ACE Spectrum
ACE Spectrum
Ace Spectrum is about you — the ACE Learning Centers.
It’s a quick sharing of ideas, inspiration, opinions and best practices among our continuing education organizations.
Please join the conversation.
Fight For Your Dreams – Students Graduate From SFIHS Without the CAHSEE
By Martha Sessums, President, ACE
Graduation from high school comes in many forms. Sure, there’s the cap and gown. Listening to speeches about what a great future we’ll all have. Stepping up on a stage to accept your diploma. Throwing your mortarboard hat in the air with everyone else at the end of the ceremony. Lots of cheers.
SPAN Program Coordinator Kyle Halle-Erby (at podium) and Julie Kessler, Principal, (with scarf) award diplomas to SFIHS graduates.
Then there’s the graduation experience of deserving students who did everything right in high school, but couldn’t pass the California High School Exit Examination (CAHSEE.) They didn’t pass because they didn’t do the work or know the subject matter. They didn’t pass because when they arrived in high school as juniors or seniors, they didn’t know enough English to ask where the bathroom is located, much less analyze advanced sentences that include spelling and grammar mistakes.
But things changed. In July 2015, California didn’t renew the testing company contract and the test was suspended. There were some confusing weeks as state law said that all students had to pass the CAHSEE to graduate, and no test meant that students were in limbo. But in August, Governor Brown abolished the CAHSEE. It was considered an old test that didn’t align to state standards, and not worth reinstating. In addition, all students who had not passed the test since it started in 2006 automatically became high school graduates.
SFIHS graduates!
On Friday, February 4, San Francisco International High School (SFIHS) held the graduation ceremony for the Class of 2013, 2014 and 2015 students who had not passed the CAHSEE, but were now considered high school grads.
No caps and gowns, but amazing smiles and cheers from the graduates, their friends and family and especially the teachers and staff of SFIHS.
You could feel the excitement in the room. These students had worked hard to get through high school, but couldn’t enter college without a high school diploma. Now they had one, and life had changed.
Student speaker Yanyan Chen said that when she arrived at SFIHS all she knew was the English alphabet – her ABCs.
“I couldn’t pass the CAHSEE in my senior year, so I took the SPARK* program,” she said. “I took extra English and earned 11 units at City College of San Francisco. It helped me figure out my goal. I want to go into San Francisco State University’s Hospitality and Tourism Management program. I am confident I can be a successful student.”
Student Speaker Eric Perez said that when he arrived in the United States, he didn’t know how to say “hi” or ask where the bathroom was located. But the teachers, staff and fellow students inspired him to keep going on the path to success.
“Not passing the CAHSEE was a block to attend college and a block for my big dreams,” Perez said. “It was really hard. My dreams disappeared when I got the news. Now I can fight for my dreams, get a good education and be better.”
Principal Julie Kessler said that there were approximately 40,000 students in California who are now eligible for their high school diploma. One SFIHS student was accepted in UC Berkeley, but couldn’t attend because he didn’t pass the CAHSEE, thus no high school diploma.
“We are encouraging him to reapply, and our SPARK program will help him fill out the application, but he is reluctant,” said Kessler. “He needed to begin his life, and now he’s a security guard and has started a family. Where does he fit in college when he needs to support his family?”
After the low-key ceremony where graduates names were called out and they went to the podium to pick up their certificate, it was time to party. Parents, children, friends and teachers all hugged and congratulated the new grads. Snacks and sparkling apple cider were served.
Juan Fernando Velasquez shows off his graduation diploma with Julie Kessler, Principal.
Graduate Juan Fernando Delasque posed for a photo shoot holding his diploma and wearing the one graduation cap in the room, which was making the photo op/selfie rounds. The diploma certified that Juan Fernando, who has “evidence of scholarship and trustworthy character has completed the Course of Study in accordance with the requirements for graduation of the SF Unified School District.”
Congratulations SFIHS graduates! You make all of us at ACE proud!
*SPARK is a program in the ACE Learning Center at SFIHS.
Track the Excellent, Sweet Week At KALW Audio Academy
By Guest Blogger Ben Trefny, News Director, KALW Public Radio
This was a sweet week for many reasons around the KALW news department.
Pigeon Racer from Bill Milestone’s Loft – photo by Geraldine Ah-Sue.
For one big thing, we’re in the midst of rolling out stories from the Audio Academy class of 2016. Geraldine Ah-Sue‘s first voiced piece aired last week:
The Fast and Furious World of Pigeon Racing
Terrific tracking, great subject, surprising info … really enjoyable place profile!
Gary Shields, Sr. training Gary Shields, Jr. at God’s Gym – photo by Renata Gray.
Tammy Drummond‘s first voiced piece aired this week:
Pumping Up Bodies and Spirits at God’s Gym
Great character, excellent sound, and nice use of place to tell a deeper history!
Eli Wirtschafter records voice tracks for his first story at KALW – photo by Angela Johnston.
Eli Wirtschafter and Luisa Cardoza voiced their first pieces last Thursday, too, and they’ll be airing soon. It’s so fun to hear the talent and voices coming up. Love it!
One of our previous Audio Academy members is getting national recognition for his work. David Boyer‘s podcast The Intersection made the “New and Noteworthy.”
If you haven’t heard it, you should. It’s the result of many, many, many months of deeply caring work that David put in telling the story of the corner of Golden Gate and Leavenworth. It’s sound-rich, emotional, insightful, and if you’re like me, you’ll learn a lot by listening to it. And if you have a chance to review it, please do … the more buzz, the more people will hear it. Click here:
And here’s the official website for David’s project:
Audio Academy mentor Leila Day‘s reporting expertise reached a much broader audience this week as well. She wrote a training document for NPR based out of her experience and that of others in the KALW newsroom:
It’s really worth reading, and listening to the examples she includes, and it’s blowing up around the network. The public media trade magazine Current picked up the article. And prominent radio reporters are sharing the story on social media.
