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SamanthaZeegers,CristinaCummings,SamanthaHunt
ThomasBurke
HonorsSeminar
05November2014
Installment2
Whenenteringanewneighborhoodorcity,everythingseemsunfamiliar.Mostcommon
knowledgeofthecommunityanditsfundamentalassetsareunknown,andabasicseriesof
questionswillfloodthroughthemind.Howistheeducationsystem?Doestheareacontain
diversity?Howsafeisthearea?Whattypesofpublicservicesdoesthecommunityoffer?Is
theenvironmentcleanandwellkept?Doesthecityprovidepublictransportation?
Subsequently,thesearethesamequestionsourgroup,TeamBertrand,havebeencontemplating
on,sinceourrecentmovetoDominicanUniversity.Aftersurveyingvarious,public,cityschools
ofSanRafael,TeamBertrandwasabletoperformastatisticalstudytoanswerthesequestions.
BertrandHall:
BertrandHallisnamedafterSt.LouisBertrand,whowasaDominicanmissionary.Itwas
originallyconstructedin1951,anditwasinitiallyusedasalocalelementaryschool.Today,
however,itisoneofthemainadministrativebuildingsoncampus,includingofficeslike
BusinessServices,theMailroom,financialaid,andothers.

Race/Ethnicity:
Whenlookingatraceandethnicity,welookedattheconcentratedpopulationofamiddle
school,DavidsonMiddleSchool,versusthedemographicsoftheentirestudentpopulationin
SanRafael.WhenbrowsingonDavidsonsschoolwebsite,picturesindicatedalevelofdiversity,
butwhatwasinterestingwasthattherewasatabtotranslatethewebsitescontentintoSpanish.
Thisisaclearsignthatthereisahighpopulationofhispanicheritagestudentsinthearea.
Whenlookingatcensusinformationfordemographicsintheentiretyofthestudent
populationinSanRafael,thestudiescorrelatedwiththeinformationfoundonDavidsons
website.Thereareamajoritywhitestudents,withLatinoorotherhispanicethnicitiescomingin
second.
CommunitySafety:
Whenobservingsafety,ourgroupobservedColemanElementarySchool.Similarto
otherpublicCaliforniaschools,thebuildingsareearthquakeproof,builttoFieldActStandards,
havefirealarmsandsprinklersystems,haveaSafeSchoolPlanforemergencies,areinspected
regularly,andconductemergencypracticedrills.Ifanemergencyoccurs,theparentsare
notifiedbyaphonecall,textoremailastohowtheschoolishandlingthecrisis,alongwiththe
whereaboutsofthestudents,andiftheytemporarilyneedtoremainontheschoolproperty.
Becauseschoolemployeesarelegallydesignatedemergencyserviceworkers,theywillremain
attheschoolwiththestudents,untiltheemergencyhaspassed.Theschoolpracticessafetyin
throughothermethodsforinstance,ColemanElementaryholdsfunctionssuchas,TheChild
SafetyEvent,whichisaparentchildworkshopthatteachesselfprotectionskills.

Althoughelementaryschoolsafetyiscompletelydifferentthanacommunitys,thecity
ofSanRafaelhasitsownsafetyresources,aswell.Forexample,thereisafiredepartment,San
RafaelFireDepartment,locatedonCStreet,andapolicedepartment,SanRafaelPolice
Department,locatedonFifthAvenue.Eachdepartmentswebsitescontainindividualtocontact,
advice,warnings,andoverall,tonsofinformationonsafetyandresources.Inshort,SanRafael
isrelativelyasafearea,andthedepartmentsprotectingitareveryreliableandprofessional.
PublicTransportation:
ForanySanRafaelCitySchool,everychildhastheopportunitytoobtainusageof
public,schoolbuses.However,inordertohaveaccesstothebussystem,afamilymustpayper
student.OntheColemanElementarySchoolwebsite,aformcanbeprinted,filledout,and
turnedintotheschool.Thebusapplicationconsistsofthefollowinginformation:Schoolthe
childattends,theirgradelevel,studentinformation,parent/guardianinformation,payment
information,andthedifferentcategoriesforfamilies.Dependingonfamilyincome,each
categorystatesthevaryingcostsperchildannually.Lastly,theapplicationmuststatewhether
thechildneedstobepickedupinthemornings,afternoons,orboth.Unfortunately,thebus
schedulewastakenofftheelementaryschoolswebsite,meaningwewereunabletodetermine
thedifferentstoplocationsandtheirpossibleconveniencies.
ComparabletoColeman,thecityofSanRafaelalsohasitsownbussystem.TheSan
RafaelTransitCentercontainsTheGoldenGateTransit,Greyhound,MarinAirporter,andSanta
RosaAirporter,whicharealllocatednexttoHighway101indowntownSanRafael.This
convenientbussingsystemmakesconnectionsbetweenMarin,ContraCosta,SanFrancisco,and
countiesinSonoma.Pricedependsonthetransitonetakes,howfartheirdestinationis,andhow

