SERVICE CHANGES AFFECTING ISLAND HIGH SCHOOL
Effective March 28, 2010; multiple AC Transit service changes will be taking effect. Among these changes is the complete elimination of Route 63. New Route 663 will serve Main & Singleton only before and after school. At all other times, the closest bus serving Island High will be new Route 31. The closest stop to Island High on Route 31 is Main & W. Midway/Stargell.
Route 51 will be split into Routes 51A and 51B. 51A will run between Fruitvale and Rockridge BART stations. 51B will run between Rockridge BART and Berkeley Amtrak.
Transbay Route O will be extended along Encinal Ave. to operate via High St., Fernside Blvd., and Tilden Way to Fruitvale BART, assuming this portion of discontinued Route 63. Local passengers are permitted on Route O.
Visit http://www.actransit.org or call 511 for more information.
Alameda: One High School?
By Miguel Gamalinda
From the February 2010 Edition of the Island High School Tiki Times
The long-standing rivalry between the Alameda Hornets and the Encinal Jets has been a staple of Alameda life since Encinal High School's inception in 1952. The Hornets and the Jets have long battled over sports, music, and many other high school activities, reinforcing a strong rivalry and sense of competition.
However, due to the recent financial issues of the Alameda Unified School District (AUSD), the nearly sixty year-long rivalry might soon come to an abrupt end as the AUSD is currently considering closing one of the two traditional high schools in Alameda. Chances are that Encinal will be that unlucky school.
In the years since the Naval Air Station (NAS) Alameda was decommissioned in 1997, enrollment at Encinal High School has been sub-standard, causing Encinal to resort to open-enrollment in attempts to boost student population. Currently, Encinal accepts students living in all of Alameda and from outside the AUSD, however this practice has done little to help Encinal from stagnating enrollment. This, along with worsening financial woes, has the AUSD looking to close Encinal as well as some other schools in the District in attempts to save money. Currently, Encinal's enrollment is only a 1,077 students, with that number expected to decrease by every school year. By 2015, Encinal's enrollment is estimated to be only at 803 students, far below the approximate 1,600 estimate for Alameda High in that same year. According to the AUSD's own estimates, closing a high school would save approximately $1 Million in funds, and would force all students to attend Alameda High.
To ease the strain on Alameda High's student population, the AUSD would rearrange grade levels for elementary, middle, and high schools. Elementary Schools would accommodate Grades one through six, Lincoln and Wood Middle Schools would accommodate Grades seven through nine (Chipman Middle School will reopen as Acamedy of Alameda Charter School in September of 2010, and it is assumed that they will accommodate the same.), and Alameda High School would accommodate Grades ten through twelve. The property that Encinal is currently on would possibly be converted to a middle school (Closing Wood or Lincoln, perhaps both, in the process), be used for other District purposes, or be sold off as surplus property. Due to Encinal's prime location on the San Francisco Bay, demolishing the current structures and selling the land would provide an opportunity for the District to acquire a great amount of badly-needed dollars. Alameda Community Learning Center, a grade six through twelve charter school that shares a campus with Encinal, is also very likely to move locations.
Students, of course, are not happy about this change. Many students have begun speaking out over the closure of Encinal, pleading with the District to save their school. A Facebook group titled "Save Encinal High School Jets" has garnered over 2,400 members, including students and alumni from both Encinal and Alameda High Schools. Numerous wall posts show immeasurable support Encinal's student body, with positive messages from students across Alameda and beyond.
"There are lots of 'alternatives' to closing EHS, first and foremost is passing the parcel tax so that none of the cuts are carried out," says William Mooney, a Senior at Encinal High and also the Encinal High School Student Board Member to the District Board of Education.
The District Master Plan, which is set to be decided on at the AUSD Board of Education meeting on February 9*, will decide the fate of Encinal High School. The meeting will be at 6:30 PM in the City Council Chambers on the third floor at Alameda City Hall. (2263 Santa Clara Ave. at Oak. St)
*CORRECTION: Master Plan Final Recommendations were held on February 9. The approval of the Master Plan is set to be at the District BOE Meeting on February 23 at 6:30 PM at the same location as listed in the article.
