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By 06/30/2021
High school students may soon take courses in ethnic studies, after the Marin County Office of Education approved a resolution affirming the value of the curriculum last week. The resolution is nonbinding, but local schools often model their instruction on the office’s recommendations. The curriculum aims to illuminate the untold struggles and contributions of Native, African, Latino and Asian Americans. “Research has shown that students who do not see themselves and their families reflected in the curriculum may have a weaker connection to school or disengage from learning,” educators Amie Carter and Jan La Torre-Derby wrote. “This can be mitigated when students see themselves, their families, and their histories represented in a positive light in school curricula.” The resolution follows an ethnic studies model curriculum adopted by the California State Board of Education in March, after three years and more than 100,000 publi
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By 05/19/2021
With a record-breaking drought in the works after three successive major wildfire seasons, we clearly need to be better prepared in 2021. Luckily, local institutions are stepping up to the plate. Although utilities such as PG&E have developed some temporary fixes like public safety power shutoffs, we need longer-term solutions. Relying upon traditional fossil fuel backup generators is a temporary stopgap that does not represent a viable solution for our future.
The better solution is microgrids, which can create small islands of power leveraging cleaner resources such as solar panels and batteries to keep power flowing for critical community assets when the larger grid goes down. I’ve studied the evolution of microgrids, which are now affordable and viable thanks to innovations from private sector financing, for over 10 years. New programs offered by MCE, formerly known as Marin Clean Energy, are having a major impact after a stumbling
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By 04/28/2021
A former language development teacher for English learners at Tomales High is returning to the school as its principal. On July 1, John McGurke, the vice principal at Piner High School in Santa Rosa, will replace Adam Jennings, who was promoted to the district’s superintendent position. “Having been part of the community as a teacher, I really feel like I’m going back home,” Mr. McGurke, 52, said. Born and raised in Dallas, Mr. McGurke is the son of a cattle rancher and a school nurse. He holds a degree in post-secondary education from the University of San Francisco, and has spent 25 years in the education field, the last 14 of which have been at public comprehensive schools. He was a teacher, an athletic director and a soccer coach at Tomales High from 2013 to 2016, before moving to Piner. He also taught at Bishop High School in the eastern Sierras for six years. He said one of his priorities in the Shoreline Unified School Dist
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By 02/03/2021
Adam Jennings, the principal of Tomales High School for the past eight years, will step into the role of superintendent of Shoreline Unified School District this summer.
The district’s board selected Mr. Jennings through a competitive process to replace Bob Raines, who is retiring after five years at the post and more than four decades in education.
“Adam has really built a culture that is centered around equity and accountability at the high school, and his efforts to include all students and all families shows,” Mr. Raines said. “He works well with staff: He listens, he incorporates feedback in ways that are exceptional, and he is a leader, stepping in to support and coach our new principals.”
12/23/2020
“A clogged sink waits for no one” a venerable saying that pertains equally to cold showers and dripping pipes. When encountering such inconveniences, most of us turn to plumbing experts, and Covid-19 has not diminished our need for their help.
Joel Langdon is such a professional. He can diagnose and repair the most mundane problems, but equally can take on more complicated issues that require not only patience and expertise but, occasionally, creativity. He takes great pride in his work. He has a phenomenal memory and remembers to ask people, when he happens to run into them, how their water heater is doing, years after he completed the job. He remembers every truck he ever bought and how much he paid.