Youth | Contra Costa Herald

Contra Costa students participate in LearnStorm math challenge

May 21, 2016 By Publisher Leave a Comment

Khan Academy, Google.org, 49ers celebrate Bay Area students who have demonstrated hustle, grit and mastery of math

A student (left) from Pleasant Hill Elementary School collaborates with a teammate during the carnival at Khan Academy’s LearnStorm Final event at Levi’s Stadium on Saturday, May 7th, 2016. photos by David Kong

By John Cogswell & Nicole Villanueva

Students from Pleasant Hill Elementary School, Live Oak Elementary School in San Ramon and Highland Elementary School in Richmond, were among 300 students from across the Bay Area, who attended Khan Academy’s LearnStorm Final event at Levi’s Stadium, to recognize their math accomplishments, on Saturday, May 7, 2016. These students were among the 75,000 students that registered in the Bay Area for LearnStorm, a free, 9-week math challenge that celebrates student progress, mastery, and hustle learning math on Khan Academy.

Unlike traditional math competitions, LearnStorm is breaking new ground by rewarding not only the knowledge students attain, but the learning skills they need to attain it. LearnStorm is powered by the Silicon Valley-based educational nonprofit Khan Academy, which seeks to provide a free, world-class education for anyone, anywhere.

A student (middle) from Live Oak Elementary School participates in a team-building activity.

Notable representatives from the Google.org, the San Francisco 49ers, including Jesse Lovejoy, director of STEM Education and the 49ers Museum, and Khan Academy CEO, Sal Khan helped celebrate the achievements of these students. The LearnStorm 2016 Finals were hosted by the 49ers who lent additional support this year alongside lead funder Google.org.

Other Stats:

Over 40% of the Bay Area students that enrolled in LearnStorm attended schools that had at least 50% of their student populations qualifying for the National School Lunch Program.
Over 15 million problems completed by students registered for LearnStorm Bay Area 2016
Over 200,000 hours spent on Khan Academy by students registered for LearnStorm Bay Area 2016.

A student from Highland Elementary School enjoyed the carnival.

Khan Academy is a 501(c)3 nonprofit with a mission to change education for the better by providing a free, world-class education for anyone, anywhere. We believe that students of all ages should have free, unlimited access to the best educational content, and that they should be able to consume and master this content at their own pace. In addition, we believe that there are incredible opportunities to use intelligent software development, deep data analytics, and intuitive user interfaces to more effectively surface and present these educational resources to students and teachers around the world. Our library of content covers kindergarten to early college math, science topics such as biology, chemistry, and physics, and reaches into humanities with tutorials on economics, finance, music, philosophy, and art history. To date, we have delivered more than 750M lessons and more than 5 billion practice problems. For further information, visit www.khanacademy.org.

Glover to host 16th annual Y.ASSEMBLE Youth Conference, Saturday; free concert added

May 20, 2016 By Publisher Leave a Comment

Website: YASSEMBLE.CO

Register: YASSEMBLE.eventbright.com

Everything from how to find a job or preparing for college to how to make a film to dating relationships will be offered to the youth who attend the 16th Annual Youth Conference & Empowerment Summit. Formerly known as the Youth Summit, this year’s countywide gathering of young people from 6^th grade through high school, will discover that have a plethora of new offerings for their workshops, an integral part of the summit, which will be held at Pittsburg High School on Saturday, May 21st, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Shaun Derrick will return as the Master of Ceremonies for the conference.

The first 250 youth who walk through the door will get a free summer bus pass. A tasty lunch will also be offered. The entire day is free. Plus a musical concert has been added to cap the daylong event.

“We are changing the flavor of the summit this year,” says Contra Costa County Supervisor Federal Glover, who sponsors the conference. “We are updating some of the workshops and offering new ones to make them more relevant to today’s youth. There’s a stronger emphasis on the STEM fields and how the new technology affects our everyday lives.”

The charismatic Shaun Derrick will be returning for the third year to emcee the proceedings and to guide the youth through the day’s activities.

“He connects with young people through straight talk and music,” says Glover.

The youth summit will start the day with a team of Deer Valley High School graduates who will give the keynote presentation.

Lenard “The KYD” Jackson will be the Keynote Speaker at the conference.