Transferring Back to Alameda or Encinal
Written by Miguel Gamalinda
From the December 2009 Edition of the Island High School Tiki Times
When you transfer to Island from Alameda or Encinal, you leave the old traditional high school format for a more flexible, alternative environment that is designed to help students earn credits in time to graduate by their expected graduation date. The format of this school is relatively easier than that of AHS or EHS, and its smaller population and class sizes make it so that teachers can provide more individual attention to each student in an effort to help him or her graduate.
Almost every student that transfers to Island is quick to determine that they will transfer back to the high school that they came from, however most students end up changing their minds due to Island’s flexibility and alternative atmosphere. Students find it reassuring that they earn the first good report card they have received in a long time, and decide to stay where they do well rather than go back to where they were doing poorly. However, there are always some students who remain adamant in transferring back, developing a “game plan” of sorts so that they will be able to return to their preferred high school.
Students who transfer back to Alameda or Encinal must keep in mind that they, along with every other traditional high school in the State of California, can only give credit at the end of each semester, instead of at the end of every hexemester. Students must also remember that classes at Alameda and Encinal give homework, which must be completed in order to pass the classes. Also, regardless of how many credits you may be deficient, the law requires students to have at least four classes in their schedule.
For a student to transfer back to Alameda or Encinal, he/she needs to meet the following credit requirements:
2nd Semester Seniors: 200 Credits
1st Semester Seniors: 170 Credits
2nd Semester Juniors: 140 Credits
1st Semester Juniors: 110 Credits
Also, a student must have made up a course that isn’t offered by Alameda or Encinal at the time that they transfer. For example: If you are a 2nd Semester Senior transferring back to Alameda High, you have to take and pass Government before you transfer back, as it is not offered during the 2nd Semester.
Students are strongly encouraged to stay at Island once they have transferred in order to increase the chances of earning a High School Diploma. Some students that have transferred back to Alameda or Encinal have ended up going back to their old habits that developed before transferring to Island and as a result, did not earn a High School diploma; however some have matured and done what they needed to do in order to graduate. If you are thinking of transferring back, you should consider all the possible consequences (Good and bad) of what could happen once you have returned there. Also remember that if you transfer back and end up performing poorly, you will not be permitted to return to Island.
UPDATE 1/29/2010:
AUSD Develops Master Plan
Written by Miguel Gamalinda
From the October 2009 edition of the Island High School Tiki Times
In these trying times of financial and economic collapse, monetary cutbacks are becoming more and more prevalent in every aspect of our society, and the school system is no exception, with projected budget cuts expected to reach up to $5 Million.
In response to the recent cuts by the State of California to the school systems across the state, the Alameda Unified School District (AUSD) has developed a Master Plan to help them spend their remaining funding more wisely while trying to minimize negative impacts on the district's students. The Master Plan will address the following questions:
* What are the optimum educational resources that each child should have?
* What is the gap between what they need and what we currently provide?
* What strategies, resources, and innovations will we employ to fill those gaps?
The Master Plan was adopted by the AUSD Board of Education and Superintendent Kirsten Vital last March to help the district be more wise with spending matters and such. The plan will most likely take effect in late 2009 or early 2010.
However, the effect on AUSD students as a result of the Master plan has not been determined as of yet due to, "the choices and decisions made by the Board of Eduation and the Alameda community," according to AUSD Board President Mike McMahon.* In regard to student input, McMahon states that there has been minimal input from students as of September 2009.
According to McMahon, there will be educational funding cuts that will take place due to the fact that the State of California has cut state funding for Alameda schools by $5 Million per year. McMahon stated that cuts will have to take place.
McMahon states that if you want to five your input to the school board , you can do that by attending Board of Education meetings and Master Plan Workshops**, all of which can be found on the Alameda Unified School District's website. (http://www.alameda.k12.ca.us)
*Ron Mooney replaced Mike McMahon on December 8, 2009 as Board President. McMahon is now the Board Vice President.
**The last Master Plan Workshop was held in late November 2009.
Business is Booming at the Spitfire Grill
Written by Miguel Gamalinda
ALAMEDA, CA – When the house lights go down and the stage lights go up, audiences are immediately transported from West Coast island of Alameda to a deserted town in the Midwest in the Altarena Playhouse's most recent production of The Spitfire Grill.
