News

Citizen Schools Texas Alumni Earn Prestigious Adventure

Citizen Schools Texas alumni Christopher Molina and Elicia Mayo, sophomores at Sharpstown International School, have received full year scholarships supplied by BP to study abroad their junior year with AFS Student Exchange Program. Both Christopher and Elicia are active volunteers with Citizen Schools attending family events, setting up for WOW!s and acting as tutors in the classroom. Christopher started with Citizen Schools in the 6th grade at Jane Long Middle School and continued in CS until he graduated from 8th Grade Academy. In high school Christopher has been focusing on learning Chinese, which will come in handing since he will be studying abroad in China. Elicia spent her eighth grade year with Citizen Schools and is part of the United Nations at Sharpstown International School. She will spend her year abroad in Brazil. Christopher and Elicia will be great ambassadors for Sharpstown International School and Citizen Schools while abroad on this amazing adventure. Congratulations to our alumni!

Come Get WOW!ed by Citizen Schools’ Students

Join us as we celebrate the hard work of our students and Citizen Teachers at two unique WOW! events this May. A WOW! is the culminating moment in each apprenticeship when students demonstrate the knowledge and skills they learned over the course of the semester.

Celebrate learning achievements with Citizen Schools at:

  • Patrick Henry Middle School Showcase WOW! Wednesday, May 9 (5:30-8:00pm) Discover what our students have been learning over the course of the semester—everything from how to build a solar car to understanding the human body to video game design. Join the school community in Patrick Henry Middle School’s auditorium for an impressive demonstration of achievements in learning! Map
  • Baylor Medical WOW! Monday, May 14 (3:45-4:45pm) Citizen Schools students will demonstrate what they have learned about the human body and its functions at one of the city’s premier medical schools- Baylor College of Medicine. Students will measure blood pressure, pulse, hearing, and reflexes, demonstrating the invaluable knowledge they acquired over the past 10 weeks from Citizen Teachers from Baylor. Map

Your support means so much to us! Please RSVP and let us know if you can make it.

A Good Time, in Support of a Good Cause

Come one, Come All! Friends of Citizen Schools will be hosting an event at St. Arnold’s Brewing Company on Thursday, March 1st. Come mingle with friends and supporters of Citizen Schools Texas from 6-8pm and learn about ways to get involved. See the invite below or contact us for more information.

Hands-on Learning Takes Flight

Spring apprenticeships have kicked off and we are so excited about the variety of opportunities available to our students this semester! For the next ten weeks, students will engage in hands-on learning experiences in apprenticeships such as Solar Cars, Robotics, Medical Madness, Creative Writing and Camping taught by Citizen Teachers from around the Houston community. In order to spark student interest in the offerings, Citizen Teachers pitched their apprenticeships at the apprenticeship fair last week. Citizen Teachers certainly stepped up their game this year- check out the Boys2Men apprenticeship pitch, led by Michael Tauiliili and Carlos Villegas.
As always, we are looking for outstanding Citizen Teachers for upcoming semesters. Please contact Lindsay Drakeley for more information.

Wells Fargo “Get Smart About Credit”

Wells Fargo has partnered with American Bankers’ Association Education Foundation and Citizen Schools Texas to launch their “Get Smart About Credit” initiative. The mission is to introduce young people and families to the concept of responsible use of credit and how this can lead toward a healthy financial future. Regarding their alliance with Citizen Schools, Alan Watkins, the Wells Fargo Community Development Officer says, “We are fortunate enough to have great nonprofit and community partners who allow us to leverage their existing relationships with different schools in order to introduce and present different financial topics to students. We are grateful to have Citizen Schools as a partner.”

On October 20th, Wells Fargo presented their “Get Smart About Credit” series at Citizen Schools’ Lights On Event at Sharpstown International School. There were approximately one hundred people in attendance including families, students, and community members. Wells Fargo engaged the audience with practical information on credit wise decisions. The principal of Sharpstown, Mr. Yu, was excited to see so many parents in attendance. Many parents were motivated to take the information and apply it to their family finances. On October 25th, Wells Fargo repeated the presentation at Patrick Henry Middle School to a group of parents.

In the spring, Citizen Schools Texas hopes to continue its valuable partnership with Wells Fargo by having them teach our families and students valuable skills by having workshops such as “Money Skills you Need for Life” and “Teach Children to Save.”

 

WOW! Season

We hope you can make it to one of our culminating events, called
the WOW! At our Showcases, students from a variety of apprenticeships will
display their products, performances, and presentations to families, teachers,
and the community.

Patrick Henry WOW! Showcase

  • Date: Wednesday,
    December 7th, 2011
  • Time: 5:30-8pm
  • Location:
    Patrick Henry Middle School, 10702 E. Hardy Rd, 77093

Sharpstown International WOW! Showcase

  • Date: Tuesday,
    December 13th, 2011
  • Time: 6:30-8pm
  • Location: SIS
    gym, 8330 Triola Ln, 77036

Mock Trial WOW!

  • Date: Tuesday,
    December 13th, 2011
  • Time:
    3:30-5:30pm
  • Location:
    Harrison County Civil Courthouse, 201 Caroline, 13th Floor, 77002

Baylor Medical School WOW!

  • Showcasing:
    “Science and The Brian,” “Medical Madness,” and
    “SIS Medical School.”
  • Students will
    showcase their knowledge by conducting examinations at a mock health fair
    and presenting information on body systems and the brain.
  • Tuesday, December 6th at the Texas Children’s Hospital, 3:00-5:30pm

Wells Fargo Advisors WOW!

