Golf tournament to raise money for Hyland Teen Center

(Originally published in the 4/12/16 edition)

   The Kyle Hyland Foundation for Teen Support will be holding its first Kyle Hyland Foundation Golf Tournament Charity Fundraiser at the Mare Island Golf Club on Sunday, May 15. All proceeds will benefit the foundation’s new teen center.

   The foundation was set up by Barbara Gervase after her 16-year-old son Kyle Hyland’s suicide in December 2014 with the goal of promoting the awareness of teen suicide rates and providing a support network for teens suffering from anxiety or depression. One of the main objectives was the establishment of a teen center where Benicia youth ages 13 to 19 could come together, decompress, have fun and receive emotional support if they needed it. After nearly a year of looking for a reasonable space, Pastor Jerry Pollard of Gateway Church agreed to lend space for the center in an unutilized building behind the church at 1035 Military West. 

   The Hyland Teen Center officially opened on Jan. 22 with limited hours. Since then, it expanded its hours to 3 to 6:30 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays and 1 to 8 p.m. The center features game tables, a lounge area with a TV for video games and movies, a stage with a sound system and musical equipment, art supplies, a snack bar and a study area for teens to do homework. Additionally, on select Fridays the center will hold movie nights or theme nights such as Karaoke Night or Game Night.

   However, Gervase says some items are still needed such as a storage shed and laptops for teens to do their homework on. 

   “We are in need of extra funds so that we can sponsor activities, activity nights and theme nights at the teen center,” she said. 

   An ongoing fundraiser is currently being held through the crowdfunding site YouCaring.com, in which a link can be accessed through the foundation’s website. The golf fundraiser will be another way to raise money for the center.

   The format of the fundraiser will be a four-person scramble in which team members tee off on each hole and then determine which shot they liked best and mark that spot with a tee or ball marker. The other team members have to place their ball within one club length of the marked spot. Prizes will be given for the lowest team score, longest drive, closest to pin and longest putt. The fee is $110 per golfer or $400 for a four-person team until Friday, April 15 when the prices increase to $125 and $450 respectively. Entries will only be accepted through April 30. The entry will will include a continental breakfast, lunch, 18 holes of golf and a variety of balls. 

   The foundation is looking for local businesses to help sponsor the tournament and provide prizes for the ensuing silent auction. Details on sponsorship levels can be found at KyleHyland.com.

   The tournament will be held on May 15 at the Mare Island Golf Club, located at 1800 Club Drive in Vallejo. Registration and breakfast will begin at 9 a.m., and a shotgun start will take place at 11 a.m. For a registration form and additional information, visit KyleHyland.com. 

New Benicia Middle School principal named

(Originally published in the 4/12/16 edition)

   Benicia Unified School District Superintendent Charles Young announced Damian Scott as the new principal of Benicia Middle School on Friday through BUSD’s website. 

   Scott will be filling the position left by Stephen Brady. Brady was hired at the start of the 2015-2016 school year as the successor to Christina Moore who left to take a new job as the principal of Robert Semple Elementary. Brady announced his resignation via an email to BMS parents in February. 

   Scott received his undergraduate degree from the University of Oregon, his administrative credential from the Fortune School of Education in Sacramento and his master’s degree from San Jose State University. Scott has taught elementary school, science and computer science and is currently an assistant principal at Alhambra High School in Martinez, which received Gold Ribbon School recognition during his tenure.

   Additionally, Scott was able to coordinate a partnership between the computer science education nonprofit program code.org and eight local school districts, including BUSD. 

   “We enthusiastically welcome Damian Scott as the new principal of Benicia Middle School, knowing he will provide strong, compassionate, visionary leadership for years to come,” Young said in a statement.

   Scott could not be reached for comment. 

Benicia kids get honored in Safe Routes to School poster contest

(Originally published in the 4/10/16 edition)

   All throughout Solano County, children ages 5 through 14 were asked to submit drawings to Solano Safe Routes to School's “Think Outside the Car” poster contest, encouraging students to walk, bike or ride their scooters to school. Students in Benicia were among those who took runners-up and honorable mention.   

   Safe Routes to School is a program put on by Solano Transportation Authority to encourage students to find alternate routes to school beyond having their parents drive them. Alternatives include walking, riding bikes or taking public transit, which STA believes not only improves students' health and well-being but also cuts down on air pollution and traffic congestion.

   The contest not only acted as a public service announcement to parents and fellow classmates but also demonstrated the artistic talent and creativity of Solano's youth.

   “The Safe Routes to School program received so many wonderful and creative entries,” Fairfield Mayor Harry Price said in a statement. “129 students from 23 schools throughout the county entered the contest.”