longoneisgoingtostayonthebuslines.AccordingtotheMarinCounty2010Census,bussing
isthehighestlevelofpublictransportationused,around9.1%(CityofSanRafael1).
PublicSpaces
EachschoolinSanRafaelhasplentyofpublicspacesforstudentstocometogether.The
schoolsthemselveshavesmallgreenareasand/oralargeseatingareamainlydesignatedfor
lunchtimeactivities.Theelementaryschoolshaveplaygroundsforthechildrentopayonatleast
twiceaday.OneexampleisSunValleyElementaryschoolwhichhasasmallconcretearea
surroundedbygrassinthefrontoftheschool.Thereisalsoalargegreenpasturebehindthe
school.Thehighschoolshaveafootballfieldandabaseballfieldwheretheycancometogether.
Butsomeofthestudentsatthehighschoolsareallowedtoleavecampusforlunch.SanRafael
HighSchooliscloseto4thstreetwhichhasmanyrestaurantsandstoredtoexplore.TerraLinda
HighSchoolisnearNorthgatemallwhichhasplentyofstoresandcoffeeshops.Eachschoolhas
asomesortofpublicspacetocongregateat.
EnvironmentalQuality
SanRafaelisaverygreencity.Therearetreesandbusheseverywhereandthatincludes
theschool.Eachschoolhasatleastseventytreesofallsortsaroundthecampus.Theyprovide
cleanerairandshadetothesurroundingareas,Eachofthehighschoolsalsohavelargeplaying
fieldsthatprovidealotofgrasstothecampus.Eachoftheelementaryschoolsplaygroundsalso
containsomefieldofgrass.Theirisn'tverymuchsmoginSanRafael,norneartheschools.All
publicschoolsprohibittheuseoftobaccooncampussonosmokeisbecreatedbytheschools.
Theyhavejanitorsthatkeepthesurroundingareascleanoftrashandfilth.Theschoolsarequite
cleanandverygreen.

K12Schools&Locations
ElementarySchools:
BahiaVista,125BahiaWay
SanPedro,498PointSanPedroRoad
Coleman,800BelleAvenue
Short,35MarinStreet
Glenwood,25WestCastlewoodDrive
SunValley,75HappyLane
LaurelDell,225WoodlandAvenue
K8andMiddleSchools:
VenetiaValleyK8,177NorthSanPedroRoad
DavidsonMiddleSchool,280WoodlandAvenue
HighSchools:
MadroneHigh,185MissionAvenue
ContinuationSchool
84%Hispanic,6%White,2%AmericanIndian,2%Black
SanRafaelHigh,185MissionAvenue
62%Hispanic,29%White,4%Asian,2%Black
TerraLindaHigh,320NovaAlboinWay
45%White,38%Hispanic,7%Asian,4%NativeIndian,3%Black

Afteracquiringthisabundanceofknowledgeonrace/ethnicity,communitysafety,public
transportation,publicspaces,andenvironmentalquality,wedevisedfictionalscenariosfor
familiesineacheconomicclasslevel.Thesescenariosdescribehowpeoplefromdifferingends
ofthespectrumexperiencelifeinSanRafael.
LowerClass
AfamilywithaverylowincomelevelwouldmostlikelyresideintheSanRafaelCanal
Area.ManysaythisareaiscomparabletoMarinCityanditshighdensityapartments,butwitha
differentkindofvibe,sinceMarinCityispopulatedwithmanyAfricanAmericans.TheCanal
AreahasaveryhighLatinopopulation,mostlyMexican,Salvadoran,Guatemalan,andPeruvian,
alongwithadecentpercentageofasiansandblacks.Itisknowntobedirty,industrialized,
povertystrickenanddangerous.Afamilyresidinginthisareacouldfeeloutofplaceandlikea
minorityiftheyarenotthesameraceorethnicityasthepeoplesurroundingthem.Amajorityof
theresidentsinthecanaldistrictsareofhispanicdescent,andtheprimarylanguageisSpanish,
whichcouldcreateapotentiallanguagebarrier.Moreover,thiscanmaketheminsecureand
affecttheircommunitysafety,causingthemtobecometargetsoftheviolenceandcrimeinthe
area.
Thereisanabundanceofdrugdeals,assaults,gangactivity,prostitution,andeven
murders.Inordertostaysafe,afamilyshoulddothebasicssuchas,lockthedoorstotheir
windows,frontdoorsandvehicles,notgooutaloneatnight,anddotheirbesttoblendin.Ona
sidenote,consideringcommunitytransportationandpublicspaces,thebusstationis
convenientlyneartheCanalArea.Furthermore,therearebusstopsinandaroundit,aswell,
meaningthereiseasyaccesstothepublictransit.Thebuscantakeoneanywherethroughoutthe

