Education
A dozen students in the West Contra Costa County Unified School District presented general guidelines at the Oct. 7 Board of Education meeting for a group aimed at improving their schools. They comprise the Youth Commission, a group the board voted into existence last January.
Cal star running back Jahvid Best still casts a giant shadow at Salesian High, his alma mater. But as for shadows, Freddie Tagaloa nearly blots out the sun. The hulking Tagaloa has played all of five varsity football games for Salesian, but is already the school’s most ballyhooed prospect since Best, who won the state 100-meter dash before heading down Interstate 80 to suit up for the Golden Bears. When Tagaloa’s name is mentioned, Salesian head football coach Chad Nightingale’s…
It’s a good thing footraces aren’t won or lost based on looks. Judging by looks alone, Kennedy High’s cross-country team wouldn’t stand a chance. They toed the starting line at a recent meet in baggy white T-shirts and mismatched basketball shorts. Their shoes run the gamut from worn-out Air Jordans to low-cut soccer trainers. But they’re allowed to race, because in the end, if you can out-run the next man in flip-flops, you win. The starting gun goes off, and…
The walls on two sides of Richmond High’s gym are plastered in pennants. Some go back to the 1940s. Mostly, they celebrate league champions in football, basketball and baseball. Track, golf, and swimming teams have left their marks on these walls. The 1993 badminton team – second place in the state – even has its own little share of the wall. There’s not one volleyball banner, though. For the most part, Richmond High’s volleyball teams have traditionally struggled. Even at…