Senior Camille Chabot: “We are not here to receive anything, we are here to reflect … and share Gael stories of pride, challenge, success and disappointment.” So began the Dublin High School Class of 2013 baccalaureate, an annual event that brings together seniors, educators, parents and extended family members to share in a very personal series of memories before the pageantry of commencement.
Despite the 100-degree heat (and a lack of air conditioning in the Dublin High Sports Complex), the rows of seniors, sharp in their commencement robes, and family members behind them filling the stands, sat in rapt attention to the speakers, performers and slide show of memories. Both students and their parents shared in the tears and laughter of this wonderful event.
Senior class president Randi Nguyen and vice president Hillary Santuya: “Whether we’re going away or staying home, we all fear the unknown. We are terrified to be going on our separate ways, so we’re trying to make memories that never fade. We know nothing will ever be the same, yet this is a day we’ve all been preparing for, since the day we walked through the first classroom door. Now it’s time to say goodbye, spread your wings, you’re ready to fly. Shed a tear and share a smile, and be sure to remember all the while, that although it may be time to move on, today’s memories will last you all life long.”
In an event that had so many highlights, including a beautiful rendering of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” by senior Norita Saha, and a collage of thank you’s from teachers presented by class advisor and teacher Jennifer McCort, nothing was more powerful than the keynote speech delivered by Dublin High School teacher Ron Rubio. Introduced by his son, and outgoing student body president Manuel, Ron Rubio’s speech masterfully balanced a message to the graduating seniors and a shared empathy with their parents.
Ron Rubio to the Class of 2013 seniors: “This time of year can be a very tough for your parents. I know what I’m talking about, this is my second kid graduating through Dublin High School. This is very tough on your parents – it was just a blink of an eye when you were a small child. They turned around for a minute, and now you’re here. When you were little and you came home you’d run and throw your arms around your parents, and squeeze them, and tell them you loved them, and couldn’t wait to see them, crawled into their laps, held their hands, hugged them.
“Now when they try to talk to you, you act bored, you roll your eyes and get dismissive. So these next few days be nice to your parents. When they want to hug you, hug them back. When they want to take the extra picture, and get a little misty-eyed, be nice to them, and let them do it.”
The Dublin High School Engineering and Design Academy is expanding for the 2013-14 school year. Based on the success of the program so far, Dublin High School was selected by Project Lead the Way (one of 46 out of 116 applicants) to pilot the new Computer Science & Software Engineering (CSSE) class. Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM) is also be added to the curriculum. In the future, Dublin High School may also build a dedicated building for the Engineering and Design Academy with funding provided by the most recent voter-approved bond measure.
At last week’s Dublin Unified School District (DUSD) Board of Trustees meeting, the Engineering and Design Academy, along with representatives from the Dublin High School Gael Force Robotics Club, had a chance to talk about the program and show off their VEX robotics skills. In addition to presentations by Dublin High administration and Engineering Academy teachers, several students commented on how the program has positively impacted their high school experience (see their complete comments and a robotics demonstration in the video later in this article):
“I enrolled in the [Introduction to Engineering Design] class year because I had never taken an engineering course or anything like it before, and it looked like it would be a fun class. I was right – right now it is one of my favorite courses in my entire high school career.”
“I’m currently enrolled in Principles of Engineering. The engineering program in our school is one of the most engaging programs we offer. As part of our Principles of Engineering class we learn skills such as creative thinking and time management in a real world setting.”
“This is my third year in the Engineering Academy. In my freshman year I took Principles of Engineering and in my sophomore year I took Introduction to Engineering Design, and this year I’m taking the new Digital Electronics class. This class has really sparked an interest in electronics within me. People in our class are really interested in what we learn, and I’m sure many of us will end up in an engineering field. I’m really excited about the classes that are coming next year!”
Video of the Student Presentations and Robotics Demonstration
New Dublin High Engineering Academy Course Descriptions
Dublin High School’s annual Senior Awards Night filled the Dublin High Student Union with students, parents, educators and members of the community. More than $2,400,000 in scholarships and awards were presented to Dublin High School Class of 2013 students for their academic achievements, including over 30 merit scholarships for colleges nationwide.
