6 EDCAL July 24, 2017
The CALSA Board of Directors
takes a break from setting up
the Summer Institute at the
Paradise Point Resort in San
Diego, a new venue for the
CALSA Familia.
Latina leaders took center stage this year for a panel discussion during
the CALSA Superintendents and Hermanas Leadership strands.
Breakfast of Champions it was called by some:
Menudo or Posole were the CALSA Familia choices
to start the day on Wednesday.
Participants broke into teams to explore the session Activating Student
Voice as a Driver for Deep, Personalized Learning and Whole School
Change with Phil Stubbs.
CALSA
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• “Latina Superintendents Panel with
these amazing Latina leaders.”
• “Closing Remarks will begin shortly.
What a fantastic and inspiring conference!”
• “Another great Summer Institute.
Thanks to all. Looking forward to next year
in Tahoe.”
The CALSA Familia event was held July
9-12 at the Paradise Point Resort in San
Diego. It focused on leadership and instruc-
tional capacity; included working coop-
eratively with other organizations; provided
mentoring and networking opportunities,
as well as professional assistance; and served
as a source of information and professional
growth – all CALSA goals.
The event started with the 2017 Student
ESS
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We make sure we bring in various guests in
order to do that.”
Victor was one of those students who
needed to hear the message time and again.
“I think even when he was in my class he
would mosey in late or not at all sometimes
and I would just say, ‘Victor, you’re almost
a grown man,’” Crawford said. “Where
you can get away with this and there is not
much I can do to you right now, when you
get into the real world, it’s going to be a
whole different story. You do not want to set
yourself up for that type of future.”
Even Victor admitted he struggled to
Scholarship Golf Tournament on Sunday.
More than 150 scholarships have been
awarded in the scholarship’s history to rec-
ognize and support Latino youth in their
quest for higher education. In addition
to the golf tournament, partners on the
student scholarship project include Fagen,
Friedman and Fulfrost LLP, Stifel financial
advisors, Lozano Smith Att orneys at Law
and Sigmanet IT management.
Three days of timely workshop sessions,
keynote speeches, mock interviews and
résumé review, mentoring alumni events,
good food, entertainment and more fol-
lowed.
Notable career-building breakouts
included: Culturally Proficient Practices: A
Lens for Closing Equity Gaps with Nicole
Anderson; Paving the Road to Equity
and Achievement with Nancy Sedgwick;
Legislative and Budget Advocacy Through
adjust to his new environment.
“When I used to come to school, I was
noisy and one of those kids who talked a
lot,” Victor said. “I never listened to the
teachers.”
But over time, Victor matured and real-
ized his potential. Before long, he was
showing up to class every day. He recently
graduated from David Stine Chaffey West
and has goals of becoming a lawyer.
“He’s gone from being completely late,
horrible attendance to ‘I know what my
goals are. I know what I want to do,’”
Crawford said.
When asked how he would explain his
change in attitude, Victor was quick to
credit the educators at David Stine Chaffey
West along with his family.
The Student Scholarship Golf Tourney preceded the event on
Sunday, raising money to support Latino and Latina teens’ college
goals. ACSA Equity and Equal Access Executive Nicole Anderson
and Executive Director Wesley Smith, left, join CALSA Executive
Director David Verdugo and President Martha Martinez on the
course, with former ACSA Legislative Advocate and CALSA ED
Sal Villaseñor in the background.
a Student-Centered and Equity Lens
with Martha Alvarez; On Being Artful,
Borderless and Courageous Stewards of
School Communities with Benji Howard
and Wade Cowel-Sandoval; The Road
to Comprehensive Literacy: A Leader’s
Plan for Action with Michael Haggen
from Scholastic; and Activating Student
Voice as a Driver for Deep, Personalized
Learning and Whole School Change with
Phil Stubbs.
Among the keynoters was Porterville
pediatrician Ramon Reza, who shared his
inspiring message of resilience and perse-
verance. Reza went from farm worker to
M.D. after being abandoned as a child.
His biography, “Ramon Rising: The Story
of an Abandoned Boy Who Became a
Doctor,” tells his tale of academic triumph.
Other significant happenings includ-
ed Martha Martinez taking her seat as
CALSA president for the 2017-18 school
year; Merced Union High School District
Assistant Superintendent Constantino
Aguilar receiving CALSA’s $10,000
Mentoring Minds Administrative Award;
and past presidents and executive directors
honored on stage.
A Thursday night Mentor/Protégé
Banquet celebrated the venerable CALSA
Mentoring Program. More than 187 pro-
tégés and mentors have taken part in 14
cohorts since 2004. Former program direc-
tor Ken Magdaleno said he was “proud to
see how great these early members of the
mentoring program look and what fantastic
leaders they have become.”
“Stronger and Greater Together Through
Educational Equity and Leadership” was
the theme of the 2017 Summer Institute.
Next year’s event is scheduled for July 8-11,
2018 at Squaw Creek Resort, Lake Tahoe.
ACSA Region 12 Consultant
Bill Olinger, right, and Treasurer
Jennette Harper present state
R-12 Every Student Succeeding
Award recipient Victor Ramirez-
Diaz a check for $1,000 and a
plaque. Ramirez-Diaz was unable
to attend an earlier region awards
ceremony. Principal Don English,
left, performed the introduction.
“I actually want them to see me be suc-
cessful. And I don’t want to be a big disap-
pointment to them. So I actually want to get
up, come to school, try to come to school
every day, get my work done. And I want to
do my best.”