Summer Search Expands Horizons for CCPA Junior

Part of Coliseum College Prep Academy 11th-grader Antonio’s ancestry lies in Italy, but until last summer, he hadn’t much explored those roots. “I never really knew too much about the language or any of that,” he says, “but recently I started thinking a lot about that side of my background and culture.”

This past summer – in Minnesota, uniquely enough – he got his chance to explore it. Thanks to the Summer Search program, Antonio spent an entire month immersed in Italian language instruction while living in cabins with other students from around the country.

“I felt really proud once I got there because it seemed like I was starting to understand more about my family and where they came from,” reflects Antonio. “I always think about my great-grandfather [who loved in Italy], because my mom always told me we have similar characteristics. On this trip I felt like I was giving him back some life.”

Antonio took quickly to the language and the way it was taught. “Their learning strategy is amazing,” he says. “Right away, they only speak to you in Italian. So you just learn by speaking it and speaking it. I was lost at first, but after three weeks I pretty much understood most of what they were saying, and I now know how to read and write in Italian.”

In other words, Antonio, already fluent in Spanish and English, is trilingual at age 16.
The trip’s other benefits were less scholastic, but just as formative. “I didn’t know anybody, so it was a new world to me,” Antonio reflects. “Oakland is very city-like, but there it was all peace and quiet, with two lakes surrounding us.”

Of all the Summer Searchers, Antonio had traveled the farthest, and for him the experience was filled with firsts. “This was my first time on a plane, my first time leaving the state, my first time being away from my family for that long.”

All of this led to another first: an emotional bout of homesickness that peaked when he received a letter from his younger brother. “He sent me a picture of me and him and it said, ‘I love you, Brother,’” recalls Antonio. “I felt really sad because it was really hard for me to be without him. I love my little brother so much and I’m going to look out for him for the rest of my life.”

The month also offered Antonio the unique experience of making fast friends in a short period of time. “When you get there you’re all strangers, but then on the last day everyone’s crying about leaving each other.” He says he keeps up with the other kids on Facebook, and hopes to visit a few of them up in Seattle.

Antonio thanks the CCPA staff for connecting him with the memorable opportunity. “They’ve helped me a lot,” he says. “I’m really learning a lot of leadership at the school, and I was on the design team when CCPA was first founded. They see me doing hard work and participating a lot, which is why they recommended me for Summer Search. They see that I’m trying to be somebody.”

The Summer Search program is three years long, so Antonio is already plotting his next adventure. “Next summer, I’m thinking about going to another country,” he says. “I think I want to use what I learned last summer, and go to Italy to do community service around my ancestors’ town, because there’s a lot of poverty over there. My mentor and I are planning that all out now.”
Last summer’s experience also has Antonio thinking about college. “It was a great life skill for me to start to learn to be independent,” says Antonio. “Like I told my mom before I left, this is just a little warm-up for when I go to college.”

Point Reyes Trip Immortalized in New Mural

Those of you who read our Spring 2009 newsletter know how unforgettable the five-day Point Reyes field trip is for our 6th-graders. Thanks to a new mural outside Miranda Spang and Amy Stauffer’s classrooms, if the students ever want to bring that memory back into colorful and sharp focus, they need only walk down the hall and watch the whole trip unfold before their eyes.

“They all knew a mural was going to be a goal that we’d complete for Expo to tell the story of the trip,” says Spang. To that end, the kids had art classes at Point Reyes, doing observational drawing, foreground and background study, and more.

Back on campus, bringing the trip to life in mural form – complete with a key that elaborates on each individual painted scene – was a labor of love for Art Teacher Miranda Bergman and the 6th-graders.

“We saw a lot of cool plants and animals in Point Reyes, and we drew them from close-up,” says Jose, now in 7th grade. “We drew a lot every day, so when we came back we had it in our heads what things should look like. The hard thing was making everything the exact color to make it look real.”

In the ASCEND spirit of arts integration, all of the mural work was aligned with state science curriculum standards. Math got in the mix, too, when the kids used proportions to transfer their small drawings to the long wall.

