2017 4th Annual JSEF 5K Fun Run

For the fourth straight year the Education Foundation hosts the scenic 5K Fun Run on Sunday, May 21st, 2017. The route, known as “Woodrat Trail,” starts behind the Carquinez Middle school, runs past Willow Continuation School, then loops through the beautiful Crockett Hills Regional Park, and ends by circling the John Swett High School football field.

Besides the breathtaking vista, a fun highlight for all participants will be to watch themselves crossing the finish line on the score-board Jumbotron.

We would like to acknowledge our supportive neighbors at Phillips 66, Crockett Community Foundation and C&H Sugar who make our events possible. A special thank you goes out to Yogurtland of Pinole and Road ID for the swag in the bag!

All proceeds will go directly to help John Swett Unified School District students, so your registration supports a truly worthy cause.

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Let's Support New Technology

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will double your contribution to JSEF through Facebook from now until December 13th! Right now is the best time to make a difference. Please help the schools in our district get new Chromebooks...

Our Schools: Then and Now

John Swett Unified School District (JSUSD) is a small school district located in northwestern Contra Costa County in California, serving the communities of Crockett, Rodeo, Port Costa, and the City of Hercules. JSUSD was rated the fifth most diverse school district in the entire country according to a recent New York Times article “Diversity in the Classroom,” which examines the impact of recent immigration on primary education. Their Diversity Index measures the percent chance that two students selected at random would be members of a different ethnic group. Higher numbers indicate a more diverse student body. JSUSD received a score of 75% on this index, easily ranking first in Contra Costa County. Overall, the district’s 1,708 students in 2009 were: 23.5% White; 21.0% African American; 19.1% Hispanic; 16.9% Multiple Races; 9.4% Asian; 8.8% Filipino; 0.8% Pacific Islander; and 0.7% American Indian (California Department of Education). Linguistically, about 20% of District students are “English Learners,” with native languages such as Spanish, Punjabi, Pilipino or Tagalog, Vietnamese, Pashto, and more. Such great diversity simultaneously creates multiple challenges and new opportunities in educating students.

Guitar Auction Raises $9,350

It isn't every day that you get a chance to meet one of the world's biggest rock stars and the opportunity to bid on his guitar, but that's just what happened recently to the crowd at a special joint fundraiser for the John Swett High School Band Boosters and PAINTS (Promote Art in the Schools). If you haven't already figured out the name of the singer and his band from the photo and its background color, well, you probably need to listen to more good new music. Anyway, as many of you know our friend Billie Joe Armstrong and his Green Day band mate Mike Dirnt grew up in our area and once attended John Swett schools.

The guitar auction was the high point of PAINTS' Bird House Gala and Auction on May 25th, held in nearby Piedmont. After Billie mingled with the crowd the auction bidding began and the hammer didn't come down until $9,350, a very nice price for an autographed guitar. This amount was then split between the JS Band Boosters and PAINTS, leaving the Boosters with $4,675. However, Mr. Armstrong was kind enough to match this amount for John Swett, leaving the Boosters with the guitar's full sale price to spend on their myriad of needs (new electric and acoustic intruments, repairs to existing instruments, uniforms, etc.). JSEF's role in all this was simply acting as the fiscal agent on behalf of the smaller Boosters organization, but we thought the news was good enough to share.

Band Boosters helps to support and maintain the venerable band program at John Swett High School, which has been around since 1928. If you'd like to learn more about the group and the music program itself, be sure to visit their website at http://www.johnswettbandboosters.org.

If you're a Green Day fan and would like to make a donation of any size to support Billie's hometown school district or the band program at John Swett High School, please help us out by donating today. We're a tax deductible 501(c)(3) organization that supports John Swett Unified District schools and we definitely would appreciate anything you could give. Who knows, your support may help us produce the next musical prodigy from the area.

We'd like to thank Billie Joe Armstrong for his generosity and giving back to the community. We look forward to Green Day's three (!) new albums being released in the coming months, beginning on September 25th. Feel free to come back and play the Crockett/Rodeo area anytime!