MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 5 WISHING YOU A HAPPY
CASTRO VALLEY FORUM A COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER SERVING CASTRO VALLEY SINCE 1989
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 31, 2022
YEAR 34 INSIDE YOUR
FORUM NEWS
Keim on the Team Paul Keim announced as newest hire to CVEA Chamber of Commerce
Page 2 NEWS
Hot Wheels Dozens of classic cars paraded the Boulevard this past Saturday night
Page 3 NEWS
Tiny Art Castro Valley Library’s Tiny Art exhibit opens tomorrow
Page 10
Chamber Looks to Future
Calendar .................. 10 Classified Ads ............ 8 Crosswords ............... 9 Homes ........................ 6 Horoscope ................. 6 Obituaries ................ 11 Opinions .................. 11 Our Town .................... 3 Sheriff’s Reports ........ 5 Weather ....................... 2 WWW.MYCVFORUM.COM
Town Hall on Equity
TROJANS SEASON OPENER
By Mike McGuire
By Michael Singer
CASTRO VALLEY FORUM
CASTRO VALLEY FORUM
The Castro Valley & Eden Area Chamber of Commerce is back from the pandemic and working to help local businesses thrive, Chamber president Julie Sumiki and newly hired Executive Director Gary Slate told the Castro Valley Rotary at its August 23 meeting. Next month’s Fall Festival is a big kickoff of their greatly expanded public presence, adds President-Elect Todd Anglin. The Fall Festival returns, after two years off for COVID, on Saturday and Sunday, September 10-11. A little further down the road, they are looking forward to the return of such popular events as the Castro Valley Light Parade, the Cherryland FamFest, Showtime San Lorenzo, Student Citizens Awards, and Local Heroes see CHAMBER on page 5
Alameda County Supervisor Nate Miley hosted a virtual town hall meeting last Wednesday to discuss with experts how to right the historical wrongs waged against black, indigenous, and other people of color—a term Miley collectively calls BIPOC. The meeting is the first in a series of public forums on the civil rights issue of reparations, which includes providing equity and opportunity for families of former slaves who were blocked socially and financially through gerrymandering and redlining as well as through discriminatory policies in policing and criminal justice. “I believe that the push for racial justice is one of the greatest opportunities to create lasting impacts on the overall quality of life for black, indigsee HALL on page 7
PHOTO BY JARED DARLING / JAREDDARLINGPHOTO.COM
The Castro Valley Trojans opened up their 2022-23 season at home against the Foothill Falcons of Pleasanton. Fans cheered the team as they charged through their inflatable arch before the game. Unfortunately, the Varsity boys lost the non-conference game by a score of 49-6. The Trojans' only points came late in the 4th Quater with a 1-yard quarterback sneak into the end zone. The point-after attempt failed. Castro Valley will host the Dublin High School Gaels on Sept. 2. See more photos online at: mycvforum.com
Dr. Al Hearne: Shepherding Students to Success By Michael Singer CASTRO VALLEY FORUM
INDEX
NO. 35
When Dr. Al Hearne moved to Castro Valley with his wife and family in 2002, he said he never imagined that one day he would be shaping the lives of the students who live here. “I was working on my master’s degree in Divinity, focused on the writings of Paul the Apostle when we arrived,” Dr. Hearne told the Forum. “I got a job at Redwood Christian and really enjoyed teaching 7th Grade English and 8th Grade Math. The middle school students are so much fun and asked insightful questions. And if you need to get on to them
if they’re misbehaving in class, they’re respectful.” A few years later, Dr. Hearne converted that love of teaching students into getting a master’s degree in Arts in Educational Leadership, beginning his long tenure at Redwood Christian Schools. “I love the Castro Valley community. It’s got the feel of home,” he said. Originally from the central valley city of Porterville, Calif., Hearne’s parents were both teachers. His father taught for more than 30 years in public schools. His mother taught for five years in junior high schools while raising the family and starting a Christian
ministry program in town. Hearne, an avid coffee drinker, also enjoys fishing and reading in his spare time. And while he didn’t initially think of himself as an administrator, longtime Redwood Christian School superintendent Bruce Johnson mentored Hearne to be his replacement in 2016. “He called me into his office one afternoon, and we began talking. My wife Megan and I prayed about it and decided it was the right thing to do. So, I met with the superintendent weekly and we began to map out the transition.” Redwood Christian Schools is a highly rated, private, Chris
Dr. Al Hearne
tian school with two campuses. The elementary school campus and administration offices are in Castro Valley on Redwood Road. The combined middle school and high school campus is in San Lorenzo. The schools
currently serve 712 students in grades between pre-Kindergarten to 12th Grade with a student-teacher ratio of 14 to 1. Tuition is $12,909 for the highest grade offered. After graduation, 95% of students from Redwood Christian school go on to attend a 4-year college, Hearne said. Some favor Christian colleges such as Azusa Pacific and Biola University, but a good number of graduates are accepted into UC Berkeley, Stanford, and UCLA. “One of our life students— what we call a student that has been with us since kindergarten—Xander Russell was accepted to Stanford University see HEARNE on back page