Education

Teachers at West County Adult Education program worry about more cuts

Maria Madrid sits at the back of a cluttered and worn classroom, in an annex building of St. Mark’s Parish on Harbour Way. In the back corner of the room a woman tries to keep a half dozen wiggly kids quiet and coloring so they won’t disturb the students. The brightly painted walls look faded, and there are holes in them that have yet to be repaired. A large crucifix is propped up in the left front corner. Madrid leans…

School Board Election 2012: Robert Studdiford

In eight years on the Citizens’ Bond Oversight Committee, seven on the Citizens’ Budget Oversight Committee, and years on PTAs and coaching soccer, Robert Studdiford taught himself how the West Contra Costa County Unified School District system works.

Oilers Win

On a cloudy, misty evening in Albany, nearly two years of waiting—and losing—finally ended. The Richmond Oilers bolted to a decisive win over the Albany Cougars — 38-18. The Oilers have long been plagued with a small varsity team, which gets smaller as the season wears on and players are sidelined due to injuries and grade problems. This night there were only 18 suited up to play, many of them took turns on offense and defense—making the long awaited victory…

School board candidate forum overshadowed by presidential debate

On a night when Barack Obama and Mitt Romney held most voters’ attention, the four candidates for the West Contra Costa Unified School District board spoke Tuesday to about 15 people at a candidate forum at Murphy Elementary School in Richmond. Todd Groves, Robert Studdiford, Antonio Medrano and Randy Enos are vying for two seats on the school board. “I thought all of them were very articulate and very knowledgeable,” said moderator Jackie Coulter-Peebles, a member of the League of…

City Council Election 2012: Jael P. Myrick

There wasn’t anything unusual or exciting about the white shirt, gray slacks, black shoes or the red, diamond patterned tie that Jael P. Myrick wore. Even the way he blended in with people didn’t make him seem out of the ordinary. Myrick is to all appearances a regular guy. But in a field of City Council candidates where many of the big names are part of a deep partisan division, the 27-year-old Myrick hopes his youth and regular-guyness brings a…

Cafeterias digest lunch regulations

In Richmond, a city in which 51 percent of students in grades 5, 7 and 9 were obese or overweight in 2010 and where two-thirds of students are from families near and below the national poverty line, how to feed the children, what to feed the children — and if the children choose to eat what they’re fed — has created a world of dietary perplexity.

Making Waves students clean up Baxter Creek

On Saturday, students from Making Waves teamed up with The Watershed Project for a trash assessment and cleanup effort at Baxter Creek, which was recently named one of California’s trashiest waterways. From cardboard and paper, to styrofoam and plastic bags—and even the occasional shoe—students and other volunteers removed debris and freshened up the area. Richmond Confidential caught the action in the video above.

Fuel Your School energizes classroom at Peres Elementary

About 30 2nd graders marveled at their teacher, Linda Townsend-Bryson as she pulled a new microscope out of its box to show them. “Whoa,” said the Peres Elementary students in unison as Townsend-Bryson explained that the microscope came with prepared slides containing samples of carrot root, onion skin and cucumber. The three boxes full of school supplies that were awarded to Townsend-Bryson’s class came from Fuel Your School, a program spawned by a partnership that began in 2009 between DonorsChoose.org,…