BUSD's A+ News: Students work on HBO Documentary, Third Graders Speak with Mayor, and More

A+ News - January 2023

Highlights and Happenings from Around BUSD

Berkeley High School Students Work on Popular Documentary

Students had the opportunity to assist with the operation of professional grade production equipment.

Film producer and Berkeley High School (BHS) graduate Jennifer Steinman Sternin brought a film production crew to BHS to film interviews for the documentary, Hi I’m Nancy Rubin. The film, which is currently available on HBOmax and Discovery+, tells the story of Nancy Rubin who taught Social Living at BHS from 1977 until she retired in 2002.

Students from Phil Halpern’s Art of Video Production classes worked as production assistants on the film, which chronicled Rubin’s decades-long project delivering letters written to students’ future selves. She has sent a total of about 15,000 letters to former students who wrote them as an assignment in her class from 1979 to 1996.

Producer Liz Mcbee had very kind words for the student production assistants: “I cannot tell you how impressed everybody was with them. They were truly rock stars...so helpful, so professional and courteous. I'd have any of them on my sets any time and they are always welcome to reach out to me with any questions.”

Two BUSD Elementary Schools Named California Distinguished Schools

Ruth Acty Elementary School and Berkeley Arts Magnet Elementary School have been selected for the prestigious 2023 California Distinguished Schools Program.

Schools were selected by analyzing data reported through the 2022 California School Dashboard, including assessment results, chronic absenteeism, suspension rates, and socioeconomic data.

Celebrating International Families

at John Muir Breakfast

A John Muir Elementary School student prepares a plate from the selection of international cuisines.

John Muir Elementary school celebrated international families on January 6 with a breakfast boasting international cuisines. Families from over 8 different countries brought native cuisines to share with the larger John Muir Community in a celebration of diversity.

Along with breakfast, students who recently reclassified as "English Proficient" were celebrated. Three students who were reclassified after completing their English Language Exams each received a medallion and were recognized at an assembly.

2023 Berkeley Martin Luther King Jr. Next Generation Leadership Award Recipients

Click on the arrow to view BUSD students receiving Next Generation awards and the complete Berkeley 2023 Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration.

Two Berkeley High School (BHS) students, two Berkeley Technology Academy (BTA) students, and six BUSD middle school students received Next Generation Awards at Berkeley's 12th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration on January 16. This award recognizes students who demonstrate Dr. King's legacy by promoting social justice, non-violent resolution to conflict, and causes related to promoting peace and equality through academic, creative, and/or civic engagement activities.

Latynahatycee (Pea) Butler was one of two BTA students to receive a Next Generation Award at Berkeley's Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration.

BTA student Latynahatycee (Pea) Butler was introduced as a leader in her Public Health Internship class and the lead intern for BTA’s Medicine Garden, where she shared her knowledge about different gardening mechanisms with other students. She expressed that winning the Next Generation award was a very pleasant surprise, and that she was very grateful for being selected.

Pea was recently accepted to California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt. She also hopes to study abroad in order to have lived experiences outside of the states that will contribute to her growth.

Pea offered this advice to BTA students: "It’s better to do something than to skip on it. You never know where something is going to lead you." She describes how the willingness to experience one opportunity typically snowballed into other positive outcomes, stating "If I didn’t go to BTA, I would have never received a scholarship, this award, or been featured in this newsletter. If I hadn’t gone on college trips, I wouldn’t have considered college in the same way," added Pea, noting how experiences can strengthen one's perspective.

Mayor Arreguín in Conversation With BUSD Third Graders

Cragmont Elementary School third graders came with written questions to ask Mayor Arreguín on January 24.

This winter, Mayor Jesse Arreguín has been visiting BUSD Elementary Schools to speak with third graders about his experiences with activism, organizing, and inspiration. Students came prepared with written questions they had for the Mayor who shared that he participated in his first local organizing project, the naming of Cesar Chavez St in San Francisco, when he was only in third grade. Students were empowered with the message that their voices and ideas matter, no matter how young they are.

These visits have been coordinated by Ethnic Studies Teacher on Special Assignment Joemy Ito-Gates as part of an integrated ethnic studies unit pilot that was co-authored last year with several third grade teachers. The unit is titled, Our Stories Connect Us: Celebrating Our Community.

A Winning Season for Berkeley High School Cross Country

A Berkeley High runner in stride (above). The boys' team competes at a meet (top right). (Photo Credit: Kathryn Jay)

Congratulations to the Berkeley High Cross Country team on an incredible season. The team boasted an impressive list of highlights this Fall including a first place sweep across all divisions at the WACC League Championship meet, a Division 1 Championship title for the boys team at the NCS Championship and several All League recognitions.

Both the girls and boys teams were awarded NCS Scholastic Championship banners for their 3.88 and 3.67 GPA's, respectively.

