Dr Pepper has contributed to the Whataburger Feeding Student Success Scholarship program. Photo: Whataburger, used with permission.
The Whataburger Feeding Student Success Scholarship programlaunched in December 2021 with a commitment to help college, university and not-for-profit vocational school students achieve their dreams. To enhance Whataburger’s $500,000 commitment, Dr Pepperhas contributed an additional $100,000 to the Whataburger Feeding Student Success Scholarship program. A new total of $600,000 in scholarship funding is available and will be awarded to 120 students across Whataburger’s footprint. (Whataburger, 2022)
The first year’s scholarships will be awarded to Black and other racial minority students as part of a $1,000,000 commitment Whataburger made in June 2020. The applications for the Whataburger Feeding Student Success Scholarship is Monday February 28, 2022.
Since 1950 when Harmon Dobson opened the first Whataburger as a small roadside burger stand in Corpus Christi, Whataburger has focuses on its fresh, made-to-order burgers and friendly customer service. Today, the company is headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, with more than 850 locations across its 14-state footprint, and sales of more than $2.8 billion annually. Whataburger has 50,000 Family Members (employees) and more than 60 million customers who like to customize their Whataburgers just the way they like it.
Walmart and the National Hispanic Institute are partnering to provide tuition scholarships. Photo: National Hispanic Institute.
The National Hispanic Institute (NHI), a nonprofit organization providing leadership education to top-performing Latino high school students across the United States and throughout the Americas, is partnering with Walmart to provide tuition scholarships for a select number of students from Oklahoma and Texas to attend a 2022 Lorenzo de Zavala (LDZ) Youth Legislative Session program. (Walmart, 2022)
The program will host 200 top academic students in a weeklong leadership experience on the campus of Austin College in Sherman, Texas, on July 10-17, 2022. The $20,000 in scholarship money from Walmart — $10,000 for Oklahoma students and $10,000 for Texas students — will provide tuition support.
The LDZ program, launched in 1983, is designed to inspire civic engagement and develop public policy skills. The eight-day immersive program, hosted in coordination with universities, uses a format in which participants declare candidacies and run for offices in executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government, and work to propose and enact legislation while developing personal and community identity through a series of exercises that culminate in the three-day legislative session.
Through NHI’s signature community equity building approach, students form communities, develop constituencies, and craft strategies to leverage strengths and capacities.
“The LDZ experience prompts a personal transformation whereby students feel competent, in control of their life direction, valued in the eyes of others and engaged in adding equity and worth to their community. It nurtures young minds to engage in proactive solutions as a lifelong process.” – Gloria de Leon, NHI co-founder and architect of the LDZ experience.
“Walmart is excited to sponsor this important program and the work that NHI is going to develop future Latino leaders. As an alum, I can tell you first hand that the LDZ program has an established track record of engaging high school students and inspiring them toward greater civic engagement, and we want to enable students to experience this transformative program through this scholarship fund.” – Ivan Jaime, Director of State and Local Government Relations for Walmart in Oklahoma and Texas.
Current Oklahoma and Texas college-bound high school sophomores and juniors with an 88/100 or 3.2/4.0 grade point average are encouraged to apply. Scholarships will support a portion of the LDZ program’s tuition cost — $995 for the full week, including meals, housing, and tuition. A special committee of NHI alumni and community members in Oklahoma is working on additional fundraising if students need assistance with the balance and transportation arrangements.
Students are encouraged to promptly submit their online applicationto the National Hispanic Institute for the Texas LDZ. Select “Walmart Scholarship Candidate” if you are from Oklahoma or Texas to be considered for the award. Students must apply with a $25 application fee for consideration.
Students who cannot attend this program due to conflicts in dates may apply to alternate LDZ sites as well, and depending on funding, may be considered for this award. The first round of admissions will be accepted beginning February 4, 2022, and conclude once the program has reached capacity in mid-March.
The National Hispanic Institute was founded in 1979 to establish an institutional presence in Latino community life, with an organized strategy to prepare the next generation of leaders. NHI researches emergent leadership in youth, and guides them to envision their value beyond the attainment of college degrees and careers into the realm of community leadership.
