By: Katherine Utsumi, Girl Scout Leader Troop 32595
Eight years ago this month I made one of the best decisions of my life. This decision would help eight young girls become the incredible middle schoolers they are today, as well as help establish friendships which will last a lifetime. In September 2005 my daughter Karyn, then a first grader at Frederiksen Elementary School, came home with a flyer and announced, “Mom, I want to be a Girl Scout.” I was not a Girl Scout growing up so had little to no knowledge of the organization. However, there was no harm in attending the informational meeting so I marked my calendar. The last words my husband spoke to me as I headed out to hear what Girl Scouts had to offer were, “Don’t volunteer to be a leader!” Two hours later I entered our home with a sheepish grin and announced that I was the new co-leader of a Brownie Girl Scout troop which was eight girls strong. Troop 32595 was born and today they are 8th grade Cadettes.
Our troop’s journey is not unique, but our story is one we hope will inspire other girls and families to consider Girl Scouts. As my girls enter their last year at Wells Middle School, we have five of the original members and continue to be eight girls strong. Sadly some members moved away, while others had to make a decision between Girl Scouts and other extracurricular activities. Two of our current members joined us when they moved to Dublin in third and fourth grade and were looking for a way to meet new friends. Our latest member joined us when she transferred to Wells Middle School last year. The activities, interests and personalities of the girls in our troop are diverse; however, Girl Scouts is their commonality. They consider themselves Girl Scout sisters and are always there to support each other, as well as their fellow Girl Scouts.
Surviving and Thriving in Middle School – Advice from a Fallon Graduate
by Nick Padnos (Dublin High School Class of 2016 and Fallon Middle School Class of 2012 graduate)
Almost three years ago to the day, I entered Fallon Middle School as a nervous sixth grade student. The lockers, changing classes, PE everyday and the thought of upper classman were overwhelming and intimidating. After my first day, I was not sure if I would make it out in one piece. As the days went by, however, it dawned on me that in order to be successful, I had to take control of my middle school experience. I knew middle school would not be easy, but when I thought about it, most things in life are not easy. Looking back, I wouldn’t trade my Fallon Middle School experience for anything.
As I embark upon life as a Dublin High student, I thought it would be helpful to incoming and existing middle school students to share a few pieces of advice. If there’s one thing I was told early on in middle school, that I still remember and am taking with me to Dublin High, it was to get involved in school. So that is exactly what I did. Of course, academics should always be the first priority. Stay on top of your work, keep your assignments organized, plan ahead, and refrain from procrastination. Trust me, I learned this lesson the hard way. I remember the late nights spent working on homework, with my mother scolding me with the same lecture I’m explaining to you now, but I really think she just wanted me to go to bed so she could watch the Housewives of New Jersey. Another academic piece of advice is to always treat your teachers with respect. You’ll be amazed how much better that makes the caliber of interaction between you and your teachers.
Dublin High School football games in Gaels Stadium have become meeting places for the community – combining competitive football, music (courtesy of the Dublin High Irish Guard Band), cheer (courtesy of the Dublin High Cheerleading Team) and BBQ treats (courtesy of the many parent volunteers working each game). Most popular of all is the annual Homecoming Game which will be held on Friday October 12.
For your convenience, below is the remainder of the 2012 Dublin High School football schedule for the freshman, JV and varsity teams. The season, already started, has already showcased several exciting wins. Home games are held in the Dublin High School Gaels Stadium – and remember to bring cash both for the gate fee, refreshments and class fundraisers.
Dublin High School football games are fun for all ages as many families have children attending Dublin High and an elementary or middle school. You are pretty much guaranteed to run into a friend or neighbor on game night!
If football isn’t your preference, check out www.dublinhighathletics.com for information regarding the many athletic programs at Dublin High and game dates / times.
