On a 100-Million Word Mission

A new reading challenge has also helped fuel the bookish energy on campus this year. Last year, Think College Now students for the first time failed to win a reading challenge, falling short in their quest to read 100 million words. This fall they returned with renewed determination (see graph below for progress). The reward: If they reach 100 million by the end of the school year, Principal David Silver will shave his head (and, if the kids have their way, leave the letters “TCN” in the back).

As part of the agreement, Silver promised not to cut his hair all year. At press time, his hair had already become unmanageable. “It is out of control,” he says. “But, like I said when I spent the day on the roof: Whatever it takes!” His unruly head of hair has the attention of TCN students, too. When Silver walks the halls, he’s met with playful taunts (“I’ve been reading a lot, Mr. Silver…”) and scissor-like hand motions.

TCN’s 20-member Student Council has shown great leadership in rallying kids to read. “This year, more than any year [before], the Student Council members are taking on the responsibility of the students meeting the reading goal,” says Student Council Advisor and TCN Science Teacher Brenda Tuohy.

Using a giant thermometer-style banner (it stretches across nearly the entire gym and requires all 20 members to hold it up), the Student Council updates the school every Friday on TCN’s readers’ progress toward 100 million. Depending on the news, their announcement is met with a school-wide “Sweet!” or “Bummer.”

The culture of reading on campus has inspired some unexpected projects, as well. After learning about creative reuse and recycling during TCN’s trip to Vida Verde, 4th-grader Kevin organized a school-wide book swap, with kids bringing in old books to trade for other students’ already-read books. And 5th-graders Hoai and Daniela have founded a recess club called “Run to Read.” For every six laps (one mile) a student jogs at recess, the runner gets a new book. As the girls explained, “This club will get people excited about reading, and fight childhood obesity.”

Most importantly, when TCN students speak of books they’ve read, it’s not about the number of words, but about sinking themselves into the stories and developing a life-long love for reading. As 5th-grader Ameerat says of her favorite book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, “It takes me to this other magical world.”

Sankofa Student Leaders Embody School’s Vision

When you walk through its doors, Sankofa Academy has a different feel – even before you meet a student or staff member. That feel is in what you hear – and don’t hear. First, you’re met by the sound of a small fountain just inside the entrance, encouraging you to take a “mindful breath.” Next, you notice what isn’t there: any sound of disorder. No shouting, no squeak of running sneakers, even in a hall full of students. Then, as happened to this Sankofa Reflections reporter, a 1st-grader politely approaches, unprompted, to stick out his hand and introduce himself.

This is Sankofa, and it’s just a start. When you sit down and talk with students, the motto at right resonates again and again. They epitomize the words “respectful, responsible, and reflective.” “These students represent the beauty and range of Sankofa,” says Principal Monique Brinson of Curtavia, Maceo, Noah, and Sharde, four 5th-grade “elders” who took time out of their day to sit down and share their experiences. “Sankofa feels alive!” “When I first got here in 2nd grade, I felt very welcomed right away,” says Curtavia. “Every time somebody new comes to Sankofa, they feel like they’ve already been here.”

Before Sankofa, Curtavia says, “I was really shy [at my old school]. I didn’t used to talk like this at all. But here I saw how the kids were kind and joyful, and that brought me out of my shell.”

“They see things that adults don’t see or notice,” explains Brinson. “They know they are making this world a better place, and they help me to become my best and be at my best. Our big goal is always to create a community where there’s care and learning.”

“I invite visitors to drop by unannounced,” she continues. “That’s how open and comfortable and transparent I want to be with our community. As Superintendent Tony Smith stated when he visited, ‘Sankofa feels alive!’”

This atmosphere of community echoes in 5th-grader Maceo’s reflections on his “buddy work” with younger Sankofa students. “We’re all nice and understanding and helpful with the younger kids.” “They depend on us older kids to help them be as good as us or even better,” chimes in 5th-grader Noah, who relies on some teaching tips his mother used when he was a child. “It has been a learning process. As I read with them, they start to understand. If I ask them the right questions [like my mom used to ask me], sometime it’s just like snap! -- and they get it.”

The students also pay tribute to the tireless work of their teachers. “In math, at first I was okay but now I’m really good,” says 5th-grader Sharde. “My teacher Ms. Byon really helped me. She takes the time to make sure we really understand. Also, I was kind of low in Science and now I’m getting it. It’s exciting, we’re learning all about solar systems, organisms, things like that.”