Included in the event was the traditional passing of the gavel ceremony where outgoing senior and student body president Manuel Rubio (attending Oklahoma State University on a scholarship) introduced incoming student body president Luke Legins.
Valedictorian Malina Jiang
The Dublin High School Class of 2013 Valedictorian Malina Jiang was named a National Merit Scholarship Finalist, among multiple awards, and is attending Stanford University. Among the many seniors winning awards, Steven Choi was recognized with a special presentation by a representative of the Air Force Academy. Over 12,000 applicants competed for a position in the Academy and less than 10% were accepted.
OneDublin.org prepared the fourth annual edition of the popular “I am Dublin High” video (see below) featuring 85 Dublin High School Class of 2013 seniors sharing their post-high school plans (in under 6 minutes). The full list of colleges that offered admission to Dublin High Class of 2013 seniors, which includes Stanford, Brown, Duke, Purdue, US Air Force Academy, every University of California (UC), every CSU campus and many more is available here.
Dublin High Senior Awards Night 2013 Full Results
The stars were out last Thursday evening. These were not just the constellations visible on a clear night. They also included nearly 100 Dublin Unified School District (DUSD) students that were being honored at the new Dublin High School Student Union for their persistent contributions towards fostering positive characteristics to their respective school sites. It was a night of recognition and celebration and OneDublin.org was pleased to report on this positive event.
Established in 2006, the Dublin Integrity in Action movement was formed by a collaboration between the City of Dublin and the Dublin Unified School District. The premise was that the development of a young citizen should not be confined solely to academics. Rather, the “whole child” should also embrace character traits that would positively impact not only themselves, but to their community, as well. The traits are specific. They include being: Respectful, Responsible, Caring, Giving, a Positive Attitude, Trustworthy, Cooperative, to do My Best, Honesty and Self-Discipline. While these are high standards, scores of our students exhibit these characteristics each and every day.
Both moving and entertaining, the fourth annual Jazzin’ for a Cure event raised over $2,800. Rivalries were set aside Friday night as Fallon Middle School (Music Director Lee Carpenter), Wells Middle School (Music Director Erik Bertleson), Dougherty Valley High School (Music Director Teri Musiel), Foothill High School (Music Director Josh Butterfield) and Dublin High School (Music Director Paul Everts) teamed up to entertain a full house at the Shannon Community Center.
As has been the case every year, when organizer Paul Everts asked if anyone in the audience had been affected by or knew someone who had been affected by cancer, nearly every hand went up. During the Dublin High School Jazz Band set, the importance of cancer research was reinforced when a freshman member of the band surprised his mother, who is battling breast cancer, with a solo. Their embrace following the performance brought the audience to tears.
Participating in middle and high school music programs isn’t just fun and rewarding, it’s also an advantage down the road when applying to and succeeding in college. According to data from Purdue University, Purdue’s band and orchestra participants earned a higher collective GPA than all undergraduate students at Purdue. Purdue’s band participants also earned a higher average number of credits per semester. And SAT / ACT scores (both math and verbal) are higher for Purdue band students than the average scores for all students.
OneDublin.org captured video and photographs from this year’s event (below). If you are inspired by these student performances, consider donating to the ALS Association or the American Cancer Society. Jazzin’ for a Cure returns next year on May 19, 2014, and will be held in the new Dublin High School Center for Performing Arts and Education (which opens winter 2014). The new theatre will also enabling live streaming over the Internet for those unable to attend, with the goal being to expand the fundraising potential of the event.
Despite rising tuition costs and fiercely competitive entrance criteria for colleges nationwide, Dublin High School‘s Class of 2013 seniors have been rewarded with acceptance letters and emails.
A complete list of colleges acceptance Dublin High School seniors is listed below, including Stanford, Brown, Duke, Purdue, US Air Force Academy, every University of California (UC), every CSU campus and many more. The success of this year’s graduating class builds on the achievements of the Dublin High Class of 2012 (last year’s Dublin High School college acceptance results are available here).
