The Forsan softball team played long ball to win Game 2 of at Class 2A regional quarterfinal series Saturday afternoon against Alpine.

The Lady Bucks returned the favor in the clincher.

Sydney McAllister, Kim Muniz and Jessica Castellano all homered for the Lady Bucks, who shook off the Game 2 loss to earn an 8-3 victory in Game 3 at the Ratliff Stadium Softball Complex.

Forsan won Game 2, 7-5, thanks to three home runs.

The victory sent Alpine to 31-8 on the season and moved the Lady Bucks into the regional semifinals next week against Jim Ned, with the site and time still to be determined.

Christina Graham added a pair of doubles in the deciding game, with Kathy Natera and Castellano also hitting doubles.

The loss dropped Forsan to 24-12 on the season and was the first playoff loss for the Lady Buffaloes in three years. They came into the season as the two-time defending Class 1A champions.

“We made some mistakes in the first game and we were still in it, and that’s what I was telling the girls between games,” Alpine coach Troy Canaba said. “That’s a good team over there, and I was waiting for them to come out and play the way they can, and they did in the second game.

“And the girls, for whatever reason, told me that they weren’t really focused during the second game. But they came out focused in Game 3, and it showed.”

The Lady Bucks, who have advanced to the regional semifinals for a third consecutive season, got two strong outings from pitcher Lauren Hardin, who had 18 strikeouts in the three games.

Still, after having split the first two games, Canaba wasn’t sure how his team was going to come out to start Game 3. Castellano knew her teammates were ready.

“We talked between games on how we needed to get back to our focus,” she said. “We let the first game get away from us, not hitting early, and then we started to hit but ran out of time, and we knew that we couldn’t do that again.

“When Sydney hit the home run, everyone relaxed and we were able to go from there.”

If McAllister’s two-run shot to straight-away center field  in the fourth inning was the one that got the Lady Bucks relaxed, Muniz’s solo shot just two batters later was the one that broke the Lady Buffs’ backs.

With Alpine leading 3-1, Forsan starter Ashley Buzbee hung a 1-0 pitch that Muniz was able to turn on and drive down the line in left field, clearing the fence and setting off a celebration when Muniz touched home plate.

Castellano, who made a diving play up the middle to throw out Forsan’s Gabby Womack in the fifth inning, added the icing to the cake with a two-out blast to left-center field in the sixth inning.

“Jessica did a great job today, not only with her bat but with her glove, too,” Canaba said. “The play up the middle gives us the chance to get out of the inning at the bottom of the order, and then she had a couple big hits and that’s what you want from your leadoff hitter.

“We’ve been in this position before and that should help with the experience. But we can’t afford to relax because there so many good teams still left.”

It’s sunny and warm everyday. The landscape is to die for. You can spend your summers lying on the beach and basking in the sun. Who wouldn’t want to move to sun-soaked San Diego whether you have a job waiting for you or not? Ok, back to reality. Sure, you could move to San Diego without any job prospects, but why risk it? You can give yourself a fighting chance if you consider the facts first before relocating to a city that doesn’t really register on the affordable-o-meter, especially when it comes to the average Joe. The good news is, San Diego does have a place for elementary school teachers that are willing to be flexible and teachers with special skills.

For starters, San Diego is in desperate need of elementary school teachers willing to work in inner city neighborhoods. If you are willing to put off your dreams to work in a private school, you will have your pick of the litter. If you really want to increase your chances of landing a teaching job in San Diego, pick up a second language, meaning, learn Spanish! Elementary school teachers that are willing to work in inner city schools and speak Spanish fluently will have unlimited opportunities. They will also earn one of highest average salaries for teachers in the nation. Currently, San Diego elementary school teachers (overall) earn around ,350 per year. New York elementary school teachers earn the highest average annual salary at ,570, followed by Detroit elementary school teachers at ,090. Too bad Detroit and New York are too cold, right?

