Volunteer service at Highland Centers helps Orange Rotary win coveted Governor's Award

In part, from a previous post at Greater Orange News Service:

Orange Rotary received the coveted Governor’s Award for 2008-2009. Under the leadership of President Don Saltikov and his Board, the club was chosen, for the second year in a row, as best among the 46 clubs in the local District which encompasses all of Orange County and a portion of Los Angeles County.

Orange Rotary is known for it’s community, youth, and international service and placed 1st, 2nd, or 3d in all six of the categories, including membership, club bulletin, and website.

One of the community programs supported by the Orange Rotary is THINK Together, a non-profit after-school learning program that supports over 90 children through its Highland Learning Center and Highland Teen Center both located at 1909 E. Quincy Street in a densely populated apartment area of Orange. The heavily used centers were in desperate need of painting and carpeting. Employees of Home Depot, parents, and students pitched in to help Orange Rotarians create a pleasant new setting for learning.

The Orange Rotarians Community Service Director Diane Clanton and Saltikov were recognized with an appreciation award by THINK Together Site Coordinators Omar Ramirez and Ruth Malagon. Ramirez said the generous participation of Orange Rotarians helped unite parents and students to work together for the first time in an all-volunteer project. He said, “Your improvements to the centers was especially important to the Teen Center’s new program to help our teenagers create pride in their community and introduce them to achieving personal benefits if they pursue a college education.”

Using data to help close the achievement gap

Below are two short videos produced by the School Improvement Network which explain how data can be used to help close the achievement gap.

At THINK Together an analysis of student CST test scores year-over-year indicates that those students who take part in THINK Together's after-school programs are generally showing improvement at a rate nearly double that of their peers who don't participate.

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THINK Together students show greater growth in closing achievement gap

An analysis of student test scores year-over-year (see chart right) now indicates that across the enterprise students who participate in THINK Together's academically-focused after-school programs generally show improvement in their California Standards Test (CST) scores for both math and English language arts at a rate nearly double that of their peers.

And in some cases, like the partnership THINK Together has with the Little Lake City School District where data reflection and other related strategic methods are practiced regularly to align school day priorities with continued learning in the after-school program, the rate of improvement for THINK Together students is nearly four times greater.

THINK Together is committed to regular examination of CST outcomes and survey feedback from a variety of stakeholders in order to monitor program quality and to help drive continuous program improvement efforts. All with the goal of helping students achieve -- closing the achievement gap.

THINK Together also works with researchers at the University of California, Irvine (UCI) and elsewhere to facilitate other third-party evaluation projects that examine the various programs and projects being designed and implemented to serve students outside their normal school day.

Dr. Jenel Prenovost is director of evaluation at THINK Together. jprenovost@THINKtogether.org

THINK Together set to open its largest summer program to date

Tomorrowing morning, THINK Together opens a five-week summer enrichment program for more than 11,000 students in Santa Ana. This represents the largest summer program THINK Together has undertaken in its more than 10-year history.

“At a time when most school districts cancelled summer sessions as a result of the ongoing State fiscal crisis, we are very fortunate to have a partnership with THINK Together that enables us to offer both academic and enrichment programs that will continue the learning and progress made by our students from preschool to 8th grade.

“We are pleased to be able to offer this program at such a critical time of need.”

Jane Russo
Superintendent
SAUSD

For more details see:
Press Release (Spanish version)

Michelle Obama notes America's desire and interest in service opportunities

Speaking this week at the 2009 National Conference on Volunteering and Service, First Lady Michelle Obama noted :

"We know that so many folks are eager to give back – eager to be part of this nation's recovery and renewal.

Applications to AmeriCorps have quadrupled.

The Peace Corps had three applications for each available position last year.

35,000 young people applied for just 4,000 slots in Teach for America.

And so many members of the baby boom generation are reaching retirement age, eager to find ways to contribute. People across this country are ready to answer the call to serve – we just need to issue that call and provide those opportunities."