   Benicia Unified School District students were honored in all three categories. Xavier Parra, a first-grader from Joe Henderson Elementary, took runner-up in the transitional kindergarten through second-grade category. Ryder De Lago, a fourth-grader from Matthew Turner Elementary took runner-up in the third through fifth-grade category. Finally, Justin Gallardo, an eighth-grader at Benicia Middle School, recived an honorable mention in the sixth through eighth-grade category.

   The big winners in each category were Umar Vasani, a second-grader at Wardlaw Elemntary in Vallejo; Josiah Lacy, a fourth-grader at Crescent Elementary in Suisun City; and Samantha Guinn, a seventh-grader at the Public Safety Academy in Fairfield. Honorable mentions also went to Sierra Christiansen, a first-grader at Kairos Public School Vacaville Academy; and Grace Miller, a fourth-grader at Cordelia Hills Elementary in Fairfield. Karina Ceja-Escobedo, a seventh-grader at Public Safety Academy, rounded out the honorees with a runner-up award in the sixth through eighth-grade category.

Price and Suisun City Mayor Pete Sanchez announced the first-place winners over the air on Vacaville adult contemporary station KUIC.

   “I was impressed at how well the winning entries best showed the benefits of walking, biking or riding a scooter to school,” Sanchez said. “The kids really did a great job.”

Rookies to cook ribs to benefit Benicia High's athletic department

(Originally published in the 4/8/16 edition)

Saturday, April 24 will be a day to honor Benicia High School's extracurricular programs. From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., a classic car show will be held along First Street to benefit the BHS Panther Marching Band. As patrons gaze at the wonder of a 1968 Buick, Rookies Sports Bar and Grill will be hosting its Rib Cook-Off to raise money for Benicia High's athletic department.

   Rookies has been hosting its annual Rib Cook-Off for five years now. Bar manager Alex Storelee says her father, Rookies owner Rob, probably came up with the idea when the bar received a new smoker grill.

   "He decided a cookoff would be a good way to raise money for our schools," she said.

   Interested participants will be part of a team, who will have to pay a $50 entry fee.  Each team will receive two racks of traditional St. Louis pork ribs. Entrants will provide their own supplies and equipment, such as tables, chairs and cooking utilities. The teams will unload their vehicles and supplies as early as 6 a.m., as cars will not be allowed in the cooking area after 8 a.m.

   The teams are allowed to use whatever spices or sauces they want, but the ribs may only be cooked over charcoal or wood. Propane and bottled gas is prohibited.

   The judging will begin at 2 p.m. sharp. 

   "It will be a blind taste test judged on things like taste, tenderness and flavor," Storelee said. 

   There will be first, second and third place awards for winners.

   Additionally, there will be barbecue plate specials featuring meats cooked on the big red smoker that inspired the cookoff to begin with. There will also be a sports memorabilia raffle featuring items from Bay Area sports teams. Entrants can win paraphernalia associated with teams like the San Francisco Giants and Golden State Warriors, including a signed photograph of Stephen Curry.

   "It's a fun day for everyone of all ages," Storelee said. "It's a way to support our local high school sports program as well as our local business."

   The cookoff will be held from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday, April 24 at Rookies, located at 321 First St. Stop by Rookies to pick up your entry form or look in the Herald for Rookies advertisements. All teams will need to send at least one representative to attend a kick-off meeting at Rookies, 6 p.m., on Friday, April 22. For more information about this event, contact the bar at 746-7665 or visit its Facebook page at Facebook.com/rookiesbenicia.

JFK Library in Vallejo will celebrate National Poetry Month

(Originally published in the 4/8/16 edition)

   April is National Poetry Month, which means bards worldwide will have a chance to share their literary skills with others. Four local poets will be doing just that as part of the John F. Kennedy Library's National Poetry Month poetry reading and open mic night event. Other local scribes will be encouraged to join in.

   The event will be hosted by Genea Brice, Vallejo's poet laureate. Brice was named as the city's first poet laureate last summer and has led the Poetry in Notion meetings monthly at the JFK Library, where poets gather to share their love of the art form.

   “We are honored to have Genea Brice hosting this event,” library associate Jeff Kingman said in a statement. “She brings lots of talent and energy to her post as Vallejo’s first Poet Laureate. Genea has a special way of reading her work that makes the poems come alive—like music.”

   Brice will be joined by Kingman as well as Kyrah A. Ayres and Benicia's very own Johanna Ely. Ely is a member of the Benicia First Tuesday Poetry Group and has had her work published in two poetry anthologies, “Across the Genres” and “A Word for All Seasons.”

   After the readings by the four poets, there will be an open mic session where attendees will have the opportunity to show off their poetic abilities. The public will be able to sign up at the beginning of the event.

