While most of Dublin was sleeping this Sunday morning, Dublin High School and Fallon Middle School cheerleaders were up early preparing for the United Spirit Association (USA) Regionals Event held at Washington High School in Fremont, California. Dublin High School took first place against a competitive field of Varsity Show Cheer Intermediate division teams including San Ramon Valley High School, Leland, Heritage and Monta Vista High School. Each of these school teams qualified for Nationals last year. OneDublin.org was there to capture the Dublin High and Fallon Middle School cheerleading routines on HD video for the benefit of late risers.
Fallon Middle School’s cheerleading team put on a strong performance and walked away with fourth place in the Jr. High Show Cheer Novice division, competing against seven middle schools including Pleasanton Middle School, Hart, Burlingame and Excelsior Middle School. The Dublin High and Fallon Middle School cheerleading programs are tightly linked, with several families having daughters on both teams. Both teams also receive strong support from the Dublin parent community.
Dublin High School Renewal Project Enters Next Phase
With all academic classrooms completely replaced, the old classrooms demolished, and Gael Stadium and the new sports complex in frequent use, it’s time to move on to the next phases of the Dublin High School renewal project. The improvement projects at Dublin High School and at other sites across the district were approved by voters under Bond Measure C in 2004 (read more…)
In the most recent Bond Measure C Progress Report (presented November 1 at a Dublin Unified School District Board of Trustees meeting – read more…), the next phases of the Dublin High project were outlined:
Phase 3a – New Dublin High School Cafeteria
The new student cafeteria will not only provide students with meals, but will also provide a new home for Dublin High School’s Culinary Arts program. The new food preparation kitchen, cafeteria food service area, new culinary classrooms, and a teacher’s dining area are currently under construction and are scheduled to be open for the 2012-13 school year.
Phase 3b – New 500-Seat Performing Arts Center
The dramatic expansion of Dublin High’s Irish Guard Music Program, and the increasing popularity of the Dublin High Drama Program have outstripped the capacity of the existing Little Theatre. The new 500-seat theater, dressing rooms, scenery shop, band classroom, choir classroom, practice rooms, drama classroom, and a video production classroom are scheduled to be complete late Fall 2013. When complete, the new Dublin High School Performing Arts Center will not only be a resource for Dublin High’s Performing Arts programs, but also potentially for the City of Dublin (which currently lacks a venue for live theatre).
Read more…
The Dublin Unified School District, thanks to the efforts of Dublin High School students, is one of just 367 public school districts in the US and Canada (and one of just 18 in California), to be placed on the College Board’s Annual AP® Honor Roll. This honor recognizes school districts that simultaneously increase access to Advanced Placement (AP) coursework while maintaining or increasing the percentage of students earning scores of 3 or higher on AP exams. Dublin High School currently offers 23 AP (Advanced Placement), Advanced and Honors courses (read more…). Dublin High School academic rankings, including AP exam results, are available here.
According to Trevor Packer, College Board’s senior vice president of Advanced Placement and College Readiness, “these school districts have achieved something very remarkable. They managed to open the doors of its AP classrooms to many more students, while also increasing the percentage of students earning high enough AP Exam grades to stand out in the competitive college admission process and qualify for college credit and placement.”
Achieving both of these goals is the ideal scenario for a district’s Advanced Placement program, because it indicates that the district is successfully identifying motivated, academically prepared students who are likely to benefit most from AP coursework. Since 2009, the Dublin Unified School District increased the number of students participating in the AP program from 206 to 261, while improving the percentage of students earning AP exam scores of 3 or higher from 68% in 2009 to 75% in 2011. The majority of U.S. colleges and universities grant college credit or advanced placement for a score of 3 or above on AP exams.
