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.
San Francisco International High School Span Scholar Reflects on Success of Mentor Program – “Young Huskies Look Up To” Mentors
By Guest Blogger Jaime Velis, San Francisco State University Student and 2014-2015 San Francisco International High School Span Scholar, with Introduction by Kyle Halle-Erby
Kyle Halle-Erby, Span Program Coordinator
The Span Program at the ACE Learning Center at San Francisco International High School (SFIHS) is a unique place. The program supports SFIHS graduates as they complete their first year in college. Span is focused on building a community of support. In the SFIHS tradition of learning together, many Span scholars participate in a mentorship program where they support ninth and tenth grade students at SFIHS. Jaime Velis wrote this reflection on his experience as a mentor at the close of the last semester.
Jaime Velis, San Francisco State University Student and 2014-2015 SFIHS Span Scholar
Jaime Velis checks out graphic novels for inspiration.
I’m excited I am almost done with my first semester in college. I’ve been a little bit stressed out because I’m having exams in almost all my classes and I have to get ready for the finals as well. Other than that everything is going smoothly. I am trying to keep everything together, and I am finally opening up to talk to peers. I don’t know if I told you how shy I was the first semester. I am already looking forward to summer but also to my second year.
I feel like not only the students benefits from the mentor program at SFIHS as I have gotten a lot away from it too. I have some students that are really open to me and would tell me almost everything that is going on in their life: family, friends, boyfriend/girlfriend drama, addictions, educational and academic goals. I don’t only listen to them, but I’ve gone through some of the same issues they are going through–but not all. However, I understand them and their temptations as I feel I have not really grown up and I have a lot to go through still. I try to motivate them, but at the same time it also makes me reflect on myself and how I don’t want to fall and be a statistic. I actually want break those statistics and not let myself lose to the system.
Personally, I would love to try to motivate and help more kids but due to my schedule with classes this semester I couldn’t mentor as many as I’d like. I believe that expanding the mentor program will not only help the kids at SFIHS but also Graduate Huskies*. Current Huskies at SFIHS would feel extra support and perhaps be more motivated to go to college. Graduate Huskies might think twice when doing their papers or going to class since they will now have these younger huskies looking up to them. I really love feeling useful to the community that has shaped the way I am today. I really believe everyone should be given second opportunities and minorities deserve better than being just stereotyped.
*Huskies is SFIHS’ mascot. All students are Huskies. Go Huskies!
It’s Graduation Time for KALW Audio Academy, and Each Grad’s “Radio Final” is an Entire Show
By Guest Blogger Ben Trefny, KALW News Director
Glynn Washington, Host and Executive Producer of NPR show “Snap Judgement” was the keynote speaker at the Audio Academy 2015 graduation. Matt Martin, KALW General Manager (white shirt) grins in the background. Photo credit: Ashleyanne Kriebaum
It was a real pleasure to celebrate the Audio Academy Class of 2015 last night with a graduation party. The Red Poppy Art House in San Francisco’s Mission District was a fun venue; the wine, beer, and Mexican Rivieras were flowing; and it’s always a real pleasure to bring everybody together. I especially appreciated hearing all the mentors talk about their individual relationships with Academy members Chris Hambrick, Marlo McKenzie, Colin Peden, Marcy Fraser, Jack Detsch, Olivia Cueva, Liza Veale, Hannah Kingsley-Ma, and Raja Shah. Wonderful. It was an honor to be able to recognize everybody at a memorable event.
This week, on Tuesday, we got to hear the first of the whole Academy shows. It was about how we live with species struggling to survive, and it was brought to us by Marlo, with assists from Colin and our managing producer, Julie Caine. I thought it was beautifully vibrant, thought-provoking, and really well constructed. Very nicely done!
Next week, we get to hear Colin’s punk rock show. The following week it’s Marcy’s show about garbage in San Francisco. Over the next month or so, we’ll get them all on the air!
