Spring is in full swing at Citizen Schools!   We had an exciting reception with our CEO & Co-Founder Eric Schwarz earlier this month, who shared his latest vision for how citizens can change the lives of youth and transform the education system.  We also had our first campus WOW! event at Kennedy Middle School, where students showcased how they learned to design a video game, build a rocket, become healthier cooks, and much more!  In the next six weeks, we are having five more Campus WOW! Events around the region, a Mock Trial with three of our campuses simultaneously arguing cases at the Redwood City Courthouse on May 29th, and a regional WOW! Affair Gala generously hosted at Google on June 4th.  For more information, please see our spring calendar or contact Sarah Iles at 650.363.2720. 

Volunteer of the Month: Bob Carlson

Bob Carlson is teaching his third community building apprenticeship this semester at Campbell Middle School.  His previous apprenticeships focused on rebuilding the school grounds and athletic facilities, while his current one involves landscaping and graffiti clean-up of a local park.  Bob is impacting the students by encouraging community service, responsibility and teamwork.  He is also engaging and connecting Citizen Schools with the city and its resources including introductions to new partners and building awareness by having the Mayor of Campbell see our students’ in action.  Thank you Bob!

Donor Spotlight: Omidyar

Three years ago, when Citizen Schools was still new to California, the Pam & Pierre Omidyar Fund provided seed funding and the Omidyar Network provided initial space for our state office.   As we have grown, so has their support – continuing to invest in our programs, connecting us with new partners, providing pro bono training space, and even volunteering their time and expertise (Omidyar Network team member Ellyn Peabody taught a philanthropy apprenticeship to our students last semester, and numerous team members have provided technical assistance expertise).  We are extremely grateful to the Omidyar Fund and Omidyar Network for their continued investment, advice, and dedication to creating opportunity for individuals to improve the quality of their lives! 

National Teaching Fellowship    

It’s that time of year! Recruitment for the National Teaching Fellowship is in FULL swing!  We have already hired 21 outstanding young leaders to join the NTF Class of 2010 and are making offers to dozens more over the next couple of weeks.  Please forward this announcement to your network and let them know we’re looking for excited and committed educators, youth developers, and mentors to join the NTF and the out-of-school time movement.  The deadline is May 1, 2008.

To learn more or to make a contribution, please visit the Citizen Schools California website. Thank you for your ongoing commitment to the power of investing in our future leaders!

-The Citizen Schools California Team

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