomores and juniors with proposed public-service projects. Kournoutas was awarded along with another UC Davis student, Sina Zarandi.
Both will work on a project titled “Inspire to Aspire,” which is a mentorship program designed to help at-risk high school students in underprivileged parts of the greater Sacramento area. Working in conjunction with psychologists Philip Zimbardo of Stanford, and other renowned professors, they aim to provide the counsel and support required to allow the students to reach their full potential.
Commenting on the projects, Kournoutas stated: Read more…
DUBLIN, CA–This past weekend, in the heart of Silicon Valley, present and future STEM enthusiasts took to the streets to March for Science. It is timely, therefore, that on Tuesday night the Dublin Unified School District Board of Trustees will make a critical decision that will impact hundreds of Dublin STEM students in the years ahead. Trustees will be reviewing the scope and budget of a new Science and Engineering Building at Dublin High School. This is a critical decision because insufficient lab science capacity at Dublin High School is already a crisis for Dublin’s STEM students.
At a time when our country is not producing sufficient STEM students to meet the demand of technology companies we should be doing everything possible to enable our students to pursue STEM careers. According to a U.S. News / Raytheon study published May 2016, “STEM jobs have increased much faster than overall employment: 28 percent since 2000 compared to 6 percent for all jobs” and “the U.S. will be dependent on foreign workers to fill future STEM jobs”.
Rapid housing growth has left parents, students and educators across Dublin impacted by an overloaded school system. One of those impacts has been insufficient lab space at Dublin High School for engineering, biomedical and science students. As a result, enrollment in the engineering and biomedical academies has been capped and hundreds of students have been turned away from the lab science classes they will need to succeed in college. My wife and I first learned of this issue over a year ago when we learned of the lab science shortage during a routine meeting with our younger daughter’s guidance counselor. We were speechless – and I’ve spoken with teachers who have had students in tears after learning there is not space for them in the science classes they need. Students, educators and parents are all on the losing end of a preventable problem. Read more…
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