Club Mendelssohn Accepting Applications for New Scholarship

Entrants must live within the West Contra Costa Unified School District and must be in middle or high school (but not necessarily within the WCCUSD).

WCCUSD Board Trustee Gives Update on Portola Middle School Public Input Meeting

WCCUSD board trustee Todd Groves blogged about the March 27 West Contra Costa Unified School District meeting aimed at gathering community input on improvements for Portola Middle School.

WCC Student Jazz Festival Opens Tonight at El Cerrito High School

Young musicians from El Cerrito, Pinole and Richmond will perform this evening in the West Contra Costa Unified School District's first-ever Jazz Festival.

Letter: Prospect Sierra Teacher Needs Your Votes As Semi-Finalist in National Teaching Contest

Madeleine Rogin is a semi-finalist in the Great American Teach-Off and is trying to win a $10,000 classroom grant for her students at Prospect Sierra School. Voting ends Sunday, March 31.

School Board Seeks Public Input on Portola Tonight

The West Contra Costa school is holding a special meeting tonight, Wednesday, to hear community ideas on improving Portola Middle School in El Cerrito and reducing the number of students from feeder elementary schools who now avoid Portola.

'ReCycle' Used Bicycle Sale and Bicycle Festival at Harding Elementary

Harding Elementary School is hosting its third annual ReCycle bike festival on May 11.

School District and Teachers Reach Tentative Deal, Could Give Raises

The United Teachers of Richmond union says it will resume negotiations with the West Contra Costa Unified School District in April.

Tehiyah Running Group Works Together to Achieve a Common Goal

More than 90 students, teachers, staff and their families will run together in the Oakland Running Festival as a school fundraiser.

Alameda Parcel Tax Ruling: No Impact Yet in West County

Wednesday's state Court of Appeal ruling against an Alameda school parcel tax will have no immediate impact on West Contra Costa schools and pose only a relatively small risk of future financial loss, board member Charles Ramsey said.

Prospect Sierra Teacher a Finalist in National Teaching Competition

Madeleine Rogin's "Peaceful Changemakers" Kindergarten curriculum gained her a nomination as one of six finalists in the Great American Teach-off — a national competition where she can potentially win $10,000 for her classroom.

Guest Column: ECHS Drama Students Perform First Musical in More Than 15 Years

See the performance dates of Little Shop of Horrors and how you can support the high school program.

ECHS Radio Interviews Alum Devan Lars, Co-Founder of Doing Everything Different

UC Regents Committee Launches Search for New President

University of California President Mark Yudof plans to retire in August.

Portola Students in Top 5 at MathCounts Competition

The middle school team placed fourth in Saturday's competition at UC Berkeley.

WCCUSD Schools Could Win Under Gov. Brown's New School Funding Proposal

State officials released district-level details about a plan to give more money to poorer schools.

Guest Column: ECHS Casino Night Fundraiser Aims to Send Graduating Seniors to Disneyland

Reader Karen Shebek writes that the fundraiser will include disco, salsa dancing, shopping and a sports lounge — all to benefit sending El Cerrito High School students to Disneyland for Grad Night.

Prospect Sierra Nominated as 2013 Green Ribbon School

The independent El Cerrito school is one of four nominated for national honors by State Supt. of Instruction Tom Torlakson on Friday.

WCC School Board to Discuss Bond Sales

West Contra Costa Unified School District trustees will examine district bonds from 1998 to present at their Wednesday night meeting.

Gauchos Clinch League Title in Women's Soccer, Defeat Albany

For the first time in more than a decade, the women's soccer team at El Cerrito High are league champs, defeating Albany High 1-0 in the league playoff final Saturday. They meet Piedmont High Wednesday in round 1 of the regional tournament.

Upcoming School Holidays in El Cerrito

Find out when you'll need to plan for days off and spring break.

El Cerrito Kids Put Whale Together Again

Students at Fairmont Elementary School in El Cerrito got a leviathan anatomy lesson Monday when they worked on reassembling a 35-foot skeleton of a whale. The skeleton will be on display at a school community night open to the public Tuesday.

Should the Courts Invalidate Measure G?

A lawyer in Walnut Creek sued WCCUSD in January, claiming that the parcel tax extension is illegal. The courts have ruled in his favor on this issue before.