   The event will be held at 2 p.m., Saturday, April 16 in the Joseph Room of the JFK Library, located at 505 Santa Clara St. in Vallejo. Admission is free, and refreshments will be served. For more information, visit SolanoLibrary.com or call the library at (866) 572-7587.  

Grad Night fundraiser to be held at Panda Express

 (Originally published in the 4/7/16 edition)

   Chinese restaurant chain Panda Express will be hosting a fundraiser for Benicia High School's Grad Night tomorrow at its Benicia location.

   Grad Night is held the night of Benicia High's senior class graduation as a way for recent grads to have a fun, safe evening following their big milestone. The night will feature food, games and other activites and will be held Saturday, June 11 from 9 p.m. to approximately 3 a.m.

   However, funds are needed to put Grad Night on, so Panda Express will be holding a fundraiser tomorrow from noon to 10 p.m. The proceeds from all menu items purchased during this time will go toward Grad Night.

   Panda Express is located at 804 Southampton Road. For more information, contact the restaurant at 745-3763. Additional Grad Night fundraisers will be held at Kinders BBQ, Wednesday, April 20; Round Table Pizza, Tuesday, May 3; and Panda Express again Friday, May 20.

Annual Run for Education to once again raise money for Benicia schools Sunday

(Originally published in the 4/7/16 edition)

   It’s that time of year again when citizens of the community come together to literally run for a good cause: strengthening Benicia Unified School District’s educational programs.

   The Benicia Education Foundation will be holding its 9th annual Run for Education on Sunday, open to everyone from expert runners to first-time athletes. Runners can participate in two races. The 5-kilometer race starts at the Southern Pacific Railroad Depot at the end of First Street, winds through West H, West Second, West I, West 9th and West K streets before returning to First Street. The 10-kilometer race starts at the Benicia State Recreation Area’s Ridge Trail, peels off into West K and H streets, winds through Military West and ends on First Street. The event has managed to attract a wide variety of people, even from those outside the community. For instance, last year’s 5K winner, Melvin Nyairo, came all the way from Yuba City.

   Outgoing race director Teresa Zabrek, who has been helping new director Lisa Koenen in her transition, says more than 400 people have signed up for the event so far, but with spring break falling last week, she expects that number to grow this week.

   “We hope to hit 800 runners with over 100 volunteers,” Zabrek said. “We may fall a little short of our goal since the focus this year was more on transitioning to a new race director, but next year marks the 10^th Annual run so we are already thinking of fun ways to bring out the crowds to help us celebrate.”

   New this year is a registration site called Run Sign Up, which allows applicants to register a team or family for one handling fee, among other benefits.

   “This system is tied to Synergy Race Timing, so when people register their information is entered directly into the timing system,” Zabrek said. “People can register online right up to race start time with a credit card, and race results will be posted live on computers for people to get their results more quickly. We are very excited about all of the features this new system will offer to us as organizers and to our runners.”

   Additionally, there will be an early morning warm-up presented by Benicia Jazzercise, a performance of the national anthem by Benicia High School freshman Kirsten Lambincio, sponsor booths on the First Street Green and an awards ceremony. The winners of the 5k and 10K races will receive Benicia Downtown Dollars, and the top 3 of each age category receive medals. There will also be T-shirts distributed with a logo designed by Benicia High alumna Alison Harris-Abbott, founder of the company Designs by AHA. 

   A big theme for this year’s event is ensuring that all BUSD students are prepared for college. According to BEF Vice President and BUSD trustee Stacy Holguin, while the foundation has been working to raise money for library and technology resources, she says the district has been able to stabilize funding in this area. Now the focus is on making sure the district provides funding to build college and career readiness for students at all levels. 

   “After numerous stakeholder meetings with representatives from each school, BEF is developing a plan that will support student and parent engagement at the elementary schools, middle school and high schools,” she said. “While this list is not exhaustive, we plan to support an expansion of the STEAM Wheel at the elementary schools; Math Support Lab  and Naviance expansion at the Middle School; and guest speakers and additional resources for the college and career counselor at the high schools.”

   Additionally, Holguin says the foundation will have a mini grant fund that teachers and administrators can apply for to support programs that will help with college and career preparation. 

   Zabrek says the event is very popular and allows people from all walks of life to come together to support a great cause.

   “This is a great way to come together as a community to show our support of Benicia public schools,” she said. “Even if you don’t have kids in school it is a fun, healthy event to experience.”

   The Run for Education will take place from 8 to 11 a.m., Sunday, April 10. Race day registration begins at 7 a.m. at the First Street Green, located at the corner of First and B streets. People can also register at RunSignUp.com or at Earthly Nutrition, located at 872 Southampton Road. For more information, visit BeniciaRunForEducation.org.