Round of Applause for the Ivy League Connection

"Yes! We're going to be perfectly on time",I said  as I checked my cell phone for the time while patiently waiting for the stoplight to change. After driving up and down the streets and around various corners surrounding LaVonya Dejean Middle School, my father and I made it just in time for the WCCUSD school Board Meeting. i was greeted by Ian who directed me to the rest of the cohort. I sat next to Cameron and made small talk in between speeches. The speeches given by teachers, students, and other members of the community all had one thing in common; they were fighting for the funding of adult ESL classes. After what seemed like ages, the exciting part arrived! It was time for all of the chaperones to introduce their cohort to the board!

"University of Pennsylvania" is the last thing I remember being said before I stood up and approached the front of the room with my cohort. We stood in front of the board members and audience as Don took pictures of us and Ian, our chaperon  introduced us. After our moment in the spotlight we stepped to the side to receive certificates. After all of the cohorts were called and recognized, the sponsors and donors were also recognized. The board broke for a "five minute break" and during this time the Ivy League Connection assembled in the back for a group photo. After what seemed like hundreds of flashes, we were dismissed from the meeting.

On my way out the multipurpose room, I was congratulated by what seemed like an endless crowd of people. It was such as joy to be appreciated and recognized by the community. I imagine this is only a small fraction of what celebrities are used to. 

I could definitely get used to this.

School Board, I Present To You The Future

I told my dad, “ Drive faster, we are going to be late.”  He took those words seriously.  We arrived at Lovonya DeJean Middle School at around 6:05, luckily on time.  As my parents and I walked into the multipurpose room where the meeting was going to take place, we were quickly separated.  Mr. Rea called us to a corner, gave a small overview of the schedule, and then told us to sit with our cohort.  “David Barba,” shouted Don Gosney, then gave my the UPenn flag, which was to be carried by us as we were presented to the School Board.

The meeting started off will the basics, attendance, and a brief summary of the night. Then it kicked off into full gear.  Multiple teachers and students of from different ESL programs spoke on behave of stopping budget cuts of there program and asking for funds. After listening to all of the speeches, I felt that the students gave better speeches than the teachers. In particular, there was one speech, in which, a six-year-old girl went up with her mother and talked about how it was because of ESL that her mother was able to help her with her homework.  I believe that anybody alive would become a supporter of adult school after seeing this.

The ILC cohorts were up next.  Each cohort went up and the chaperones introduced the students and what each one will be doing this coming summer.  I felt proud to be in front of the WCCUSD School Board.  After being presented to the school board, we each received a certificate to recognize my participation with ILC.  This is one of the many memories that I will have of the ILC, I have already framed and placed the certificate in my room.  We were followed by the sponsors, who deserve many thanks, and unfortunately, did not have an opportunity to speak. The last speakers were two former ILCers.  After listening to their speeches, they drastically increased my excitement for this summer.  Each speech had one thing in common, and that was that the ILC produces the leaders of the future.

The meeting was over, but the ILC kept going. Don stepped up to the plate when it came to the group picture. Knowing that photography is his forte, setting up was going to take awhile.  There was “you move to the right” and “you move to the left,” but alas, we were in position.  Don took almost an endless amount of photos.

The night was one of the four landmark events of the ILC.  As the next one gets close, so does the summer, which I just can’t wait for it to come already.

WCCUSD Ambassadors

I wasn't sure what to expect as I stepped into the Lovonya multipurpose room. There were people everywhere, but I found the ILC group in no time at all. They were the well dressed group off to the side. I quickly went over and joined them. I saw a few familiar faces along with many new ones. Mr. Rhea soon came over and gave us instructions. We were instructed to find our chaperone and cohort and sit together. I was glad to see the familiar faces of the people in my cohort.

The meeting began with the recital of the Pledge of Allegiance. After that, one by one speakers made their way to the podium to address the board with their concerns. I wasn't expecting to be so captivated by the speakers. When they spoke, you could clearly hear how devoted they were to their cause. It wasn't one boring monotone speech after the next. The speaker that stood out the most to me, and I'm sure to a lot of other people as well, was the six year old girl pleading the board to continue providing ESL classes for her mother.

The Ivy League came next. Cohort after cohort stood before the board, proudly holding up the flag to the school they would be attending. The chaperones introduced us one at a time, and they spoke in detail about the trips we'll be making. We were then given lovely certificates for our involvement in the ILC. After every cohort went up, it was the sponsor's turn to take the spotlight. The next two speakers were two former ILC participants. They spoke about how they benefited from their experience while on the east coast, how it has helped them now, and how much we would enjoy ours. The last speakers of the night were the members of the school board who wanted to add their input to what had been said about this year's participants.

Now it was Don's turn to step into the spotlight. He guided us over to the area where we would take our group picture. He first seated most of the girls and positioned the rest of them, then the boys (some seated, some stood up), chaperones next, and lastly the parents. It was a large group, but Don had everything under control. He took a step back, made a few changes, then the flashes began. After a couple million pictures were taken we were dismissed.

We were called the future, WCCUSD ambassadors, the best of the district. Why would anybody be unhappy after all of that? I see no reason why this summer shouldn't be the best I've had so far.

The Opportunity of A Lifetime

“Sorry, excuse me!” I murmured as I rushed through the crowd in front of the doors of the LeVonya DeJean auditorium. I spotted the knot of ILC students and hurried over. It was 6:10 PM, 5 minutes before we were supposed to meet for the school board meeting, so obviously I felt as though I was 10 minutes late. After some instructions from Mr. Rhea, we were able to mingle briefly, which I enjoyed because there hadn’t yet been an event where all of the ILCers were together. Eventually we all seated ourselves, making sure that we were grouped by cohort.