This week, we also heard a story from Rachel Wong, who graduated with the Academy class of 2014. She made a piece about the Idriss Stelley Foundation which deals with police misconduct. It’s part of the upcoming Sights and Sounds of Bayview, which is our department’s biggest live event of the year. It’s this Friday evening, June 19th, at 7 p.m., and it’s free! You can learn all about it by clicking here.
I want to make note, too, about the great summer volunteers who have started their training with us. Welcome Allison Lee, Berenice Freedome, Catherine Girardeau, Emma Nobel, Kaiden McAllister, Lezak Shallat, Rafi Ronquillo, and Tim Lou Ly! And welcome back Holly J. McDede and Rhian Miller, who was also part of the Academy class of 2014! I’m very happy with how much the outgoing Academy stepped up to make sure they all know (pretty much) what they’re doing, and I think that’s really going to help everybody get a great jump.
Finally, I want to share a nice note I received from Rebecca Rosen Lum, who works with the Pacific Media Workers Guild:
Ben, it’s summer internship time again, and I’m wondering if we can prevail upon you to host another KALW tour. I was really moved to see that the station was No. 1 on all the students’ wish lists for places to visit — way ahead of other radio and TV stations and traditional news organizations.
We will very happily provide another tour, to share what we do with as many people as possible!
Final Year’s Events for KALW Audio Academy Include Localore Grant and Tips on Deep Reporting from AP
By Guest Blogger Ben Trefny, KALW News Director
I just got back from visiting the site of the upcoming Audio Academy graduation with former member, and current KALW reporter/producer/mentor, Angela Johnston. We’ll be celebrating the year at the Red Poppy Art House in San Francisco’s Mission District with a graduation party, and we’re very happy to be there because they share so many of the same values that we do:
– creativity
– integrity
– diversity
It’s a very artistic and eclectic venue, run by very generous and thoughtful people, and it’s going to be a really fun night!
As we prepare to say goodbye to the current Academy class, we welcomed in our summer trainees this week. It’s a terrific group, and we structured things such that the current Academy members could help train the new folks. We’ll repeat the process about four months from now, when we welcome the next Audio Academy class.
We’re happy to say that Marcy Fraser, Chris Hambrick and Colin Peden plan to put their training into effect this summer as department volunteers. We’re welcoming back Rhian Miller (class of 2014) to produce some stories and help develop more of a North Bay beat. And Raja Shah, Hannah Kingsley-Ma, Liza Veale, Jeremy Dalmas (2014) and Liz Mak (2014) will continue as paid fellows.
AP data journalist Serdar Tumgoren leads the Audio Academy in a dynamic and engaging seminar on deep reporting.
A couple of people we’re especially excited to work with this summer are two of our youngest trainees: Kaiden McAllister and Allison Lee. Kaiden is a rising senior at Independence High School in San Francisco, and Allison is graduating this year from Lowell High School. Both are looking to focus on building their audio engineering chops. We’ll keep you posted on what they produce!
Speaking of production, Academy member Marlo McKenzie made this video about KALW to put us forward as a candidate station for a Localore grant – the theme this year is to tell stories on the theme “Finding America.”
We’ve gotten a lot of great feedback on the video, and interest from producers looking to work with us, so we’ll see how that works out.
There’s been a lull in on-air content from the current Academy – directly resulting from the hard work they’re putting into their whole shows. The first one, from Marlo, is coming out on Tuesday. It’s about endangered species in the Bay Area. Colin is set to follow the next week with a show about the Bay Area Punk Rock scene. Marcy has a show about garbage collection in San Francisco, and the rest will line up as well. It’s a new thing for our Academy program, and I can’t wait to hear the results!
(Clockwise from lower left) Tim Lou Ly, Hannah Kingsley-Ma, Rhian Miller, Rafi Ronquillo, Jessica Placzek, and Raja Shah talk shop on the first day summer trainees get to spend time with the Audio Academy.
Finally, this week, we had our last guest speaker of the year come talk to our class. It was Serdar Tumgoren – a data journalist from the Associated Press – and he was outstanding. Who would have thought that one of our most dynamic presenters would be a data journalist?! Well, he was. And what he taught us will be immediately incorporated into our process as we produce stories for the Bay Area and beyond.