School Bonds: West Contra Costa Unified Used Controversial Long-Term, High-Interest Loans

WCCUSD is among hundreds of districts throughout the state using capital appreciation bonds to finance major projects. Taxpayers will repay at least $33 million for a $2.5 million loan.

Portola Stages Lockdown Drill in Wake of Recent Shootings

A lockdown drill was held at Portola Middle School in El Cerrito Wednesday morning to help the school be better prepared in case of a campus shooting incident. The drill follows several recent mass shootings, including the one at a school in Newton, Con

Educator's Vision For Windrush/Chung Mei Site

Former school would become a hub for learning, drawing on El Cerrito's rich history of supporting education and improving learning throughout the region

Windrush Site Owners Seek Public Input

The sale of the Windrush School site in El Cerrito has been completed to a Richmond couple, Steve and Susan Chamberlin, who seek community input on how to use the property to help public education, the couple's representatives told Patch.

Crosswalk Flags Installed Around Colusa Circle

Following a 10-year-old Kensington girl being hit in a Colusa Avenue crosswalk near Colusa Circle in October, the Kensington Hilltop Elementary School PTA installed crosswalk flags at several locations around the circle Sunday.

Have Fun & Support ECHS Bands at Saturday 'Play-a-Thon'

You can help the El Cerrito High bands buy new instruments, while at the same time enjoying their music, joining a performance and even directing the Gauchos Marching Band during a 12-hour "Play-a-Thon" fundraiser Saturday, Jan. 5.

AMS Teacher’s Arrest, Death, Highlights Changing Role of Media

An article in the Albany High School newspaper, the Cougar, by student Samantha Chiang, looks at the roles of social media and the news media in responding to the arrest and death of well-known Albany Middle School teacher James Izumizaki.

Roger Anderson, ECHS Theater Director and Teacher, 1943-2012

Roger Anderson, retired English and theater director at El Cerrito High, died Dec. 8 at age 69. He was beloved by many students whose lives he helped shape. Two gatherings to remember him are planned in Albany this weekend.

School Board Public Hearing & Workshop on Funding Priorities

Faced with continuing financial strains, the school board for West Contra Costa schools will hold a public hearing and special workshop Wednesday night on setting priorities and finding funding.

High School Bomb Threat Suspect Faces Many Charges

The 16-year-old student from Monta Vista High School in Cupertino who's at the center of Thursday's bomb threat graffiti event was booked for investigation of violations of both the state criminal code and the state education code, authorities

Drew Gooden Showcase Today at ECHS

The first Drew Gooden Invitational Showcase for high school varsity basketball pits several top teams from northern and southern California at El Cerrito High. The Gauchos play Palma from Salinas at 3 p.m.

Groves, Enos Take Seats on School Board on 12-12-12

Newly elected school board members Todd Groves and Randall Enos were sworn in Wednesday night for the West Contra Costa Unified School District. The board also selected Madeline Kronenberg president and Charles Ramsey as clerk.

Traffic Warnings Around Albany Schools

Albany school officials are urging students and staff to be careful when crossing streets following an incident in which a student was hit by a car while crossing San Pablo Avenue and a near-miss of a Marin Elementary School teacher in an intersection.

New Portola Completion Now Expected in 2016

A delay in building the new Portola Middle School in El Cerrito at the old Castro Elementary School site also means a late start for work on a new Fairmont Elementary School. The Portola architect and school officials described plans Saturday.

Public Meeting Today on New Portola Plan

Wonder when and how the new Portola Middle School in El Cerrito will be built? West Contra Costa schools Superintendent Bruce Harter will discuss the construction timeline and plans at a community meeting this afternoon, Saturday.

High School to Allow Banned Photo in Yearbook

Administrators at Amador Valley High School in Pleasanton have reversed their stand and now will permit a yearbook photo of student with a temporary face tattoo and large nose ring. An ACLU attorney said the attempted ban infringed free speech.

Does Kensington 'Support' the WCCUSD?

In this guest feature, Kensington parent Charles Reichmann questions Kensington's strong support of tax measures for West Contra Costa schools in contrast to low support for sending Kensington kids to the district's middle and high schools.

Car Hits Dad Walking with Son on Sidewalk at Madera School

A car driven by a parent who'd just picked up her daughter Monday at Madera School in El Cerrito jumped the curb and hit a father walking with his son on the sidewalk, police said. He was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.