countyofMarin,andifonetransfersbuses,theycanbetakentovariousplaces,suchas,San
Francisco.Lastly,thepublicspacesinthisarea,besidesthenumerouscommercialoperations
thathavefunactivitieslikebowling,restaurants,stores,andshops,alsoincludetheJean&John
StarkweatherParkandthePickleweedPark.Thesearescenicareastotakewalks,hangout,or
playontheathleticfieldsorplayground.AfamilyresidingintheCanalAreawouldmostlikely
sendtheirchildrentoBahiaVistaElementary,JamesB.DavidsonMiddleSchool,andTerra
LindaorSanRafaelHighSchool.Overall,thisisageneralizationandfictionalrepresentationof
whatalowerincomelevelfamilywouldliveandhaveaccessto.
MiddleClass:
InSanRafael,beingamemberofthemiddleclassmeansmakingabout$80,000yearly.
Thiscoulddrasticallychangethecircumstancessurroundingaspectsofcommunitysafety,public
transportation,schools,andevenraceandethnicexposure.Studentswithmiddleclassparents
wouldhavemoreeducationalopportunitiesandwouldbeabletoattendschoolsinwealthier
districtsorevenprivateschoolssuchasMarinCatholic,whereassomeonelivingintheCanal
Districtmayonlybeabletoaffordpublicschool.Raceandethnicexposurechangesaswell,
becausethereisawagegapbetweenwhitesandminoritygroups.Thecrimerateinthemiddle
classhousingareasismuchlowerthaninsurroundingareas,includingtheCanaldistrict.The
elementaryschoolsarefurtherawayfromthesehousingareathanothers.Thusthechildren
normallydontwalktoschool,whichkeepsthemsafer.ThefirestationsinSanRafaelare
strategicallyplacedtohavethebestresponsetimeforall.Sothisformofsafetyisequalforboth
middleandupperclass.

PublicTransportationisnotasprominentinthemiddleclasssocietyofSanRafael.This
classhasagreaterabilitytohavemultiplecars,sotheydonotneedtousepublictransportation.
ThoseofthisclassthatdochoosetousepublictransportationsuchastheMarinTransitwould
facealittledifficultybecausethebusesdontmakemanystopsintheirhousingareas.However,
thisclassmayalsouse
Lyft,
anappthatallowspeopletocarpoolwithothersthathavepasseda
backgroundandDMVtest.Itisaveryusefultool,thatisalsoveryinexpensivecomparatively.
Theyalsohavemanypublicspacesavailabletothem.TheyareashortdistancetoChina
CampStateParkandSanPedroMountainOpenSpaceReserve,iftheywishtohikeand
mountainbike.TheyalsohavetheabilitytogotoNorthgate,whichisthelocalmall.Northgate
includesstoreslikeBJsBrewery,Forever21,H&M,Pacsun,andmanymore.Theareas
surroundingthehousesofthemiddleclassareverywellkeptandbeautiful.Thechildrenof
thesefamilieshavethechoiceofelementaryschools.Therearequiteafewofthemandtheyare
clusteredmainlyinthesouthernpartofSanRafael.TheywouldmostlikelyattendVenetiaK8
schoolformiddleschool.TerraLindaHighSchooliswheremostmiddleclassstudentsattend,
whichisshowninitsmajorityofwhitestudents.Privateschoolsavailableforthemiddleclass
includeMarinAcademy,MarinWaldorfSchool,andSaintRaphaelSchool,whichallhave
plentyofawardsfortheacademicexcellence.

WorksCited
"BertrandHall."
DominicanUniversityofCalifornia
.N.p.,n.d.Web.08Oct.2014.
ThisisacrediblesourcebecauseitisfoundontheDominicanUniversityofCA
homepage,wherethebuildingresides.Thismakestheauthorsoftheinformationreliable
inthesensethattheyhaveapersonalconnectionwiththehistoricalrelevanceofBertrand
Hall.ThisfocusonBertrandHallallowedthegrouptofocusonthemeaningand
significanceofthebuilding.
"DavidsonMiddleSchool:HomePage."
DavidsonMiddleSchool:HomePage
.N.p.,n.d.
Web.08Oct.2014.
Thiswebsiteisaschoolhomepage,makingitacrediblesourceforeducationinSan
Rafael.Thewebsiteitselfhasinformationontopicssuchaseducationandrace/ethnicity,
makingitvitalinasearchforabridgebetweenthesetwotopics.
CityofSanRafael(MarinCounty)."
BayAreaCensus
.N.p.,n.d.Web.07Oct.2014.
Thisgovernmentaffiliatedwebsitelegitimatesourcetousebecauseitprovides
informationonSanRafaelspopulationandeconomy.Thecensushadpercentageson
race,gender,age,households,housingoccupancy,birthplace,citizenship,income,
poverty,educationattainment,transportation,labor,andeconomicclass.Thiswas
relevanttotheresearchbecausethestudyfocusesonSanRafaelindividualsandtheir
accessibilitytospecificresourceswithinthecommunity.
"ColemanElementarySchool:HomePage."
ColemanElementarySchool:HomePage
.
SchoolLoop,2014.Web.07Oct.2014.


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Thiseducationaffiliatedwebsiteisareliablesourcetousebecauseitprovides
informationontheschool.TheColemanElementarySchoolwebsiteisapplicabletothe
researchdirectedtowardtransportation,communitysafety,race/ethnicity,publicspaces,
andevenenvironmentalquality.
"FireDepartmentCityofSanRafael."
FireDepartmentCityofSanRafael
.CityofSan
Rafael,2011.Web.08Oct.2014
Thisorganizationalwebsiteisareasonablesourcetousebecauseitprovidesknowledge
onthecommunitysfiredepartment.Thewebsitecontainscontactinformationand
materialonthecommunity,thecitygovernment,theirorganization,andresources.This
informationhelpsinterpretSanRafaelspublicsafetyoptions.
"SanRafaelCanalAreaIsItReallyThatBad?"
CityData
.AdvamegInc,20052014.Web.03
Nov.2014.
Thisforumisalegitimatesourcetousebecauseitprovidespersonalexperiencesand
knowledgeonSanRafaelsCanalArea.Thesereviewsaremorerealandhonest,when
describingtheareaitdoesnotfalselyportrayittobesomethingitisnot.This
informationisapplicabletothefictitious,yetprobable,lowerclassscenario.
"SanRafaelPoliceDepartment:BeInformed:MainMenu."
SanRafaelPoliceDepartment
"ProtectingtheMissionCity"
N.p.,2014.Web.08Oct.2014.
Thisorganizationalwebsiteisawellfoundedsourcetousebecauseitprovides
knowledgeonthecommunityspolicedepartment.Thewebsitecontainsinformationand
materialonthecity,theirorganization,newsandinvolvementwithinSanRafael,


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services,andcontactinformation.ThisinformationhelpedinterpretSanRafaelspublic
safetyoptions.
"SanRafaelPopulationandDemographics(SanRafael,CA)."
SanRafaelPopulationand
Demographics(SanRafael,CA)
.N.p.,n.d.Web.08Oct.2014.
SanRafaelPopulationandDemographicsisacityrunwebsite,makingitcrediblein
regardstotheaccuracyoftheinformationonthewebsite.Thisparticularwebsiteallowed
thegroupaccesstoinformationsuchaspopulation,racialbreakdowns,averageincome,
andethnicdiversityinschools,whichhelpedcreateawellroundedviewforthegroupto
pullideasfrom.
"SanRafaelTransitCenter."
511SFBay
.511,2014.Web.07Oct.2014.
Thisorganizationalwebsiteisanappropriatesourcetousebecauseithasmaterialonthe
MarinTransitCenter.Thewebsiteconsistsofschedules,routemaps,departures,popular
destinations,fare,senioranddisabledservices,andpublicannouncements.Thiswebsite
isapplicabletotheresearchbecauseitsuppliedinformationonanimportantsourceof
publictransportationinSanRafael.
DemographicsCityofSanRafael.
CityofSanRafael.
N.p.,2011.Web.08Oct.2014
ThiswebsiteisreliablebecausetheactualcityofSanRafaelisprovidingtheinformation.
Theygottheirstatisticalinformationfromthe2010Census,MarinCountyRegistrarof
Voters,andAssociationofBayAreaGovernments.AlthoughthecityofSanRafael
mightwanttobebiased,itssourcesarenot.
WelcometoGreatSchools.
GreatSchools
.N.p.,n.d.Web.08Oct.2014.


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GreatSchoolsisanindependent,nonprofitorganizationthatgivesfeedbackonschools
allovertheUnitedStates.Thewebsitesreviewsareprovidedbyteacher,students,and
parents,whichallhavefirsthandexperiencewiththeschools.Thestatisticsgivenonthe
websitewereprovidedbytheunbiasedCaliforniaDepartmentofEducation.