The “all for one” atmosphere on campus creates an environment where everyone is learning from everyone else at all times. “Every teacher has taught me, even those not in my own grade,” explains Noah. “They all teach us things to prepare us for middle school and college. The learning here is incredible, rich, and fun.”

As their words suggest, “Our 5th-graders are my examples and my leaders,” says Brinson. “They set the tone for the school.”

“This is my school!”

“Being a responsible leader means being responsible for others and yourself and Sankofa as a school,” reflects Noah. “Ms. Brinson, for example: She’s a responsible leader for taking care of every single child here. Even when she’s in a meeting, she will spend her time to help and go around the whole school -- in class, outside, anywhere -- to see how we’re all doing.”

“Sankofa feels like a family to me and I feel the students and family feel that way too,” says 1st-grade founding teacher Teresa Hart. “I’ve worked in different schools in Oakland and Los Angeles, and I’ve never seen a group of teachers who love their students as much as the teachers here.”

”We do everything we can to make sure we’re reaching the whole child; it goes way beyond academics,” Hart says. “I’m not just a teacher, I’m their counselor, I’m everything that kid needs during the school day.”

Hart speaks highly of Sankofa teachers’ frequent home visits as well. “It just gives us a different outlook on who the children are and where they’re coming from,” she says. “It really builds a sense of partnership, where [the staff] and family can feel like, ‘This is our child’ and we’re partners in giving them the best we can.”

When students have moved away from Sankofa and switched schools, Hart says staff often sees them come back. “They realize the community at Sankofa really cares about their kids,” says Hart,” that we don’t ever give up on our kids.”

“Our young people deserve a place of beauty,” says Principal Brinson. “We have plants, original paintings, not a pot is broken and not a leaf is ripped. They deserve this beauty, and it becomes ingrained in them, and they can proudly say, ‘This is my school!’”

Count Noah among the proud. “I’m glad to know that Ms. Brinson and the teachers have noticed something: that there is poison outside of Sankofa, there is violence, and they are sending the 4th- and 5th-graders to Camp Mosaic to learn how to stop this violence and spread peace. I want to see no violence – that’s how the world should be. I’m hoping Sankofa students can learn this and show peace to the whole world.”

Ever the reflective observer, after these hopeful words Noah turns to Principal Brinson. “You’re holding in your tears,” he tells her.

“I love you guys,” replies Brinson. “Look, you’re going to make me cry again!”

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ARISE Seniors One Step Closer to College Goal

When she opened the letter from Mills College, ARISE senior Ana Cristina couldn’t quite believe what she read. “I didn’t know if I’d really been accepted,” she remembers. “I really never thought I’d be in that place. I saw myself going to college, but I didn’t know how I was going to get there.”

Arise Seniors Ana Cristina and MiguelArise Seniors Ana Cristina and MiguelTo be certain, she brought the letter to Co-Principal Romeo Garcia, who confirmed its message: Ana Cristina was in. “He was really proud, and I was really happy because it was my first one.”

It would not be the only one. Two weeks later came the letter from St. Mary’s College. “[After Mills], I didn’t tell a lot of people,” she says. “I didn’t want to be like ‘Oh I got accepted,’ and brag about it. But [my classmates] all got mad, saying, ‘You’re supposed to tell us!’ So this time, I texted everybody.”

Ana Cristina’s acceptance letters are part of a college-going momentum that’s been building all year at ARISE. Entering the fall, every senior knew they had the chance to be the first in their families to attend college. And now, with the letters rolling in, it’s quickly becoming a reality: Every student who’s applied has been accepted by at least one school. (See ARISE Seniors' College Acceptance List)

While Ana Cristina has been at ARISE since 9th grade, fellow senior Miguel’s path to graduation was a winding one. “For me it’s been a tough road,” he reflects. “I’ve been to four different high schools, and lived in Chicago for a year and a half. But when I came to ARISE [in his junior year], I started getting on track. Now college is a reality. Now I see it as something I need to do.”

“It’s a Tight Community”

Exposure to other schools has given Miguel a unique appreciation for the culture at ARISE. “It’s a smaller environment, and that really helps you learn,” he explains. “I’ve been to a school with 3,000 students, where it’s really hard to have the sort of collaboration and atmosphere [we have at ARISE].”