The setting is a small town known as Gilead, a deserted town located in Wisconsin. The time is approximately twenty years after the end of the Vietnam War. Since then, the town has been slowly dying, eventually leaving literally one business left in town: A small diner known as The Spitfire Grill.
Meanwhile, a young woman by the name of Perchance Talbott, better known as Percy, has just been released from prison and settles in Gilead after seeing an advertisement for the town in a magazine depicting the town with the words, “Autumn colors along Copper Creek near Gilead, Wisconsin.” She soon realizes, however, that between the time that ad was published (About twenty years) and the time she arrives, that Gilead had taken a turn for the worse.
Arriving at Gilead, Percy immediately reports to her Parole Officer, Sheriff Joe Sutter, who then leads her to The Spitfire Grill, telling her that it would be the only place in town that she could hold a steady job. Joe convinces the elderly owner of the Grill, Hannah Ferguson, to take Percy in. Percy immediately starts work the next day, serving the few customers who eat the Spitfire: Sheriff Joe; Hannah's nephew Caleb; and Effy Krayneck, the local postmistress and busybody.
However, things take yet another turn for the worse when Hannah trips on the stairs and breaks her leg, rendering her unable to serve at the Spitfire. Hannah then has Percy take over the Spitfire along with Caleb's wife, Shelby. It is there where they find out that the Spitfire has been unsuccessfully on the market for the past ten years. They then devise a plan to get rid of the Spitfire by having people send in $100 and an essay about what they would do with the Spitfire.
The Spitfire Grill is based off of the 1997 film of the same name, and opened Off-Broadway on September 7, 2001. The show was only performed three times before the tragedy of the September 11 Terrorist Attacks ended up virtually grinding New York City to a standstill. Unable to make profits after the slowdown of tourism in New York, the show closed after a month.
This show is directed by local theater legend and Alameda High School Drama instructor Fred Chacon, who says, “If, as Shakespeare tells us, the purpose of theatre is “to hold as 'twere the mirror up to nature” then perchance we might find the inspiration—indeed balm—in the mirror of Gilead and The Spitfire Grill. That is my hope tonight, and the hope of this talented cast and crew.”
Indeed, the seven-member cast is a very talented cast who, from the very first lyrics of the opening song (A Ring Around the Moon) have audiences on the edge of their seats and watching and listening intently. The emotions of the characters are well expressed in the songs, lines, and faces of the characters, and their heaviness is given off to the audience in the best fashion that is possible.
The music for The Spitfire Grill was written by James Valcq, while the lyrics were written by Fred Alley. Both Valcq and Alley co-wrote the book. The show is directed by Fred Chacon, with musical direction by Rona Siddiqui. Cast members are Sarah Kathleen Farrell as Percy, Kristine Anne Lowry as Hannah, Donna Jeanne Turner as Shelby, Paul Plain as Caleb (Who also played Dr. Parker in the Altarena's recent production of Bat Boy), Jonathan Reisfeld as Sherrif Joe, Ella Wolfe as Effy, and Leland Traiman as The Visitor. The show opened on July 10 and runs through August 16, with performances Fridays and Saturdays at 8 PM and Sundays at 2 PM. It is presented by special arrangement with Samuel French, Inc.
Miguel Gamalinda is a musical theater actor currently playing Danny in Stage Door Conservatory's production of “Grease,” and is a Senior at Island High School.
ZOMBIE HAUNTS KOFMAN AUDITORIUM
“Zombie Prom” at Alameda High is 'Killer'
Written by Miguel Gamalinda
So we've all heard about the smash hit musical Grease and we've all seen Michael Jackson's Thriller, but have you ever imagined the two combined? Sound impossible, doesn't it? Well, that's exactly what you get in Zombie Prom, Alameda High's most recent venture into Performing Arts.
Zombie Prom, which is directed by Alameda High Drama teacher and local Theatre legend Frederick L. Chacon, tells the story of high school Senior Jonny Warner and his love Toffee. Toffee, who's 'Goody Two-Shoes' image sparkingly contrasts with Jonny's 'Wrong Side of the Tracks' image, is pushed from the moment their relationship begins to, “Break up with him.” Heavily pressured, she eventually gives in, driving Jonny to commit suicide by jumping into the cooling tower of a nearby Nuclear Power Plant.
The cast is lead by AHS Senior Ben Hughson and Sophomore Monica Lee as Jonny and Toffee, respectively. Both Jonny and Toffee portray all emotions of their respective characters perfectly.
