Education

Point Loma’s Nazarene University Has College Baseball’s “Most Scenic Ballpark”

June 10, 2013 by Staff
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Recent renovations at Point Loma Nazarene University’s baseball field has earned it a new title: “America’s Most Scenic Ballpark”. This title was bestowed on the field, named after the university’s long-time coach, Carroll B Land, by Baseball America Magazine, which is considered the No. 1 authority on college baseball.

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San Diego Professor Taking Global Warming Fight to the Markets With Campaign of Divesting from Fossil Fuel Stocks

June 7, 2013 by Andy Cohen
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A successful effort to convince California teachers pension system to divest in fossil fuel stocks would be first significant economic victory in fight against global warming.

By Andy Cohen

Most people accept that global warming is real and that it’s happening. But even for those who continue to willfully deny the facts right underneath their noses, it is getting more and more difficult to ignore the increased frequency and intensity of the superstorms that have devastated our landscape.

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Pin Points on the Peninsula – News Around Ocean Beach and Point Loma

May 30, 2013 by Staff
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Controversy Over “Cave Rave” Continues

On Memorial Day, May 27, surfers, residents, and police found that a “Cave Rave” had been held at Sunset Cliffs Natural Park. They also found broken glass, graffiti on the inside of the cave and other damage. But who was responsible? … a portable generator, strobe lights, and music. … COME INSIDE FOR MORE …

Does OB Want the Brighton Beach Restrooms Open 24/7?

The city has given itself a time extension to make a decision, but some members of the OB Town Council are not pleased about it. The restrooms Had been open 24 hours a day until mid-April … . A 30-day trial period ended May 15, but now the city says … COME INSIDE

Why Has OB Apartment Market Stalled? …

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Today’s College Graduates: In Debt and Unable to Find a Job

May 28, 2013 by Source

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By John Lawrence

The American mythology that getting a good job requires a college degree is turning out to be a hollow promise, a mythology devoid of any connection to reality. Today’s college graduates are being weighed down with tens of thousands of dollars in student loan debt, and many of them are either unemployed or working in jobs that don’t require a college degree.

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Lorena Gonzalez Wins Assembly and Myrtle Cole Wins City Council Seats

May 22, 2013 by Doug Porter
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Mrytle Cole First African-American Woman Elected to San Diego City Council, School Board Member Richard Barrera to Head Labor Council

By Doug Porter / San Diego Free Press

The results are in for the last of a series of elections triggered by Bob Filner’s decision to run for Mayor of San Diego. Labor leader Lorena Gonzalez displayed her mastery of the political process, pulling together a massive canvassing campaign that gave her an overwhelming 70% of the vote and a seat in the State Assembly.

For those of you keeping track, Filner moved from the US House of Representatives to Mayor of San Diego, Juan Vargas moved from State Senate to fill Filner’s seat, Ben Hueso moved from State Assembly to State Senate.

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Spanking in the Name of the Lord

May 21, 2013 by Dave Rice
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When Children are Maltreated by Religious Groups

By Dave Rice

Child sexual abuse cases in the Catholic Church have repeatedly rocked the nation for more than a decade now, and in 2010 spread locally to reach the San Diego Diocese. The so-called “Satanic Panic” of the 1980s and early ‘90s brought the prospect of harm to children through mysterious and violent rituals to the forefront of the nation’s attention, while periodically stories reach the news involving the tragic death of a child raised by a family of religious separatists.
These stories, however, just scratch the surface of a more widespread problem concerning the mistreatment of children in the name of religion, says Janet Heimlich, author of Breaking Their Will: Shedding Light on Religious Child Maltreatment.

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Changes at the Playing Fields of Dana Put On Hold by City Park and Rec

May 20, 2013 by Source
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Undetermined Meeting Will Decide on Big changes Proposed for Baseball field at Dana Middle School in Point Loma

by Melanie Nickel / Special to the OB Rag

There may be major changes coming to the baseball field at Dana Middle School, but it’s not a sure thing yet. There are a lot of unanswered questions, and the changes have not yet been approved by the City.