Wells Middle School Trophies - Foothill Band Review Competition
As we move into the Fall sports season, many families immediately think of athletics – football or basketball. There is another competitive season heating up – in the realm music – where Band Review competitions take center stage. Over successive Saturdays (10/15/11 and 10/22/11), the Wells Middle School band competed at the Santa Cruz and Foothill Band Review competitions, respectively. OneDublin.org met with the Wells Middle School band program to learn more about the history of the program and recent achievements.
The Instrumental Music Instructor at Wells Middle School is Erik Bertelson. A native of Iowa, Erik’s family moved to Southern California when he was a young child. Erik’s home was filled with music: his father was a music teacher for decades and his mother was a singer. Upon earning his B.A. in Music from California Lutheran University, Mr. Bertelson landed a teaching position at Wells Middle School in 1979 at the age of 23. While Wells, which had opened in 1971, had an established music program, Erik forged forward to build a more robust program. On the heels of their most recent competition, OneDublin.org had the opportunity to sit down with the pioneer of this successful program.
Results from the Foothill Band Review and Field Show for Wells Middle School:
- Drum Major Middle School Awards: First Place
- Parade Percussion Middle School: Second Place
- Parade Color Guard – Middle School: First Place
- Parade Middle School Class: First Place
- Concert – Middle School Class: First Place
OneDublin.org: How can you explain the sustained excellence of this program?
Every Fall high school juniors from Dublin High School and across the country wake up early to write the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT) – a dry-run for the SAT used for college admissions. As an incentive to do well on the test, and to recognize extraordinary achievement, the National Merit Scholarship Program acknowledges students as demonstrated by their outstanding performance on the PSAT. The results for Dublin High School seniors who took the test in the Fall of 2010 are now in… the envelope please.
In 2010, over 1.5 million students took the PSAT / National Merit Scholarship Qualifying test. Of the 1.5 million test takers, 50,000 high scorers (approx. 3% of all PSAT test takers) with the highest PSAT scores in critical reading, writing and mathematics qualify for recognition in the National Merit Scholarship Program. Based on their national index test scores, 34,000 high performers have been named Commended Students.
Seven Dublin High School seniors have received letters of commendation and are recognized as Commended Scholars. Congratulations to:
- Ronil Bhatia
- Patricia Li
- Irene Liu
- Kevin Ngo
- Alexander Palomares
- Cecilia Wijayang
- Cathy Yuan
From the 50,000 high scorers, approximately 15,000 students (approx. 1% of all PSAT test takers) have been named National Merit Program Semi-finalists. Of these semi-finalists, 8,200 Finalists will be selected as Merit Scholars later this school year, in Spring 2012 (Finalists are eligible for a $2,500 scholarship). Three Dublin High School seniors have been honored as Semi-finalists in the 2012 National Merit Scholarship Competition. Congratulations to:
- Raymond Liu
- Andrew Song
- Christian Wang
More information about the PSAT / SAT and PLAN / ACT college admissions tests is available here.
by Ben Young (Dublin High School Class of 2011 and West Point Freshman)
Ben with his parents
When I accepted my appointment to the United States Military Academy, West Point, I did not really know what to expect. However, I did not have much time to get anxious about it because two weeks after graduating from Dublin High School I was off to report to Cadet Basic Training, more formally known as “Beast Barracks”. This seven week program was designed to transform me from a civilian into a cadet and to give me the basic tools needed to be a soldier. During those seven weeks I had no phone or Facebook, which was a challenge, but the highlight of my day was checking the mail. It was literally like Christmas in July. Over the summer I learned a lot, met so many great people and made amazing friends. However, I kept hearing how West Point was very different during the academic year, and they were right.
One thing I was certain of was that I was going to have a much different college experience than my peers. This first semester has been very different than anything I have experienced before. The academic system is unique because West Point uses what is called the “Thayer Method”, named after Colonel Sylvanus Thayer. Colonel Thayer’s system involves the students teaching themselves. We are expected to read the chapter ahead of time, prepare ourselves, do the homework, and come to class with questions for the teacher about the lesson. However, the class sizes do not exceed fifteen or twenty which allows for tons of individual time with the professor and the professors here would bend over backwards to help any of their cadets.
