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SCHOOLS Concord Pioneer • www.concordpioneer.com
March 24, 2017
Trowbridge not just a teacher – he’s a superhero When I met understood the need Tom Trowbridge, I for girls to find coninstantly knew how fidence in a malepowerful he was in dominated world. I, his classroom. of course, said: He spoke of “Why not!” woodworking and Trowbridge is a engineering as if it superhero. He teachwere a present you es 120 percent, Rianne Pfaltzgraff would find under including woodthe tree on Christ- CONCORD HIGH working, ROP PRINCIPAL mas morning. His robotics, civil engiexcitement, passion and energy neering and architecture, and seem unlimited. ROP construction technology. Now, the Mt. Diablo Uni- From laser cutters to 3D printfied School District has ers to cutting-edge architecturrewarded Trowbridge for his al software, he is on the leading efforts by naming him Teacher edge of construction technolof the Year. ogy and engineering. In our first conversation, He brought Project Lead Trowbridge suggested starting the Way (PLTW) to Concord a woodworking class for girls. High and is driven to build the “We could call it Woodworking program and bring the best to for Women,” he said. the campus. He secured As a father of girls, he equipment and supplies,
house. He is also a great community contributor on campus. His input and vision about providing opportunities for students is a great asset. He challenges his students on a daily basis and is always providing fresh and unique experiences for students. When I ask him if we can
Tamara Steiner/Concord Pioneer
CHS teacher, Tom Trowbridge, MDUSD Teacher of the Year
including CHSan electric car, to enhance the experience for students. In addition, he created the supreme real-world experience project of building a tiny house. Trowbridge has set himself apart as a pioneer in the build-
ing and trades industry and engineering industry as an innovative outside-the-box thinker. He has strong relationships with the community, which allowed him to secure donations for the majority of the materials for the first tiny
Tomorrow’s leaders excelling today at CHS Concord High while also buildSchool’s 9th annual ing fundamental Leadership Exchange, leadership skills an evolving tradition and, of course, at CHS, brought having fun. together more than “A l t h o u g h 350 of the finest leadsome of our ership students from schools are rivals, 12 schools across the this day brings us Aasim Yahya Bay Area. all together as CONCORD HIGH The exchange is a CORRESPONDENT one unit and meeting point for varforms bonds ious perspectives and ideas between us that otherwise may from today’s young student not exist,” says committee leaders. This event is a time to chair Karlee Kronquist. network, interact and gain The exchange is a symbol insight from other leaders of CHS Leadership’s individu-
ality, creativity and passion. The event drastically improves each year due to the commitment and work ethic of the CHS student leaders. Following last month’s Leadership Exchange, the CHS Leadership class was excited to find out they were recognized for their unique ability to build student leaders. They received the California Association of Student Leaders’ Outstanding Leadership Program award, an honor given to only 5 percent of schools that apply. “Receiving this award is a
validation of all the hard work our student leaders have put into CHS and the Concord community over the years,” said Leadership co-director Leah Darby. “This recognition is a tremendous honor, and we appreciate the time and effort that current and former students have put into making this program what it is today.”
Aasim Yahya is a junior at Concord High. He has a passion for basketball and plays on the school to comments Send team. editor@concordpioneer.com
Students celebrate new well in person VIRGINIA SIEGAL Special to the Pioneer
A school bell rings, and a few straggling students hurry to class. It’s a normal day at a small school in Concord. But a handful of students are preparing for an uncommon experience – one that will not only change their lives but the lives of dozens of people halfway around the world. Last year, students at Ygnacio Valley Christian School began raising money toward installing a clean water well for a tribe in a poor rural community in Ghana. Many of these tribes have no access to clean water and often are plagued by viruses, disease and death related to the uncleanliness of the water they drink. The significance of this problem struck a chord in the hearts of the students, their families and their teachers. From preschool through jun-
ior high, many students brought in change from home to contribute to the effort. The initial expectation was that the 70-family school would not be able to fund the entirety of the well but would donate part of what was needed to install it. Shortly after the campaign began, a large donor provided all the money needed for the well. As icing on the cake, the organization installing the well, Meaningful Life International-Ghana, invited seven parent-student teams to Ghana on a service trip to dedicate the well to the Asiliokorpe tribe. This late March trip is intended to not only change the lives of the tribe members, but it will inevitably also shape the perspective of the seven students who range in age from 5 to 14. YVCS refers to its junior high school program as the Servant Leadership Academy for this very purpose. School
Levi and Carter Gillespie are among those traveling to Ghana from Ygnacio Valley Christian School.
