In 1985, the California Partnership Academies was started by the state, in part to support kids struggling in school. The academies were programs inside schools that students could participate in, and were focused on specific topics. When the Berkeley High School vice principal at the time went to visit one of the CPA programs
“I could not imagine being in an office just sitting in a corner job,” said Elliot Robles, a student teacher at Berkeley High School. He described the best aspect of his work being students’ energy.
“He was very intelligent and he was independent. He persevered through some of the most difficult challenges that a kid can face, so his accomplishments are remarkable and should be celebrated,” said Jessie Luxford, reflecting on Reemajah Pollard’s life.
4.7 million students in the U.S. were enrolled in private schools in fall of 2019. In comparison, nearly 50 million students attended public schools. Of this population of private school students, just 9 percent identified as Black, according to the National Center for Education Statistics
Berkeley High School’s course offerings are constantly and subtly shifting; new classes spring up with much fanfare and older classes are quietly retired.
Q: How does Black Student Union work with other groups on campus? Cyrus: Recently, we’ve been working with the Habesha Student Union. We’re having a bake sale on February 11, at Fourth Street.
“I’m at a five minute plank now which I’m really proud of. It’s a little competition with me and Michelle Obama, because I heard she does a three minute plank every morning,” said African Diaspora Dance teacher Dawn Williams, affectionately known to her students and staff as “Doc Dub.” Most mornings, Williams begins her day
Berkeley High School and the University of California, Berkeley’s campuses are only two blocks away, each filled with large and changing student populations.
“I think it’s a perceived burnout because at the same time the classes actually do get harder in the second semester, and I think that’s really the reason for the burnout,” said junior Theo Lemkin.
On January 7, the Berkeley High School robotics team gathered at Richmond High School to watch the 2023 First Robotics Competition Kickoff. The Kickoff is an annual event that determines what the robotics team builds for the next couple of months.
Sevan Minassian-Godner, a Berkeley High School senior, has used a flip phone for nearly a year. After going to a school retreat in February 2022, he realized how glued people had been to their phones. “There were people at tables eating or sitting at tables who were just texting each other,” Minassian-Godner said.
“I want more students to know about this class because, for whatever reason, I get very specific groups of students, mainly white male students, and I want to promote to more students of color and women,” said Digital Design and Fabrications teacher Klea Bajala.
Sarah Cline, leader of Berkeley High School’s jazz program, was one of many teachers who made the move from their temporary holding spaces to the newly refurbished A Building. “It was like one of those home makeover shows, when the family’s coming in two hours and everyone is blitzing to get ready,” Cline said. The
Berkeley High School sophomore Fae Cantero Sandler was born and raised in Mexico. But for her, a lot of people tend to jump to the conclusion that she’s fully white.
The improvisational group Room for Improvement is reforming at Berkeley High School, a tradition that helps aspiring actors explore themselves as team members. “[Members] are not necessarily the most experienced actors, but [are] the kids comfortable enough to listen…, to fail…, [to] say ‘yes,’” said Jordan Winer, an English teacher at BHS who has
In recent years, it has been difficult for Berkeley High School students to sign up for classes at Berkeley City College due to the strenuous process of enrolling and hard to read website.
At Berkeley High School, Black students remain underrepresented in STEM environments. National Society for Black Engineers brings together African American students who are interested in a career in STEM.
“People get to know us because they’re here and then they become close … and we get each other,” said Steven Carroll, an employee of Dirty Girl Farm who sells at the company’s farmers market stand.
