"Dolla Dolla Bills Y'All" - ECP Community Bankers Share New Skills

6th-graders Jose and Ivan with some of their economics books
Photo Copyright Hasain Rasheed

Elmhurst Community Prep's WOW! Apprenticeship Showcase was also an opportunity for students to share more classroom-based learning. New to the Citizen Schools program this year was "Dolla Dolla Bills Y’All," a class about banking in which students set up an ECP Community Bank. On the night of the WOW!, the apprenticeship's 15 students had the chance to share the concept with community members and families.

During their apprenticeship's 11 weeks, with the help of instructors Jeannette Aames and Sarah Pratt (a volunteer) the 6th-graders set up a school bank at which every ECP student has an account and can cash in "DPA Bucks" earned by performing tasks that uphold the school motto of "Dream, Prepare, Achieve." 

In order to track school-wide earning and spending of DPA bucks, the young bankers have mastered a number of functions in Microsoft Excel, where all the account records are kept. They demonstrated all this and more for the community members who visited during the WOW! Showcase. (Other Citizen Schools apprenticeships on display at the Showcase included Google Art, Iron Chef, Let's Go Oakland, Urban Gardening, Girl Talk, LEGO Robotics, and many more!

"At the WOW! we had lots of parents asking us what the bank was all about," recalls 6th-grader Millium, "and we were answering all their questions. It went pretty well!"

ECP Community Bankers at the WOW! Showcase

"Every student had their own role," ex- plains his classmate Ivan, "and we worked really good as a team. [Learning these things now] is good because in high school and college we'll already know how to do them. We'll be able to do it right away. Also, we're learning how to communicate with each other."

6th-grader Jose concurs. "We're just getting more mature. It has helped us know how life is and how it is being an accountant."

During the WOW!, says Millium, "We were treated like adults – like businessmen."

The kids also appreciate that, like Pratt, many Citizen Schools instructors are volunteers. "It feels good to know they are helping students so we can learn more," says Ivan. "They’re doing it so they can teach and have fun – not to get paid."

"They're doing this to help others in the community," agrees Millium.

SUPPORT ECP!

Building on the momentum of our apprenticeships, we hope to extend our students' experiential learning through several spring field trips – especially college tours. But due to steep state cuts, we must raise outside funds to offer these trips. You can make a tax-deductible donation online at www.elmhurstcommunityprep.org/donate or by mail to: "OSF/ECP," P.O. Box 27148, Oakland, CA 94602. Thank you for your support!

A Lot of Helping Hands: Entire CCPA Community Pitching in for College Readiness

Below are longer versions of the two pieces that appear in CCPA's December 2011 Communicator newsletter (downloadable as a PDF here). You can jump to the second story (about our BUILD program) by clicking here.

In her role as Family and College Resource Center (FRC) Director at CCPA, Abby Friedman has toured many schools. She recalls a recent visit to a high school’s college center where she asked about parent involvement in the school’s college-prep work. Her question was met with a blank stare.“I was shocked,” she recalls.“At CCPA, our families are founders of the school and are integrated into everything we do.”

In fact, at CCPA family and college go hand in hand – and room in room. This idea is built right into the name of our dual-purpose center – the Family and College Resource Center – and echoed in the guiding vision posted on the room’s wall: family support services, college access for all, parent leadership. “These are the pillars of what we do,” says Friedman,“and they are all intertwined.”

Family connection to college-going plays out in a range of ways at CCPA. When staff decided to extend the school’s Laney College concurrent enrollment program to 10th- graders, it was family outreach coordinators – including Maria Robles and Deanita Lewis – who set the wheels in motion by calling parents to explain what this opportunity could mean for their 10th-grade children.

Family involvement also strengthened CCPA's connection with the East Bay Consortium's Pre-Collegiate Academy (PCA) mentoring program. "Kids get one chance at the end of 7th grade to enroll in this amazing program," explains Friedman, "but our turnout wasn't where we wanted it to be." After outreach to parents, participation has reached nearly 100 percent among students who qualify for PCA.

While the list of resources in the Center is long – college application help, scholarship support, SAT and ACT workshops, and more – Friedman says it’s sometimes the intangibles that set the Center’s work apart. “It’s often the small, informal conversations you have over time that add up to ultimately make the impact,” she says. “You really start to see the power of building long-term relationships with both students and parents.”

One example involves 12th-grader Antonio, whose Summer Search trip we chronicled in a 2010 Communicator edition. His mother Beatrice, says Friedman, “has been a regular at our meetings and workshops for many years and is one of the founding parents of the school.” Along the way, FRC staff have spoken informally with both Antonio and his mother about the “emotional challenges” of him being away from home -- first in Summer Search  and now, come next fall, off at college. As the November 30 deadline for UC and CSU applications approached last month, Antonio found himself procrastinating. “We were able to sit down with both him and his mom and say, ‘We understand some of the internal struggles you’re going through,’” recalls Friedman.