officials hope that by the time students graduate from the school, they will not only be well-educated but will also be confident enough to take the lead in addressing desperate needs in our world. The school expects this to
Ygnacio Valley High School staff is celebrating the final authorization that makes the Concord school part of the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program this fall. The IB program will offer 11th and 12th graders an opportunity to pursue a rigorous academic path aimed at increasing their chances for college acceptance and possi-
bly earning them up to 30 undergraduate quarter units in the UC system. IB coordinator and science teacher Carissa Weintraub is thrilled with the final authorization that she and fellow staff members have been working on for more than three years. Ygnacio Valley joins 106 other high schools in California and 4,000 schools worldwide as an IB World School. With the IB program approved, the Mt. Diablo Uni-
fied School District gave an extension for intradistrict transfers to YV. Students enrolled in MDUSD who want to transfer to YV should contact Weintraub for the modified transfer paperwork. The application needs to go through YVHS rather than the district. This opportunity is for incoming ninth and 10th graders or incoming juniors applying to the IB program. The deadline to apply for this special intradistrict transfer is March 27.
Send comments and questions to editor@concordpioneer.com
New CV principal looks to student success S t u dents at Clayton Va l l e y Charter H i g h School are n o strangers Alyssa Arino to staff CVCHS c h a n g es. CORRESPONDENT Just this year, CV has had three different principals. New principal John McMorris replaces Patrick Gaffney, who became principal at a new charter school is Walnut Creek to have more time with his 10-year-old son. McMorris, a former principal at Northgate High School, is prepared for the job with 30 years of educational and administrative work under his belt. He has achieved a multitude of accomplishments at the schools he’s worked at, including creating Professional Learning Communities at San Ramon Valley High School and Smaller Learning Communities at Newark Memorial High. He holds a bachelor’s degree in social science composite, along with masters in international education and education administration. McMorris arrived at Clayton Valley in September as deputy principal. “I love it here,” he says. “It’s a great community. The kids here are very nice, very accepting. There is such a great staff.” McMorris was originally against the switch to charter but said he became pro-charter when he learned of the independence charter schools are
JOHN MCMORRIS CVCHS PRINCIPAL
allowed. “Charter schools have more freedom to try new and interesting things,” McMorris explains. “They are less restricted by bureaucracy.” He is passionate about his educational values. “We have a responsibility to all students to make sure they’re learning,” McMorris says. “If they’re not getting their work done, we have to ask why.” McMorris plans to help Clayton Valley and its students succeed in every way he can. “If students aren’t understanding their work, we need to provide them with resources – things like tutorials, interventions and other things to help them,” he says. “If they just don’t want to do their work, then we have to have them go to Saturday school. “We want students to learn good habits and how to do the work now so they don’t suffer later on in life.”
Alyssa Arino is a sophomore at CVCHS. She is on the school’s cross country team. Send comments to editor@concordpioneer.com
Parents make Clayton Valley great for students
be the first of many projects that will change our world for Great parents excited for all the the better and prepare the are the key to the events to come, students to be leaders in success of great most notably, graduthese types of movements. charter schools. We ation. All 400 sencertainly appreciate iors walked over Send comments and questions to all they do here at from school with editor@concordpioneer.com Clayton Valley Leadership Teacher Charter High G r e g o r y School. They’re role Rosewell. Inside, models for citizenthey enjoyed the John McMorris ship and service not Memory Wall sportCVCHS PRINCIPAL just for ing collages of their own kids, but the first 18 years of for all students. They show life of these future community that service when volunteering leaders. Weintraub says the IB cur- as tutors, keeping up the 60 awards were presented riculum includes English, school building and grounds with two winners in each cateSpanish, French, science, his- and raising funds for clubs and gory including Most Contatory, art and math. Each sports teams. gious Laugh, Best Car, Best course is offered with stanIn March, parents helmed Daredevil, Romeo and Juliet dard and advanced levels in our Booster Club’s annual and, to the amusement of the order to be available to all stu- Crab Feed fundraiser for our faculty, Most Likely to Be a dents in the diverse YVHS athletic teams. CVCHS Teacher in 10 Years. student population, where Also in March was the SenSenior year in is a special bilingualism is the norm. ior Awards Brunch at the Cen- time, a rite of passage to adult“The program will inspire tre Concord, sponsored and hood. It’s a wonderful time, students to strive for a love of decorated by the Parent Facul- made especially wonderful by lifelong inquiry and learning as ty Club. This is an annual event Clayton Valley’s parents. well as teach how to question, that kicks off the end of the Send comments and questions to understand and respect other year activities for the Senior editor@concordpioneer.com points of view,” she says. Class and gets the students
YV’s International Baccalaureate authorized JAY BEDECARRÉ Concord Pioneer
take on a new challenge, his first question will be: “Is this good for kids?” Then he will pause, look to the sky, rearrange the million projects in his head and figure out a way to make it happen.