Ben with fellow Dublin High Grads
Dublin High was a great place to get involved and that mindset translated over to West Point for me. I tried out for the club water polo team and was fortunate enough to make it. It has been a great release for me to get away from the strict regimen of military life, and meet new people. The team is tons of fun and we get out almost every weekend to different tournaments (which is a big deal because as a freshman at West Point you can only leave campus twice a semester). It has been an absolute blast.
There are lots of rules that freshmen have to follow including: cupping your hands outside, not talking outside, walking along the walls of the hallways, greeting all the upperclassmen as you walk by, and doing duties at meals, but you deal with it because it is part of being a freshman and everyone before you has made it through.
Dublin High School’s Gael Stadium, usually the home of athletic competitions, will spotlight music, precision marching and pageantry on Saturday October 29 (starting at 4:30pm) as host to the Western Band Association Field Show Competition (a first for the City of Dublin). Over 1,800 performers from 18 schools across California, representing the best in field show performance bands, will entertain and compete. Dublin High School returned to field competitions in 2010 under the leadership of Dublin High School Music Director Paul Everts (read more…) The event is expected to attract up to 5,000 spectators and proceeds from the event will be used to help fund the Dublin High Irish Guard Carnegie Hall trip taking place later this school year (for the 2012 New York International Music Festival). Gates open at 3:30pm for the family friendly event (details of participating high schools are available here).
Dublin High School Music Director Paul Events: “The WBA field show and competition on October 29 is the perfect opportunity for the kids to perform in a pressure-filled environment. The quality of the competitors and judging is very high. People who come to hear the Dublin High Irish Guard play selections from the musical catalog of Billy Joel will quickly understand why they were chosen to play at Carnegie Hall in 2012. It will send shivers down your spine.”
According to the Western Band Association (WBA), competitions are designed to “encourage and reward creativity, artistry and excellence in design and performance” in both musical and visual skills. Over 12,000 students perform annually in WBA shows and championships in which students march, dance, and move in formation with the music they create.
City of Dublin Mayor Tim Sbranti: “Hosting a WBA competition is a big deal. This is a prestigious event and it will be a significant experience in students’ lives and an incredible show for those in attendance. As a bonus, it will be a treat for attendees and competitors to visit Dublin High’s state-of-the-art stadium, especially for those that haven’t been here before!”
Besides putting on an entertaining show for Bay Area music lovers, the proceeds from this competition will help fund the appearance of the Dublin High Irish Guard band at the New York International Music Festival in March 2012. Held at Carnegie Hall in New York City, the Dublin High Irish Guard is honored to be chosen to perform along with five other ensembles from Tennessee, Wisconsin, California, Guam, and Hawaii.
- Dublin High School Marching Band – Homecoming 2011
Event details:
- What: Western Band Association field show
- When: October 29, 2011. Gates open at 3:30 pm. Show from 4:30 to 9:30pm
- Where: Dublin High School, 8151 Village Parkway, Dublin CA
- Cost: Adults $10, Students and Seniors $7, Six and under Free
- A special section will be available for media who pre-register
Dublin High School’s Drama Club kicks off the 2011-12 season with a production of Shakespeare’s popular comedy, “Twelfth Night” on Thursday Oct 20 at 7pm (continuing Friday and Saturday at 7pm, and closing Sunday at 2pm). The play features slapstick comedy, swordplay, intrigue and romance. The play, directed by Dublin High School’s Bryant Hoex, was also the inspiration for the Amanda Bynes comedy “She’s the Man”. The production will be held in Dublin High’s Little Theatre (ground breaks in 2012 on Dublin High’s new 500-seat Performing Arts Center). The cast list is available here.
The Dublin High Drama Club is one of 50 clubs at Dublin High. Every year, the Dublin High Drama Club mounts three productions (a fall play, winter student-directed one act plays and a spring production). The club also participates annually in the Ohlone College Theatre Festival.
