OAKLAND
Sandi Bethune, the Sequoyah Hills Homeowners Association’s president, was married for 52 years to Albert McLeod Bethune III, who died in 2021.
He was the great-grandson of distinguished Black educator and political activist Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune, who worked with several U.S. presidents on civil rights. In 1904, Dr. Bethune established the first college for Black women in Florida, known today as Bethune-Cookman University.
An 11-foot, white marble sculpture created by world-renowned artist Nilda Comas in Dr. Bethune’s honor has replaced a statue of a Confederate general in Washington, D.C. She is the first Black American to represent a state in the Capitol’s Statuary Hall. A month after the Washington ceremony, a duplicate statue in bronze also made by Comas was unveiled at the Riverfront Esplanade Bethune Pavilion in Daytona Beach, Florida.
Both ceremonies were live-streamed nationally. In between the two recent sculpture installations, Sandi Bethune and son Justin McLeod Bethune traveled from Oakland to see the Washington sculpture. They were overjoyed to stand at the foot of the imposing statue honoring their illustrious ancestor. A documentary on Dr. Bethune’s life is slated to air in October.
— Anna Dabney
Oakland Fukuoka Sister City Association unveils new mural
On Aug. 17, the Oakland Fukuoka Sister City Association (OFSCA) unveiled a mosaic tile mural with the theme of “Compassion Peace & Community” to celebrate 60 years of Oakland’s friendship with Fukuoka, its sister city in Japan.
More than 160 people came to the event including donors, OFSCA members, Oakland officials and Visit Oakland representatives, including 17 members from a Fukuoka delegation.
The project started more than three years ago after JJ Kotler, the OFSCA’s director, conceived the idea and pursued choosing talented mosaic artists Rachel Rodi and Guy Fuerte, who designed and facilitated the mural with OFSCA. Jay van Arsdale and Jason Forster crafted the mural frame using traditional Japanese woodworking techniques and design.
Kotler managed the various phases of the mural from start to finish. Liane Higashiuchi Scott, the OFSCA’s treasurer, was in charge of the grant writing and fundraising efforts to finance the mural. Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf cut the ribbon to unveil the mural along with Fukuoka Mayor Soichiro Takashima, Fukuoka City Councilmember Yoshito Ito, Acting San Francisco Consul General of Japan Hajime “Jimmy” Kishimori and OFSCA President Gary Tominaga.
— OFSCA
PIEDMONT
Valva named new principal at Beach Elementary School
Longtime educator Anne Valva was named the new principal at Piedmont’s Beach Elementary School at the Aug. 24 meeting of the Piedmont Unified School District’s Board of Education.
She replaces former Principal Michael Corritone, who resigned earlier in August to accept a principal position at another elementary school in Contra Costa County. Valva has 30 years experience as a teacher, advisor and math intervention specialist. She earned a bachelor’s degree from UCLA, then a master’s degree from UC Riverside in 1995. Valva has worked at the Mount Diablo and Oakland unified school districts as a middle school core teacher. She joined the PUSD in 2011 as a fifth-grade teacher at Havens Elementary before moving to Beach in 2013. For the past five years she has served as a math intervention specialist.
“I believe collaboration and clear communication are essential for a successful school,” Valva said. “I’m honored to be able to serve as principal after working so many roles at Beach. Together we will help all of our students learn and grow.”
“(Valva) comes highly recommended from fellow staff and families, and I look forward to watching her build on an already thriving school community,” said Donald Evans, the PUSD’s interim Superintendent. “We are excited to see her outstanding work continue now as an administrator.”
Education foundation gives $3.35 million to school district
The Piedmont Education Foundation presented a check for $3,350,402 to the PUSD’s Board of Education at their Aug. 24 meeting. The funds are the culmination of PEF’s fundraising campaigns from the 2021-22 school year, mostly through the organization’s Giving Campaign.
“We are humbled by the generosity of our community,” said Amelie Kappes, PEF board of directors chair.
The average gift was $3,075 with 1,216 families contributing. The grant provides 42,000 hours of instructional and student support; an investment of $2,316,000 in teacher salaries; $925,000 in student support staff; and $109,000 in teachers’ professional development. This year’s grant also includes additional funding for mental health counseling, tutoring and libraries. Visit bayareane.ws/PEFaugust2022 for more details.
Also, PEF and the Giving Campaign committee invite the community to celebrate the launch of this year’s campaign with a Popsicle party in Piedmont Park and near Beach Elementary School from 3 to 4 p.m. Sept. 20.
Three candidates running for two seats on school board
Shirley Hooi, Ruchi Medhekar and Lindsay Thomasson have all filed their candidacy papers in time to run for a seat on the Piedmont Unified School District’s Board of Education.
The deadline for school board filings was extended to Aug. 17 because incumbent Megan Pillsbury chose not to run for a second term. Amal Smith is termed out, leaving his seat and Pillsbury’s for the two openings on the board. Hooi filed on Aug. 17, Medhekar on Aug. 16 and Thomasson on Aug. 12. Avnish Patel and Christine Rennels took out papers but did not return them by the Aug. 17 deadline.
Wildfire mitigation consultant to address LWV chapter
Wildfire mitigation consultant Sara Paul, of the organization Watch Duty, will be the guest speaker at 4 p.m. Sept. 7 as part of the League of Women Voters Piedmont (LWVP) and the group and Piedmont Connect’s 2022-23 climate speaker series.
The series is intended to educate constituents on a range of important topics to improve our understanding of the causes, perils and solutions to ongoing environmental pollution and climate disruption.
The program will be recorded on Zoom, where it can also be viewed later. Those interested can also watch it live or at a later date on the LWVP’s YouTube channel. The second half of the program will be a moderated Q&A session with questions from Zoom participants.
Paul manages Sonoma County Fire Updates established on Facebook at the start of the 2017 Tubbs Fire. The site is a resource for vegetation fires, threatening weather and evacuation preparedness. Event registration and full advance payment are required. For more information, visit lwvpiedmont.org.
Arts center’s ‘Autumn Leaves’ concert happening Sept. 18
The Bill Jackman Trio will present their “Autumn Leaves” fall concert at 3 p.m. Sept. 18 in the (PCA). The trio is Jackman on piano, Rich Trevor on bass and Anthony Pegram on drums. The monthly concerts are a fundraiser for the PCA, and there is a narrative and choice of songs for most months in which the trio appears.
Classic tunes will include “Autumn Leaves,” “September in the Rain” and “Autumn in New York.” Attendees will be limited to 70 people; masks must be worn; and photo identification and proof of full COVID-19 vaccination plus boosters will be required. For tickets or more information, visit piedmontcenterforthearts.org.
— Linda Davis, correspondent
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