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Local education coverage
November 20th, 2009
Parents pack meeting on school closuresNearly 200 people turned out Wednesday at Redwood Middle School, where Napa school district officials hosted the second of two public meetings about likely school closures.
November 17th, 2009
NVC acres waits for the right ideaNapa Valley College is grappling with a $4 million budget gap, but that’s not speeding up any plans to lease or develop a sliver of campus property across from South Napa Marketplace.
November 16th, 2009
Supporting the new high school, from the startAs American Canyon City Manager Rich Ramirez explains to groups around town about the city’s $1.6 million budget shortfall, he is letting the public know what the city sees as likely options for service cuts.
November 15th, 2009
H1N1's impact light so far at local schoolsSwine flu is on the rise in Napa County schools, but to date, the illness’ overall severity on campus isn’t enough to warrant school closures or other extreme measures.
November 12th, 2009
College trustees to discuss corner propertyNapa Valley College’s regular meeting of the board of trustees Thursday will include an informational report on the campus’ so-called north corner property. Discussion will include information about what to do with the college’s now-vacant eight-acre property near the corner of Soscol and Imola avenues. The corner property item has appeared intermittently on the board’s agenda for more than a year. Public comment is permitted at the college’s board meetings.
November 9th, 2009
School officials add new requirements for K-12Local teens will soon be working harder for their high school diplomas.
November 8th, 2009
Students reflect on Vintage unrestAll is calm on the Vintage High School campus these days, and a lot of the credit goes to students who reacted quickly and peacefully in the wake of two days of upheaval in late September.
Cash-strapped Napa schools OK tax surveyNapa Valley Unified School District is going ahead with a poll to find out how amenable district residents would be to a new school parcel tax.
November 6th, 2009
School district asking if residents would support taxThe Napa Valley Unified School District is going ahead with plans for a poll to learn whether area residents would support a school parcel tax.
Carneros closure tops list of concerns at school meetingDon’t close Carneros Elementary School. That was the message from many of the 100 or so residents who came out to a special Napa Valley Unified School District meeting Wednesday night at Harvest Middle School.
November 5th, 2009
Alfaro wins St. Helena school board raceKevin Alfaro defeated Roger Adams for a seat on the St. Helena School Board by a 2-1 margin, according to votes tallied late Tuesday.
November 4th, 2009
School board to vote on changing graduation requirementsNapa Valley Unified School District’s board of trustees is voting Thursday on whether to adopt the district’s so-called College and Career Readiness initiative.
Alfaro wins St. Helena school board raceKevin Alfaro defeated Roger Adams for a seat on the St. Helena School Board by a 2-1 margin, according to votes tallied late Tuesday.
Students find rewards in ancient gameWhen you’re passing through the metal detector just inside Liberty High School’s classroom 104, all the chess boards might catch you a little off guard.
November 3rd, 2009
Big upgrade at New TechStudents are getting an earful of thundering jackhammers at Napa New Technology High School, wherean $11 million renovation and expansion project is under way.
November 2nd, 2009
Aid requests soar at Napa Valley CollegeWithout financial aid, Evangelina Alvarez, a student at Napa Valley College, probably wouldn’t be attending college. It turns out she’s far from alone.
October 25th, 2009
A school at Napa Pipe?Napa Pipe developers recently bought three tracts of land neighboring the original 154-acre Napa Pipe site and will set property aside for a new elementary school campus if local officials request it.
October 24th, 2009
NVC leader remembered at formal gatheringPoetry, music and public speakers captured hundreds of people’s attention and hearts at Napa Valley College’s gym Friday afternoon for a public memorial honoring late Napa Valley College President Dr. Chris McCarthy.
October 21st, 2009
Taking the helm at PUCDr. Heather Knight is new to Pacific Union College, but that’s not keeping the recently appointed president of the college from getting to work increasing student enrollment and reaching out to others in Napa County.
St. Helena schools may ask to extend bondSt. Helena Unified School District officials are considering asking Upvalley voters next year to extend a 25-year school facilities bond passed in 1997, possibly until 2045.
The foundation of solid learningMore than ever, local schools could use a boost from the communities they serve.
October 19th, 2009
Time to hire teachers for new high schoolAmerican Canyon High School is hiring.
October 17th, 2009
Three Napa schools may be closedNapa school officials have unveiled the names of three campuses that may face closure for the 2010-11 academic year and beyond.
October 16th, 2009
3 Napa schools face being closedThree Napa County schools face closure due to large state cuts in education, school district officals announced Thursday evening.
October 10th, 2009
Money lag makes district creative to keep building AmCan HighThe state is $44 million behind in money for Napa school construction projects, but American Canyon High School is still expected to open on schedule in the fall, local school officials say.