Elementary school teachers’ main responsibility is to instruct students in basic subjects such as math, science, English, art, social studies, and reading.  According to CollegeDegreeReport.com, elementary school teachers also teach basic academic, social, and formative skills at the elementary level. Elementary school teachers work 10 months out of the year, but some may work during the summer months to earn extra money. Elementary school teachers may teach more than one subject. You might find that some inner city schools are in need of math and science teachers while others may need more social studies or history teachers. Kids also learn computer skills in elementary schools, so this is an area that you might consider as well.

San Diego elementary schools, particularly in the inner city, may have more contact with parents or other family members than in other areas. These teachers will be required to meet with parents or guardians on a regular basis, check up on students, and maybe even assist students after hours in after care.

So besides expertise in a certain subject area, you’re probably wondering what are other qualifications for this position. Elementary school teachers should have excellent communication skills in order to actively participate in staff meetings and meet with parents. In addition, elementary school teachers must have a bachelor’s degree or higher in education for entry into the field. They must also obtain a license. According to the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics, all 50 states and the District of Columbia require a license to teach at the elementary school level. San Diego elementary school teachers should visit the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing at http://www.ctc.ca.gov to begin the licensing process.

After four years at El Cerrito, Reimann has taken a new job as the head of Dougherty Valley High School in San Ramon.

“It was a really difficult decision to leave,” Reimann said. “I’ve made some pretty strong connections with parents, students and community members here. But at the same time, I’m really excited about the opportunity to start something new at Dougherty Valley.”

Reimann began his career in West Contra Costa in 2004 as an assistant principal at De Anza High School in Richmond, then moved to El Cerrito High in 2007. Before that, he worked as an education resource manager in San Francisco and as an English teacher.

But his first stint at El Cerrito High School was as a student.

“It was a dream job for me, to be able to come back as an alum,” Reimann said. “I even worked with one of my former teachers who was amazing.”

Both parents and district leaders said they would miss Reimann’s leadership and presence.

“It’s a big loss for the school,” said Todd Groves, an El Cerrito parent and a leader of the WriterCoach Connection tutoring program. “He’s a great leader. He’s charismatic, concerned and effective. People trust Jason.”

School board member Madeline Kronenberg said she would “miss working with him. He’s a bright young man. He is caring about his students, and I know he’ll be successful ineverything he does.”

 District administrators have not yet selected Reimann’s replacement. District spokesman Marin Trujillo said staff is working to identify a candidate, and the school board will likely consider it at the July 13 meeting.

Thanks to OverDrive’s School Download Library service, The Hutchins School’s Digital Library goes live this month. The Hutchins School, located in Tasmania, is an independent, Anglican, day and boarding school for approximately 1,000 boys. OverDrive’s service is an important part of the Library’s contribution to the School’s vision to be a “school of the future in using 21st century tools and e-learning strategies to engage and empower all students, staff and its wider community.” Literally next door to the Sandy Bay campus of the University of Tasmania in Hobart, the School has been working with the Australian Academic and Research Network (AARNet) for its high speed broadband internet services and enjoys fast, reliable, and secure communications.

Research into the school library’s role with the rise of eBooks, audiobooks, eReaders, and other tools for personalised learning has been thorough. Australian education Web 2.0 sites such as Kerrie Smith’s You Are Never Alone have kept conversations alive in professional networking collaborations. Internationally, OverDrive is commonly mentioned at school events like the recent ECIS It’s about learning ICT conference at Frankfurt International School. We wanted a 24/7 service for a whole school community in which some of our students, staff and parents do not have easy access to public library services, particularly when our students are off campus with their mobile devices ready. Also we wanted an eBook acquisition program with none of the staff intensive roles of normal services, such as cataloguing, processing, and handling overdues. Our clients also demand rich media and video on demand. Placing high value on digital citizenship, we also wanted to help our students understand the digital rights management in the publishing, film, and music industries.

Preparation of our site by OverDrive’s team has been excellent and we have enjoyed working and learning about the customer service from such a professional team. The understanding of our branding policy, school culture, the recommended starting collection, the ease of selection of Australian content and set texts from ContentReserve, the informative newsletters, blog and the apps, as well as the publicity materials provided have all been first class. So we are keen to be underway and will report back how are students are finding the service.