In addition, eleven seniors in Dublin High School’s Class of 2013 have chosen to serve their country by enlisting in the military, along with one graduate that is pursuing a religious and several students entering vocational schools or entering the workforce.
Twenty-five Dublin High School alumni have contributed articles to OneDublin.org’s Life in College series. This unique series of articles by former Dublin High School students covers life at colleges across the country including Harvard, Stanford, Columbia / JTS, UC Berkeley, Chapman UC Davis, UCLA, UCSD, West Point, St. Mary’s, Pace, University of Chicago, UNR, Santa Clara, University of Arizona, Carroll College, Hamline University, Penn State, Sonoma State, Syracuse, and Santa Barbara City College.
Dublin High School Class of 2013 students are also taking advantage of cost-effective Community College Transfer Programs into 4-year colleges. According to Dublin High School Counseling, 97% of Dublin High School students destined for a local community college are intending to transfer into a 4-year college for their junior year. More information on Community College Transfer Programs is available here.
All told 97.9% of the Dublin High School Class of 2013 reported plans to attend college this Fall. Dublin High School was recently awarded a Silver Medal in the U.S. News and World Report Best High Schools report, was again included in Newsweek’s list of America’s Best High Schools and received a statewide rank of 10 (out of 10) and a similar schools rank of 10 (out of 10) from the California Department of Education for its 2012 API of 880 (full results available here).
Congratulations Dublin High School Class of 2013 and good luck on your finals!
The full list of colleges that extended offers of admission to Dublin High School Class of 2013 seniors is provided below (source: Dublin High School Counseling’s Senior Exit Survey 2013):
Read more…
Governor Jerry Brown is proposing to overhaul California school funding laws. His proposal, the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF), would significantly increase funding to school districts with large numbers of low-income and English learner students and fix the historical anomalies and inequities in which districts with similar students have been funded at sometimes vastly different amounts. The Governor’s interest to ensure disadvantaged youth are adequately funded has merit. However, the LCFF as proposed needs to be strengthened to ensure every public school in California receives the funding necessary to provide a high quality education to every student.
The most significant issue facing the Dublin Unified School District is that LCFF does not fully fund enrollment growth. The new funding model makes a major change in how growth is funded, departing from the historical basis of allocating funds on a per average daily attendance (ADA) basis. The Governor’s proposed model instead allocates funds based on total funding levels – an approach that, when implemented will deprive all growing districts of sufficient funds to maintain programs. DUSD is projecting 599 more ADA in 2013-14, but will only receive additional revenue limit funding of $957,955. This significantly underfunds the district’s ability to hire the new teachers needed for these students or support the current salary schedules increases needed by over $600,000. Created to help achieve equity for students, ironically, the LCFF as proposed will cause inequity to children who are served by growing suburban school districts, like Dublin. The LCFF may severely compromise our ability to provide 21st century learning for every Dublin student.
School Services projects that this downward trend for Dublin will continue until full implementation in 2019-20. If the Governor’s current LCFF proposal is implemented, the District will utilize all reserves in 2013-2014, and will need to begin reductions in 2014-2015. Additional reductions will need to be made each year under this formula.
While we agree with the intent of the LCFF, we believe that it can be strengthened and that adjustments need to be made. A key element of change lies in the need to fully fund growth in enrollment for our district. We also believe the LCFF should provide adequate base funding and an annual Cost of Living Adjustment. Further, it should be delayed until these issues have been thoroughly reviewed.
We urge the Governor and the State Legislature to consider these critical factors before passing this historic legislation. The impact will be felt for decades to come.
In order to get our message out to the Governor and our State Legislators please take a moment to take action as summarized below.
Take Action!
Hunger. It is the second resolution after finding shelter when under duress. Though unemployment claims have fallen to their lowest levels in two years, thousands of Bay Area residents combat this daily challenge for both themselves and for their families. These needs are often due to unemployment/underemployment, the high cost of living, medical bills, cuts to government programs and to other unforeseen issues.