“Everything was small and then we had to enlarge it,” says Sergio, explaining how the kids transferred their drawings to the mural. “We drew squares in the wall and measured every little square.”

7th-graders Selena and Emonee explain the care it took to render everything faithfully. “If you look at the mural,” says Selena, “you can see the horse looks to scale. Of course in real life the horse is giant. Ms. Bergman really helped us do this right.”

“They also learned the difference between individual and collaborative art,” says Stauffer. “They were creating something that would belong to everybody.”

“When we finished the mural the principal cut the ribbon and we had a ceremony,” says Cesar. “I felt joyful because we persevered through the work, and we were so grateful that we had the chance to go to Point Reyes and also have the experience of making the mural. It was a great opportunity.”

EnCompass Drill Team Steps Up Spirit

When it’s time to perform, EnCompass Academy’s “Steppin’ Into Success” After-School Drill Team is all business.

First, the uniform: Each member in a matching embroidered “Drill Team” sweater vest. Next, the lineup: Kids in perfect rows, hands flush at their sides, eyes focused straight ahead.

Then, the performance: Drill Team Instructor Rowena Tatmon (known to students as Ms. Papoose) cues the kids, and in perfect sync they perform their step moves while belting out these words, in a call and response:

“Everywhere we go / People want to know
Who we are / Who we are
So we tell them / So we tell them
We are EnCompass! The mighty, mighty EnCompass!
Deep in my heart / I love EnCompass!”

This impromptu performance was on campus, but Ms. Papoose and her steppers are intent on spreading the EnCompass message all over Oakland. In keeping with a key piece of the school’s motto – “engaged in community” – already this year they have marched and performed in three parades and placed 1st in the Oakland Black Cowboy parade.

Ms. Papoose lives in the neighborhood, and formed a Drill Team in east Oakland to provide a space for youth to develop pride, self-esteem, and self-discipline within the arms of the community. “I’ve been doing this for 20 years, and really enjoy doing what I can do for these kids. It’s a part of me,” she says.

Principal Nguyen was inspired by Ms. Papoose’s many gifts, perseverance, and incredibly positive impact on generations in east Oakland. She wanted to support this community leader in her vision for children and families. Soon after, “Steppin’ Into Success” was born and continues to inspire and motivate students. In keeping with the EnCompass Academy After-School Scholars Program’s commitment to community service, Steppin’ Into Success has brought food and clothing to homeless people at East Oakland’s True Fellowship Church.

“We know we need to be kind to people who need help,” says 3rd-grader Daja.

“Some people don’t get to have stuff,” concurs 4th-grader Ashley, “so we want to help them.”

They also visit the nearby Allen Temple Senior Center, where the team performs and spends time getting to know the seniors. “It feels great because the seniors are older than us and we can perform for them,” reflects 3rd-grader Lilia. “We’re not shy with them.”

Bridging the generations in this way, the kids offer further stepping proof that EnCompass is “engaged in community.” If there was any doubt, the team makes its presence known as they walk to the Senior Center, doing their chants and bringing positive vibrations to the neighborhood.

“We’re learning how to be respectful to everybody, and be good listeners and help each other out,” says 3rd-grader Kimberly. “Thank you, Ms. Papoose!”

Meet an Oakland Graduate

Stanford, by way of East Oakland
For Michelle Gómez, last spring was filled with days of waiting and wondering. It was acceptance letter season, and Michelle, then a senior at Life Academy of Health and Bioscience, had yet to hear from Stanford University. March 26 figured to be yet another day of waiting.

“I expected to hear on April 1, but the news came a week early,” she recalls. “I was in Life Academy’s College and Career Information Center (CCIC), happened to have my email open, and realized I had a message from Stanford. I didn’t want to tell anyone, because I was prepared for rejection.” Bracing for the worst, she quietly clicked open the email. “I scrolled down, and as soon I read Congratulations!, I just started crying.”

She wasn’t the only one. “Everyone in the room started crying too, and everyone in the hallway started screaming. Even some of our teachers were crying.”