October 9th, 2009
Students, families seek aid in paying for higher educationSigns of the ailing economy revealed themselves at a recent college night event at Napa High School, where many teens said reduced family finances and access to financial aid are influencing their college plans.
October 8th, 2009
School district moves toward poll on parcel taxThe Napa Valley Unified School District board of trustees is expected next week to give the OK to conducting a poll to determine residents’ openness to a parcel tax.
October 7th, 2009
Former Redwood teacher recalled as a science boosterEducators recently lost one of their own with the death of Jennifer Landrith Stitt, a former Redwood Middle School teacher who colleagues say was known for her dedication to students and love of nature.
October 3rd, 2009
Carneros parents out in force to save schoolAt least 70 Carneros Elementary School parents, teachers and students turned out at the most recent meeting of the Napa Valley Unified School District board of trustees to stave off possible closure of their school.
American Canyon High's new mascot is ... the wolfThe wolf has replaced the phoenix as the American Canyon High School mascot, after a decision at Thursday evening’s meeting of the Napa Valley Unified School District board of trustees.
October 2nd, 2009
American Canyon High's new mascot is ... the wolfThe wolf is replacing the phoenix as American Canyon High School’s mascot, according to a decision at Thursday evening’s regular meeting of the Napa Valley Unified School District board of trustees.
October 1st, 2009
District finds way to keep teachersSome Napa Valley Unified School District teachers got pink slips this spring, but district administrators are buying them time by changing how they’re paid.
NVC taps interim presidentThe Napa Valley College board of trustees on Tuesday tapped Napan Armond Phillips — a longtime community college leader and NVC Foundation board member — as the college’s interim president.
September 30th, 2009
Students' vote on American Canyon High mascot revealed ThursdayAmerican Canyon High School’s future students will find out Thursday if they are going to be howling, squawking or flapping their wings when they attend games and rallies.
September 28th, 2009
Upvalley recall heads to ballotSt. Helena voters will have a referendum on their city’s school board next year.
September 23rd, 2009
'A big-picture individual'Napa Valley College President Chris McCarthy, 56, died at home in Napa last weekend of what is believed to be natural causes, campus officials said Tuesday.
September 22nd, 2009
Napa Valley College President dead at age 56Napa Valley College President Chris McCarthy, 56, died at home this weekend of what appears to be natural causes, campus officials say.
September 21st, 2009
Napa schools' student rep not bored with the boardWhile other teens are cramming for exams or watching TV, Katrina Castner is sitting under the fluorescent lights at public meetings, taking in the issues of the day alongside the Napa Valley Unified School District board of trustees.
September 19th, 2009
Napa Valley College Buildings Taking ShapeThanks to Napa Valley College’s Measure N — a $133.8 million 2002 voter-approved bond measure — a new library, performing arts center and gym will soon be complete at the campus.
First magnet schools namedSchool district officials have named the four area elementary schools invited to become Napa’s first magnet schools.
September 18th, 2009
Officials consider campuses for specialized learningNapa Valley Unified School District officials are considering the launch of magnet schools emphasizing specific areas of learning, and will soon name a handful of campuses slated to become the first such schools in the district.
September 17th, 2009
For schools, higher scores, but not better gradeElena Toscano of Napa Valley Unified School District likes to call her turf “a consistently improving Program Improvement district,” and the reason why is no mystery.
September 9th, 2009
Awards banquet benefits Latino studentsTwenty-two years ago, Catalina Chavez-Tapia was a senior at Napa High School who had dreams of going to college. But she also faced significant hurdles, not the least of which was a shortage of money.
Obama addresses education; handful of students opt outDespite concerns from a small group of parents, some Napa Valley Unified School District students were among the millions of young Americans President Barack Obama addressed in a televised speech Tuesday morning about the value of education.
September 5th, 2009
More students pass exit examFour out of five Napa sophomores passed the high school exit exam last school year, scoring slightly higher than the statewide average.
September 2nd, 2009
School seeks help for toppled totem polesTwo totem poles that were part of an art project completed last year no longer stand guard at American Canyon Middle School.
September 1st, 2009
Phillips' Veveiros named teacher of the yearPhillips Charter School teacher Jennifer Veveiros has come full circle.
August 31st, 2009
Weekend's Best: Napa schools consider parcel taxWhile you were out enjoying a great summer weekend, NapaValleyRegister.com was letting readers know about a potential parcel tax plan being discussed by Napa Valley Unified School District officials.
August 27th, 2009
American Canyon High to get solar powerSolar panels sprouting up at American Canyon High School next year could start a green trend for the Napa Valley Unified School District, which is considering tapping the sun to help power several of its campuses.
August 25th, 2009
Napa school district may close some schoolsSchool officials are planning on closing and consolidating an undecided number of Napa Valley Unified School District campuses wth final decisions expected by December.