Lunar New Year Around BUSD

Thousand Oaks Elementary students at their January 24 celebration.

Sunday, January 22 marked the beginning of the Year of the Rabbit as many AAPI communities celebrated Lunar New Year. Thousand Oaks Elementary School students celebrated the holiday through an assembly in which they learned about the holiday's Chinese origins and the many ways people currently celebrate. Their assembly culminated in a parade in which students adorned paper mache dragons for a dragon dance.

Students Can Read Free E-Books at Home With BUSD Chromebooks

Chromebooks are available for checkout for students who need a home device for schoolwork or research. With Chromebooks, students can enjoy e-books and audiobooks at home. Scan the QR code or click here to learn more.

Students Meet Authors for

Mock Newbery

This January, Library Services hosted a series of Mock Newbery Night virtual assemblies with students and families with published authors Johnnie Christmas and Tracy Badua. The Mock Newbery is a book club for 4th and 5th grade families at every elementary school that mimics the American Library Association's Newbery Medal book award where a selection of new books is debated on and voted as best. Read more about BUSD's Mock Newbery here.

Johnnie Christmas, the author of Swim Team, spoke with library staff in front of 80 BUSD families.

Meet Dr. Mathew Espinosa-Castro: Director of Equity, Achievement,

and Belonging

Dr. Mathew Espinosa-Castro meets regularly with staff to create collaborative opportunities to address the needs of BUSD students and families.

BUSD welcomed Dr. Mathew Espinosa-Castro this year as the district's new Director of Equity, Achievement, and Belonging. A Sacramento native raised by a single mother, Espinosa was driven to pursue education because of the safe space he felt his educators provided for him growing up. Espinosa-Castro attended Vanderbilt University in order to receive his teaching credential. From there, he spent many years as an educator, teaching ages ranging from kindergarten to high school. He then became a principal and specialist in multilingual education and eventually expanded his focus from multilingual learners to educational equity as a whole.

When reflecting on his decision to come to Berkeley Unified, Espinosa-Castro shared: "What really motivated me to accept this current position was when I met our Superintendent." He described the validating experience of feeling face-to-face with his supervisor on issues of equity, "It was one of the first times where I felt like my supervisor and I were able to have a conversation about race, about equity--and we were on the same page," Espinosa-Castro said. "It was like, she’s got it, she understands it, she’s lived it you know, I want to work with her and be part of this community and this movement."

As Espinosa and his BUSD team work to bridge together ethnic studies, the Office of Family Engagement and Equity, and targeted equity programs for Black and Latine/x students and families, his new position has helped him feel connected to the district as a whole. "It helps to link me to everybody because there’s equity issues everywhere," he said. "If I had a more narrow job description, I wouldn’t be able to connect with so many people and be involved in so many conversations."

Berkeley Adult School Registration Now Open

Attend Berkeley Adult School this Spring for an array of classes to help you earn your diploma, learn English, gain work skills, and enrich your life — all while making new friends.

The Spring 2023 Berkeley Adult School course catalog is available at this link. Please note that the Catalog PDF is for reference only. Find the most current information at the BAS online registration portal.

Berkeley Public Schools Fund: Equity Grants Fund Innovative Projects

Last Fall, the Schools Fund completed it's second year of Equity Grants, awarding innovative projects across BUSD that help students thrive in school and in life. The Schools Fund granted over 50 projects in the areas of mental health, academic intervention, family engagement, culturally responsive learning, digital equity and diversifying the teacher pipeline. One of the strengths of their new grant program is the support provided towards project success and expansion. See the full list of the 2022-23 grants here.

Berkeley Unified Educators came together to showcase some of their impactful projects at a January 20 event.

The Schools Fund also works in close partnership with the District’s Career Technical Education program to open doors of opportunity for BUSD students— like the free STEM summer camp which was piloted last year and is set to occur again this summer. To help the Schools Fund continue to grow their work, donate here.

Welcome to School Board Directors Mike Chang and Jennifer Shanoski

Incoming School Board Director Mike Chang is a parent of three BUSD kids. He is a federal education civil rights attorney and a long-time lecturer in Ethnic Studies at U.C. Berkeley where he received his Ph.D. prior to law school. He teaches courses on civil liberties and civil rights.

Incoming School Board Director Jennifer Shanoski is a full-time, tenured faculty member at Merritt College where she teaches chemistry and serves as the President of the Peralta Federation of Teachers, AFT 1603. She is the proud single mother of two BUSD kids, an avid runner, an amateur baker, a committed traveler, and a public education activist.

Director Ka'Dijah Brown Begins Second Board Term

Along with BUSD's two new Board members, Director Ka’Dijah Brown, pictured here with Superintendent Ford Morthel, was reelected for a second term on the Board of Education.