Category Archives: Kids
Rotary Club builds new play structure for homeless kids
For more than two years, the homeless children at the Ursula Sherman Village on Harrison Street in West Berkeley only had an empty lot to play in. The decrepit play structure that had stood in the yard for years was shut down because it was no longer safe.
“It was old,” explained Boona Cheema, the Executive Director of Building Opportunities for Self Sufficiency (BOSS) which was founded in 1971 and runs the village. “It wasn’t safe, so we took it down.”
Thanks to the intervention of the Rotary Club of Berkeley and assorted affiliates, the 24 children at Ursula Sherman Village now have a state-of-the-art play structure and playground to play in. Officials from the Rotary, BOSS, and the city of Berkeley gathered Monday afternoon for the official ribbon cutting ceremony of the playground.
“It’s already made a huge difference,” said Cheema. “The kids feel it’s their place, that it was done for them. They are so excited.”
Evidence was everywhere Monday that the kids were enjoying the structure. As adults mingled around chatting before the ribbon-cutting ceremony, the children ran all around the play structure, climbed up its stairs, and played on its bars. … Continue reading »
CANFIT wants to improve the health of all America’s youth
Arnell Hinkle, the founding executive director of CANFIT (which stands for Communities, Adolescents, Nutrition, and Fitness) may be based in downtown Berkeley, but her work to improve the lives of low-income youth of color takes her across the country and around the globe.
She has been involved in development projects in India, Ecuador and Scotland, and spent last year on a Fullbright public policy fellowship in Wellington, New Zealand working with Maori and Pacific Island groups.
A kind of community food coach for young folk, the registered dietician who holds a masters in public health has worked as a restaurant chef, organic farmer, and as a project coordinator of the Hunger and Chronic Disease Prevention Program at the Contra Costa County Health Services Department. … Continue reading »
Closure of BHS gym rattles athletes, angers parents
The unexpected and abrupt closure of Berkeley High School’s Old Gym this week has thrown some of the school’s athletic programs into turmoil.
On Monday, members of the football team were told they could not go into the locker room in the Old Gym to suit up for practice or to retrieve their belongings. Since then, the team has not had a place to change, store personal items, use weights, or watch films to prepare for upcoming games.
“It has caused a lot of confusion and it is having an effect on how we practice,” said one member of the varsity football team who did not want his name used. “It has a detrimental affect on the team.”
The abrupt closure on Monday October 3 came about because Superintendent Bill Huyett only recently learned of reports that the structure may not be seismically safe, and decided to take action.
“I am a very prudent and cautious person when it comes to student safety,” said Huyett.
Huyett was referring to an engineering study included in a 2006 environmental impact report that raised – but did not answer — questions about the seismic stability of the Old Gym. The structure was built in 1922 based on a design by architect William Hays. In 1929, an addition housing what is now known as the Warm Pool was added. The complex is slated to be torn down in 2012 and replaced with a $35 million, three-story building that holds 15 classrooms, a new gym, and a fitness center. … Continue reading »
Hungry for better food at Berkeley’s Echo Lake Camp
As we head into the final long weekend of the season, the proverbial last hurrah of summer, it’s time for reflection on summer vacation (mis)adventures before fall sets in and school gets going in earnest.
Which brings to mind bad camp food. Specifically, the truly awful eats served at the Berkeley-run Echo Lake Camp. It’s shocking, really, that a city known for fine food and charming cheap chow can’t seem to dish up anything vaguely edible not-so-far from home.
Students see security changes at Berkeley High School
As Berkeley High students returned to school this week, they weren’t permitted to enter by the Allston Street door leading into the main office. Instead they were directed to a nearby gate.
“Visitors Entrance Only,” read the lettering on two new signs posted by the office. “Students Please Use the ‘A’ Gate.”
Five and a half months after two students discharged a gun in a portable bathroom, spooking students, parents, and administrators, change has come to Berkeley High. Access to … Continue reading »
Student director hopes to address “opportunity gap”
On August 31, Maddy Roberts, a senior at Berkeley High, will face one of her most important challenges yet: representing the 9,000 students in the Berkeley Unified School District.
Roberts, 17, was elected in May to serve as the Student Director for the forthcoming year, which means she will sit on the school board and represent the diverse student voices in the district.
Roberts won the position in a race that attracted the high school’s most politically ambitious and passionate … Continue reading »
Students need a booster shot to attend school
As students in Berkeley prepare to return to school by buying binder paper and pencils, they need something else on their back-to-school shopping list: a booster shot.
A new California law requires all students entering grades 7 through 12 to provide proof they have had a Tdap shot, which provides protection against whooping cough, a bacterial disease that can be deadly.
The Legislature originally passed a law requiring students to get the booster shot by the first day … Continue reading »
Dazzling young musicians offer series of free concerts
On Friday July 29, Melissa Angulo, 17, stepped onto the stage of Hertz Hall on the UC Berkeley campus, followed by James Meredith, her piano accompanist. She turned toward the audience, and, without any prelude, launched into a performance of “C” an operatic song by Francis Poulenc and Louis Aragon.
The dozens of people in the audience sat transfixed as Angulo’s soprano filled the music hall, her voice pushing notes higher and higher. She then changed rhythms completely, and sang “The Girl from 14G,” an upbeat song written by Jeanine Tesori for the actress and singer Kristin Chenowith.
Angulo is a member of the Young Musicians’ Program, an honors outreach program run by UC Berkeley. Each year, about 85 talented, low-income students aged 9 to 18, from four Bay Area counties, become members of YMP and get musical training, academic reinforcement and personal guidance, along with a world-class education in the musical field of their choice, including voice and orchestra, classical music, jazz, and folk music. … Continue reading »
Summer cooking camps: tales of solar oven berry crisp
The long foggy days of summer in Berkeley mean summer camp for many kids. In such a food-focused town it’s not surprising to learn that camps designed to encourage edible adventures are popular among the next generation of home cooks and potential professional chefs.
What may surprise you is the skills the young students master, like making pasta from scratch, using a culinary blowtorch, and preparing a four-course family meal. And the lessons the children learn: following a recipe is mostly a good thing, sometimes a dish missing many of its ingredients doesn’t taste so great, and working as a team means sitting down sooner to eat the culinary creations.
For young ones in town there are several cooking camps to choose from; we spotlight three here where children learn kitchen techniques such as knife skills, measuring and mixing, and reading a recipe, along with cleaning up and the pleasure of enjoying a meal together. … Continue reading »
As kids grow up, it’s time to swap
By Izzy ben Izzy
Any parent will tell you how fast their kids grow up. One minute they’re crawling on the floor, the next, leaving for college. Babies, especially, grow out of their clothes and toys faster than their parents can buy new ones, or can afford to. Realizing this, Berkeley mother Jennifer Pesetsky founded KinderCycle, an organization that hosts “swaps” where parents drop off things they’re done with, and pick up the things they need.
Pesetsky said that it was “amazing to me the specificity of stuff that my daughter needed”, referring to her child born in April last year. She grew tired of purchasing new items, and began to shop at used clothing stores, and giving her daughter’s old things to charity. Still, this was a hassle, and she realized that most families wouldn’t bother. Soon she found a simple solution.
Pesetsky said that essentially, families “get rid of stuff they don’t want, and take stuff they do”. Since March of this year, she has hosted a swap each month at different locations in which families do exactly that. They pay an admission fee ranging from $5 to $20, and drop off their old clothes, toys, books, strollers, bathtubs, highchairs, and more, for volunteers to sort and put on tables around the room. A swap will last about two hours, but families can stay as long as they want. … Continue reading »
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