New principal appointed for Las Lomas High School

An assistant principal from a Pleasanton middle school has been appointed to replace Pat Lickiss as principal of Las Lomas High School.  John Stockton, the superintendent of the Acalanes Union High School District, said Thursday that the district's governing board has appointed Matthew Campbell to replace Lickiss, a 37-year veteran of the district who is retiring at the end of this school year.  Campbell, whose starting date will be July 1, currently serves as an assistant middle school principal in the Pleasanton school district, Stockton said. Before that, he was an assistant principal for four years at Pleasanton's Foothill High School. He began his education career as a social studies teacher in the Pleasanton school district.  Campbell graduated from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, received his master's of arts degree from Lesley College in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and is currently pursuing his doctorate at Saint Mary's College.  Says Stockton: "The Acalanes Union High School District is pleased to welcome Matt to our community and feels confident he possesses the professional skills and personal qualities necessary for the positive engagement of our community. Mr. Campbell is dedicated to building upon the great successes Las Lomas High School has experienced during Pat Lickiss' years of service." A reception will be held at Las Lomas before the end of this school year to welcome Campbell. "Prior to the start of the new school year, Matt looks forward to meeting as many friends of Las Lomas High School as possible," Stockton says.

Another Iron Horse Trail attack involving a Walnut Creek student

These notices come in about middle and high school students being confronted by suspicious characters or robbed on the Iron Horse Trail in and around downtown Walnut Creek. ... And my immediate thought is: The Iron Horse Trail sounds like a dangerous place for my sixth grader to be walking. 

Here's news about the latest incident. Actually, it involved a Las Lomas High freshman who was robbed of his IPod and earphones while walking to school Friday morning along the trail near Safeway.  

Las Lomas High Principal Pat Lickiss alerted parents at his school that: 

Earlier [Friday], it was reported to our offices that a student had been approached while walking to school and jumped from behind by a man demanding his money. ... A student reported to his English teacher, that on his way to school this morning on the trail by Safeway a heavy set Hispanic man about 5 foot 7 inches with a black hood, bandana over his mouth, and wearing dark blue jeans jumped him from behind demanding his money. The man did get his earphones and IPod. The student said there were no injuries or weapons and he "used what he learned in PE class to get away." 

I realize that we all need to put these incidents into perspective and not leap into panic mode. We need to think of the statistics and probability. I'm sure that the vast majority of us--young and old--are safe while walking, running, or cycling along various stretches of the Iron Horse Trail at different times of day. I'm sure that this sort of incident isn't all that common--despite the fact that it receives attention from school officials and a blogger like me. 

With regard to the Iron Horse Trail, I've gone running along different parts of it early in the morning and at night, after dark. I'm not going to stop doing that because of reports of this kind of crime. I'm not afraid, though I'm always on alert and wary. 


On the other hand, I will let my son know.  Actually, he and his friends at WCI don't use the Iron Horse Trail much at all. It's just the thing he crosses every morning and afternoon while coming and going from school. 


Walnut Creek Intermediate School Principal Kevin Collins is letting parents know because "many WCI students use the trail to get to and from school, and we are asking for parents to again discuss personal safety with their children."