Education
Most people look at a chessboard, and all they see are static black and white pieces presided over by players in deepest concentration. But TC Ball sees a learning tool with the potential to change lives. Ball is the organizer of an upcoming speed chess tournament that will raise funds for a new “Chess in Richmond Schools” program. “I’m trying to use the [tournament] as a catalyst,” said Ball, who works with the West Coast Chess Alliance to bring chess…
Summit Public Schools had their petition to open a new high school in El Cerrito denied by the West Contra Costa Unified School District – a decision which the Richmond City Council backed. The result: a heated debate about educational opportunity in Richmond, and what effect a new high school might have on existing schools.
Richmond’s bookmobile serves schoolchildren four days per week, but its size hinders it from serving the entire community. The Richmond Public Library Foundation is nearing its $100,000 goal to purchase a book van to supplement the bookmobile and serve other parts of the community.
First 5, a program that offers classes for parents and their kids under 5, held a Raising a Reader class Saturday morning in its satellite center in Richmond. The center served over 1,700 families last year, predominantly Latinos. The director hopes that more African American and Asian families will participate in the class.
Public school students and teachers in Richmond are caught in the middle between divergent sets of testing standards. Students are required to take and pass two types of assessments – the often criticized Standardized Testing and Reporting model and the incoming critical thinking standards of Common Core. State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson said in a statement, “It’s simply wrong to expect schools to prepare our students for the future while continuing to ask them to use tests that…
The relationship between the Chevron refinery and the city of Richmond is often described as adversarial. But in the midst of all of the tension, the company says it is committed to its long-standing philanthropic relationship with Richmond.
After operating for three years as a co-ed tennis team with boys and girls competing against all-boy teams, there were enough players this year to form an all-girl tennis squad at Richmond High School.
De Anza High School received two racially charged and threatening letters aimed at students, school officials reported.
A new project aims to usher in a waste management transformation. This month, the Environmental Protection Agency awarded the Watershed Project, a nonprofit dedicated to protecting East Bay watersheds and ecosystems, a $30,000 grant to educate children and their community about recycling, reusing and composting.