On May 10, students from Jane Long Middle School ventured to the Wells Fargo Advisors downtown office to showcase what they’ve learned in their apprenticeships. The WOW! consisted of three apprenticeships: Secrets to Making Money, Cyber Safety and Food and Nutrition. All of the students presented their projects to an engaged group of 30 Wells Fargo employees in the company’s Conference Room.

Students in the Secrets to Making Money apprenticeship, which was taught by volunteers from Wells Fargo Advisors, learned the basic concepts of stocks and financial systems. Students researched companies worth investing in and presented their data analysis. Students in Cyber Safety shared ways that young adults can stay protected from potential dangers while online, while students in Food and Nutrition discussed how to “rate your plate” and know if you’re eating in a healthy and nutritious manner. They even provided tasty and nutritious snacks for the audience.  We are thankful to Wells Fargo for working so closely with our students and allowing us to utilize their office space. Our students were thrilled to participate in this great experience.

[Picture: Citizen Schools apprentices and Citizen Teachers Bill Molfetto and Charlie Neuhaus]

Holocaust Memorial WOW!

Citizen Teacher Diane Merrill led her apprenticeship “Stand Up” for the second time this spring at Jane Long, which teaches students how to be leaders in their communities. The apprenticeship is based on a curriculum developed by the Holocaust Museum of Houston, where Ms. Merrill serves as a volunteer docent. The mission of the Holocaust Museum is to end hate by encouraging citizens to be active rather than bystanders whenever they are faced with injustice in their community. In “Stand Up”, apprentices learned how they can be advocates in their community to prevent hate, bullying in their schools and ensure that an event like the Holocaust never occurs again. Apprentices also participated in the Butterfly Project, an initiative led by the Holocaust Museum to collect 1.5 million handmade butterflies to represent each child that was a victim of the Holocaust.

The apprenticeship culminated in an interactive lesson at the Holocaust Museum led by the Director of Education, Dr. Mary Lee Webeck. Students learned about the important role that everyday people played in rescuing others during the Holocaust. Museum artifacts, historical multimedia and hands-on activities pushed the students to relate the history they learned about to their current community. Students ended their visit by presenting the butterflies they made for the Butterfly Project exhibit, which will be permanently displayed in 2013.

Students walked away from their experience at the Holocaust Museum of Houston armed with the tools they need to stand up against prejudice, hate and violence in their community. Citizen Schools thanks Ms. Merrill and the Holocaust Museum for helping our students understand and apply such important life lessons, and we hope to continue the partnership with the Holocaust Museum so every student can be empowered to make the world a better place.

[Picture: Citizen Schools apprentices and Dr. Mary Lee Webeck]

Baylor College of Medicine WOW!

On May 17, Citizen Schools students from our Jane Long and Sharpstown campuses joined together to WOW! over 50 doctors, professors, and students at Baylor College of Medicine with their knowledge of health and the human body. Congressman Al Green attended the WOW! and spoke to students about the importance of education and encouraged them to follow their dreams. Rachel O’Shields, Staff Assistant for Senator John Cornyn, was also in attendance. Altogether five apprenticeships participated in the WOW!.

Sharpstown Medical School, taught by Baylor Medical students, spent the semester learning the skills a doctor needs to be successful, including basic exam skills and professional communication skills. At Baylor, they demonstrated these skills by testing blood pressure, vision, and reflexes for numerous attendees, and by listening to their hearts and lungs.

Jane Long Medical School, also taught by Baylor Medical students, learned about the different organs of the human body, how they function together, and the importance of living a healthy lifestyle. At Baylor, students demonstrated how these different organs work and why they are important to the human body functioning.

Vision and the Brain, taught by a professor from the University of Texas-Houston, spent the semester working with electrical kits that replicated how the eye functions and how neurons work. At Baylor, apprentices demonstrated how a neuron transmits and receives signals and how the eye functions in conjunction with the brain.

Anatomy and Disease, taught by Scientists@Schools, an organization of Baylor Ph.D. students, studied diseases that affect different organ systems at the molecular level, including the eyes, brain, lungs, and heart. At the WOW!, they shared posters detailing the knowledge they had gained.

Finally, CALIENTE, taught in partnership with the Greater Houston Area Health Education Center, helped students learn about healthy eating and good living habits. After performing a rap about making healthy choices, CALIENTE apprentices shared healthy snacks with all attendees.

Jane Long TAKS Results

With the conclusion of the 2010-2011 school year, the Citizen Schools Texas team is excited about the impact that Expanded Learning Time (ELT) has had on our students. This year was the first year that Citizen Schools served every 6th grader at Jane Long Middle School and the results have been amazing.

TAKS results for our ELT students show significant gains in Math and Reading rates. From 2010 to 2011, Math passing rates (percent passing plus percent Commended) rose from 70% to 77% and Commended rates jumped from 13% to 30%. Reading achievement also climbed, with passing rates improving from 63% to 73%, and Commended rates from 16% to 26%. Achieving Commended status represents real achievement by a student and essentially demonstrates that a student is on a successful college and career pathway.

We thank all of our campus staff, professional volunteers, corporate and private partners for their dedication in making this year a success. What a great way to say WOW!

Sincerely,

Todd C. Litton

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