Tag: education
Student artists receive accolades
The Women’s Club of Hollister held its annual Student Art Show Feb. 13. They received more than 70 entries from students in San Benito County. The contest was open to students in kindergarten through 12th grade who reside in San Benito County or attend school in San Benito County.
Letter: Education system failing kids
“When you win you're reborn, when you lose you die a little bit.” This is a quote from George Allen, a former football coach who never had a losing season. I picked this quote because after reading about the state of California deciding to go back on its requirement for 8th graders to take Algebra. I have felt for many years that the educational system is literally and figuratively killing our children. From the hopelessness of some kids in the inner cities, to the honor students in Palo Alto jumping in front of trains. Although I don't have any hard data to prove it, my gut tells me that most of the people who have walked into schools and shot innocent students, teachers, administrators and others have been students who didn't “fit in” or may have been bullied. What I am trying to say is that in the educational systems rush to “leave no child behind”, they are leaving more behind than ever. The message is clear from the first day that you attend school that you have to go to college, (not just a community college), but a 4 year college, and that everything you do must in some way set you on a path towards a 4 year university. The A to G requirements. The message is also very clear that if you don't accomplish these goals you are a “loser”, and that you can never be part of “successful society” if you don't go to college.
Retired teachers support younger generations
The San Benito County Retired Teachers’ Association provided six grants to local teachers on Dec. 13 of $50 to spend in their classrooms. The grants were given by Local Division 26.
Guest View: Effective writing skills are essential in the 21st century
The ability to communicate in writing is undoubtedly the most important skill a student will ever learn. However, an absence of challenging reading materials and writing assignments in high school, students’ increased use of texting and other forms of electronic communication and teenagers’ general apathy have contributed to the national drop in skill use and aptitude according to R. Ferguson, CEO of ACT.
SBHS student shares story of blindness on Nicklelodeon
San Benito High School sophomore Santiago Hernandez shared his experience of going through life without sight on an episode of Nick News, a news segment that airs on Nicklelodeon and on its website.
Gavilan’s ‘communication’ awarded
Gavilan College’s communications studies program will receive the 2013 Model Communication Program Award from the Western States Communication Association Feb. 18, at a luncheon in Reno, Nev.
School administrators learn about collaboration
The San Benito County Office of Education sponsored a two-day workshop Jan. 7 and 8 at San Juan Oaks with Rick and Rebecca DuFour discussing ways to strengthen the professional learning communities in San Benito.
R.O. Hardin was victim of break-ins after school hours
The R.O. Hardin Elementary School campus on Line Street was the site of two break-ins last week.
Letter: Muenzer’s closing had help from schools
I read your opinion column about the closing of Muenzer's after 102 years. You wrote a very nice obituary and basically that it died of natural causes, but I would like to point out that it had a lot of help from the school systems in San Benito County, and based upon how you want to look at it, it may have died from anything from an assisted suicide, all the way up to Murder 2. For many years Muenzer's worked closely with the schools of San Benito county to sell their Physical Education uniforms, and for many years made donations back to the programs at the local schools, but beginning about six years ago one by one each of the schools abandoned them beginning with Rancho and ending with San Benito High School. Having been the Physical Education department chair at San Benito High School for several years I worked closely with Jan and Jerry to have them be the exclusive supplier of our Physical Education uniforms, but one by one schools thought they could make more money by bypassing Muenzer's and selling their own P.E. clothes. I also blame the school boards who no longer supported Physical Education departments in mantaining a specific uniform for physical education, (but that is a whole different letter). Either way removing Rancho, Maze, Anzar, and San Benito High School P.E. uniforms hurt them tremendously. I would argue that most people went in and bought two uniforms, a lock, maybe socks and tennis shoes, and probably a sweat shirt. I would guess anywhere from $30 to $150 each fall, multiplied by thousands of families who came in and you have, in my opinion, the critical mass that pushed it over the edge. I hope all those who slowly choked Muenzer's out sleep well at night.
Meeting Preview: Board of Education weighs uniform complaint policy
The San Benito County Board of Education will meet at 6 p.m. Thursday at 460 Fifth St. Action items on the agenda include:
