SLP AWARD RECIPIENTS
Student Leadership Development Project of the Year Award
Nominations for the Student Leadership Development Project of the Year Award. Click on the following links for more information and nomination form: Awards Memo ~ Nomination Form
2011/12 SY - Prosser High School. Advisor: Josefina Martin-Smith.
Approximately 25 migrant high school students enrolled in Prosser schools completed leadership development training and put their skills into practice for the district and larger community in 2011/12 SY. They supported a Fred Hutchinson Hispanic Health Promotional Event, volunteered to help in the Mid-Valley Coat Drive, supported Migrant Parent General Membership Meetings and Parent Teacher Association meetings, and supported the district's migrant summer school activities in 2010/11 and 2011/12. With confidence gained from these experiences, migrant student leaders helped to plan, lead and execute Prosser High School's annual Next Generation Family Night/College Fair, which more than 500 participants attended. Congratulations to Prosser migrant student leaders, their Migrant Graduation Specialist and group advisor, Josefina Martin-Smith, and their district and building administrators, Mary Snitily, Claudia Olmstead and Kevin Lusk.
2010-11 SLP Leadership Development
Project of the Year - Wenatchee School District
Joint Recipients - Alejandra Gonzalez and Uriel Escobedo, Wenatchee High School.
With guidance from their advisors, Migrant Graduation Specialist Alejandra Gonzalez and Teacher Uriel Escobedo, migrant students developed, promoted and co-facilitated a series of Advancing Family Achievement (AFA) monthly meetings. Here, migrant families received information from the district, business leaders, community resources and outreach programs, and the students themselves.
Students managed all logistics. At the start of meetings, migrant students used Student Leadership Program curriculum as ice breakers. They also demonstrated effective problem solving and positive communication skills during meetings to help stimulate more active parent participation.
The first runner-up for this award was Sedro-Woolley High School, Katherine Playford. Congratulations to all!
2008-09 SLP Leadership Development
Project of the Year - Mount Vernon School District
Joint Recipients - Janice Blackmore, LaVenture Middle School
and Armando Ruiz, Mount Vernon High School
“The success of this Leadership Development Project is directly connected to the skills, commitment and passion that Janice Blackmore and Armando Ruiz bring to their jobs everyday as secondary Migrant Graduation Specialists (MGSs),” notes MERO Director Mary Kernel of ESD 189. “Understanding the impact that leadership development has on student empowerment and self-advocacy,” adds Kernel, they “set out to incorporate elements of the SEMY Student Leadership Curriculum into their work with migrant secondary students.”
Hired in September 2007 to serve Mount Vernon schools through a demonstration program funded by the Migrant and Bilingual Division of OSPI, both educators were mentored in 2007/08SY by Patricia Eastwood of SEMY. Janice Blackmore and Armando Ruiz “studied and practiced the SEMY leadership curriculum and facilitation methods” and in August 2008 were certified by SEMY as SLP Trainers. An early goal of the two Migrant Graduation Specialists was to establish relationships with Skagit Valley College and Western Washington University.
These connections presented opportunities for students to explore career options and learn about opportunities to continue their education after high school. In combination with goal setting, problem solving and self-advocacy skills learned through the SLP Curriculum Blackmore and Ruiz offered in their local schools, migrant students began to connect their career goals to success in middle and high school.
A College Spark Foundation grant supported student participation in leadership development events. “…[Janice Blackmore and Armando Ruiz] also built relationships with dozens of community members and local organizations,” says Kernel, who then offered support and volunteer services. With funding and community involvement, migrant student leaders developed new skills through four, weekend conferences at college campuses in 2007/08, and participation in the LEAP Conference in Olympia.
In 2008/09SY, developing migrant student leaders facilitated by Janice Blackmore and Armando Ruiz helped to organize and coordinate three major student events. In March 2009, a Parent Leadership Event helped migrant families learn about their children’s career goals and gain information and skills needed to encourage and support them. At several Parent Information Nights, migrant students shared with their families critical information about graduation requirements, college admission and funding. Mount Vernon’s migrant youth learned about State government at the LEAP Conference in Olympia in Spring 2009. In May, they made a presentation to the Board of Directors of Northwest Educational Service District. In all, several hundred migrant students have experienced leadership development training in two short years between the two Mt. Vernon schools.
Even students who typically did not want to participate have become involved through creative activities like the high school Futsal (soccer) Club and the middle school Migrant Girls Club. Many students have improved their attendance, their GPAs, and their credit standing. Migrant students have been accepted at WWU and earned tuition waivers. “Some who never even thought about going to college before,” adds Mary Kernel, “now believe they can and are taking the steps necessary to prepare themselves for that journey.”
Janice Blackmore and Armando Ruiz were nominated for the State award by Dan Berard, Principal of La Venture Middle School, and Mary Kernel, MERO Director, ESD 189.
Congratulations to Migrant Graduation Specialists Janice Blackmore and Armando Ruiz, and to the migrant students you have encouraged through your efforts! Your skill and dedication are recognized and appreciated!
Recognition is heartily extended to these educators nominated for the
award:
• Greg Hausske and Crystal Solis,
nominated by Theresa Laffey of Yakima School District
• David Rodriguez, nominated by Sonja McDaniel
of Sunnyside School District
2007-08 SLP Leadership Development
Project of the Year - Latino Culture Club, Sunnyside High School
David Rodriguez, Advisor and Migrant Graduation Specialist
Sunnyside High School’s Latino Culture Club has captured the attention
of educators, community leaders and the nation! Migrant student leaders
have performed student skits demonstrating Navigation 101-like curriculum
in Spanish to a group of 400+ parents; mentored younger students; visited
college campuses; held food drives; became involved in extracurricular activities;
regularly convened student meetings; and traveled to Orlando to present
at a national Migrant Education conference. The Latino Culture Club was
nominated by Sunnyside School District Migrant/Bilingual Director Sonja
McDaniel.
The SLP Leadership Development Project of the Year will be recognized at
the Statewide MSDR Conference
awards banquet in Yakima.
2004-05 Recipient - Primeros y Primeras College Bound Club, Brewster Jr-Sr High
Under the guidance of Guadalupe "Lupe" Ledesma, and with advisement of David Rodriguez of SEMY and Ray Alaniz of ESD 171-MERO, young men and women of the College Bound Club developed a local leadership conference attended by 60 students. Subsequently, they worked with migrant parents to organize a leadership training and college awareness regional event attended by more than 500 participants. Curriculum provided by SEMY has helped members of the Club to build leadership sills, overcome barriers, create action plans, and accomplish substantial goals. Club members have served as local, state and national conference presenters and associated student body officers, organized numerous community service projects, and received college scholarships from many state universities. This outstanding Leadership Development Project will be recognized the at OSPI Promising Practice Conference in October 2005 in Spokane.
2002 Recipient - Skagit Whatcom Migrant Student Leadership Development Coalition
For the fourth year in a row, this coalition is preparing to provide a migrant student leadership development conference using the process presented in SEMY's Leaders in Service Replication Guide. Teresita Tobon and Dr. Kenneth Fox from Mount Vernon School District, Arturo Vivanco and Louis Lopez from Burlington-Edison School District, Vicki Walkinshaw and Linda King from Nooksack School District, Irma Moncada of Lynden School District, and Li Hawks and Erin Riggins from Ferndale School District worked with higher education partners and contributed greatly to the advancement of middle and high school migrant students.
Special Thanks to the Following Programs:
Recognition also go to the higher education partners: Western Washington University represent by Martin Chorba and Tom Nerini, and Whatcom Community College MEChA represented by Chris Sanchez and Stephany Hazelrigg, Western Washington University's Multicultural Club represent by Amir Sadeghi and Joe Wooding and the consortium community partner, the YMCA represent by Martha Fernandez.
The leadership development conference have developed their leadership skills by setting education, community involvement and career goals. These students have been awarded post secondary scholarships, practiced their skills by developing and making presentations to their school boards, joined with other student leadership program students to present their learning at a National conference, and have developed a power point presentation of their experiences that SEMY no3w uses in its statewide program presentations.
Behind the scenes advocates Federal Project Directors like Laura Zink de Diaz, Arturo Vivanco, Jim Gibson, Tom Opstadt, and Gerald Bathues are congratulated for their wisdom in promoting migrant student leadership through their middle and high schools!