AEF Announces Jack Capon Honorees

Bay Farm 8th graders Caedmon Serrano and Colin Ng proudly show off the Jack Capon awards they received from the Alameda Education Foundation (AEF). The annual awards are presented in honor of Jack Capon, a long time Alameda Unified School District (AUSD) educator who specialized in physical education. Mr. Capon was a tireless advocate for physical fitness and movement. He founded the original AUSD middle school sports program and Alameda’s Special Olympics and was an author of many books on movement. In his name and legacy, AEF honors an 8th grade girl and boy student-athlete from each middle school at the end of each school year.

The school district eliminated the middle school sports program many years ago, but AEF revived it in 2009. The AEF program includes volleyball, basketball, and track & field for 6th – 8th graders who attend Alameda public middle schools. Students participate as part of school teams. AEF’s program includes not only sports but an academic tie-in to help prepare students for high school. Close to 700 student-athletes participate in the program every year.

Student-athletes are nominated for the Jack Capon award by coaches and selected by AEF. Criteria includes sportsmanship, academic achievement, and being a caring, committed team member. The other 2018-2019 honorees are: Aze’Jah Lovett and Robert Jenkins (Academy of Alameda), Jassoni Green and Yani Liu (ACLC/Nea combined team), Peyton Roloff and Isaac Lee (Encinal Jr. High), Patrick Bagget and Lauren Stockton (Lincoln Middle), and Christine Cheung and Aiden Letson (Wood Middle).