MLK Tribute at Chabot
College – The tenor of song and word harmonized in a community-wide birthday celebration honoring the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who devoted his life to enriching our lives today.The voices of the Mt. Eden Chamber Singers, the Eden Gardens and Ochoa Middle School Choirs, the California State University East Bay Gospel Choir, the Palma Ceia Baptist Church Mass Choir, along with the Tennyson High School Rhythm and Strings Jazz Combo and the THS Step Crew rocked the house at Chabot College’s Performing Arts Center on Monday January 18 from 6:00 to 9:00 pm.Honoring Dr. King’s messages of hope and opportunity, Palma Ceia Baptist Church Pastor Tommy L. Smith presented a resounding rendition of King’s “I Have A Dream” speech, and Darrel “Blu” Sanders presented his poem “Freedom,” which captivated the audience with his passion and intensity about King’s life work.Many local dignitaries attended the event, which was emceed by Hayward Mayor Michael Sweeney.In attendance were State Senator Ellen Corbett, Hayward City Council Members Barbara Halliday, Francisco Zermeno, and Olden Henson, HUSD Trustees Sarah Gonzales and Luis Reynoso, HUSD Interim Superintendent Janis Duran, Chabot College President Cecilia Barberena, HPD Lieutenant Sheryl Boykins, Southern Alameda County NAACP chair Freddye M. Davis, and many others.
Mt.
Eden
High School
– HUSD wants to acknowledge the honor bestowed upon Mt. Eden High School Band Director Kevin Cato by Assemblymember Mary Hayashi (D-Hayward) in July when Kevin was recognized on the Floor of the Assembly with Member Resolution 1557 for his exemplary work as an educator and the outstanding achievement of his students.“Mr. Cato represents all that we honor, respect, and admire in an educator,” stated Assemblymember Hayashi. When Mr. Cato arrived as the band director at
Mt.
Eden
High School
five years ago, most of the students were performing at middle school level. Believing in the potential of his students and recognizing their desire and enthusiasm, Mr. Cato spent $25,000 of his own money to purchase new musical equipment. He also taught them music theory, rehearsal techniques, and performance excellence. Now,
Mt.
Eden
band students play at a college level and the band is ranked fifth in the nation. This past April, the band performed on stage at the world renowned Carnegie Hall in
New York City
. They were also invited to appear at the Beijing Summer Olympics. While they could not afford to go to
China
, the distinction gave the band and Mr. Cato a credibility that would erase any doubts of their amazing talent.
The State Budget Crisis and Hayward Unified
School District Our public schools play a fundamental role in the community.The responsibility to properly educate our children and prepare them for the future has never been more daunting. This is no different in the
Hayward
Unified
School District where we embrace this responsibility and privilege with the utmost dedication and respect for our students and their families. The fact that
California spends $1,900 less per pupil than the national average is shameful.When comparing California to the other 49 states in our great nation,
California ranks 47th out of 50 based on per pupil spending.That’s a ranking where being number 50 is the worst.Could it be that we will rank 50th in 2010-2011 school year?Hard to believe when our state is in and of itself the 8th largest economy in the world.With the release of Governor Schwarzenegger’s proposed budget for 2010-2011, we could end up spending our already limited and strained resources begging for funds for our 21,000 students.Why?We have 21,000 reasons to demand their rightful priority in the infrastructure of our state.
