DHS Entrepreneur Competition 1st Place Project
On the same night that the basketball Golden State Warriors hosted Game 1 of their NBA Final series in Oakland, another group of Dublin High School “champions” were displaying and pitching their own scientific innovations. It occurred on Thursday and the event was titled the Dublin High School Engineering & Design Academy Entrepreneur Competition & Showcase. For the third consecutive year, the objective was to feature students that had two weeks to develop/deliver concepts that would not only address a current day problem, but to challenge them to ensure that this idea would be marketable in today’s economy.
As a first-time observer to this event, it was a fascinating evening. Students were encouraged to work in groups or they would be allowed to work alone. They are all aspiring students enrolled in classes led by Eugene Chou, Dave Uken and Katina Lewis. While the students have been aware of the end of year competition, the actual event has been reserved for the last few weeks of the academic calendar. Mr. Uken explained to us that this was done by intent as it takes almost a full year for the students to understand engineering concepts and for them to be able to be put them into practical terms. Thus, the student teams were given a two week period to develop a concept, refine it and to ensure that it could become a marketable idea.
The night was remarkable – perhaps resembling a Science Fair 2.0. Of the close to 40 concepts that were submitted, 11 of them were granted the opportunity to provide a live presentation with accompanying ppt. slides. Further, a panel of 10 industry judges were present to observe the pitches and then to participate in a Q & A session. Upon completion of the presentations, the judges convened in private to discuss the merits of the finalists and then to determine the final award winners.
Regardless of outcome, we observed many inventive prospects. Some of these included: A Drop Clock which would force an over-sleeper to capture an item before a clock alarm could be suspended, or the School Box, which is an all-in-one device that can house all necessary tools to function while at school and to HelpMe! an online application that can readily report the instance of bullying to proper school authorities. In sum, all of the concepts were well thought out and it created another level of thinking when one must consider that these ideas must include market-feasibility and cost relativity.
We had the opportunity to discuss this program with the D Engineering & Design Academy Coordinator, Eugene Chou. She then shared some of her insights.
Town Hall on Dublin School District Growth Packs Fallon Middle School with Parents and Passion
Monday evening at Fallon Middle School served as the time and venue for community members in East Dublin to convene with DUSD staff, the Board of Trustees and members of the District Optimization Committee (DOC). The point of the meeting had two purposes. A primary reason was for the Dublin Unified School District and the DOC to publicly share some options to effectively manage growth as enrolment continues to rise at an accelerated rate in this portion of town. The second element would allow district families to voice their opinions/concerns relative to the changes that are being proposed.
The DOC will reconvene on June 15th – for the last time in this academic calendar year. Their desire is to find consensus of a growth plan option that can then be recommended to the Board of Trustees for consideration at their June 23rd meeting. The issue is highly complex and there exists the potential push back from large members of this vicinity if a school boundary change is adopted.
At the outset, Superintendent Stephen Hanke went to great lengths to explain why the District has arrived at this point. The incredible rate of new housing construction in the last decade has appeared to outstrip facility capabilities that were approved in the Eastern Dublin General Plan of 1994. Planning and development for any potential new school is a three to four year proposition. Additionally, there is the question of paying for land and construction. While Amador Elementary School – adjacent to the Positano subdivision will open in a mere three months, it will operate at nearly 75% capacity in its first year of operation. So, with a fourth elementary school coming online for the 2015-16 academic year, the obvious impact will be felt at Fallon Middle School for years to come.
Dublin High School Alum Emily Edlund: From the University of Arizona to a Los Angeles Law Firm
Dublin High School Class of 2011 alum Emily Edlund has been profiled twice during her journey through college. We first caught up with Emily back in 2011 during her first year at the University of Arizona (she wrote for the Life in College Series – Becoming a University of Arizona Wildcat – From Dublin to Tucson). Next we spoke with Emily about her experiences in the Disney College Program (Dublin High School Alum Emily Edlund Finds Magic in the Disney College Program). Now we close the loop: Emily recently graduated from the University of Arizona with a degree in Political Science and Government, and secured a full-time position with a prestigious law firm in Los Angeles, to start her post-college “real world” journey.
OneDublin.org: How did you manage to graduate on time while spending eight months in the Disney College Program?
Emily Edlund: “I took six classes per semester, as well as summer classes, which allowed me to take a semester off and still graduate on time. I also took two online classes while in the Disney College Program in Walt Disney World. I kept in contact with my advisor which helped a lot; he was awesome and made sure I knew what I had to do in order to graduate on time.”