Lenard The KYD Jackson, who graduated Deer Valley High School two years ago, is being joined by Team KYD, which includes fellow DVHS alumni Lawrence Eyo White, Jr., Cherokee White and Ledell Jones. Performing at the annual youth conference is a way of giving back to their community. The interactive presentation called Talkback will consist of comedy skits, standup comedy and a personal testimony from KYD members and a Q&A with the students.

Since he left Antioch, KYD has worked in film, stage and in comedy clubs. As an actor and a musician, he has worked with Kevin Hart, Paul Mooney, Dick Gregory, Sinbad, Charlie Murphy and Condoleeza Rice.

Eyo White and Ledell Jones are still students at LMC and Cherokee White is a student at San Francisco State University.

Singer Samaria will perform during a concert for the students who attend the daylong conference.

Following the conference, students who stay for the entire conference will be treated to a free, live concert featuring up and coming artist Samaria, a 19‐year-old singer from Oakland who is on the verge of breaking out. Her music has a 1990’s R&B vibe to it but her sound is so distinct that it extends beyond just R&B or soul. Her sound cannot be placed into a box. Samaria said her musical style is heavily influenced by her heritage ‐ Jamaican and Puerto Rican.

One of the more intriguing workshops will talk about the results of a research project by Rising Youth for Social Equity, based in Richmond. It will explore the coping strategies for stress caused by living in an environment where friends and family are shot and killed is an everyday experience of growing up. The young people growing in such a stressful environment are showing signs of PTSD, a malady usually associated with veterans of warfare.

Here’s a sampling of the other 40 workshops being offered:

Dance movement
Developing trust
Navigating the media maze
Healthy relationships
Empowering youth to change communities
Find your voice, find your ‘hustle’
Building a rocket
How to cope with violence
Access to new technologies
How to build a robot
The alcohol industry’s marketing towards youth
Trademarks of an effective leader

With Team KYD, Samaria and emcee Shaun Derrick, almost 40 workshops, resource tables, fun activities and a free lunch Y.ASSEMBLE will be a full day for young people. Doors will open at 8 a.m. For the day’s schedule and a list of the workshops, go to YASSEMBLE.CO or YASSEMBLE.eventbrite.com. The free concert starts about 4:15 p.m. and is open only to YASSEMBLE participants.

“I hope the event opens the eyes of the young people,” said Glover. “Through the inspirational speakers, resources and opportunities that we’re offering and the impact of the day will help them make some critical choices in their lives. That’s what it’s all about.”

Y.ASSEMBLE Youth Conference & Empowerment Summit

Saturday, May 21, 2016

9 a.m. ‐ 4 p.m.

Pittsburg High School

1750 Harbor Street, Pittsburg

Contra Costa students named to WSU President’s Fall 2015 Honor Roll

March 18, 2016 By Publisher Leave a Comment

PULLMAN, Wash. – Washington State University announced students from Contra Costa County have made the President’s Honor Roll for the 2015 Fall semester. Following are the students and cities in which they live.

Antioch: Mikah Erin Nunley

Clayton: Trista Danielle Vieira

Danville: Cole Trevor Furukawa; Emily Elise Geranen; Alyssa Nicole Gonzales; Brittany Elizabeth McIntosh; Sydney Elizabeth Melin; Taylor Ann Nixon; Colette Margaret Smith; Shannon Nicole Steffen; and Hannah Stewardson.

Martinez: Rob Noel Toney; and Brandon Cooper Townsend.

Orinda: Casey Coyle Harrington; and Allison Rae Kostecki.

San Ramon: Alexandra Siobhan Farley; and William Alan Roberts.

Walnut Creek: Courtney Margaret Fitterer; Olivia Josette Lowry; Allison Morgan Milligan; and Sydney Leigh Swenson.

The President’s Honor Roll recognizes students who stand above the rest with excellent academic performance. To be eligible for the honor roll, undergraduate students must be enrolled in a minimum of nine graded hours in a single term at WSU and earn a grade point average of 3.75 or earn a 3.50 cumulative GPA based on 15 cumulative hours of graded work.

The data displayed in the President’s Honor Roll may be affected by students who restrict the release of some or all information about themselves.

For more information on WSU, visit https://wsu.edu.