Dublin High School 2012 JV / Varsity Football Schedule
| Date | Day | Opponent | Location | Junior Varsity | Varsity |
| 8/31 | Friday | Benicia | Benicia | 4:30pm | 7:00pm |
| 9/7 | Friday | Amador Valley | Dublin | 4:30pm | 7:00pm |
| 9/15 | Saturday | Fresno | Dublin | 4:00pm | 7:00pm |
| 9/21 | Friday | Miramonte | Dublin | 4:30pm | 7:00pm |
| 9/28 | Friday | Dougherty | Dougherty | 4:30pm | 7:00pm |
| 10/5 | Friday | Las Lomas | Las Lomas | 4:30pm | 7:00pm |
| 10/12 | Friday | Alhambra | Dublin | 4:30pm | 7:00pm |
| 10/19 | Friday | Acalanes | Acalanes | 4:30pm | 7:00pm |
| 11/2 | Friday | Campo | Dublin | 4:30pm | 7:00pm |
| 11/9-10 | Friday/Sat | NCS 1st Round | TBA | ||
| 11/16 | Friday/Sat | NCS 2nd Round | TBA | ||
| 11/23 | Friday/Sat | NCS Semi-Finals | TBA |
Dublin High School 2012 Freshman Football Schedule
| Date | Day | Opponent | Location | Freshman |
| 9/6 | Thursday | Amador | Amador | 5:30pm |
| 9/15 | Saturday | Fresno | Dublin | 1:00pm |
| 9/20 | Thursday | Miramonte | Miramonte | 5:00pm |
| 9/27 | Thursday | Dougherty | Dublin | 5:00pm |
| 10/4 | Thursday | Las Lomas | Dublin | 5:00pm |
| 10/11 | Thursday | Alhambra | Alhambra | 5:00pm |
| 10/18 | Thursday | Acalanes | Dublin | 5:00pm |
| 11/1 | Thursday | Campo | Campo | 5:00pm |
Alamo author Diane Lang showcases her love for nature in an unusual way with her first children’s book, “Vulture Verses – Love Poems for the Unloved”. Drawing from her experiences as a nature educator at the Lindsay Wildlife Museum in Walnut Creek and Sulphur Creek Nature Center in Hayward, Ms. Lang showcases the valuable role stereotypically “unloved” creatures play in our ecosystem. Illustrator Lauren Gallegos brilliantly captures the spirit of Ms. Lang’s poetry making this an excellent choice for any beginning reader.
OneDublin.org: Your book “Vulture Verses” benefits greatly from the beautiful and playfully macabre illustrations by Lauren Gallegos. Have you worked with Ms. Gallegos previously?
Diane Lang: “We were so lucky that Lauren found us. Somehow she had heard that Prospect Park was doing a picture book (the first children’s book for this publisher) and asked Colleen Bates, the publisher, if she could come and show her portfolio. I happened to be there at the time, and we loved her work. We all talked about trying for a balance of realism (we didn’t want cartoon animals) and a little more warmth and approachability. I think Lauren got it just right.
“Working with her was very enjoyable. I was delighted with each sketch that she sent us, but I felt a little bad about not having given her enough information in a few cases. I had forgotten to mention that I only wanted to picture animals of North America (those that the probable readers would be most familiar with), so she had to make a green snake brown, and wasn’t able to draw the large fruit bats (‘flying foxes’) that she was hoping to. There were a few other similar changes, but she was a great sport about it and said she enjoyed learning more about each animal.”
OneDublin.org: What sparked your interest in animals, and more specifically misunderstood creatures?
David Haubert has served Dublin students on the Dublin Unified School District Board of Trustees for the past ten years. This Fall, Mr. Haubert is running for an open seat on Dublin’s City Council. OneDublin.org recently met with Mr. Haubert to learn more about his time on the school board, and how the City of Dublin and the Dublin Unified School District could work more closely together. Mr. Haubert is currently two years into a four-year term on the school board. If Mr. Haubert is successful in the election this Fall, an interim appointment will be made to fill his seat on the school board.
OneDublin.org: Looking back on your ten years as a school board trustee, what are you most proud of?
David Haubert: “There are three areas I’d like to highlight. Dublin Unified is one of very few districts in the state of California that has increased test scores in each of the last eight years in which district-wide test scores have been tracked. We are one of very few districts in the state with a perfect record. I’m extremely proud of that.
“I’m proud of how we have provided not only better curriculum but better facilities for our students.
“Finally I’m extremely proud of the creative and out-of-the-box thinking I’ve been able to bring to the school board. For example, Dublin High School’s Advanced Scholar Diploma, which is modeled after the Regents Diploma in New York State, sets the bar at which students should reasonably be expected to be admitted into a 4-year university of their choice. Dublin is leading by having the Advanced Scholar Diploma and I expect more school districts in the state to follow our lead.
“Those three things – eight years in a row of positive test score growth, improving curriculum and facilities, and thinking out of the box to bring in improvements such as the Dublin High Advanced Scholar Diploma – are accomplishments that stand out.”
OneDublin.org: Your oldest daughter just headed off to Chapman University after graduating from Dublin High with the Class of 2012, and your two younger daughters are attending Dublin public schools. What have you enjoyed about Dublin and its public schools during your time here?