OneDublin.org: Did you hit a wall at any point, where you’d had enough of school?
Edlund: “That’s why I went to Disney! At the end of my sophomore year I was done. I’m the type of person that’s adventurous, and after two years in Tucson I was ready for something new. The Disney College Program was a refreshing experience, a new city, new people, along with time off from writing papers and taking exams.
“When I went back to school I was a new person, I was refreshed and excited to go back to school. I was on the Dean’s List after returning from Disney and was on the Dean’s List again this semester. Disney sets a really high bar for the work they expect and that experience helped me when I returned to school and in securing my first full-time job. The Disney expectation of quality definitely had an impact on my school work in my junior and senior years of college.”
Assemblywoman Catherine Baker and DPIE Recognize Dublin High School Students Promoting Composting
With the blizzard of activities occurring at the end of the academic school year, it might be easy to miss a small, yet very powerful event. On Friday, a few luminaries, students and members of the Dublin Partners in Education (DPIE) convened at the Teacher Lounge adjacent in the Dublin High School Student Union.
The purpose was to recognize students that had received high achievement in a Poster Contest under the theme of “Be Loyal to Your Soil – Compost.” This competition represented a collaboration that included DPIE, Stop Waste, Amador Valley Industries and 16th District Representative Catharine Baker. Their intent was to place a spotlight on the importance of composting and to allow the Dublin High students to present a visual representation of what this movement means to them. A rating system was devised to measure elements such as Marketability, Creativity and Overall Impact.
As the students filed into the lounge, they were also joined by City Council Member Don Biddle, DUSD Board President Amy Miller, Representative Baker, DPIE Executive Director Susan Campbell and other members of the DPIE board. One by one, each student was provided an opportunity to speak about their artistic inspiration:
Dublin High School Alum Vivian Huang: Graduating San Diego State University and Entering the Real World
DHS Alum Vivian Huang
Dublin High School Class of 2011 and San Diego State University Class of 2014 alum Vivian Huang shares her story as the latest entry in OneDublin.org’s Life After College Series. Vivian managed to graduate early, land multiple internships and a job after graduating, while enjoying a full college experience.
OneDublin.org: What led you to select San Diego State University for college? What is life like going to school in San Diego?
Vivian Huang: “Originally, my plan was to go out of state for school. But at 18, despite wanting independence and freedom, I came to realize that I wasn’t completely ready to be thousands of miles away from family, specifically my younger sister, whom I’m very close with.
“Once I decided to stay in California for school, the decision was easy. San Diego was the perfect culmination of great weather, beaches and academics. Plus, it was far enough for me to embark on my journey of self-discovery but close enough for me to go home on a whim. Between UCSD and SDSU, I ended up choosing SDSU because they offered a broader range of studies and I wanted to have a fully immersive educational experience.”
OneDublin.org: There are many stories of students who struggle to complete their degrees in four years. What advice do you have to stay on track?
Huang: “Like most things in life, it’s important to go to college with a plan. I’m lucky, I guess, to have always been a little obsessive compulsive when it comes to organizing my life. I went into school determined to graduate in just 3 years so that I could have ample time getting some work experience in before applying to grad school. In order to achieve this goal, I mapped out my semesters over the course of 3 years and adjusted as needed.
“While it’s unrealistic for everyone to be that prepared, it’s still good to have a general idea of what classes you want to take and when they are offered. For students going in undeclared, you can still plan out your GE schedules and pre-rec’s. For students who have trouble getting the classes that they need, become an expert at crashing courses. Email the professor early or talk to them after class. Show up every day because people are guaranteed to drop courses within the first couples of weeks.
“Contrary to popular belief, it’s definitely possible to graduate early or on time and still have a thriving social life and college experience.”
Dublin High Student Filmmakers
The Center for the Performing Arts & Education was filled beyond capacity on Wednesday evening as the first annual 2015 Dublin High School Film Festival was screened before a wildly enthusiastic crowd. After the 500-seat theatre filled to capacity, additional moviegoers were re-directed to watch the production from the adjacent Green Room.
This is a tremendous accomplishment achieved by Video Production instructor Michael D’Ambrosio. This first-year program has generated a tremendous amount of momentum that will carry over into the 2015-16 academic year with the addition of an Advanced Video Production course. In addition to showing the “Best of the Video Bulletins” from this year, four original student directed films were screened to an enthusiastic audience.