The impetus is a proposal from David Wells, Point Loma High School class of 1982. Wells is one of Point Loma High School’s best known graduates, having pitched a perfect game for the New York Yankees in 1998. Wells went to the World Series in 1992 as a relief pitcher for the victorious Toronto Blue Jays, after which he made a major donation to the athletic programs at PLHS.

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Robert Reich to Graduates of 2013: Understand the Triumph of Progressivism

May 14, 2013 by Source
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The Triumph of Progressivism: Graduation 2013 and 1968

By Robert Reich / RobertReichBlog / May 13, 2013

Many of you soon-to-be college graduates are determined to make the world a better place. Some of you are choosing careers in public service or joining nonprofits or volunteering in your communities.

But many of you are cynical about politics. You see the system as inherently corrupt. You doubt real progress is possible. “What chance do we have against the Koch brothers and the other billionaires?” you’ve asked me.

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Green Store and OB Rag Open House a Success – Thank You!

April 29, 2013 by Frank Gormlie
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The Open House that the OB Rag and The Green Store held yesterday, Sunday the 28th, turned out to be a huge success – with a big turnout. The Mayor was a no-show, however, but he is forgiven as he was down at the international border opening gates, a worthy pastime.

The significant turnout from the community and from supporters of both organizations is gratefully appreciated by all the volunteers who work for the two groups that are now under the same roof. Donations were given, T-shirt sales were made, delightful acoustic music was played, and the liquid refreshments ran out before the vegetarian food. Thanks to all who came and joined us in our celebrations, and who donated to our causes. And gracias to those who also brought food.

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Corporate Education Reform Goes to College Despite Flunking Out in the K-12 System

April 22, 2013 by Jim Miller

By Jim Miller

6671_500611959997407_1321783566_nThings haven’t been going too well for the corporate education reform forces lately. In Chicago there is great controversy surrounding and parent resistance to school closings as a result of the efforts of over zealous reformers. This shameful turn of events puts yet another black mark on former Obama Administration chief of staff and current Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel’s heavy-handed reign of error over his city’s schools.

Across the country in Seattle, teachers, students, and parents came together to resist the overuse of standardized tests by asking questions that resonated nationwide about the disservice we are doing to our children. And, in Atlanta, a massive cheating scandal raised eyebrows about the hegemony of high stakes testing as well.

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Should We Be Outsourcing Public Higher Education in California?

March 18, 2013 by Jim Miller

…suggesting we drop existing standards for the wild west of market based online education will do for education what deregulation did for banks and the stock market.

Last week State Senator Darrell Steinberg proposed what he thinks of as a bold new way to reshape higher education in California and to deal with the bottleneck of students who have trouble getting into “gateway” classes in our community colleges and universities. What is Steinberg’s answer to our access ills? Sadly, it is outsourcing higher education to the corporate interests who have long been aggressively lobbying to get a piece of the publically funded pie that is California’s public education system.

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Author Q & A: ‘The Golden Shore: California’s Love Affair with the Sea’

February 21, 2013 by Source
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Conservationist David Helvarg – a former OBcean and writer on the original OB Rag – talks about his book, “The Golden Shore,” a tribute to California’s beautiful and iconic coastline, and the Navy’s and San Diego’s roles in shaping it.

By Serge Dedina / Wildcoast

No one has done more to educate the public on ways to preserve our coast and ocean than David Helvarg. Author of six books and the founder and Executive Director of the Blue Frontier Campaign, Helvarg will be speaking about his newest book, The Golden Shore: California’s Love Affair with the Sea at the Birch Aquarium on Tuesday Feb. 26 from 6:30-8 p.m.

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Rose Creek Festival: “Love Your Wetlands Day” in Mission Bay

February 14, 2013 by Source
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Editor: A celebration of Rose Creek was held just recently, organized by Friends of Rose Creek and San Diego Earthworks. Rose Creek is one of the actual, live creeks that pours into east Mission Bay. Rose Creek runs down Rose Canyon, the canyon that I-5 travels, and enters the bay in its northeast quadrant, flowing right by Mission Bay High School.