August 24th, 2009
'We are full': The campus crushStudents carrying backpacks filled with school supplies returned in droves to school on Wednesday, the first day of the 2009-10 school year.
New Tech going national?Napa’s New Technology High School is the living blueprint behind a nationwide movement in education and now its supporting agency — the New Technology Foundation — has a new ally.
Mass swine flu vaccinations for schoolchildren?The swine flu is prompting local public health officials to consider setting up vaccination clinics in Napa Valley schools.
August 22nd, 2009
Students beat 2008 exam scoresMaking steady gains in core subjects, Napa students are beating the state average and their own scores from 2008, according to standardized test scores released this week for the 2009 academic year.
August 19th, 2009
Missing PTA funds draws criminal probeLaw enforcement officials say they are investigating the disappearance of tens of thousands of dollars from Capell Valley Elementary School’s PTA fund.
August 13th, 2009
Local schools gear up for challenging yearTeachers and school workers around the county are preparing for the annual return of students to local campuses while also steeling themselves for the effects of deep cuts to education in the state budget.
August 11th, 2009
Web site boosts students’ brain powerLocal school officials are working to spread the word about a Web site connecting students and teachers to animated lesson programs, research materials, videos and other educational tools.
July 31st, 2009
The short bus goes greenThe nation’s first small hybrid-electric school bus will be put to use this fall by students at Napa Valley Unified School District, thanks to a state grant distributed through the Bay Area Air Quality Management District.
July 28th, 2009
AmCan High right on trackConstruction of American Canyon High School is halfway finished, and the campus is on target to open its doors to freshmen and sophomores in August 2010.
July 25th, 2009
Local schools wait for cutsIt’s unknown exactly how likely record-breaking budget cuts from Sacramento will affect local schools, but one thing is clear: The uncertainty has local education officials bracing for impact.
July 17th, 2009
Silverado and other schools get new fieldsSilverado Middle School got its new track last fall, but construction is once again under way at the campus, where four new baseball fields will be ready for students in the spring of 2010.
July 5th, 2009
High school athletes to cover transportation costs next yearLocal high school athletes — or their parents — will soon be covering their own transportation costs to games and sports events, the Napa Valley Unified School District board of trustees decided at its latest meeting.
July 4th, 2009
St. Helena school board OKs deal on retirementOver the objections of St. Helena parents concerned about the stewardship of local schools, St. Helena Unified School District Board of Trustees went ahead with a plan to award retirement packages to six teachers and two administrators.
42 teacher positions in valley are savedMore than half of the 80 or so Napa Valley Unified School District teachers who received preliminary layoff notices this spring will hang on to their jobs in the 2009-10 school year, thanks to a mix of good timing and federal stimulus money.
June 30th, 2009
Quarantined in Ecuador, Justin-Siena students now home and healthyFifteen Justin-Siena High School students are thrilled to be home after spending at least four days quarantined in an Ecuador hotel room following a swine flu scare.
June 28th, 2009
For schools, a big math problemFederal stimulus money is headed for local school districts girding for an unprecedented level of expected state cuts. But the lack of a state budget is leaving local school officials pondering to what degree they will see real fiscal relief.
Parents, school officials clash in St. HelenaA group of St. Helena parents has accused the school board and top administrators of misconduct in the awarding of retirement packages to St. Helena Unified School District Superintendent Allan Gordon and high school principal Jim Zoll.
June 20th, 2009
Principals named for Vintage, American Canyon high schoolsThe Napa Valley Unified School District approved the appointment of two new high school principals Thursday night.
June 19th, 2009
Principals named for Vintage, American Canyon high schoolsThe Napa Valley Unified School District Thursday night approved the appointment of two school leaders, with Mark Brewer taking the helm as founding principal of the new American Canyon High School and Robert Craig Lewis leading Vintage High.
June 11th, 2009
Inspired class of 2009 takes wing from Napa HighA blue silhouette beneath the Memorial Stadium bleachers, John Baker was waiting for the Napa High School graduation ceremony to begin Wednesday afternoon when he was jolted with the realization: Once he crossed that stage, everything would change.
Vintage High graduates cheered on by familiesThey’re technically adults now, but Vintage High School’s graduating seniors will always be their parents’ children. Just ask Anne Base, mother of Shannon Base, her 18-year-old middle child and one of Vintage’s most recent graduates.
June 10th, 2009
Students are independent, but celebrating as oneWhat had previously been a collection of individual students suddenly became a class Tuesday night at the Napa Valley Alternative Independent Studies high school graduation.
Court, community schools: 'We did it'The graduates wore black, but the mood was anything but somber at the Court and Community Schools high school graduation ceremony on Tuesday.
Valley Oak seniors to go their own wayCamera-toting parents crowded a chain link fence at Memorial Stadium Tuesday morning in hopes of capturing choice shots of Valley Oak High School graduates proudly crossing the stage into adulthood.
