Castro 5th Graders go to Stanford!
May 25, 2010 by Rob
Filed under BLOG, Mountain View
Dr. Judy Crates, Principal of Castro Elementary in Mountain View, has a vision for her graduating 5th graders to enter middle school knowing what life options are available to them in a few years. For many under-resourced youth, the economic and cultural pressures to start working to support their family or to join a gang are more real than plans to graduate from high school. Breaking through these walls to rigorous academic achievement and higher education is a challenge for many educators. “Most of our students don’t know what’s on the other side of the wall,” shares Dr. Crates.
On May 20th, Reach Potential Movement partnered with Castro Elementary to inspire and challenge 53 fifth graders and several of their parents to DREAM FOR COLLEGE by spending a day at Stanford University with several Latino undergrads and alumni as they toured the campus. One parent had always wanted to see the University but assumed there was a literal wall around Stanford and that this was her chance to have special access to see the university.
The day following their visit to Stanford, the students participated in “College Spirit Day” at their school. Each student received a t-shirt from the alma-mater of the person who sponsored their participation in Dream-4-College Week (with the exception of Stanford now that 53 Castro fifth graders want to go there!). The students continued discussion and learning about the life opportunities that a path of rigorous academics during their middle and high school years will provide them.
For students to keep breaking through the walls that can barricade their college dreams, a parent education workshop will follow where we will inspire, challenge and support parents to do the same for their children as they enter middle school.
Reach Potential Movement commends all our sponsors for championing our cause to inspire our “first generation to college” fifth graders to reach and dream. Let’s continue to empower under-resourced kids and youth, and we’ll all reach our highest potential together!
Related posts:
I like what you guys are doing but why is the kid in the picture wearing a shirt from Cornell and not Stanford?