‘Contrast Brings Clarity’ is the new book on homeschooling by Teressa Kennedy. Photo: Teressa Kennedy, used with permission.
My name is Teressa and I am a proud homeschool mom, entrepreneur, and author with a passion for education. At this point on our homeschooling journey, I feel it is necessary to share our story with the goal of helping parents, and educators like yourself, work towards building stronger partnerships between schools and families in our mission to educate our children. From my personal experience, children learn best when parents, educators, other family members, and community members work together to encourage and support them along their journey. (Teressa Kennedy, 2021)
As parents, we want the best for our children, but sometimes we stand in our own way by solely relying on our experiences to help educate them. My son gave me gentle reminders to show me that he and I have two different learning styles. As much as I tried to teach him the way I was taught, it was not effective. Also, I came to the realization that I had limitations, and needed others to help support my son and me along our educational journey.
We have an amazing village of fellow parent educators, family members, teachers, and clients who all share the same vision about supporting our children’s unique educational journey. I hope our story will encourage you.
Does one size really fit all? As lovely as that might sound, people come in a variety of different shapes and sizes. It is therefore virtually impossible to design a clothing item that can truly fit all people. In reality, the ‘one size fits all’ ideal is actually designed to fit sizes within a specific range.
Much like clothing items, traditional education centers around a ‘one size fits all’ methodology. As a result, a single-core teaching model is used for all students, regardless of their individual learning style. And this applies to teaching styles as well as to student evaluations. So, as a parent, what do you do when your child does not fit into that one core teaching model?
In “Contrast Brings Clarity,” Teressa answers that very question. Her courageous response completely changed the course of her life — and that of her son. While she struggled to build a suitable educational experience for him, Teressa overcame countless obstacles and, in due course, answered the homeschooling call. Eventually, side by side, mother and son embarked on the adventure of a lifetime.
Along her incredible journey, Teressa learned numerous strategies that helped her son succeed academically — and she would like to share those strategies with you.
Whataburger’s new scholarship programs is part of their commitment to serving the community. Photo: Whataburger, used with permission.
Whataburger has served big, fresh hamburgers for more than 70 years as well as served the communities where we do business for just as long. As part of that community support, Whataburger is announcing the launch of the Whataburger Feeding Student Success Scholarship program, a $500,000 commitment to help students planning to attend a college, university and not-for-profit vocational school achieve their dreams. (Whataburger, 2021)
It is all part of Whataburger Feeding Student Success, our signature community program at the intersection of food insecurity and education. One hundred students across Whataburger’s footprint will be awarded the scholarship. Recipients will receive a non-renewable $5,000 scholarship to be used for tuition, fees, books, supplies, and housing for the 2022-2023 academic school year.
Black and other racial minority students will be awarded the first year’s scholarships as part of a $1M commitment Whataburger made in June 2020. With the scholarship funding, Whataburger has exceeded that commitment. Students can apply between December 1, 2021 and February 28, 2022. See Whataburger Community Support for eligibility and application information.
The magic of Whataburger started on August 8, 1950, in a tiny burger stand in Corpus Christi, Texas. An entrepreneur named Harmon Dobson set out to build a burger so delicious that customers would take that first bite and say, “What a burger!” Today, Whataburger is known for delicious burgers, big flavor, and the brand’s pride in taking care of its guests, communities and employees, known as Family Members. Orange Spirit Week celebrates its founding and the foundation for success that Dobson created. Today, Whataburger is headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, with more than 850 locations across its 14-state footprint, and sales of more than $2.8 billion annually. Whataburger has 50,000 Family Members (employees) and more than sixty million customers who like to customize their Whataburgers just the way they like it.
Promesa Academy will be one of the schools participating in the first Discovery Day event. Photo: San Antonio Charter Moms, used with permission.
