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MDUSD student profile a key to longterm success The Mt. Diablo Unified School District recognizes the need to provide a world-class education and to offer experiences that include arts, athletics, languages and community service. We have many career pathways, including engineering, education, sports medicine and computer engineering. Graduation rates have increased at all of our high schools, ranging from 90 percent to 97 percent. Our college acceptance rates are rising as we partner with universities and community colleges. Part of the reason is the variety of specialized programs we offer, as well as a solid foundation of skills K-12. We believe that offering a wide variety of courses increases engagement and best prepares the students for the variety of challenges in the ever-changing workplace. Mt. Diablo has created a student profile in collaboration with community and business leaders. We developed a criterion for what we want our seniors to be able to do upon graduation,
CVCHS to tackle sex education dr. NeLLIe Meyer
MDUSD
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including important qualities that our business partners said were needed to be successful in careers and college. Those qualities include being an effective contributor, community collaborator, complex thinker, effective and ethical user of technology, self-directed learner, global citizen, responsible worker and health and wellness advocate – which is a quality that isn’t always listed as an educational goal. These critical skills require students to go beyond memorization and to participate in classes and in the community. Schools have aligned classwork and student projects to our criterion. MDUSD believes that this is a critical part of teaching the skills necessary to achieve balance that will lead to success and a strong, well-rounded life. Dr. Nellie Meyer is Superintendent of Schools for MDUSD. Email questions or comments to meyern@mdusd.org
Congratulate your grad
Congratulations on an outstanding four years. You’ve been a joy and an inspiration to all who know you. We love you and can’t wait to see the next chapter.
Love, Mom and Dad
man biology classes. After hearing stories on campus about students’ personal struggles with sexual health, 17-year-old yoga teacher and Talon lead editor
Maris Degener was inspired to write the controversial story. Currently, the only class available for students that covers sex-education is Developmental Psychology of Children, an elective taught by Patricia Yuen. Often times, students run into scheduling conflicts and are unable to take the class. “I didn’t think [the class] would really happen until I started talking to Mr. Romo and (Principal Jeff) Eben about it,” says Degener. “The biggest thing for me is to continue to listen,” says Eben. “I want everyone to feel like they can talk to me, so the only way to keep that going is to listen.” As currently planned, the
material will cover a range of topics related to sexual health, such as gender identity, consent, birth control, sexually transmitted diseases and reproductive organs. Students must have a parental consent form signed before they can participate in the curriculum. “So many kids are having sex. I know that people don’t want to say that, but it’s true,” says Degener. “It’s an issue we have to address. Wouldn’t you rather have a safe, comfortable situation for everyone than to shove it in the dark and not mention it at all?”
It is abundantly clear that many of our elected representatives no longer represent us. Rather, they serve the interest of their corporate, big money donors — the ones that fund their campaigns. Money in politics is destroying our democracy and must be taken out. Charles and David Koch, often referred as the Koch brothers, are the billionaire ToMMy Vo owners of the multinational oil corporation, Koch Industries. EEN PEAK The Koch brothers have a vast political network that aims to A serious plague is destroy- fund and elect candidates who will serve their own interests. ing American democracy.
