Education
A Mexican folk dance, an African-American gospel song, a restored World War II era school building, and a happy principal. “There are two things you can give to children, in general: roots and wings,” said Peppina Chang, the principal of the Richmond College Prep Schools. And today her preschoolers are getting their wings in a building whose roots dig deep into the heart of modern American history — although those roots had almost crumbled. After years of fundraising and planning,…
Summer Brenner sits quietly at a coffee shop table amid the rumbling of the city outside and smiles as she gently thumbs through a copy of her 2009 children’s book Richmond Tales: Lost Secrets of the Iron Triangle, a story featuring an array of young characters who journey through time to discover the lost history of the industrial city. “I believe it gives insight into children’s lives growing up there, especially those that feel disconnected from their homeland,” Brenner said….
When Kevin Muccular visited South Africa early this September, he saw a group of local children playing, making up their own games because they could not afford toys. They smiled and chased each other around, impervious to their economic situation. “We [talked to] their parents, who said the children haven’t eaten in days but still found a way to laugh,” Muccular said. “I just thought that is was remarkable … they were full of energy, full of personality.” Muccular, a…
The internationally renowned artist Richard Diebenkorn showed his drawings here. Tom Marioni, the conceptual artist known for the One Second Sculpture, was a curator here. Jasper Johns, credited with paving the way for both Pop Art and Minimalism
The children of Saint Cornelius Catholic School have started the year with 25 new Apple computers in their multimedia center thanks to a $25,000 grant from the Atol Family Trust. Georgianna Atol, a teacher at Beverly Hills High School, was killed by a drunk driver in 1976. Her parents Elias and Genevieve Atol established the trust in her honor to help advance Catholic education, which had always been important to Georgianna Atol and her family. Sister Barbara Bray, the Oakland…
Congressman George Miller flies in and out of the Bay Area on a near weekly basis. When he looks down as he flies over Richmond he sees one of the “last big promising corners in the Bay Area.” “What you see is this huge asset with a lot of developable properties,” he said to a round-table of reporters in Monday afternoon. Richmond, Miller said, has most everything it needs to facilitate major growth: easy transit, innovative businesses, forward-thinking public officials….
Vieng Say Lasey Song Kham was stoic as he pulled up his T-shirt sleeve at the last community Tdap clinic in San Pablo last week. A Contra Costa County registered nurse gently swabbed his shoulder before flicking the syringe and poking the small needle into his upper arm, a process that took only a second but could make a big difference when it comes to protecting Lasey Song Kham and others from contracting pertussis, a contagious disease that killed ten…
Tashaka Merriweather steps onto the artificial turf field on a brisk, Wednesday afternoon. Sporting his customary black shades and windbreaker, Merriweather starts directing this team to begin the practice drills with the loud, shrill sound of his trusted whistle. As a coach, Merriweather wants to bring the values he learned as a college football player — hard work and good technique — to help his team succeed in games and in the classroom. It’s evident at practice as he works…
The Richmond Arts and Culture Commission is looking for short poems written by students or Literacy is for Every Adult Program members who attend school or live in Richmond. The annual October contest, called Richmond Writes!, celebrates national arts and humanities month. Participants will receive a certificate recognizing their participation and their poems will be published in a chapbook. The top three submissions from each bracket – elementary school, middle school, high school, and LEAP — will be honored by…