More information is available at www.DHSDrama.org.
Students at Fallon Middle School will join more than 2 million other students across the country to cross social and racial boundaries on Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2011, as part of the 10th annual Mix It Up at Lunch Day, an event designed to foster respect and understanding in schools.
Mix It Up encourages students to sit with someone new in the cafeteria for just one day. Many schools are planning similar barrier-busting activities throughout the day. Some use the event to kick off a yearlong exploration of social divisions.
Fallon 8th grader Grant Lemen told ASB Vice President Sean Haggerty, “I am looking forward to another year of Mix It Up Day because they change the theme and activities to where I have more opportunities to make new friends!” “Mix It Up Day is not only a time to make new friends, but a time to get to know your current friends even better!” stated an energetic FPT Leadership student Jaylen Vistosa.
More than 5,000 schools are expected to participate in this year’s Mix It Up at Lunch Day, which is sponsored by the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Teaching Tolerance project. Student organizers agree that Mix It Up at Lunch Day encourages students to cross group lines and meet new people. Mix It Up also fosters school spirit and unity, raises awareness about social boundaries and helps students meet different kinds of people.
Guidance counselor Kelly Zummo organizes the annual event at Fallon. “This is our fourth year participating in national Mix It Up at Lunch Day. It’s one of my favorite activities of the year; we’ve even mixed it up other days of the year too, not just the one.” Mrs. Zummo also stated, “Students need direction, they can’t be told just to sit with someone new; that’s not an easy thing to do. Organizing a specific lunch time activity is essential. Last year, students sat at the cafeteria tables by their birth month; so they automatically had at least one thing in common. This, of course, brought all kinds of different kids to each table who might never sit together otherwise. Over the course of the lunch period, they soon found out they had a lot more in common than just their birth month.”
The Southern Poverty Law Center launched Teaching Tolerance in 1991 to provide educators with free resources designed to reduce prejudice and promote respect for differences among our nation’s children. The Mix It Up program began in 2002.
Jan Cohen - Wells Middle School
“Celebrating Real Life Heroes” was the theme of the recent Alameda County Teacher of the Year awards ceremony held at San Leandro High School. According to the Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary a hero is “a man admired for his achievements and qualities”. We all know that this definition is shared equally with both genders. This is one of several anecdotes shared at the ceremony, held on Thursday, October 6.
Annually, the Alameda County Office of Education (ACOE) provides a forum to recognize educators throughout the County that have demonstrated excellence in their daily work. There were candidates from 16 school districts and 3 Regional Occupational Programs. This year, the nominee from the Dublin Unified School District (DUSD) was Jan Cohen, Mathematics Instructor at Wells Middle School. Jan is following the footsteps of recent Wells nominees John Cardinalli (retired Physical Education Instructor) and Erik Bertelson (current Instrumental Music Teacher).
Jan followed a non-traditional path into the teaching profession. After gaining her B.S. degree in Computer Science from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, she initiated her career as an Application Programmer at IBM in San Jose. As her career progressed, her family also began to grow. Faced with this dilemma, she primed her focus on raising her family and making a material impact at her children’s schools. She served in multiple capacities on the Parent Faculty Club (PFC) and the School Site Council (SSC). With her three children quickly progressing through school, Ms. Cohen decided to cement her commitment to education by pursuing and completing her Multiple-Subject Teaching Credential at California State University, Hayward in 1998. She has served this district since that time at both Frederiksen Elementary and Wells Middle School – employed as a Mathematics teacher since 2002.
To appreciate the scope of this award, we must take a moment to digest the number of possible candidates. There are hundreds of educators that are eligible for this recognition. To attain a nomination on behalf of your own district is a tremendous accomplishment on its own. OneDublin.org met recently with DUSD nominee, Jan Cohen, Wells Middle School.
OneDublin.org 