As enrollment season for San Antonio’s choice schools gets underway for the 2022-2023 school year, San Antonio Charter Moms kicks off its first School Discovery Day of the series at Hemisfair’s Yanaguana Garden on Sunday November 7 from 11a.m. to 2p.m. School Discovery Days connect families with schools in an efficient, face-to-face format that enables them to interact directly with multiple school representatives in one convenient location. (San Antonio Charter Moms, 2021)
San Antonio Charter Moms’ first School Discovery Day in the series will include up to fifteen choice schools appealing to a wide range of learners. Families will have the opportunity to meet school representatives, ask questions, get on interest lists and learn about application processes and deadlines. Additionally, families can receive hands-on guidance from the San Antonio Charter Moms team on navigating the nonprofit’s online tools and resources designed to simplify the search and application process.
“Whether families are interested in a magnet program, a public charter school, or even a dual language school, the most direct way to decide if a school is the right fit for your student is to talk one-on-one with school representatives. We are thrilled to bring back our popular School Discovery Days after taking a hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.” – San Antonio Charter Moms Founder and Executive Director Inga Cotton.
Guests can enjoy the many fun, built-in amenities at Yanaguana Garden including a splash pad, sand play area, table games, swings, climbing structures, Adirondack chairs, picnic tables, and more. Future Discovery Days will follow a similar program with a focus on different sets of schools.
San Antonio is home to at least 150 choice schools offering a diverse landscape designed to accommodate a wide range of learners in every part of the city. Whether enrolling a child for the first time, making up for learning loss brought on by the pandemic, or seeking the best fit for unique learning styles, San Antonio Charter Moms help parents make informed decisions.
“Zip codes no longer dictate the quality of education our children receive. Many parents are surprised and overwhelmed by so many options and with figuring out the best fit for their child. We simplify that process.” – San Antonio Charter Moms Founder and Executive Director Inga Cotton.
San Antonio Charter Moms serves as a trusted one-stop shop for parents and caregivers on the hunt for high-quality schools. The nonprofit empowers parents to advocate for their children’s education regardless of where they live. The San Antonio Charter Moms website offers a wealth of education-based information, including an in-depth School Choice Guide with maps – also accessible via a mobile app – for open enrollment and in-district charter schools in and around San Antonio, a diverse and active online, Facebook Discussion Group for exchanging school choice stories, advice and more.
Participating schools for the first School Discovery Day include SAISD Choice Schools, KIPP Texas, Compass Rose Public Schools, Prelude Prep, School of Science and Technology, Brooks Academies of Texas, Anne Frank Inspire Academies, Promesa Academy, Lighthouse Public Schools, and Legacy Traditional Schools. Event updates and a complete list of participating schools are available online.
Yanaguana Garden at Hemisfair (Rain or Shine) Central Games Plaza 434 S. Alamo St. San Antonio, TX 78205
San Antonio Charter Moms (SACM) began as a blog in 2012 when Founder Inga Cotton was inspired to help San Antonio families more easily find good information about high-quality school options. Starting with a focus on the growing local charter school offerings, the blog has evolved into a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that shares fair information about all types of schools. Established in 2018 as a nonprofit, SACM can accept funding that enables it to grow in ways that support accomplishing its mission of being the most trusted information source on education in the region. This growth includes Spanish-language blog post translations, surveying target publics, holding meetings with decisionmakers, supporting public speaking, community outreach and enhancing mobile technology.
Photo: San Antonio Charter Moms, used with permission.
iFLY Indoor Skydiving relaunches STEM field trips with two special offers. Photo: iFLY Indoor Skydiving, used with permission.
iFLY Indoor Skydiving is pleased to announce the relaunch of their STEM Field Trips, an immersive program for educators to bring students to experience the science of flying first hand, at all participating U.S. iFLY Indoor Skydiving locations. In celebration of the relaunch, iFLY will be offering a STEM Blitz Campaign featuring two special offers available to book and fly now through December 15, 2021. (iFLY Indoor Skydiving, 2021)
Special offers include the following:
Teachers fly free for STEM field trips booked and flown by December 15, 2021
1 free teacher for every 15 students
Special Reduced Pricing for Title 1 Schools
To date, iFLY has hosted over 270,000 students for their STEM field trips in effort to increase awareness of exciting STEM careers and how STEM can be used in the real world. Led by a highly trained STEM educator, the field trip includes an interactive presentation on real-world STEM applications, a grade-appropriate lab activity, immersive experiments, physics demonstrations that come to life in a state-of-the-art wind tunnel, and one-on-one flights with a certified world-class iFLY instructor.
