Former SRV Runner Helps College Set School Record

Worchester Polytechnic Institute has a new school record in the men's 4X400 relay thanks to Austin Holliday, a former San Ramon Valley grad.

The record books at Worchester Polytechnic Institute for track have a San Ramon Valley High School twist thanks to Austin Holliday's effort in the 4X400 relay late last month. Holliday, a 2011 grad, helped the 4X400 WPI team set a new record in men's track and field from the team's showing in the Terrier Classic, hosted by Boston University. The team was competing against teams from Division I, II and III schools. The squad of Joey Collins (Standish, ME), Kyle Morette (Leominster, MA), Stephen Kocienski (Schaghticoke, NY) and Austin Holliday (Danville, CA) clocked a time of 3:20.61, qualifying them for the Division III New England Championships. Read the entire article from WPI here.    

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Former MV Women's Water Polo Star Scores 9 Goals at Stanford Invitational

Kiki Golden scores five goals but her team, the University of Michigan Wolverines, dropped the first two games of the Stanford Invitational.

Former Monte Vista grad Kiki Golden was killing it last weekend for the University of Michigan's women's water polo team, but the Wolverwines went 1-3 and placed seventh at the Stanford Invitational. Golden scored five goals on Saturday and four goals on Sunday for the Wolverines, according to MGoBlue.com. Golden, a Danville resident, graduated in 2009. While at Monte Vista, she was named to the NISCA/Speedo All-American first team in 2009. Also in 2009, she was the all East Bay Girls Water Polo Player of the year. On top of that, a three-time Monte Vista team MVP (2007-2009. Read more about her accolades here.

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Rival Alert: MV and SRV Varsity Soccer Faceoff Thursday

Monte Vista and San Ramon Valley Men and Women's varsity soccer play each other Thursday.

Cross-town rivals Monte Vista and San Ramon Valley faceoff on the soccer field Thursday at San Ramon Valley Stadium. MV and SRV, along with Cal, are tied for second in the East Bay Athletic League behind De La Salle. MV is ranked No. 7 and SRV comes in at No. 3 in both divisions I and II in the NCS. Overall, MV is 12-2-8 (7-1-4, EBAL) and SRV is 14-5-3 (8-3-1, EBAL). The teams will be battling for EBAL dominance on Thursday and it is sure to be a must see. Come out to the SRVHS stadium to watch the women's soccer teams battle at 5:30 p.m.  The men's team will kick off at 7:30 p.m. Both games promise to be among the most exciting and hard fought of the season as they head into post-season NCS play. -Michelle Sbrana    

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Parent Chat

Are Our Kids Canaries in the Coalmine?

This week in Parent Chat our columnist is asking some uncomfortable questions, and hoping for some honest answers.

It was a disturbing morning, and I mean that in the best possible way. To “disturb,” as defined by Merriam-Webster’s dictionary, is to “destroy the tranquility or composure of.” Sitting among other moms of young children one morning this week, I listened to a longtime local educator lay it out plainly, just how far out of whack things have become for the kids she sees everyday in her school. I doubt there was a drop of tranquility in the room to be had, nor should there have been. As she shared a long list of the “bad news,” I know my stomach churned.  It was uncomfortable to hear that the norm for many local kids has become win and achieve at all costs, and to listen to her first-hand experiences of how the consequences of that mentality …

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Dan Perez

7:49 pm on Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Kirsten, I have been concerned about this subject for years. Do you know that this type of environment is worse in Cupertino? There was an article written a few years ago about the abnormally high teen suicide rate in that city, compared to the national average. And it was attributed to kids being pushed too hard to excel. Let's hope it doesn't reach that level here in San Ramon. This is a very …   more ›

With Rising Tuition in California, Out-of-State Colleges Becoming a Viable Option

With the cost of college in California continuing to rise, students and parents were at Dougherty Valley High on Tuesday night to hear about the possibilities out-of-state.

One-by-one, college recruiters from Hawai'i to Vermont stood in front of college-bound students and their parents at Dougherty Valley High on Tuesday night. They gave quick 30-second pitches, touching on a couple strengths of their universities. Some emphasized the school's location (Seton Hall, 14 miles from New York); some talked about the school's specialty (Bennington College, liberal arts); a couple bragged about the strength of their athletic departments (Syracuse); one mentioned that the dorms had memory foam mattresses (Saint Louis); two stressed they were really easy to be accepted to (University of Nevada, University of New Mexico). But, what would have been almost unthinkable just a couple years ago, none of the more than three …

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Football, Soccer, Water Polo Commits Honored at SRV

Several student athletes were honored Wednesday when they committed to their colleges for next year.

De La Salle Gets Its Revenge

The Spartans' killer combo of Udenyi and Pitts leads route of Monte Vista.

De La Salle High avenged their only league loss of the season Tuesday night at home against Monte Vista High by a lopsided count of 67-39. The Spartans pulled one game ahead of the Mustangs and into first place in the EBAL standings.  De La Salle was able to turn the tables after a 41-40 defeat on Jan. 6 to Monte Vista with tenacious team defense and the lethal veteran duo of Elliot Pitts and Amadi Udenyi. With USF head coach Rex Walters in the stands scouting, the pair put on a show. The 6-foot-5 Pitts staged a one-man block party, swatting six shots and pouring in 23 points. “We came into this game with a lot of fire,” said Pitts. “We have changed a lot since the loss (to Monte Vista) and we learn from each defeat. We learned that we had…

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A Revolution in Lunches at Our Local Schools

Walt Disney Elementary, the pilot school for healthy lunches, hosts "Health Awareness Day."

Have you been to an elementary school in the San Ramon Valley Unified School District this year at lunchtime? If so, you might have noticed some changes in the menu offered to students. Former Executive Chef, Dominic Machi, has been working directly with a wellness committee and district chefs to revitalize the school lunch menu to include homemade items instead of pre-packaged ready to heat foods, which were a part of school lunches for many years. Mr. Machi notes, “We are cooking more and more menu items from scratch, using fresh ingredients and from local vendors whenever possible. Most of the school district communities did not know we actually cooked in our kitchens. Also, we have revamped the salad bar program and the reaction has …

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Sherry Rosso

12:50 pm on Thursday, February 2, 2012

It was a lot of fun - and a great way for the kids to learn a lot about nutrition and fitness! Thanks to Gayla, Central Kitchen, and the school for putting it on!   more ›