News

BFT Rallies for Share of District Funds

In
By Mateo Garcia

The Berkeley Federation of Teachers (BFT) held a rally at the Berkeley Unified School District (BUSD) Board of Education meeting on Wednesday, May 8, to call attention to the lack of financial compensation given to BUSD employees in light of the district’s accumulated $8.9 million in surplus reserve funds. Members from many other Bay Area teachers’ unions attended in support of the BFT and those who spoke at the rally.

Ex-BHS Student Fatally Shot

In
By Lily Gold

Olajuwon Clayborn, a 17–year–old former Berkeley High School student and senior at Castlemont High School, was shot and killed in East Oakland on Sunday, May 5.

Clayborn was standing on the street outside his house around 10 PM with another man when the two were shot. Although Clayborn was killed, the man with him, whose name has not yet been released, was taken to the hospital with non–life–threatening wounds.

DownBeat Magazine Awards BHS Jazz Combo

In
By Tom Battles

Last Tuesday, April 30, the Berkeley High School Jazz Combo A was named “Best High School Combo” by DownBeat Magazine.

This is the second year in a row that Combo A has won this award from DownBeat.

The Combo consists of Liam Collins (alto saxophone), Hugo Shiboski (tenor saxophone), Sam Klein–Markman (guitar), Michael Orenstein (piano), Max Schwartz (bass) and Marcelo Perez (drums).

BPEF Celebrates 30th Anniversary with Name Change and New Director

In
By Kate Reed

On May 10, the Berkeley Public Education Foundation (BPEF) held its 30th anniversary Spring Luncheon. The organization, which helps provide funds and volunteers for educational programs in BUSD schools, announced that it is changing its name to the Berkeley Public Schools Fund (BPSF) to better reflect its mission. BPSF also announced its new executive director, Erin Rhoades, who is a Berkeley High alumna (class of 1988).

Julie Sinai Chosen to Fill Empty Position on School Board

In
By Leyla Farzaneh

On May 8, UC Berkeley Director of Local Government and Community Relations Julie Sinai was appointed by the Berkeley Unified School District (BUSD) Board of Education to fill the vacant seat left by Leah Wilson, who resigned in March.

According to Board President Karen Hemphill, the board had sixty days after Wilson’s resignation to fill the empty seat or a special election would be held, costing the district around $400,000.

Applications were due on April 15, and on April 24 the Board decided on a list of nominees drawn from the applicant pool.

Berkeley Art Museum Renovation Brings Excitement to Students

In
By Ava Moshenin

The Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (BAM/PFA) will be moving from its current location on Durant Ave. to a new site on Oxford St. The new home for BAM/PFA’s film theaters, exhibition galleries, learning centers, participatory art–making studio, works–on–paper study center, store, cafe, and offices is now a little closer to Berkeley High School — right at the intersection of Oxford St. and Center St.

Berkeley High School Graduation Rates Exceed State Average

In
By Tom Battles

At the end of the 2011–2012 school year, just 86.4 percent of Berkeley High School seniors received a diploma. While BHS significantly outstripped the state average of 77 percent, the past twelve years have witnessed a roller coaster ride of unstable and inflated rates.

Third Edition of College Essay Book to be Printed

In
By Sarah Carlin

The long–lost red and yellow cover of the of The Berkeley Book of College Essays is set to come through the printing press and grace the Berkeley community once again this summer.

Janet Huseby, the current volunteer coordinator at Berkeley High School, had the idea to compile BHS students’ college admission essays and create a new edition of the book many years ago, and finally brought it to life in 2007. All one thousand copies of the original title, True Admissions, sold like hot cakes, and Huesby hopes to see similar success with the new book.

LeConte to Emphasize Immersion

In
By Giulia Chiappetta

Beginning next year, LeConte Elementary School will only offer Two–Way Immersion (TWI) classes to its incoming kindergartners.

The TWI Program allows teachers to integrate the Spanish language into their education throughout elementary school and middle school. Students become biliterate as they study their subjects in Spanish as well as in English.

The TWI program is currently offered in only one classroom per grade level at Thousand Oaks Elementary, LeConte Elementary, Rosa Parks Elementary, Cragmont Elementary, and Longfellow Middle School, but that is soon to change.

Berkeley Teachers Fight for Fair Compensation

In
By Aminta Gueye

Since the start of the year, the Berkeley Federation of Teachers (BFT) has been in constant negotiation with the Berkeley Unified School District (BUSD) to increase teachers’ salaries for the first time in four years and to combat increasingly expensive health care costs.

In the union’s most recent meeting with the district on April 25, BUSD proposed a two percent salary increase with one–time bonuses for the 2012–2013 academic year of one percent and for the 2013–2014 academic year of 1.5 percent.

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