The celebration was called “Love Your Wetlands Day and Rose Creek Festival: It’s Our Nature”, and was hosted by Campland by the Bay on Saturday, February 9, 2013. It was :

a celebration get-together of dedicated environmental groups in a children and family oriented festival of fun and nature discovery in honor of Rose Creek Watershed and Mission Bay Park, one of the largest sea water aquatic parks in the world.

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Grading Jerry Brown’s Education Agenda

February 4, 2013 by Jim Miller

jerry_brown1f —— It’s the beginning of the new semester at San Diego City College where I work, so I thought this would be a good time to evaluate some of Jerry Brown’s bold moves on the educational front. In terms of funding, the passage of Proposition 30 has stopped much of the bleeding in schools and colleges across the state, but it still does not do enough to restore all that has been cut in recent years. Therefore, despite some very good news, challenges remain ahead.

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Surfrider Foundation to Give Ocean Beach Class on “Ocean Friendly” Gardens on Jan. 13th

January 9, 2013 by Frank Gormlie
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Class at Orchard Avenue Site Led by Garden Experts

As part of Surfrider Foundation’s Ocean Friendly Gardens campaign, the San Diego Chapter will be holding a Garden Assistance Party (GAP) in Ocean Beach on Sunday, January 13 from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The event will take place at a Sunset Cliffs residence located at 4895 Orchard Avenue, at the end of Cable Street. Lead by garden experts, Surfrider volunteers will get hands-on experience reworking the home’s landscaping to apply the guiding CPR criteria of the Ocean Friendly Garden program – Conservation, Permeability and Retention.

Ocean Beach and Point Loma residents are familiar with the challenges of storm water flooding, an eroding coastline, and beaches polluted from rainwater runoff, and can help take part in mitigating these problems by incorporating conservation practices at home. The Garden Assistance Party ties into a three-part series addressing the economic, environmental and practical benefits of a garden designed to protect our region’s watersheds and oceans.

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Gay Student Group Denied Charter at Point Loma Nazarene University

December 13, 2012 by Doug Porter
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Senior Sean Lewis wanted to start a discussion group focusing on gay themes at Point Loma Nazarene University. He told Channel10Newsthat he was motivated to take this step because he and other openly gay students often felt unwelcome on campus, telling reporter Michael Chen, “I’ve gotten messages on Facebook … warning me that I’m going to hell”.

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Point Loma High Christmas Tree Vandalized

December 12, 2012 by Staff

Other Live Tree on Campus Also Cut Down by Vandals

The Grinch is at it again. This time, he and his friends vandalized a student-initiated project of erecting a tall, 25 foot Christmas Tree on campus of the Point Loma High School. They also cut down a small live tree nearby – also on campus.

Campus police believe the vandalism occurred late Monday night or early Tuesday night.

The holiday-inspired tree was the brainchild of a group of students, who spent $700 of their own money to buy the tree at a farm in San Bernardino County, transport it down to the campus on a rented trailer, and erect it with decorations.

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Sunset View Elementary Takes Food Day Crown

November 14, 2012 by Frank Gormlie

From San Diego Unified

San Diego’s Food Day School Passport Challenge brought nearly 1,000 San Diego Unified School District students, staff and families to three Farmers Markets around the city, with Sunset View Elementary winning the challenge over Rosa Parks, Central, Cherokee Point, Crown Point and Pacific Beach elementary schools. Sunset View received a healthy local food party catered by Chef Andrew Spurgin of Waters Fine Catering.

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OBcean Gregg Robinson: Candidate for County Board of Education

November 5, 2012 by Source
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By Mel Freilicher/ San Diego Free Press

Gregg Robinson is running as a candidate for the County Board of Education. He has dedicated his life to addressing, and working toward redressing, the growing inaccessibility of educational opportunities due to poverty. This is reflected in his scholarly research and publications, his career as a teacher as well as his ongoing involvement in community organizations.