Complete Text of Remarks

Raw Video of Remarks

THINK Together students had a blast @ LA Dodgers game; here are pics to prove it!

Students and families from the THINK Together after-school program at Telechron Elementary School in South Whittier were among more than 775 THINK Together guests who attended the June 10th LA Dodgers game against the San Diego Padres.

The students, their parents, and staff of THINK Together were hosted at the Dodgers game compliments of the 2009 MLB Commissioner's Initiative for Kids. For the majority of the students, this was the first time they had ever attended a Major League Baseball game.

The students were invited to attend the Dodgers game in recognition of their enthusiastic efforts to support THINK Together's "Miles of Change" penny drive. The Telechron students and their families collected more than 400,000 pennies during February & March.

Veronica Vacca, Site Coordinator at Telechron Elementary, created a virtual "scrapbook" of photos she took at the baseball game and posted them on flickr. She had previously created a "Miles of Change" photo set on flickr and used those photos to promote her students' Firstgiving.com fundraising page.

click photo page below to see complete scrapbook

"One Wish" a remarkable short film by students in a THINK Together after-school film club

Students in the THINK Together after-school program at David A. Brown Middle School in Wildomar, CA (Lake Elsinore Unified School District) formed a film club and decided to create their own short film, "One Wish."

The students were assisted in their work by volunteers from Mirage Productions.

"One Wish" asks each of five middle school students what they would wish for if they found out they only had a short time to live. Hear their remarkable and thoughtful responses in this film.

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One Wish
Uploaded by MirageProductions. - Watch feature films and entire TV shows.

The Evolution of Publicly Funded After-School Programs in California 1999-2007

Although posted to YouTube in 2007, this video produced by the California Afterschool Network uses GIS mapping to provide an overview of the evolution of publicly funded after-school programs in California from 1999-2007, including the rollout of ASES programs funded under the Proposition 49 mandate.

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2009 Annual Benefit Luncheon Photos @ Flickr

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Originally uploaded by THINK Together

Photos of the 2009 Annual Benefit Luncheon have been uploaded to flickr.com. You'll find them organized in a flickr.com photo set along with the video which premiered at the fundraising event.

Pictured here: Lawrence Gustafson, THINK Together's Director of Research & Foundation Relations, sings "You Lift Me Up" in tribute to luncheon Honorees Ranney Draper and Steven Perryman. Joining Lawrence on stage for the special performance were students from the after-school program at Sepulveda Elementary School in Santa Ana and their Program Leader Anna Jasso who was featured on violin.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/think-together/sets/72157619884900553/)

Alum Javier Diaz helping a new generation of students achieve their full potential

THINK Together alum Javier Diaz is featured in a story recently published in the Laguna Beach Independent: "Student Mentor Program Breaks Down Barriers."

As Published: In his second year as director of Juntos, Javier Diaz has redefined the limits of an after-school activity. The program, meaning "together" in Spanish, aims to foster a friendly environment in which Spanish-speaking students struggling with school can seek help from high school mentors. With Diaz's help, Juntos is flourishing into a three-day-perweek course that serves as a social venue for both mentors and "mentees."

While the number of students has risen from 10 middle school and eight high school students in 2007 to 14 middle school and 18 high school students in 2009, Diaz is most pleased with the rising number of mentors. Currently, Juntos's mentor group is comprised of 43 high school students, a huge jump from the 25 student mentors in the program two years ago. "Due to the increase in participation and the positive impact on students, the Juntos program was one of the signature practices that helped Thurston Middle School receive the Distinguished School award," said Diaz.

The increasing volunteer number has proven successful in stretching Juntos to ... (See Complete Story)

Diaz is one of three former students who share their personal stories in a new video -- "From beating the odds ... to changing the odds" -- which premiered at THINK Together's 2009 Annual Benefit luncheon.

