Schools
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Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com
February 12, 2016
CVCHS students get serious about Mock Court CELINE HERRERA CVCHS Correspondent
Clayton Valley Charter High School won an important legal victory last week, but it wasn’t fought by administrators and professionals. The school’s “Legal Eagles” Mock Trial team defeated Richmond High in a tiebreaker in the preliminary round of the official California Mock Trial Competition at the Marin County Superior Court, the first time the school has progressed this far in decades. Mock Trial is almost a yearlong process. Students are issued a court case in the beginning of the school year, and over the next four months, students plan, prepare and produce arguments against other schools. Some schools have students enrolled in classes that extensively cover the law and give students the opportunity to practice for their respective cases. However, CVCHS does not offer a class; their mock trial team is only a
STANDING IN FRONT OF THE MARTINEZ COURT HOUSE, just before the trial began. Matea Peshunova, anna Browett, Emmy Mccluhan, laura ruscitti, Yennifer Molina, celine Herrera, Fatima Opeyany. Bottom row left to right: carol alata, Trevor Bluth, Tommy Vo and Edgar rosales
club. The last time CVCHS won a mock trial competition at the county level was in 1987. It is a chance for youth to see how laws and trials really work, and get a sense for the ramifications of crime. It’s also a chance for some intriguing role-playing. Hundreds of high school
students across the state compete as lawyers, witnesses and in court roles in a mock trial. Lawyers and judges observe the mock trial in a jury box, scoring each school and member on their performance and interpretation of the case file. “We are a nation of laws,”
says Matthew Guichard, an experienced lawyer and journalist who served as one of the competition judges. “We need to teach our young people about those rules.” The Mock Trial program blossomed from the Constitutional Rights Foundation and is sponsored by the American board of Trial Advocates, in an attempt to expose students to law. This year, 36 counties across the state of California will participate in the Mock Trial. This year’s case, People v. Hayes, is a murder trial focusing on Jamie Hayes, a 19-year-old college student charged with the murder of Lee Valdez. However, Mock Trial isn’t just for an opportunity for students to thoroughly examine and educate themselves in law; it provides them an escape. “I have never been excited to speak to a crowd of people,” says senior Tommy Vo, a defensive lawyer on the team. “It’s a really fantastic experience to be
District has high expectations for student success under ESSA
Dr. nElliE MEYEr
MDUSD
SUPERINTENDENT
Mt. Diablo Unified School District is welcoming our new year with enthusiasm. Our students have been the recipients of a multitude of honors and are approaching the halfway mark of the school year. Northgate
won the North Coast Section title in boys’ water polo in November; Mt. Diablo High teacher, Cindy Gershen, received honors from the Concord Community Youth Center for helping them with their after school youth program; and our award winning arts programs across the district have completed their holiday season with a series of top notch plays and performances. Along with other districts across the nation, we will be implementing the new Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). In December, the President signed this bipartisan legislation which changed the guidelines we formerly had with the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). The new act has some strong philo-
sophical differences from the previous NCLB act. It is designed to maintain the monitoring of student progress but it no longer imposes federal sanctions including closing schools, changing leadership and transferring students out of low performing schools. Under the ESSA, states have a large amount of flexibility in a wide range of areas, with the U.S. Department of Education seeing its role in accountability scaled back considerably. As we continue to work on student achievement, we are focusing on skills that will increase student learning. In our elementary school sites, our schools have focused on literacy and writing strategies. At the middle level, we are
focusing on student engagement strategies including hands on learning and technology. Our high school office is continuing to work closely with our sites to increase pathways toward graduation for students. Some students may want to participate in an engineering academy while others may lean more towards the arts. Our high schools have had strong programs in each area and have created an environment which recognizes students’ unique talents and works to prepare them for the future possibilities.
teaching and support of our staff garnered CVCHS with regional and national recognition. Our school’s top academic achievement gains ranked among the highest in the state. This year, CVCHS received over 1,000 student applications during our open enrollment period. It’s amazing to witness the commitment of parents who want the best for their children and the great lengths they will travel for a world-class education right here in Concord. This is a new record for our charter school and is a testament that parent choice really matters. And it shows as evident during our annual Public Random Drawing. Held in our multi-use room. Families from around the East Bay region gathered to hear their child’s name called during the two-hour lottery session. Electricity was in the air as we witnessed the excitement of stu-
dents jumping out of their seats and being applauded by the audience. It was like winning the “lottery.” It’s the first time they realize that they are now part of the Ugly Eagle family. As Executive Director, I strongly believe that all children should have the right to achieve at the highest levels, which starts with a great education. Here at CVCHS, we are cultivating world-class scholars tapping into their intrinsic powers of respect, determination, excellence and family. I’m hopeful that we take time to remember MLK not just on Jan. 18 but every day, to reflect how far we’ve come but also about how far we still need to go to impact the lives of every student.