The evening opening with a personal and moving perspective on depression through the first person stories of local teens and their battles with the disease. Two students followed with an uplifting film that provided their perspective on being kind – including surprising complete strangers with gifts and goodwill. A shift into fiction followed with the tale of a teen suffering from hallucinations that take him to harrowing climax. The final film was a moving documentary capturing Dublin teen Camille Chabot’s battle against Hodgkins Lymphoma, crafted by her sister Juliette.
Photo credit: Dublin Shield
Earlier this year, juniors and seniors had the opportunity to apply to be freshman mentors for Dublin High School’s first ever, Freshman Mentor Program (FMP). For those of you who aren’t familiar with FMP, FMP is a 24-minute period at the beginning of lunch, during which freshmen head to their assigned teachers and engage in activities with their mentors, which consist of upperclassmen. FMP was started by Dublin High staff Ms. Angel-Diaz and Ms. Byrne, and is held Monday through Thursday.
According to the FMP website, “The Freshman Mentor Program provides each freshman with a supportive environment that helps ease their adjustment from middle school to high school.” Freshmen are placed in “an ongoing orientation that includes information about school policies, procedures and programs, academic and social counseling and relationship building through upperclassmen mentors.”
I really wanted to apply, but finally decided against it in fear that college applications plus FMP mentoring would make me too stressed. However, curiosity finally got the better of me. What went on in FMP? What were all my friends doing during the FMP period as I did homework in the library? Was FMP fun? Was it hard? What was FMP?
I decided to visit two FMPs to find out exactly what happened. And after spending over a week in these sessions, I really regret not signing up to be a mentor when I still had the chance.
Dublin High School Alum Kaylee Moser Discovers Computer Science and Silicon Valley Success
Kaylee Moser
OneDublin.org: When sparked your interest in computer science?
Kaylee Moser: “My interest started in college. I was really into filmmaking in high school and was actually a film major for my first year and a half of college. I decided to switch into computer science when I started doing a lot of editing, 3D animation and visual effects. I realized how much I missed math when I began using the software that editors use, and learning more about the math behind the software. Even though I thought I hated math in high school, I really missed math in college! I left the 4-year college I was attending and enrolled in Chabot Community College for one semester where I took a Python course, and loved it – the logic that was involved, the challenging fun of the course, and the feeling of making things with code. And from that point out I was a computer science major and ultimately graduated from Santa Clara University.”
Dublin High School Student Filmmakers
Another available course will be Advanced Video Production led by Michael D’Ambrosio. It will be available to students that have successfully completed the introductory Video Production class taught in this current year. We share this nugget as Dublin High School will host its first Film Festival – A Night on the Red Carpet on Wednesday, May 27th at 7:00 PM in the Center for Performing Arts & Education.
OneDublin.org previously posted a story on this first year program. The progress of this initiative was largely due to the efforts of Mr. D’Ambrosio. In turn, his students have responded with great enthusiasm. At the start of the academic year, he challenged his students with the prospect of completing a project that was worthy of screening at a DHS film festival. Throughout the year, they have been tasked with certain timelines/deliverables. Approximately 15 completed video pieces that involved about 40 students were submitted for consideration. Ultimately, the end result will be a representation of all of the students’ efforts and a celebration of this burgeoning program.
Difference Maker Michelle McDonald
Throughout this series, it has been our goal to shine a light on a myriad of adult volunteers that have made significant contributions at their respective schools and to the efforts of the Dublin Unified School District. As we move this project towards its conclusion, we are pleased to devote a post that will focus on a singular force of nature, Michelle McDonald.
All of our featured Difference Makers are making significant and relevant contributions to their respective school sites. However, it is somewhat unusual to meet an individual that has virtually “done it all” throughout her 15 year tenure as a parent volunteer. She and her husband, Jerry, have raised two children that have traversed through the DUSD ladder – Annie is presently matriculating through Santa Clara University (and was featured in a Life in College article) and Matthew is a current Dublin High School senior that will advance to Linfield College in Oregon. For those that may be unfamiliar, their family’s contributions to the advancement of this school district cannot be completely summarized or simply articulated.
Ms. McDonald attained a B.A. in Journalism and Mass Communications from San Jose State University. Subsequently, she was able to match her passion for sports and journalism and over time has worked as a Writer for the Oakland Tribune, the San Francisco Examiner and the San Francisco Chronicle. The latter assignment featured a focus on the Stanford Women’s Basketball beat that followed the Lady Cardinal through much of their NCAA successes. Since 2011, she has been a Contributing Writer to espnW.com – frequently reporting on global women’s sports. Read more…
OneDublin.org 