At the same time, there are numerous “angels” living within our community that work to combat this problem. One of them is Wells Middle School 8th grader, Hailey Lampi. Ms. Lampi has been a Girl Scout for eight years and is a member of Troop 32595 in Dublin. Upon reaching the rank of Cadette, she began to contemplate a project to pursue for her Silver Award – the highest award available for a Cadette. The regulations and timeline for this are very clear. A Scout must ask herself about an issue that they truly care about. Further, with the help of an advisor, they must map out a project that would benefit the community and to build a team of helpers. The minimum investment of time into this project must equate to 50 hours.
Hailey’s issue was hunger. As a student, she had witnessed the benefits of free and reduced lunches that served some of her peers at both Frederiksen Elementary and at Wells Middle School. However, these programs do not exist during the summer months when school is not in session. She began to formulate a plan that would encourage donations through a community canned food drive in the vicinity of Frederiksen and other neighborhoods. The second portion of her concept included the organization of a “Me & My Guy Dance” at the same school that would also include non-Scouting girls. Part of the admission would be to deliver at least three food items. It’s a fascinating journey and OneDublin.org had the opportunity to visit with both Hailey and with members of the Alameda County Community Food Bank – the ultimate benefactor of this event.
OneDublin.org: When did you start the planning process for this project and how were you able to recruit help?
by Ronil Bhatia (Dublin High School Class of 2012 and UCLA freshman)
Ronil (right) and friends
Making the decision to attend UCLA for my undergraduate degree came pretty easily for me. I remember walking onto the campus, looking around at all the beautiful architecture and innately knowing this is where I would want to spend my next four years. The weather was beautiful, the people were friendly (and mostly attractive), the food was delicious – it just felt right. I have always loved the city of Los Angeles and something told me it was the place I needed to be in order to pursue my dreams to their maximum potential.
Life at UCLA is pretty great. The food is almost always ranked among the top 5 if not top 3 in studies done regarding dining at public universities throughout the country. There are good dining halls, a couple of cafes which serve different sandwiches, wraps and even personal pizzas, as well as my personal favorite, Rendezvous, a restaurant that serves a good variety of Mexican food along with Panda Express style Asian food. The weather is great throughout most of the year making it popular for students to go kick a soccer ball or relax in the pool at Sunset Recreation Center. One of the things that has made my experience at UCLA really great was getting to join the Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity the first week I got to school. Doing so allowed me to immediately surround myself with brothers who I held similar values with and jump into all the action at UCLA, from socializing with sororities to enjoying brotherhood tailgates before the big football games. One of my favorite memories since I’ve come to UCLA has to be the moment when we beat USC at the Rose Bowl and all the craziness that ensued afterwards (censored for the purposes of this article).
For a decade Dublin and Pleasanton high school students of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have sacrificed sleeping in late to meet early, before school, to plan a very special event. On Sunday May 5, at the Pleasanton Stake Center, students, educators and members of the community gathered for an evening of giving thanks to teachers. The event featured student-led presentations introducing each Crystal Apple Award-winning teacher, along with emotional thank you’s from the Dublin High School, Valley High School, Amador Valley High School and Foothill High School teachers. The Crystal Apple Awards recognize teachers who take the extra time and care to look after each of their students and help them in their school career, while also giving guidance in living a good life.
During seminary, a religious study class held early each morning before school, students are given the opportunity to nominate a teacher that has not only made learning more meaningful, but also one who fosters character values they deem important to life. The nominations are then considered by a committee comprised of students who review all nominations and then choose the recipients for the year. The emotional highlight of the event came with the recognition of retiring Amador Valley High School principal Jim Hansen. After four decades of service to students in Dublin and Pleasanton, Mr. Hansen fought off tears during his speech and was rewarded with both a Crystal Apple Award and a standing ovation.
The Crystal Apple Award recipients for 2013 are:
- Amador Valley High School (Pleasanton) – Tom Hall and Jon Grantham
- Dublin High School (Dublin) – Lisa Carhart and Kelly Beck
- Foothill High School (Pleasanton) – Chris Jones and Michael Leitz
- Valley High School (Dublin) – Laurie Sargent
- Special presentations to retiring Amador Valley High School principal Jim Hansen and Foothill High School principal John Dwyer (who is taking over as principal at Lynbrook High School)
OneDublin.org 