Dr. Nellie Meyer is Superintendent of Schools for MDUSD. Email questions or comments to meyern@mdusd.org
CVCHS dedicated to equality and choice
In January, we honored Martin Luther King, Jr. setting aside time to ponder his life and legacy. We remember how hard he fought for civil rights – a struggle which began many centuries ago. At the heart of this struggle is the fact that many students still do not have equal access to a quality education. National School Choice Week was also celebrated in the last week of January. These events demonstrate the desire for a quality education continues to grow nationwide. It’s the reason why the ardent spirit of Clayton Valley Charter High School prospers in our community. Through united effort, we banded together to support a better school bringing CVCHS out of its complacency of underachievement, decline in facilities, low staff morale and student apathy. Through collec-
DaViD linzEY VOYAGE OF THE EAGLE
tive hard work and persistence, a remarkable transformation has occurred with immediate and astonishing results that continue to this very day. Our community is galvanized by a common vision – one embraced by staff, parents and students alike. We transformed our school culture to reflect a framework of rigor, relevance and relationships. This philosophy coupled with innovative
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able to make another group of teens angry at success.” Watching the students learn about law and “really do it as a lawyer” is his favorite part of Mock Trial, says Sayed Anwar, an AP Government teacher and CVCHS’s Mock Trial advisor. He says he loves watching his students bloom intellectually. Members of Legal Eagles meet twice a week, during and after school, to practice and rehearse for the trial. On average, they put in about two hours of work each week, but the time, research and practice that goes into the year-round competition exceeds any physical sport CV has to offer on campus. “The school should recognize Mock Trial more as an academic sport instead of a club
because it’s a getaway for students who don’t want to be involved with physical activities, such as lacrosse or football,” says freshman Jacob Arviola. President Emmy McCluhan was able to discover her passion for law and now plans on pursuing it. Like her fellow members, McCluhan strives to have the club be more recognized as an academic sport. She mentions how students at other schools receive letterman jackets for their participation in Mock Trial, but CVCHS has ignored their previous requests for a letter. “I believe that the extra work and commitment they put [into Legal Eagles,] with no given grade, will prove how successful they will be in the future,” says Anwar.
JAY BEDECARRÉ Clayton Pioneer
less enthusiasm as students and parents wondered if their number would gain them a place at the four-year-old charter after the priority acceptances were factored in. CVCHS is open to all California residents of legal age. There are no requirements for admission. The school’s charter and the education code require that a random drawing be held to determine admissions and priority on a waitlist. Enrollment will be finalized soon once Clayton Valley has determined the exact number of student openings in each grade. The school administration said by April students on the wait list will be notified of their selection for enrollment. After receiving notice of acceptance, students will have five days to return the commitment letter to Clayton Valley to guarantee their admission. When those five days are up, Clayton Valley will offer the opening to the next student on the wait list. Typically over the summer students move away or change their choice of schools so that people on the waitlist are offered places.
CVCHS Lottery tense time for teens The Clayton Valley Charter multi-use room was packed to standing room a week ago Monday for the annual lottery drawing to determine priority for acceptance of new and transfer students for 2016-17. Nearly 1100 students applied for admission to the incoming freshman class or openings in any of the other three grades. All freshman applicants from the old Clayton Valley High enrollment area in the MDUSD plus siblings of current CVCHS students and children of CVCHS employees were admitted with the remaining slots prioritized by the lottery. As names were drawn and called out by executive director Dave Linzey or governing board vice chairperson Megan Kommer there was clapping and in a few cases loud cheers, much like you’d hear at a school commencement ceremony. There are about 2000 students at the school so each class has approximately 500 students. As the freshman drawing passed the 200 number mark there was
New teachers get warm welcome
TOMMY VO
CVCHS
gives out a lot of work, we know he does it to bring out the best in us for our future.” Many students didn’t know what to expect after the departure of social science teacher Jenny Krnich. The school hired James Corcoran to teach AP Psychology and Government. “I really do miss Mrs. Krnich a lot,” senior Ryan Anchondo says. “I’m glad that Mr. Corcoran really knows his stuff. He’s very organized and it’s interesting how he always relates his class to real life.” Principal Jeff Eben was hired to this school to bring leadership to the campus. Many students agree that his leadership has helped rebuild the campus environment. “He’s truly helped the students voices be heard,” says ASB president Hosna Opeyany. “He’s done so much to help rebuild this year to the wonderful Clayton Valley that we all know and love.” With the help of new additions around campus, most would agree that CVCHS is heading in the right direction.
CORRESPONDENT David Linzey is executive director of CVCHS. Contact him Since the political turmoil David.linzey@claytonvalley.org between teachers and administration last year, Clayton Valley Charter High School has undergone significant progress in creating a better environIndependently owned and operated ment for students. With the addition of new staff, many New Year, new business, students seem to have an optibetter Mailbox. mistic view for the future. Matt Foster, who took over Secure 24-hour access, from the mid-year departure of plus it’s a real street address for all your deliveries English teacher Cate Sundling 3 MONTHS FREE mailbox services last year, has quickly received praise from his students. with a twelve-month agreement Sundling previously worked at Clayton/Concord Location: CVCHS for 19 years. Vineyard Shopping Center “Mr. Foster’s great because Store Hours 5100 Clayton Road, B1 he’s able to communicate with M-F 8-6:30 Concord, CA 94523 his students,” says senior Pablo Tommy Vo is a senior at ClaySat 9-4:30 ph: 925-689-6245 ton Valley Charter High School. Hernandez. “Although he
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