Great and important stuff, and it’s wonderful that our voice is getting amplified beyond the Bay Area!
One other thing I wanted to note is that I received three unexpected emails this week from people we’ve trained at KALW. They updated me on what they’re up to, and I thought I’d share one of the notes. It’s from a Chilean journalist we worked with several years ago named Carolina Andrea Hidalgo Espinoza:
Dear Ben., Hi!!!
It has been a while since we haven’t been in touch. I think in 2013, I let you guys know that I was working in radio in Chile and by that time I had a project to teach in the university, but finally it was not possible.
But these past three years working in Chile have been very enriching and really, really intense. I performed as the content producer of an important radio show, covering national and international issues, mainly politics, but also sports, culture, etc.
I was in charge of analyzing the news to choose the most relevant content to discuss in our twice daily three-hour live radio show. Then I had to select the best interviewees to explain and/or debate about chosen content and arrange the interviews with them, usually relevant public figures. In general I had to arrange two or three daily interviews for the live radio show.
It has been rewarding in many aspects. I’ve been recognized for my work in radio… We even won an award for best radio show (chosen by the people)! And I’m really glad to tell you all this, because I wouldn’t ended up there if were not because of KALW and everything I learned with you…
It was wonderful to hear from Carolina. It really feels good to help people grow.
The time folks spend with us at KALW can sometimes be limited, and it’s always interesting to see how their careers and their lives develop. So now I’m really curious. While I’m aware of what many people who have come through our newsroom are doing, including everybody who has been part of the Audio Academy, I have not kept up with dozens of others. So over the next few months, I plan on catching up with them all. And I’ll keep you posted on what some of them are doing.
Alumni From SFIHS Find Rewards in New College Experiences
By Guest Blogger Kyle Halle-Erby, SPAN Program Coordinator, San Francisco International High School
San Francisco International High School’s most recent alumni at UC Davis and UC Berkeley have been very busy adjusting and transitioning into their new lives as college students. Here are some of their most recent stories.
QiHao (Gary) Yu, Freshman at UC Davis, Community and Regional Development Major
“I am doing well in UC Davis. The campus is big and people around the campus are friendly.”
QiHao (Gary) Yu
Freshman at UC Davis
Community and Regional
Development Major.
College definitely has more challenges than high school. When I was a senior, I received an invitation from Special Transitional Enrichment Program (STEP). STEP is a program under the EOP of UC Davis. It helps me to adapt college life quicker. Now, I still remember the first day of STEP. It was the first time when I had to leave my family and went to a new environment. I was homesick in my first day. Luckily, I have two friends from my high school who also went to the program with me, so I have someone to talk to. During STEP, I had an opportunity to take some college level classes, met a lot of the new friends and got to know a lot of resources in UC Davis. It is an unforgettable memory for me.
After STEP, I went back to SF for a week and prepared for school. In the first day of school, we had a lot of volunteers to help us to move in. Since I have gone to STEP, I was able to adapt my first day of school easily. I had selected a “double” for my housing plan. My roommate is my friend from a volunteer program, so we knew each other before. In my first quarter, I did not select a lot of difficult classes in my first quarter, so I have a relax quarter. During this quarter, I tried to use all the resources of campus, such as tutoring and the Activity and Recreation Center. After my first quarter, I understood the life and challenges in college, and I believe that I can overcome these challenges.
Yitong Zhang, Freshman at UC Davis, Computer Science Major
“I decided to change my major to computer science because I don’t like my current major’s future career.”
Yitong Zhang
Freshman at UC Davis
Computer Science Major.
The part I enjoyed most is talking to people. Everyone here is so nice. They are willing to talk to you and even help you although they don’t know you. The biggest challenges I faced were homesickness and getting use to the workload. I attended a summer program, it was super helpful because I made friends with a lot of people and they provided classes for us to experience. I learned a lot from the class, the best part is I learned the content the teacher is teaching right now. This program also provides the member’s prior registration. One fun thing in Davis is you can see squirrels anywhere.
I decided to change my major to computer science because I don’t like my current major’s future career, Agricultural and Environmental Education. I am taking an introduction to programming class. I like it a lot because it involves a lot of logic. It’s easy to get help for education because there is a lot of tutoring out there.
Herry Li, Freshman at UC Berkeley
“I believe in myself that I could survive here.”
Herry Li
Freshman at UC Berkeley.
College is a new level of education beyond high school; in other words, it is definitely going to be more challenging than high school. You may think that it is a piece of cake to get straight A’s at SFIHS, but college is completely a different game. The heavy workload of the enormous amount of readings and writings seriously caught me off guard. Readings were more abstract and more academic, and the grading rubric for an essay is stricter. Plus, I had to go to my Spanish class at 8 am every day in my first semester. I thought 8 am would an easy case for me because I had been going to school earlier than 8 am every day since kinder garden. Yet, I was too naïve. 8 am classes in college somehow are more unbeatable than you could imagine.
It sounded a bit terrifying above; though, there are always some goods in my college life. First of all, in college, we can have more control on studying about things that we are really interested in. It is absolutely enjoyable to listen to the things I love lectured by the experts of the subjects. On the other hand, I have met some good friends here at Cal. We can spend time together chilling through chatting, working out, playing sports, partying, or even studying. Personally, I feel more motivated when I can study with a friend. My roommate has become one of my best friends here. At last, Cal has a fantastic campus environment for us to study there. I fell in love with the Doe library at my first sight because it is undoubtedly one of the most gorgeous libraries in the world. Although there seems be too many challenges we have to face in college, I believe in myself that I could survive here.