In fact, iFLY STEM curriculum aligns with state-specific education standards while making STEM an exciting, one-of-a-kind learning experience. In addition, iFLY also offers STEM lesson coordination between teams and iFLY educators, along with pre and post trip curriculum to further emphasis student understanding and retention.
iFLY is a sports and recreation company with the mission to deliver the dream of flight. The company pioneered the body-flying “indoor skydiving” experience and is the world leader in vertical wind tunnel technology. Guests do not need to be an athlete or in the best shape of their life. iFLY’s world-class instructors are pros at making flying fun for everyone.
Each iFLY tunnel is taking the proper precautions to ensure guests enjoy their flying experience by investing in new safety measures to create new ways of keeping people safe in their buildings. In fact, iFLY’s wind tunnels have a fresh air advantage over other experiences. Advanced wind tunnel technology provides guests with clean air while flying by recirculating and refreshing the air from outside the iFLY facilities. Tested and proven, iFLY’s wind tunnels create an environment at least 10x fresher than the average store or gym when flying guests—even at slow wind speeds.
To learn more about iFLY STEM Field Trips and to request a trip, click here or visit iFLY Indoor Skydiving.
Austin-based iFLY Holdings, LLC., is the world leader in the design, manufacturing, sales, and operations of wind tunnel systems for indoor skydiving. The company has flown more than 9,000,000 people in a dozen countries and at sea since launching the modern vertical wind tunnel industry in 1998. iFLY has over 81 facilities operating worldwide with 36 wholly-owned in North America. iFLY supports and utilizes the safety and training guidelines set out by the International Bodyflight Association (IBA) to ensure the safety and progression of the sport of indoor skydiving. iFLY makes the dream of flight a reality by giving their customers “wings” in a safe and reliable environment.
A Class Apart is an outstanding documentary that should be on everyone’s to-watch list. Photo: amazon
As part of National Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 – October 15), I want to bring attention to how little we know of our history as Mexican-Americans. Even though nowadays more of us are getting an education, little is known about the struggles that those who came before us had to endure. We take for granted how far we have come but are unaware of how difficult it used to be to even finish elementary school. Having Mexican-American studies in school would be a step up but for now, there are two documentaries that I highly recommend: Stolen Education and A Class Apart. Both are a little over an hour long and are available on Amazon. Do yourself and your children a favor and watch these documentaries and learn all you can about our history as Mexican-Americans and the Mexican-American Civil Rights Movement.
Last Thursday I attended a virtual screening of Stolen Education. Hosted by the Mexican American Civil Rights Institute, it documents the untold story of Mexican-American school children who challenged discrimination in Texas schools in the 1950s and changed the face of education in the Southwest. It was amazing how most of those in attendance had never heard of this case or the circumstance surrounding it; mostly because it is a subject seldom discussed. This legal case was after the one featured on A Class Apart, which ended segregation in South Texas. I watched A Class Apart on Amazon last month. What stunned me after watching both documentaries is that this happened in our own backyard and few people are aware of it. See below for a full description of both documentaries.
Stolen Education: As a 9 year-old second grader, Lupe had been forced to remain in the first grade for three years, not because of her academic performance but because she was Mexican American. She was one of eight young students who testified in a federal court case in 1956 to end the discriminatory practice (Hernandez et al. v. Driscoll Consolidated Independent School District), one of the first post-Brown desegregation court cases to be litigated. Degraded for speaking Spanish and dissuaded from achieving academically, Mexican American students were relegated to a “beginner,” “low,” and then “high” first grade – a practice that was common across the Southwest. School officials argued in the case that this practice was necessary because the “retardation of Latin children” would adversely impact the education of White children.