Other cast members include AHS Sophmores Nathan Brown as tabloid journalist Eddie Flagrante and Casey Hutchinson as Pricipal Delilah Strict.
The story is set at Enrico Fermi High School in the nuclear 1950s. Named after Enrico Fermi, father of the Atomic Bomb, the school is “coincidentally” located close to a nuclear power plant.
“Zombie Prom pokes fun at the paranoia of the 1950s nuclear drills, which I remember so vividly from my childhood, and the innocense of high school teenagers (Which I think I remember.),” says director Fred Chacon.
Much of the emotional sadness of the performance is shown when the girls sing "Jonny Don't Go," where Toffee mourns the loss of her love, while her friends tell her to get over Jonny since “it's been three whole weeks!” Toffee, however, can't stop hearing Jonny's voice singing wherever she goes.
Enrico Fermi High gets a surprise, however, when Jonny Warner, now sporting an 'Atomic Green' skintone suddenly returns from the dead in the number "Blast From the Past." Jonny then expresses his wishes to return to high school and get his diploma, however, his desires are rejected by Principal Strict.
Meanwhile, Eddie Flagrante starts snooping around Enrico Fermi High, looking to cash in on the 'High School Zombie' craze.
All put together, Zombie Prom tells an epic story about love, peer pressure, and rejection. Alameda High once again pulls off an amazing production, something it's been able to do year after year for the past three decades. Fred Chacon has done it again.
The book and lyrics for Zombie Prom were written by John Dempsey with music by Dana P. Rowe. It was based on a story by Dempsey and Hugh M. Murphy. It was directed by Fred Chacon, with musical direction by AHS Music teacher Jesse Randell.
Broadway Hit Dazzles Alameda Audiences
Encinal High's 'RENT' is Spectacular
Written by Miguel Gamalinda
ALAMEDA, CA—From the first opening of the “curtain” (Which was just a sliding metal gate.) to the final Curtain Call, the cast of Encinal High School's production of RENT kept audiences on the edge of their seats the entire two and a half hours. The show, which is directed by Encinal High Drama teacher Robert Moorhead, tells the story of young Bohemians living in the heyday of New York City's gritty East Village who are trying to go on with everyday life while living with the fact that they are infected with HIV.
The Encinal High performance is a special “School Edition” of the Tony and Pulitzer Prize winning musical, which has edited out some of the more explicit and difficult scenes and foul language to be more appropriate for a high school audience. Encinal High is one of the first high schools in the United States being allowed to perform this show.
The fantastic, thirty-plus cast of RENT includes Matthew Strasser as struggling filmmaker Mark Cohen, Daniel Skinner as depressed musician Roger Davis, Allie Villa as exotic dancer Mimi Márquez, Keenan Bunch as former MIT Professor Tom Collins, Jonathan Gataitman as drag queen Angel, Kelsey Canalin as Maureen, and Roxanne Angeles as Joanne. RENT also included a twenty-four member ensemble, all of whom sound wonderful when accompanying the main cast singing Seasons of Love at the opening of the Second Act.
Mark, who is the only character in RENT that is not infected with the HIV virus, struggles to live with the fact that many of his friends would be dying before he goes himself. Strasser portrays Mark in a very emotionally powerful performance.
Skinner delivers much of his charater's depression during the song One Song, Glory towards the beginning of the show.
Villa's portrayal as the energetic Mimi is shown very well in her performance of the song Out Tonight, in which she expresses her desire to have Roger take her out on a date. Afraid of infecting her with the HIV virus, Roger chews her out as a response in the powerful numberAnother Day. Mimi then tells Roger the catchphrase of RENT, that there is 'No Day But Today.'
Bunch shows his character's sadness very well in the song I'll Cover You (Reprise), singing to his lost love Angel, a drag queen who shows her energy in the fast-paced number Today 4 U.
Cannalin and Angeles show their character's much strife in Take Me or Leave Me, where they both want each other to either accept each other for who they are or to end their relationship.
When it all comes together, the cast delivers a spectacular performance that definitely moves some audience members to tears. The Encinal High Drama Department has really outdone itself with this moving musical.
The music, lyrics, and book for RENT was written by Jonathan Larson.