Obama launches national service initiative; says, "we need people to mentor and tutor"

This week President Obama launched a new national service initiative - "United We Serve." In a video announcement released by the White House (see below), the President says, "We can rebuild our schools but we need people to mentor and tutor in those schools."

THINK Together is the largest provider of academically-focused after-school programs in Southern California -- we're developing an "ecosystem" approach to educational supports similar to Harlem Children's Zone.

We're focused on closing the achievement gap. But if we're really going to change the odds for kids, we need volunteers to compliment the work of our trained staff. http://thinktogether.org/volunteer.htm

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Learn more about President Obama's "United We Serve" initiative at:

White House Blog: United We Serve

Serve.gov

MyImpact.org

U.S. Education Secretary speaks to 500 leading Californians

On May 22, 2009, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan brought his national "listening tour" to San Francisco where he met with 500 of California's business, education, political, philanthropic, and community leaders. The event was hosted by the San Francisco School Alliance. Embeded below is a video of his formal remarks as posted at Fora.tv.

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U.S. Department of Education : Official Event Press Release

Video captures end-of-year performance by Glen Avon students @ THINK Together

First and second grade students in THINK Together's after-school program at Glen Avon Elementary School in Riverside (Jurupa Unified School District) recently presented their end-of-the-year class play/musical which was written by Ms. Becca Alexander. Video of the performance is posted here in two parts.

click arrow below to play Part I here

click arrow below to play Part II here

YouTube: THINK Together Channel

New video to premier today at THINK Together's Annual Benefit Luncheon

This new video will be premiered at THINK Together's Annual Benefit luncheon today.

The video highlights the evolution and impacts of THINK Together's after-school programs and its ecosystem of educational support as told through the personal stories of several who were among the first generation of students whose lives have been touched by the non-profit organization.

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Much thanks to THINK Together alums Gilberto Cardenas, Javier Diaz and Nadia Flores for sharing their stories.

Thanks also to the students and staff at THINK Together's Shalimar Center in Costa Mesa for allowing us to use their space and the wonderful artwork there as backdrops for the video shoot.

The Economist reports American students spend less time in school

The underworked American
Jun 11th 2009
From The Economist print edition

...They have one of the shortest school years anywhere, a mere 180 days compared with an average of 195 for OECD countries and more than 200 for East Asian countries. German children spend 20 more days in school than American ones, and South Koreans over a month more. Over 12 years, a 15-day deficit means American children lose out on 180 days of school, equivalent to an entire year.

American children also have one of the shortest school days, six-and-a-half hours, adding up to 32 hours a week. By contrast, the school week is 37 hours in Luxembourg, 44 in Belgium, 53 in Denmark and 60 in Sweden. On top of that, American children do only about an hour’s-worth of homework a day, a figure that stuns the Japanese and Chinese. ...

THINK Together "alum" named among Top 100 Journalism Students

Former THINK Together student America Arias has been named one of the Top 100 Journalism Students in the Nation.

Arias Arias, who graduated this Spring from California State University Fullerton with a Communicaions degree, has served as a student representative on the national boards of the Society of Professional Journalists and the National Association of Hispanic Journalists. She held internships with TV stations WUSA, a CBS affiliate in Washington, D.C., and in the Los Angeles Bureau of CNN. Arias also spent two years working with Titan Communications, a campus-based television program, and served as a student assistant for Cal State Fullerton’s partnership with PBS station KCET.

While a teenager, Arias attend THINK Together's after-school programs at the award-winning Shalimar Center in Costa Mesa.

See complete story
State Fullerton inside: Among the Top in Competition

Video highlights THINK Together after-school programs in Los Angeles

THINK Together provides after-school programs to 35,000 kids at 200+ sites across Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino Counties. This video highlights THINK Together programs in Los Angeles.

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Afterschool Alliance makes the case: after-school for all

The Afterschool Alliance is the nation's voice on afterschool. Learn about children in the afterschool hours, and what the Afterschool Alliance is doing to ensure that all kids have access to quality, affordable afterschool programs.

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