In the end, Antonio produced a strong personal statement and applied to four CSU and four UC schools.“It was a tough process, but I'm glad I accomplished it," he reflects. "I revised my personal statement several times with the help of different people like Abby and my advisor Laura. Through the years I’ve had so many people helping me – a lot of helping hands. I know that whatever I do next fall, my mom will be proud of me.”

“The FRC has a lot of resources to support parents and help us get involved in the school,” says Sixta Becerra, a long-time parent volunteer in the FRC and elsewhere on campus. “By being involved in the school and the FRC, I have learned how important it is for parents to motivate our kids to go to college. I really appreciate the teachers and Ms. Carozza and Mr. Townsend for creating this school. I'm so happy to be a part of it."

Becerra’s three children are all at CCPA: senior Jorge, 8th-grader Javier, and 6th- grader Jennifer. A testament to the comprehensive nature of the Center, Becerra connects with FRC staff as well as Jorge’s teachers to make sure he is on track as he approaches graduation. She’s also there for other students, a point of pride for her and other parents in the FRC. “Yeah, that’s my mom!” says Jorge. “A lot of students like my mom, the way she is. I’m doing well because of her, because she’s always there for me.”

Like Antonio, Jorge recently applied to college, and he's got an ambitious plan for the future: "I want to go into an RN [resident nurse] program, with a second degree in business management. I want to be an RN because I want to give back to my community, and I would get to take care of the people who are not in good health." 

"To be the first to graduate from this school is pretty cool," reflects Jorge. "We'll be the first to overcome the obstacles, the first to do our senior projects, and we'll be to have accomplished part of the goal in your life." 

“He had some ups and downs academically,” reflects his mother, "but I always had faith in him and knew he could pull through it and graduate. For the first generation of CCPA seniors to be graduating this spring...Just talking about it, I’m getting excited!”

"Reaching that November 30 deadline [for CSU and UC applications] really felt historic," says Friedman. "We've been talking about this – college, college, college --  but until now it was theoretical. Once this first group goes, the impact is only going to extend." 

CCPA 9th-Graders BUILDing Business Skills

When 9th-graders Carlos and Juliana (pictured at left) use the term “SWOT” (strengths, weakness, opportunities, and threats) early in the interview for this Communicator article, it is clear their business savvy belies their young age. When they threw out “COGS” a minute later, this reporter was officially lost. 

As they patiently explained, COGS is “cost of goods sold.” These terms – and more importantly, their use in the real world – are becoming second nature to 9th-graders in CCPA’s BUILD program (www.build.org) a skill-building and college-going effort new on campus this year. The kids recently put the business buzzwords to use in their first big BUILD project: a candy-selling competition against other schools. With a start-up cost of $30, the CCPA team turned a $150 profit and beat out the rest of the schools.  

"Our team had problems communicating in the beginning," reflects Carlos, "but during the candy sale we were able to work together and talk to each other. When you work together, everything’s better."

CCPA students work with a mentor during a BUILD workshop

 "BUILD has taught us we need to sacrifice some things to work as a team,” says Juliana. “We’ve had to learn how to be patient and listen to everyone’s ideas.”


The experience – particularly representing CCPA during the off-campus competitions – has also boosted the kids' school pride. "I really feel more attached to the school," says Carlos. "We're making CCPA proud by winning, and we're letting the community know we're here. People know us now."

A big piece of the four-year program involves mentors from the wider community teaming up with the students to help them create a start-up business. “My team’s idea is to make a service for people who don’t have time to babysit children or clean their houses,” says Juliana. “We’ll also provide tutoring services for their kids.” Subsequent years will see the kids developing these business ideas with their mentors, even earning microloans to get them going.

The 9th-graders understand the value these tools will have down the line. “We’re learning teamwork, which we can use in college,” says Carlos, “and SWOT is a good thing to learn. It’s really helpful to know these different strategies in case we want to start our own business after we finish college."

“They’re really learning how to work hard,” says Sarah Moore, Carlos and Juliana’s Biology teacher and CCPA’s BUILD liaison. "In winning the first competition, they're seeing the value and the payoff. It’s been amazing to see how they’re progressing while also staying on top of their regular classes. This kind of juggling is setting them up well for college and the working world.”

Support CCPA!

The BUILD program has connected CCPA with dedicated mentors from a range of business backgrounds including sales, marketing, social work, and computer engineering. But we need more! As Carlos says, “The more help, the better.” If you are interested in becoming a business mentor for a group of our 9th-graders, please contact Sarah Moore at smgr614@gmail.com.

With roughly $200,000 in budget cuts this year, we also seek financial support. Your tax-deductible contribution can help us keep essential college-prep programs running at a high level. To donate, visit www.coliseumcollegeprep.org/donate.html or send a check to “OSF/CCPA,” P.O. Box 20238, Oakland, CA 94620. Thank you!

ASCEND Kindergarteners Take Creative Approach to Fitness

When you think of kindergarten exercise, the classics probably come to mind first: four-square, somersaults, tag. But this semester, ASCEND’s youngest students explored an eclectic three-part fitness program featuring running, yoga, and the Brazilian martial art capoeira.

Kindergarteners Raymundo, Cristal, Christopher, and Nadia quickly took to the different forms. After training for several weeks, the kids participated in the Oakland Running Festival’s 100-yard Fun Run. “I almost won the race!” recalls Nadia. 