The film portrays the courage of these young people, testifying in an era when fear and intimidation were used to maintain racial hierarchy and control. The students won the case, but for almost sixty years the case was never spoken about in the farming community where they lived despite its significance. Stolen Education presents the full story and impact for the first time, featuring the personal accounts of most of those who were at the center of the court case. The film documents not only an important moment in Mexican American history, but also provides important context to understand our current educational system’s enduring legacy of segregation, discrimination and racism. (Video Project, 2021)
A Class Apart – A Class Apart is a new documentary by award-winning filmmakers Carlos Sandoval (Farmingville) and Peter Miller (Sacco and Vanzetti, Passin’ It On). The first major film to bring to life the heroic post-World War II struggles of Mexican Americans against the Jim Crow-style discrimination targeted against them, A Class Apart is built around the landmark 1951 legal case Hernandez v. Texas, in which an underdog band of Mexican Americans from Texas bring a case all the way to the Supreme Court – and win.
The film begins with a murder in a gritty small-town cantina and follows the legal journey of the Hernandez lawyers through the Texas courts and ultimately to the United States Supreme Court. We see them forge a daring legal strategy that called their own racial identities into question by arguing that Mexican Americans were “a class apart” who did not neatly fit into a legal structure that only recognized blacks and whites.
A grassroots national movement supports the legal efforts, with tiny contributions sent by Latinos from around the country paying for the Hernandez case to go forward. The film dramatically interweaves the story of its central characters – activists and lawyers, returning veterans and ordinary citizens, murderer and victim – within the broader history of Latinos in America during a time of extraordinary change. (Camino Bluff Productions, 2021)
Sign often seen in South Texas in the 50s and 60s. My 82 year old father clearly remembers it.
Whataburger will host its first ever systemwide fundraiser to benefit Feeding America®. Photo: Whataburger, used with permission.
Orange Spirit Week is Whataburger’s annual tradition of honoring its legacy while giving back to the communities it serves. This year, in honor of its 71st anniversary, Whataburger is partnering with Feeding America® to help provide at least 2.5 million meals through local food banks across Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas. (Whataburger, 2021)
From Sunday, August 8, through Sunday, August 15, customers who donate a minimum of $1 at any of the more than 850 Whataburger restaurants across these ten states will receive a thank-you coupon for a free Whataburger with the purchase of a medium fry and 32-ounce drink. A $1 donation helps provide at least ten meals secured by Feeding America on behalf of local member food banks. Whataburger guarantees a minimum donation of $250,000 with no maximum set.
Every dollar donated during the week-long fundraiser will go to Feeding America and its member food banks in the local communities. It is all in support of Whataburger Feeding Student Success, the company’s signature community program operating at the intersection of food insecurity and education and focusing on helping students at all levels of education achieve their goals and dreams.
The 2021 celebration will kick off in San Antonio on Sunday, August 8, with a drive-through teacher appreciation event at The DoSeum. As part of the Whataburger Feeding Student Success program and Whataburger’s commitment to providing support for education in the communities it serves, the event will include classroom supply and summer swag giveaways for teachers with whom student success begins. Teachers will also have the opportunity to participate in drawings for classroom grants and receive free meals from the Whataburger Food Truck, which debuted during last year’s Orange Spirit Week, among other fun activities. Teachers must show their school IDs for entry into the event.
During the week, Whataburger employees, known as Family Members, will assemble and deliver 10,000 school supply bags to local organizations across ten states.
“Feeding America is doing such amazing work through their network of food banks. All of us at Whataburger are looking forward to joining our customers in showing support for them during Orange Spirit Week. We invite our friends and neighbors to visit their local Whataburger throughout the week and donate to help keep our children nourished and on the path to bright futures.” – Ed Nelson, Whataburger CEO
The magic of Whataburger started on Aug. 8, 1950, in a tiny burger stand in Corpus Christi, Texas. An entrepreneur named Harmon Dobson set out to build a burger so delicious that customers would take that first bite and say, “What a burger!” Today, Whataburger is known for delicious burgers, big flavor, and the brand’s pride in taking care of its guests, communities. and employees, known as Family Members. Orange Spirit Week celebrates its founding and the foundation for success that Dobson created. Today, Whataburger is headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, with more than 850 locations across its 14-state footprint, and sales of more than $2.8 billion annually. Whataburger has 50,000 Family Members (employees) and more than sixty million customers who like to customize their Whataburgers just the way they like it.
Photo: San Antonio Charger Moms, used with permission.
