December 15, 2014
MEDIA ADVISORY
Contact: Lisa McDonnell, (619) 306-3957
Red Carpet Celebration at Mission Bay High School
WHAT: After-school event to award the 10,000th student who has voluntarily attended the after-school tutoring program, ACES (stands for After-school Center for Excellence and Support), at Mission Bay High School. Students will be treated like royalty by entering the tutoring center/library via a red carpet to celebrate.
WHEN: Wednesday, December 17 (rain or shine)
• 2:30 p.m. – Students enter tutoring center/library by crossing red carpet
• 2:45 p.m. – Welcome and opening remarks
• 2:55 p.m. – History of ACES program and teacher introductions
• 3:05 p.m. – Introduction of 10,000th student in ACES
• 3:10-4 p.m. – Celebration event
WHERE: Mission Bay High School
2475 Grand Avenue, San Diego (92109).
Media parking will be available in main lot.
Phone: (858) 273-1313 School website: http://www.sandi.net/missionbay
VISUALS: Students celebrating the after-school tutoring program by crossing the red carpet like royalty; student after school clubs present with displays; student marketing club sending live tweets of event; presentation of award to 10,000th student who voluntarily attended the after school tutoring program, ACES.
GUEST SPEAKERS/INTERVIEWS: Ernest Remillard, Principal, Mission Bay High; Ron Lancia, Teacher and ACES Coordinator, Mission Bay High; Gina Metcalf, IMIN After School Program Site Coordinator, Mission Bay High; Brad Lupien, co-founder arc; Lisa McDonnell, IMIN After School Program Supervisor. (Spanish as well)
BACKGROUND: Mission Bay High School’s tutoring program began with the goal to not only provide academic support across the curriculum, but to provide resources to develop the whole child. ACES, the After-school Center for Excellence and Support, is a voluntary after school tutoring program that aligns its commitments to the community with the four suits from a deck of cards. The Ace of Hearts represents a holistic approach to mentoring, providing access to an array of services to benefit social and emotional growth. The Ace of Clubs represents a club/community effect, providing a consistent place for students to gather to further their education. The Ace of Diamonds represents a balanced approach to support English/History, Math/Science, Foreign Language/Fine Arts, and Special Populations such as International Baccalaureate, English Learner, or Special Education students. Finally, the Aces of Spades represents digging deeper, through access to one-on-one instruction with expert teachers.
ACES offers helpful reference materials, access to computers, printers, and supplies, free and healthy snacks, college tutoring from SDSU and UCSD students, specialized help for CAHSEE/PSAT/SAT prep, college application counseling, and mentorship for life, college and career. Currently, about 100 students a day are working at ACES under the direction of a staff of teachers from all content areas The program’s mantra is “Every student, every time” which refers to the program’s commitment to engage with every one of the 100+ students who enters ACES after school to help them continue their education every single day.
The ACES program at Mission Bay High School is supported by the funding from the IMIN After School Program in the San Diego Unified School District. The MIN brand was developed by student groups who frequented after school activities. When referencing their after school involvement, they would often times simply say, “I’m in dance” or I’m in robotics”. The phrase “I’m in” stuck and became the district’s brand for the high school after school program.
The IMIN After-School Program funding is made possible by the 21st Century Community Learning Center (CCLC) After-School Safety and Enrichment for Teens (ASSETs) grant. The ASSETs grant is a state-administered federally grant that provides five-years of funding to establish or expand before-and after-school programs that provide disadvantaged students (particularly students who attend schools in need of improvement) with academic enrichment opportunities and supportive services to help the students meet state and local standards in core content areas. Each program must consist of three elements: academic assistance, educational enrichment, and family literacy services. The grant was awarded to start in July 2014 at sixteen high schools in San Diego Unified including Mission Bay, Clairemont, Hoover, Kearny Engineering, Innovation & Design, Kearny Digital Media & Design, Kearny Science, Connections & Technology, Lincoln, Madison, Morse, Point Loma, San Diego High School of Business, San Diego High School of Media, Visual, and Performing Arts, San Diego High School of Science Technology, School of Creative and Performing Arts (SCPA), Serra, and Twain high schools.
The IMIN After-School Program in San Diego Unified is coordinated at twelve different high school campuses by two contractors. The program at Mission Bay High School is supported by arc. Arc is an after-school and experiential education provider. They create transformational learning opportunities that empower youth to realize their full potential. arc Co-founder, Brad Lupien, describes what they do as school sites as, "we fill in the gaps to form an arc around, over and as a bridge to their education by offering experience, opportunity, and connection where it did not exist. We build the arc that supports their growth; we help students draw their own arc that leads towards a promising future." Arc coordinates the after school programs at ten high school campuses in the district. They also coordinate programs in Orange County, Los Angeles and Tennessee.
The San Diego Unified IMIN After School Program is coordinated for the district by the Office of College, Career & Technical Education.
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