“I liked it when I passed people,” says Raymundo. While the Fun Run fostered a positive competitive spirit, the kids took its health benefits most to heart. “Running makes your heart feel good!” says Christopher.

“We’re hoping that by doing these different kinds of exercises they’ll see that exercise can be fun,” says Kindergarten Teacher Lisa De Castro, “and then they will stick with them and choose to do them on a regular basis.”

As a balance to the high-energy running, De Castro and fellow kindergarten teacher Mason Marangella brought in a yoga instructor to lead the kids in basic poses, which they continued to practice throughout the semester. “Yoga was a new kind of exercise and vocabulary for most of the kids, and they really enjoyed it,” says De Castro. “Some would even practice their poses during recess.”

“I like yoga,” says Raymundo, “because there are different kinds of moves, like the cobra. It’s peaceful.”

The kids’ crash course in capoeira featured a trip to a studio in Berkeley, where the kids learned the discipline’s basics. “I like capoeira because I can do some movements I’ve never done,” says Nadia. “My sister, she’s in 5th grade, and she’s teaching me other moves too.”

In keeping with ASCEND’s commitment to cross-subject integration, De Castro and Marangella have worked music, art, culture, and history into all the exercise lessons. At the Berkeley studio, says Marangella, kids learned about the call and response music associated with capoeira, and back in the classroom they connected the exercise to its roots in Brazil. The teachers brought art into the mix as well, with students drawing healthy hearts and tracing different yoga poses.

The immersive units culminated at ASCEND’s year-end Expo, during which the kindergarteners performed a medley of songs that incorporated all three forms of exercise and paid homage to the cultures that inspired them. The students also hosted exercise “stations:” yoga in Marangella’s classroom (with students teaching parents poses); capoeira in De Castro’s room; and track out on the yard.

Based on the kids’ enthusiasm, it’s clear that the fitness focus will have the lasting impact their teachers hoped for. “I think I will do capoeira when I’m a grown-up,” reflects Nadia, “because it keeps us healthy.”

This story originally appeared in the Summer 2011 ASCEND Voice.

Frick's Kings and Queens in the President's Town

Frick 8th-graders get Close Up with our nation's capital

This June, standing on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial where Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his timeless "I Have a Dream" speech, 13 Frick Middle School 8th-graders looked across the reflecting pool to the Washington Monument and let history sink in.

"It's different because we learn about these things in books at school, but once you're there you can feel the historical moments," explains 8th-grader Styliyah. "You get more information than you would from a textbook," adds Yassira. "A book might cut some stuff out, but once you get to D.C. you’ll understand more."
 
Their trip was hosted by the Close Up organization, whose program is "the perfect complement to middle school American history courses, [bringing] locations, lessons, and events from the classroom to life!"

The 8th-graders were awed to visit sites steeped in so much history, including the Vietnam Memorial, Arlington National Cemetery, and Smithsonian Museum. "The Smithsonian was really cool – we saw the Hope Diamond. I'm surprised Willie doesn't have more things to say," John says, grinning at Willie in the next seat over.

"It was really interesting seeing the Vietnam Memorial,” says Willie, quickly rising to John's goodnatured challenge. "We got to see how many people fought, and there were vets there to honor their brothers in the war. We also saw the historical documents that showed how our rights are being preserved so that we can all know our rights as citizens."

Representing Oakland
 
While the close-up look at American history was clearly unforgettable, Frick's kings and queens wanted to make their own memorable impression as they represented their school, their neighborhood, and the city of Oakland in Washington, D.C.
 
"We felt some pressure," says Styliyah, "to carry ourselves with respect and courtesy."
 
As one Close Up instructor attests, they did not disappoint. “They [did] fantastic. In fact I've never seen a school [in] their very first year at Close Up not have homesickness or schedule issues.” (Watch this video testimonial here.)
 
"We were really proud of them," says 8th-grade teacher Susan Rafert, who chaperoned the trip along with fellow teacher Stacey Berry. "Adults came up to me frequently – from flight attendants to leaders of the Close Up program – and gave our kids so many great compliments."

Frick's 8th-graders also connected with the other students taking part in the Close Up program. "We loved meeting people from other parts of the country," says Willie. "They were all nice and I learned about their towns and what they did for fun out there, and they asked us about Oakland and what we do out here." The kids met students and teachers from Texas, Hawaii, New York, and more. "It was easy making friends with the New York people," recalls Aujahnee. "They were really friendly." Several kids are now Facebook friends with the students they met in D.C.

During the post-trip interviews for this newsletter, Principal Jerome Gourdine pops in to praise Frick’s D.C. 13. Before he can say a word, from the back of the room Cintia exclaims, "Mr. Gourdine, we were the ones [the Close Up staff] respected the most out there!"
 
"I'm really proud of you," says Gourdine. "Hopefully this spurred your appetite to travel around the country. This is one of the highlights of the year for me. When people see and hear what’s really going on in Oakland, they're blown away. You represented yourselves like the kings and queens you are."