Visiting Richmond Schools

Thought you would enjoy these photos from around Richmond last Thursday. I had a great time meeting with both students and teachers at Richmond and San Pablo Schools.

First up was a visit with the students from the Engineering class at Helms Middle School. Recognize the student on my left when we’re sitting around the table? That is Kaisaiah Clark. Kaisaiah and some of his classmates are currently in a nationally airing Chevron commercial. We talked about the need for science education and about what they're working on in their class. Some of the Helms' student journalists took time to do an interview - I'll try to post a link or a photo after their article is published.

Next it was over to Richmond High to meet with the Bay Area Peacekeepers. These students stuck around afterschool to chat after a day of final exams! Every single one of these students plans to attend college and I certainly look forward to seeing that. Richmond Confidential and the West County Times covered the meeting. From Richmond Confidential:

At Richmond High, Miller took questions from the students and often responded with light queries of his own. The 66-year-old Miller, who has represented the 7th Congressional District since 1975, told students he grew up in the area, and spent much of his youth staying with his grandmother on Garvin Avenue in the 1950s, just blocks away from Richmond High.
Miller spoke of getting in trouble, running with a rough crowd and even being suspended from high school for much of his sophomore year before shaping up at a city college. Miller would later graduate from UC Davis Law School.
But Miller cautioned the students that the challenges they face are far steeper than those he overcame. “It’s a huge difference now,” Miller told the teens. “When I was young, I could have gone on to work at Chevron, or a steel mill, or whatever, and done alright and supported a family. Now those opportunities are not nearly as available. For you, education is the ball game.”
Later, Miller related a piece of advice he said he got from a baseball coach when he was a wayward youth. “He said the more education you have, the more you know, the fewer people can tell you no,” Miller said.
By the end, the students and the white-haired veteran of Capitol Hill were cracking jokes and giggling while posing for pictures.

Last stop(s) of the day were at Dover Elementary. I was able to join Principal Eric Peterson in congratulating several students in the after-school program on their academic achievements.

Then had a great meeting with several West County teachers who have earned their National Board Certification, Principal Eric Peterson, and WCCUSD Superintendent, Dr. Bruce Harter. Principal Peterson was honored at the White House in December (link)for his “commitment to professional development” and on his National Board Certification achievement. Congratulations are in order for every teacher who has earned this certification. At the meeting, many of the teachers noted the certification process was both professional development and personal development. I remain impressed by their commitment to teaching, to their students, and especially, their commitment to our community.