“It’s a tight community,” adds Ana Cristina, “and the teachers are always supporting us, giving us resources and opportunities.”
Among those opportunities are the “Proficiency” projects (in the areas of literary analysis, math, science, history, and artistic expression) that juniors and seniors display before a panel of staff and community volunteers.

“I think it’s really good we have Proficiencies here,” says Ana. “When you research and write a 10-15 page paper, then present it to a panel, that’s really preparing you for college classes.” What’s more, ARISE encourages every student to take courses on college campuses: Ana Cristina has done so two years running, receiving straight A’s in all five community college courses she took, from Perspectives on American Racism and English 201B to Pre-Calculus and Illustration.

”We’re really serious about [college prep],” says Co-Principal Laura Flaxman, explaining how ARISE’s program goes far beyond the standard A-G requirements. “It’s harder to graduate from ARISE than from any other Oakland high school.”

The seniors appreciate the high expectations and rigorous preparation, and understand what’s at stake as they sit on the brink of being the first ARISE students to graduate and the first in their families to attend college. “A lot of chances don’t come two times,” says Miguel, who hopes to attend St. Mary’s in the fall. “Sometimes you have just one chance and you have to take advantage of it.”

“It’s cool because we’re going to be the first ones and everybody’s going to remember us,” says Ana Cristina. “I’m proud to be in the first graduating class because I think I have set an example for other people to follow.”

“I still remember my first day of school when I was five years old, and I’ve been through a lot since then,” reflects Miguel. “I’m going to be the first in my family to go, and I’m really excited that this long journey is finally paying off.”

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Family First: Greenleaf Firms up Family Engagement Focus

The Williams and Carcano families both have three children at Greenleaf Elementary School, so the ability of staff to involve parents is of great importance to them. “[The Greenleaf community] is helping just fabulously with my family,” says Joey Williams, whose children are 5th-grader Jordan, 4th-grader Leerane, and 2nd-grader Freenita. “The school is really close-knit, and they are like family to me. The staff is very lovable, considerate, caring, and patient.”

“I have always admired how the principal and staff understand each individual student’s needs,” says Erika Carcano. She cites the board on Principal Monica Thomas’s office wall where Greenleaf tracks every single student’s academic progress. “The staff and everyone go out of their way to be in contact with the parents…so they understand how their kids are developing academically, and based on that they are able to participate and help their children achieve.”

Not only does Carcano speak frequently with all of her kids’ teachers about how she can support their learning, but she’s involved on a larger scale as a Parent Representative. In that role, she’s involved in decisions and goals at the classroom and school level, and is responsible for sharing those with other students’ families.

Carcano also praises the school’s whole-child focus, an approach embodied by the music story on page one. (Carcano’s daughter Katherine is the flutist quoted in that article.) “It’s not simply academically that we’re trying to advance our students,” she says, “but really trying to understand the child as a whole, including what’s happening at home. Greenleaf really looks at the child holistically.”

Williams concurs. “Academically, socially, and emotionally they have built students’ self-esteem up to where they can be great in every avenue,” she says. “My children have matured a lot. The things we have been going through, inside and outside of the home, [Greenleaf staff] have allowed their counselors to come and talk to my children, and they’ve helped them overcome major hurdles.”

“What I like most about Greenleaf is learning more every day at school,” reflects Carcano’s daughter, 5th-grader Katherine. “My favorite subject is Language Arts.” Her sister Samantha sides with Math, while her brother Angel says he can’t decide – he likes Math and Language Arts equally.

Carcano is proud that all three scored Proficient on the recent California Standards Test (CST), but she’s hoping they can all move up to Advanced. “I’m sharing with them the importance of continuing to advance and how that’s going to benefit them in the future,” she says.

As we reported in the last Greenleaf Scholar, our school-wide CST scores showed some of the most impressive growth in all of Oakland, and our Academic Performance Index (API) score rose to 777. Two short years since opening, we are already just shy of 800, the state target.

“Scholastically, oh my goodness, they’ve really improved tremendously,” says Williams. “And why is that? [Because the school community] is so spirited and loving and meaning business at the same time. It’s just a beautiful learning party!”