During the 2014 midterms, the Kochs spent over $100 million in propping up congressional candidates through TV advertisements and campaign contributions. In the 2016 election cycle, the Koch brothers have a budget of $889 million that they plan on using to buy our elected officials. The Koch brothers are climate-change deniers who oppose any legislation that will cut into their profits. This is the problem with the incredibly loose campaign finance laws our country has. Large corporations are allowed
to storm our government and choose the candidates they want to represent their corporate interests. Money decides who wins and loses in politics. Out of the 467 congressional races in 2012, the candidate with more campaign funding won 91 percent of the time. The problem lies in who is funding these political campaigns. With campaign finance regulations created in part because of Supreme Court decisions, such as Citizens United v. FEC — which cut
The week of May 2 was Teacher Appreciation Week. Traditionally National Teacher’s Day is the Tuesday of the first full week of May, but National Teacher’s “Day” is usually celebrated over the course of a week. Students show their gratitude for their teachers’ contributions with flowers and gift cards, but teachers want something more. To many teachers flowers and gift cards are appreciated, but what they really want is our respect. According to Valerie Strauss, an education writer with the Washington Post, teachers want “their profession to be respected in a way that accepts educators as experts in their field.” Although many do respect the profession of a teaching, there are others who question
their expertise. Cindy Long chronicles in her book titled, “Crazy Things People Say to Teachers—And How to Respond” says teachers hear such things as “Teachers are just glorified babysitters,” and “Teachers have tenure [and] can’t be fired no matter what kind of job [they] do.” Despite what some have said about teachers, they really do make a difference. The California Teacher of the Year 2016, Ann Park, a fifth grade writing and science teacher in Oakland, has been teaching for 25 years. Park has been very active in her community throughout her teaching career, creating many professional development workshops and being a leader in her overall community. Many teachers work long
think about saying out loud something demeaning about the teaching profession, think about all the time your teachers have spent preparing you and other students for the future. Teachers are highly trained experts and they care about their students, so from this point forward we should always respect our teachers and give them the appreciation and NaTaLIe PUrSCHe respect they deserve. DVMS To all the great teachers at Mt. Diablo Elementary and CORRESPONDENT Diablo View Middle School, hours to do many things for thank you. the community and they should be appreciated with not Natalie Pursche is in the seventh only flowers and gift cards, but grade at Diablo View Middle with our respect. So the next School. She is an avid reader, enjoys time you think about spitting a writing, and loves to spend time with spit-ball across the classroom, her friends and family. Send commoan about your fifth homements to editor@claytonpioneer.com. work assignment this week, or
is worth bragging about. I owe gratitude to our fine teachers, coaches, administrative staff and counselors – and, more importantly, to the students and great parents. Four years ago, Clayton Valley High School (CVHS pre-charter) had a graduation rate of 83 percent. Now, it is more than 98 percent. Four years ago, CVHS was the lowest performing academic high school in comparison to our band of 100 similar schools throughout California. Today, we shine as a top high school committed to excellence in academics, performing arts and athletics. Before the charter, many students did not exhibit pride in their school. Today, our students proudly claim to be Ugly Eagles with dignity, pride and a sense of accomplishment.
This has been a banner year for the music program, as the choir won awards in the national competition in Seattle. The instrumental music program is “off the charts,” competing exceptionally well once again. As far as athletics, this was arguably the best year in the school’s history – with so many teams winning league championships and performing well in the North Coast playoffs. The football team went to back-toback state championship games the past two years. We were so good, CVCHS was moved up to the Division I state championship game and competed against one of the elite teams in the state. Although we were missing a few key players with injuries, CVCHS nearly pulled off a win.
CeLINe Herrera
CVCHS CORRESPONDENT
Celine Herrera is a senior at CVCHS. Send comments to editor@claytonpioneer.com.
Corporate greed is electing America’s politicians
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See Greed, page 11
Teachers deserve more than flowers
Graduations and Promotions from • Pre-school • Elementary • Middle School, • High School College
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On Friday, Dec. 4, Clayton Valley Charter High School’s student newspaper, The Talon, ran an article titled, “‘Let’s Talk About Sex’ say CV students” as the main headline story, along with a picture of two anonymous students holding a condom. In the story, students said they felt that they did not have enough resources, materials or the education to have future healthy, sexual relationships. The story generated not only controversy among students on campus but also a desire for change. Recently, the CVCHS curriculum board listened to students and decided to include a sex-education unit that will be covered in fresh-
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It’s hard to believe that another school year is nearly over. It’s the final mile of a long-distance marathon. Many graduating students are finishing the race started four years ago as incoming freshmen of Clayton Valley’s inaugural year as a charter high school. More than 98 percent of our seniors will graduate this year and most will be headed off to colleges that include some of the finest universities in the nation. The vision created nearly five years ago to transform Clayton Valley into one of the great high schools in the state
As school year ends, charter school celebrates victories
Still, the foundation of our charter school is academics. We are committed to preparing each student with the 21st century skills that will lead them to college, professional careers and becoming productive members of society. We work hard every day to make a difference in the lives of the students. The staff loves the kids, and they know it. Our community has so much to be proud of in Clayton Valley Charter High School. The students are fortunate to live in a safe, nurturing community. The Clayton Valley is a great village that is turning out amazing young people with bright futures. David Linzey is executive director of CVCHS. Contact him David.linzey@claytonvalley.org