But the most rewarding moment was yet to come. “When I got home I told my parents, and they were so proud,” reflects Michelle as she relives the day. “That night I was so excited I couldn’t really sleep, and from my room I could hear my parents talking. They come from a very humble small town in Mexico, and I could hear them saying they couldn’t believe their daughter could be going to one of the best universities in the country. I would be the first person in my family to go to college. I felt so proud for paying back all the sacrifices they made for me.”

What’s more, thanks to support from Life Academy’s CCIC, Michelle had applied for and earned a partial scholarship. But over the next few days, Michelle stepped back from the emotions to weigh her decision. After all, she had acceptances from seven other schools. “I didn’t want to go just because of the name,” she explains. “I wanted to go because it was the right place for me.”
She had concerns about Stanford’s diversity, but on a visit to the campus Michelle was heartened to discover El Centro Chicano, the university’s Latino Community Center. There she met the Center’s president, who was also from East Oakland.

“I really connected with her and felt that people like me can be successful at Stanford,” says Michelle. “I decided Stanford would ultimately be the best school for me. They have strong programs in all fields, and I’m going in as pre-med.”

She credits Life Academy, where she was co-valedictorian of her class, with helping her reach that point. “At Life Academy, I was pushed to become a leader. Prior to high school, I was very, very shy and would not speak in front of a crowd or raise my hand in class. At Life I was pushed beyond my comfort zone so that I could be better than I was.”

“I know my first year is going to be really, really hard,” she continues. “But Life Academy has prepared me for that and I’m not going to give up, ever. Not at all.”

Moving forward, and giving back
Fast-forward to this November, and Michelle’s first semester at Stanford. “It’s only my second month in,” she says, “but I’m really trying to be resourceful and take advantage of every opportunity.”

As with her decision to attend Stanford, Michelle is approaching the college experience with an open mind.

“I’m just trying to be conscious of everything going on. There’s just so much, so many things happening on this campus,” she explains. “Like kickboxing – I never realized you could take that as a class! And I’m taking a Humanities course called ‘Journeys,’ which explores different philosophies and journeys that people take. It’s difficult, but very enlightening.”

While she still intends to pursue a health-related career – “I want to be one of the people who reforms healthcare” – Michelle is also considering other community-based lines of work.

“I think my heart will always be in social service and Latino issues, which relates back to my experiences in Oakland,” she reflects. “Right now I’m helping out in East Palo Alto, through a Stanford program called MEChA.” (A student group “dedicated to progressive changes for the Chicano/Latino community at Stanford and beyond.”) She’s also volunteering at SPOON, the Stanford Project on Hunger, collecting food around campus and delivering it to homeless shelters.

This desire to give back is firmly rooted in Michelle’s commitment to Oakland. The first weeks on Stanford’s campus have “made me reflect a lot about high school and Oakland and living in a low-income neighborhood,” she says. “Here at Stanford you have people coming from all over, and from very rich areas. I’m really grateful to have this opportunity, and it saddens me that a lot of my peers haven’t had it.”

“I feel empowered to be in this position, to get an education from a school like Stanford, and to have a voice. I want people back home to have the same opportunities. I feel that no one should have an excuse to turn away from education.”

With her East Oakland home and current Life Academy students in mind, she is encouraging her sister, cousin, and others to join extracurricular programs and do all they can to create their own opportunities, whether their future plans include college or not. “I’ve been so happy to hear that a lot of people in Life’s senior class are so motivated,” she says. “They’re getting involved in a lot of groups and applying to a lot more colleges – some to Stanford.”

“Colleges are in desperate need of more diversity,” she says. “I’m proud to tell people here at Stanford that I’m from East Oakland. I think it gives me so much more perspective, and I think it’s important for people to stand up for issues in the community where they grew up. I love that Life Academy is here in East Oakland. Oakland has a lot to give, and I’m always going to give back to Oakland, because it’s my roots.”

An earlier version of Michelle’s story appears in Life Academy’s Lifeline newsletter.