Meet Kolb Elementary School Principal Nicole Browning
Kolb Elementary School’s new principal, Nicole Browning, attained a B.A in Psychology from the University of California, Berkeley. Subsequently she attained both a Masters in English and a M.S. in Educational Leadership from California State University, East Bay, and is currently working towards a PhD in Educational Leadership at St. Mary’s College of California. Ms. Browning has held numerous teaching and leadership positions, most recently as Principal at Lincoln Middle School in Alameda starting in 2009. Prior to entering administration, Mrs. Williams Browning taught high school English in Alameda and Fremont School Districts..
OneDublin.org recently met with Nicole to learn more about her plans for Kolb Elementary School in the upcoming school year.
One of the great traditions within the Dublin Unified School District occurred at Wells Middle School on Wednesday. Wells Middle School, also known as the ‘School With a Heart’, hosted an annual pre-enrollment 6th Grade Welcome Party event for all incoming students. For many parents, the promotion of their child from elementary to middle school can cause some angst and uncertainty. The change can be dramatic for many students after spending six years of elementary school centered around a single classroom. In middle school, students need to organize multiple subjects and binders, change classrooms and have the added burden of remembering a locker combination. Additionally, the students are placed in an environment with older students. What is a parent to do?
Fortunately, leadership and staff at both Fallon and Wells Middle School understand the importance of this transition. We took this recent opportunity to witness one part of this process at Wells Middle School.
On Wednesday, an invitation was granted to all new incoming students and their families. The event took place at the Lunch Pavilion that was completed two years ago thanks to funds authorized by Bond Measure C. Under a skylit roof, scores of incoming Roadrunners anxiously awaited a message from the Wells administration. Principal Dr. Kevin Grier, Assistant Principal, Steve Martin and Dean of Students, Mark Woy, led a presentation and welcomed all of those in attendance. It was an enthusiastic crowd and Dr. Grier noted that the 240 students represented the largest incoming class into Wells since Fallon was established as the second middle school in Dublin.
Meet Dougherty Elementary School Principal Brett Nelson
Dougherty Elementary School’s new principal, Brett Nelson, is a Dublin resident with children attending Dublin Elementary School and John Knox Preschool. Brett is active in the local Boy Scout community with Troop Pack 930. Brett attained a B.S. in Social Science from Sacramento State University and a Masters in Educational Administration from National University. Mr. Nelson arrives at Dougherty after four years as Principal at Warm Springs Elementary School in Fremont. Mr. Nelson previously taught high school history in Fremont.
OneDublin.org recently met with Brett to learn more about his plans for Dougherty Elementary School in the upcoming school year.
Dublin High School’s Science Department recently received an estimated $72,000 of used scientific equipment and supplies from Roche Molecular Systems of Pleasanton. This generous donation of lab equipment and supplies has provided vital support that Dublin High School needs to keep its science courses up-to-date with current scientific protocols. Among the equipment donated included micro centrifuges, graduated cylinders, micropipettes and more.
“Our biotechnology and AP science programs are growing at a fantastic rate. Roche’s support enables us to provide key hands on experiences to our students with advanced equipment. Having enough of the right equipment allows each student to participate actively in current experiments, gaining crucial knowledge that will help prepare our students for a future in science.” – Janet Kaehms, Science Teacher, Dublin High School.
Dublin High School values Roche’s support of the Dublin community and its students. With 130 students scheduled to take Introduction to Biotechnology, 65 in AP Biology, and, 60 in AP Chemistry the donation will be well used this year and for many years to come.
Stanford’s EPGY Program Enriches one Dublin High Senior’s Summer
By Ryan McRee (Dublin High School Class of 2013)
Me (2nd from left, middle row) and friends
I didn’t know what to expect as I filled out the lengthy packet of application questions for Stanford University’s Education Program for Gifted Youth (EPGY) Summer Institutes. I wasn’t sure what the competition would be like, what the caliber of the program was, or really anything about the program. All I knew was that it was multi-disciplined program, that the questions they asked the Mathematics students were absurdly hard, and that it was at Stanford, one of the nation’s (and the world’s) most prestigious universities. And I had the opportunity to spend three weeks intensely studying what I wanted to do with the rest of my life – Playwriting and Critical Drama.
You can imagine the expression of shock on my face when my Berkeley alumni parents brought up an academic program at Stanford of all places, and the feigned expressions of disgust on their faces as they drove me through campus on my first day, but I will forever be grateful for the unlikely and unexpected circumstances that brought me to such a wonderful place. At EPGY I got to devote myself to the study of my dreams, obtain a full (albeit compressed) Stanford experience, and work and live with some of the greatest people I will ever meet.
OneDublin.org 