Education

“Miss Richmond” heads to pageants

Alexis Pickins, otherwise known as “Miss Richmond,” will be representing her hometown in two upcoming beauty pageants. The 22-year-old senior at UC Berkeley will compete in Miss Black California Dec. 28-30 and Miss California Jan. 12-13, and she may well be the first “Miss Richmond” the city has ever seen. But for the community, Pickins isn’t just a pretty face – a star student in high school and the first who will graduate from college in her family, she’s a…

Romeo and Juliet in Richmond

Students from Richmond are putting a new spin on Shakespeare’s classic tale of forbidden love, making it meaningful to life on the streets.

Forum addresses issues facing Richmond youth

At the end of two hours of often emotional, powerful discussion Saturday on youth issues in Richmond – covering education, outreach, violence and fear — the resounding consensus was a need for more: Richmond needs more outlets for talking with, to and about its youth.

Wading with the oyster catchers

Point Pinole is perfectly silent except for the squawks of birds flying overhead and the occasional cringe-inducing crunch under foot. The low tide exposes a muddy stretch of shoreline, the rocks red and Martian-like under the setting sun. Despite its fleeting resemblance to the Red Planet, the question here isn’t whether there’s life, but whether there could be more. There’s plenty of living things at Point Pinole – just look closely at the rocks at low tide or turn over…

Oilers basketball season shows promise

Can you hear it? The sharp squeaks of sneakers across the shellacked hardwood and the echoing buzz signaling the end of a period? That’s right, it’s basketball time, and the Richmond Oilers are ramping up to for a season of success that could turn the tables on their recent history.

Kennedy soccer program slammed with academic woes

If there are any boys walking the Kennedy High hallways with aspirations of being the next Lionel Messi or Javier Hernandez, please go see head soccer coach Aaron Colacion in his classroom and tell him you want to sign up. He needs you. There’s a very good chance you’ll see a lot of playing time. As it stands right now there are only 15 students to fill Kennedy’s JV and varsity soccer teams. It takes 11 players to play a…