Last year Barbara Bick and I, Dan Burr, opened Neptune Nature School, Alameda’s first, and only, forest-nature school. The all-outdoor, all-weather preschool serves children ages two-and-one-half to five years old. The school nurtures a child’s curiosity of the outdoors and believes children grow best when allowed to be themselves.
Peter Murphy with the Boys Scouts of America — Alameda Council, Troop 1015 earned the organization’s highest rank of Eagle Scout at a Court of Honor held April 8. For his Eagle project, Murphy and a group of volunteers from Bishop O’Dowd High School, Alameda High School, Oakland Strokes Rowing Team and the Troop re-landscaped an overgrown garden area at Lincoln Middle School.
Murphy presented his plan and budget to the school’s PTA and was granted funds for the project. He also raised the funds needed for project’s completion.
Local kids jumped at the chance to get up close and personal with a number of animals at Zoo Day hosted by the Alameda Main Library on Saturday, March 24. The visitors included reptiles, raptors and raccoons, among others.
The animal presentations from the Oakland Zoo, Conservation Ambassadors and Tracy the Animal Guy were so well attended that the community room reached maximum capacity, according to the library.
The Friends of the Alameda Free Library provided the funds to host this “unbearably” awesome event. Let’s all “paws” to thank them.
If only it were astonishing that Ash Jones has “been removed from the substitute list” by the Alameda High School (AHS) principal. Having been in public education for more than 22 years, his removal is not astonishing.
His removal is consistent with the seemingly dauntless pursuit of mediocrity and the mollycoddling that appears to be the inadvertent goal of public education. It is astonishing, however, that someone would have the temerity to take on an Alameda legend, an icon, a stalwart, a warrior such as Ash Jones.
Local children kicked off spring with the Island City tradition known as the Spring Egg Scramble last Saturday. The kids took part in beach exploration, lawn games and arts and crafts in addition to scrambling for eggs. The Alameda Youth Committee hosted a snack bar and the Easter Bunny posed for photos with the kids. The Scramble is sponsored by Rotary Club of Alameda, East Bay Regional Park District and Alameda Recreation and Park Department.