Just as families started to unwind from the stressful school year and settle into a normal summer filled with sleepovers, swim holes and summer camps – STAAR test results flooded in-boxes confirming Covid-slide concerns and leaving parents anxious about the school year ahead. Now with back-to-school season upon us, San Antonio Charter Moms is helping parents prepare for the pivotal year ahead by teaching them how to unlock personalized learning resources from STAAR report cards and decipher valuable data points for pandemic recovery. Virtual parent workshops are scheduled for August 12 and 26 and September 9 from 5:30p.m. to 7p.m. with registration available online. (San Antonio Charter Moms, 2021)
While many hold strong opinions about the STAAR test, too few are aware that the report cards provide personalized learning resources built into the results as explained in a recent Charter Moms Chat interview with Dr. Nathan Balasubramanian, Founder, CEO, and Superintendent of 7Cs Academy. Also known as “Dr. B,” Balasubramanian holds a background in psychometrics, is a trained curriculum auditor and a TEA Authorized Provider for evaluating and improving student outcomes. He argues that stakeholders may want to take another look at standardized test results to make them work to the student’s advantage.
“No matter how parents feel about the test, STAAR results offer a significant amount of personalized data which we so badly need after a year of educational upheaval. We encourage families to take a closer look at the results before the school year begins so they can identify problem areas and use the resources available to start the school year informed and ready. Waiting for parent-teacher conferences in the Fall will put students further behind in the race to catch up.”
Inga Cotton, Founder and Executive Director of San Antonio Charter Moms
San Antonio Charter Moms has created a user-friendly step-by-step set of instructions for interpreting the report cards and identifying personalized learning resources for your child. The first step for accessing your child’s report card is to visit TexasAssessment.gov. Once logged in, you can quickly review your child’s performance year to year. From this page, you can download your child’s report card into a printable PDF, a great resource to use during parent-teacher conferences. On the test results tab, the scale score tells us whether a student is in one of four categories: Masters Grade Level, Meets Grade Level, Approaches Grade Level, or Did Not Meet Grade Level. Scroll down a bit, and you will see information on performance and progress, showing where your child’s score falls on the continuum. In a latest information session with San Antonio Charter Moms, local parents, and educators, Balasubramanian stated, “Parents should monitor the child’s progress along the continuum. Even if the child is performing at the highest level, they should continue to show progress along this graph year after year or they are not being challenged to reach their full potential.”
In this section you can also review questions that your child missed; the goal is not to focus on any one question but to identify patterns of challenge. For example, parents can see firsthand whether their child struggled consistently on multiplication in math or metaphors in reading. Having this data allows parents to personalize learning for their child and seek additional resources to help them succeed.
Further down the page, the report card offers Lexile scores for reading and Quantile scores for math. The purpose of these scores is to help match students with reading and math materials that are at the right level of difficulty. Students learn best when they are doing work at their individualized level. If it is fast and easy, they get bored. If it is hard and slow, they get frustrated. If it is exactly right, they will have fun and feel challenged along the way.
The parent portal allows you to personalize learning resources, which is key to keeping students engaged and growing. Within the portal, parents will find a link to literacy and Lexile tools, including a Find a Book Tool that allows you to enter a Lexile score and an area of interest to search for book recommendations on just about any topic imaginable. From there, why not head to your local public library to tap into the endless resources available for free. The parent portal also includes math and Quantile tools. Dr. B recommends using Math@Home to find materials, including videos and problem sets, that will be at the right challenge level and on the right topics to help students get the help they need to advance to the next level. Should parents need guidance with the process, they can join the San Antonio Charter Moms discussion group on Facebook for support from parents and caregivers who are walking the same journey to prepare for the challenging year ahead.
In summary, STAAR scores can be an extremely useful tool for setting a path for progress. As parents and educators brace for the pivotal year ahead, communication and engagement between parents and educators is paramount to success. Reviewing previous test results with teachers early in the school year and asking for guidance in problem areas can put students on the right path. More specifically, parents can ask for tutoring recommendations, school library resources, additional books or online games. The important thing is to be engaged and work together to set a course for success. If parents do not receive the feedback they are looking for, Cotton recommends going up the chain of command to see who at the school can help. If no help is available, it may be time to exercise the right to school choice.