Setting sights on new goalsNot only are they a class that knows each others’ names, they’re friends.
June 7th, 2009
Different roads to the same triumphSome were orphaned at a young age, placed in foster care or faced health problems, language barriers and teenage pregnancies. Others made wrong choices, getting involved in drugs and alcohol and dropping out of high school.
June 5th, 2009
37 years on Donaldson WayMost people move through Donaldson Way Elementary School in about six years, going from kindergarten to fifth grade.
Justin-Siena celebrates 40th graduating classThe mood was jubilant at Justin-Siena High School’s 40th graduation ceremony Thursday evening, when student speakers looked ahead to the future and extended their good wishes to fellow classmates.
May 31st, 2009
Kolbe Academy, Trinity Prep enjoy 'historic' graduationThe first graduating senior class at Kolbe Academy and Trinity Prep — all 14 of them — graduated Saturday as parents, friends and others snapped pictures and videotaped the event.
May 30th, 2009
NVC graduates face a new chapterA sea of students representing some of this year’s 690 Napa Valley College graduates celebrated their achievement Friday.
May 28th, 2009
Recall attempt against 4 St. Helena school board membersThe decision by the St. Helena school board to go in-house to hire a new superintendent has sparked a recall effort against four of the board members, the St. Helena Star is reporting in today's edition.
May 27th, 2009
50 seek American Canyon principal's jobThe search is on for a principal to run American Canyon High School, which will open to freshmen and sophomores for the 2010-11 academic year.
May 25th, 2009
Vintage High principal takes Midwest jobAfter running Vintage High School for six years, Principal Eric Schneider is leaving the Napa Valley this summer to take his career in a new direction.
'Remember the Titans': A lesson in persistenceHollywood screen writer Gregory Allen Howard did not take the easy path to bring his original screenplay for “Remember the Titans” to the big screen.
St. Helena students unseal a World War I letter to a soldierOn June 15, 1919, a young bride named Melina “Addie” Converse sent a letter from Massachusetts to her husband, U.S. Army Sgt. Jack Converse, who was stationed in Paris, France.
May 23rd, 2009
Napa High singers take top California honors - againOf all the times the Napa High singers have brought home the gold from the California Golden State High School Invitational Choral Competition, “this time was the sweetest,” Travis Rogers said.
May 21st, 2009
St. Helena teen seeks to fulfill childhood dreamA decade ago, 5-year-old Cristina Avina was sitting in Ana Canales’ kindergarten room at St. Helena Primary School, hard at work on a self-portrait of the grownup she hoped to become.
May 19th, 2009
Annual high school grad party gears up for 22nd all-nighterDanielle Rhyno knows about Grad Nite.
May 17th, 2009
St. Helena taps a new school leaderThe St. Helena Unified School District board agreed Thursday to hire Assistant Superintendent Robert Haley as the district’s new superintendent, replacing the retiring Allan Gordon.
May 16th, 2009
Survey: some drug use down, but hopelessness is a problemThe good news about local kids is that drug use among seventh-graders is down, but many report feelings of hopelessness.
May 14th, 2009
Former Alta Heights teacher, student memorialized at campus she lovedKathy Bollinger left her mark at Alta Heights Elementary School.
May 13th, 2009
How Mr. Mac got his groove backWhen Napa High School math teacher Joe Macpherson walked into his classroom early on a Monday morning last month, he realized something was amiss. The old guitar he kept in a corner of the classroom was gone.
May 11th, 2009
The name is ... American Canyon HighIt’s official: What people have been calling “American Canyon High School” will be named American Canyon High School.
May 8th, 2009
Mascot, name, colors set for new American Canyon schoolWatch the construction of the new school in American Canyon and you may see a Phoenix rising from the site.
Grand jury says trouble ahead for rural schoolsIf property tax revenues keep declining, so-called “basic aid” school districts like those in Howell Mountain and Pope Valley may face financial trouble down the road.
May 7th, 2009
American Canyon High name, mascot decision tonightThe new high school opening in American Canyon in 2010 may very well have an official name, mascot and school colors by late Thursday evening.
Nobel prize winner spreads her messageNobel Peace Prize winner Rigoberta Menchú Tum drew an adoring crowd of hundreds of students, teachers, parents and others to the Napa Valley College gym Tuesday evening.
May 6th, 2009
May 19 Ballot: It's all about schoolsThe May 19 special election is looming, with funding for public schools the heart of the matter in propositions meant to address the state’s deteriorating fiscal condition.
May 4th, 2009
Napans win prestigious Gates scholarshipsThey might attend rival high schools, but two lifelong friends are looking ahead to bright futures after winning nationally renowned Gates Millennium Scholarships.
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