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The Continued Economic Woes of Colleges in California

November 2, 2012 by Source

By Rachel Higgins / San Diego Politico / Nov. 2, 2012

While college students nationwide have contended with skyrocketing tuition prices in recent years, the growth of these costs has been particularly substantial in California. The increases have been primarily attributed to the state budget, and in response, many California congressmen have enacted various prescriptions intended to control costs more effectively.

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Minority Students and Others at SDSU Stage Silent Protest Over Loss of Votes

October 22, 2012 by Staff
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Minority students, members of San Diego State cultural organizations and members of the the Residence Hall Association placed red duct tape over their mouths in a silent demonstration last week against the student government’s restructuring plan, a plan that they way will result in a loss of representation and votes for these students and their organizations.

During their assembly last week – the focus of the protest – the A.S. Council approved a proposed model for its governmental restructure through a majority vote—eliminating individual votes for cultural organizations. The current structure – the one just pushed aside – allowed for “cultural organizations” to sit on the council, giving each sitting representative one vote. The restructure model which was approved will be implemented once finished, combines the cultural representation in A.S. into what the restructuring committee called the “Student Diversity Commission”.

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San Diego School Board Votes to Sell Barnard Elementary School Property

October 11, 2012 by Staff
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Midway School Brought in Bid of $16.5 Million

The leadership of the San Diego Unified School District voted Tuesday night – October 9th – to sell the property of the former Barnard Elementary School in the Midway area next to Ocean Beach. The property had brought in a high bid of $16.5 million. The sale was part of their plan to balance this year’s budget.

The School Board voted to sell the Barnard property along with another undeveloped parcel in Paradise Hills that had brought in $3.1 million at auction.

The Barnard site – 9.37 acres -is located at 930 Barnard Street, a block from West Point Loma Avenue in the Midway area. The “coastal zone” property was on the chopping block for a minimum bid of $9.14 million. Originally opened during World War II for Navy children, the elementary school had been acquired by the School District after the war, and used every since until recently.

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5 Biggest Lies About America’s Public Schools — Debunked

October 4, 2012 by Source

By Kristin Rawls /Alternet

Just weeks into the 2012-2013 school year education issues are already playing a starring role in the national conversation about America’s future. Because it’s an election year, the presidential candidates have been busy pretending there are many substantial distinctions between them on education policy (actually, the differences are arguably minimal).

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Barnard Elementary Property Goes Up for Auction Today – September 27

September 27, 2012 by Frank Gormlie
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The San Diego School District is placing the Barnard Elementary School property up for auction, today, September 27th. Bids take place at 10 am at Annex 2, Normal Street for the former Midway area public school.

The site represents 9.37 acres, and is located at 930 Barnard Street, a block from West Point Loma Avenue in the Midway area. The parcel is in the “coastal zone” and is on the chopping block for a minimum bid of $9.14 million. Originally opened during World War II for Navy children, the elementary school was acquired by the District after the war.

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Point Loma High School Celebrates Its Opening in 1925 – Video

September 26, 2012 by Source
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See this great video of the early days of Point Loma High School – celebrating its 85th anniversary back in 2010. The school opened in 1925, and this video was made to commemorate it. Noah Trafolla narrates the vid. … Come inside to view video.

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The Green Store of Ocean Beach: Solar 101, DVD’s, Lending Library and more!

September 15, 2012 by Christopher Dotson
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So, we’ve been hanging out at the OB RAG “desk” the past month or so, and it’s been a blast to take up residence at The Green Store of Ocean Beach. The co-founder, Colleen Dietzel, is on-hand with a wealth of knowledge, able to discuss at length most anything in the store, as well as the scene around town. What she isn’t familiar with, Colleen will readily admit without failure, yet, somehow all the while she’ll be steering you directly to a shelf or publication or DVD which will arouse your curiosity, and further your search for knowledge and resources available in Ocean Beach. She really is quite amazing!

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