San Antonio Charter Moms (SACM)began as a blog in 2012 when Founder Inga Cotton was inspired to help San Antonio families more easily find useful information about high-quality school options. Starting with a focus on the growing local charter school offerings, the blog has evolved into a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that shares fair information about all types of schools. Established in 2018 as a nonprofit, SACM can accept funding that enables it to grow in ways that support accomplishing its mission of being the most trusted information source on education in the region. This growth includes Spanish-language blog post translations, surveying target publics, holding meetings with decisionmakers, supporting public speaking, community outreach and enhancing mobile technology.
Stephen Garza-Guzman and Nicole Amri announce first in-person events at Westside location and registration for 2021-2022 school year. Photo: google
Following the recent announcement of SAY Sí’s executive evolution, SAY Sí’s new Co-Executive Directors Stephen Garza-Guzman and Nicole Amri are excited to welcome the community into its new location as they prepare for the return of in-person events and student applications for the 2021-2022 school year. After delays to its official opening due to the pandemic, SAY Sí is excited to open its doors to the Westside for the first time as construction on the first phase of the new location ends. In order to remain accessible, SAY Sí will continue to offer virtual programming to serve as many students as possible throughout the upcoming school year. (SAY Sí, 2021)
“How often does a new leader have such blessings? Our mission is tried and true, and we’ve had the honor of growing up with and around our powerhouse of a staff. All this to serve students, parents and alumni who are truly the energy and power behind our organization. We’re ready.” – Nicole Amri, Co-Executive Director of SAY Sí.
Co-Executive Directors Stephen Garza-Guzman, a nine-year employee of SAY Sí, and Nicole Amri, a SAY Sí alumna and employee, plan to take what they have learned from the organization to build upon existing programs and serve more youth as they transition into their new roles and open the doors of the 1310 S Brazos location this August. As the organization continues to establish its new home in 78207, the leadership team looks forward to making more meaningful connections on San Antonio’s Westside.
“We are eager to recruit new students again, pilot new creative mediums and deepen our service to new populations,” – Stephen Garza-Guzman, Co-Executive Director of SAY Sí.
After graduating the class of 2021 and taking a short break this summer, SAY Sí will welcome the return of its students back into its studios starting this August, as well as four major in-person events for the public, including:
August: Back-to-School Art Supply Drive As part of many efforts to put school and art supplies in the hands of San Antonio youth, SAY Sí will give away free art supply kits to elementary- and middle school-aged students on Saturday, August 21, 2021 from 10 a.m. to Noon at SAY Sí (1310 S. Brazos St. San Antonio, TX 78207).
September: The San Antonio Show Centered around local artists, both established and emerging, this celebration of San Antonio’s LatinX roots will dig into the past, present and future, and showcase all the things SAY Sí loves about San Antonio. The exhibition will be free and open to the public. Official dates will be shared at a later time.
November: Muertitos Fest SAY Sí will celebrate both Native American Heritage Month and Día de los Muertos in a slow reopening of in-person events/activities. More details to be announced in the coming weeks.
December: We Are Now: Youth Voices During Challenging Times In collaboration with UP Partnership, SAY Sí is taking submissions for this city-wide high school art show. For more information or to apply, contact SAY Sí.
Applications for the 2021-2022 school year will open on August 1, 2021. Updates and more information on the application process can be found online.
Founded in 1994, SAY Sí is a national award-winning, art-based nonprofit youth development program located in San Antonio, Texas. The goal of the organization is to provide San Antonio area students in grades 6-12 with the opportunity to develop artistic and social skills in preparation for higher educational advancement and career building. SAY Sí programs serve over 200 students from all of San Antonio’s school districts – in addition to serving 4,000 youth in community programs. SAY Sí’s unique approach to education has placed the organization on the national stage, with recognition as one of the top out-of-school-time organizations in the country by The Wallace Foundation, as well as serving as one of seven international youth arts organizations chosen to receive an inaugural Creative Catalyst Award by Adobe Project 1324 in 2016.
SA Examiner 