Before we were introduced, the school board took care of some of its everyday business. I was fascinated to observe the many speakers who appealed to the school board to keep funding adult education. There were about 20 speakers, ordinary members of the community, who aired their views about the issue. The passion in their voices was obvious, and it was touching to hear students speak so plainly about their need to take ESL classes so they could help their children with homework, and to hear teachers speak with pride of their students’ accomplishments and the good that these programs do.

I also realized that the process that allowed those community members to speak in front of the school board is very valuable. Although I suspect it becomes exasperating at times for the board to hear so many people, I think that it’s vital for community members to have a place to make their views heard, as decisions made by the school board can have major impacts for the WCCUSD. Education is a valuable resource for everyone, so everyone should get to speak up on these important issues.

Once all the speakers had shared their opinions, we moved on to the Ivy League Connection. Each cohort was called up and the chaperones introduced all 42 of the ILC participants, except for my friend Alex Wing, who was too ill to attend. After we were presented to the community and the school board, Mr. Ramsey and Mr. Rhea recognized and thanked the sponsors for making the program possible. Finally, Austin Long and Terilyn Chen gave speeches about their experiences in the ILC and the benefits that it gives to the community. Their speeches really brought home the opportunity we’ve been given and the responsibilities we have as ambassadors of the WCCUSD.

Eventually Don was able to gather all the students and parents, more than 100 people in total, and arrange us all to take the hallmark ILC picture. This is a truly impressive demonstration of Don’s expertise, as he manages to make us all look presentable in the final product, despite the unavoidable cases of blinking.

The school board meeting was a great opportunity to meet the rest of the 2012 ILC group, and I was especially happy to see the rest of my Penn cohort. I know that the amazing experience of going to Penn will be made even more exciting because of my traveling companions. Everyone is very friendly and open, and I can tell we will have a wonderful time on the East Coast.

School Board Meeting: Check!

Tonight marked one of the major landmarks in my ILC journey- the School Board Meeting.   After arriving at Lovonya Dejean Middle school I quickly found the other ILC students, most definitely the snazziest dressers at the meeting.  I mingled a bit with everyone else and after some quick instructions, it was time to sit down.  

Both Mr. Ramsey and Ms. Kronenberg were in their element on the stage with the school board, and President Ramsey promptly started the meeting.  Of course, Don also looked in his element perched in the corner of the stage taking pictures.  Never having been to a School Board meeting before, I was not quite prepared for what was to follow. The board members took roll and rapidly voted on different items.  I'm still not entirely sure what was going on, but it was a very exciting start to the meeting.  

The meeting included many attendees who wished to speak about adult education in our district.  Each speaker was very moving, and I couldn't help rooting  for them, especially the 6-year-old student who begged the board to continue allowing her mother to learn English at night school. 

The Ivy League Connection was next on the agenda.  The chaperones for each group introduced all the students and spoke about their  excitement for the coming summer. It was nice to put some names to faces I had seen around the blogs and e-mails.  We even received very nice certificates to acknowledge our participation in the program, and I know this is one of the first things I will keep forever to remind me of my summer at Penn.  The sponsors were then presented to the board and students, and a well deserved thank you was given to them all.

Next came our group photo, a monumental task during which Don got the students, parents, and chaperones arranged and took countless photos.  I am almost certain I blinked during each flash, but I hope one picture turned out okay.   Seeing all the ILC participants in one place for the first time made the prospect of my amazing summer even more real.  I wish it would just hurry up and get here already!

Pinole City Council

On Tuesday May 15 , all student connected with the ILC in Pinole gathered at the Pinole city council meeting , to make a presentation and show the council the future that is coming from Pinole.

When I first arrived at the Pinole city council building, which is literally down the street from my house, I was Surprised at the setup of the room , which was actually like a court. All of the ILC'ers dressed up in our fancy clothes , prepared to make and impression on the council that would stick with them forever. Many of my cohorts had the speech's written out, but I like to practice my impromptu skills that I have acquired over my high school career of forensics. As the seats filled , I was very happy to see one of my dearest friends Andrew Gonzales , which is one of my main influences for being in the ILC. As each of my fellow students gave the speech and stated the different schools they would be attending along with the program , I could tell the council was getting overjoyed at the presence of us eager to learn students. One of the many things that I want to bring back from my trip , are the experiences of a lifetime so that my friends and fellow classmates can vicariously part and get a taste of what college and the ILC is all about.

New People, New Food, and New Memories

The day at school hadn't been my best, and to add to that, I was really nervous about the arrival of our beginning. The first dinner was that day, May 1, and it was for PENN. I left school a half and hour early to make sure I had enough time to get ready. I was dressed and ready as was my father who was accompanying me. I suppose that due to the nerves I completely disregarded the Bart station we were supposed to meet at, and we ended up going to the wrong one. That, of course is no excuse, but everything worked out in the end after a phone call from Don. We got on Bart and we were all then on our way. Riding Bart is something new for me, so it was a bit fascinating. It took a couple of minutes, and then there we were four to a taxi on our way to the restaurant.

I was incredibly surprised when I stepped inside the restaurant. If you would have been driving past it, it might seem quite mundane. Inside it was very nice. We were greeted by a lady who offered to take our coats, then we were sent into our private dinning room. Once we were seated the night officially began. Every speaker had something different to say, yet it all had shared one theme. "You can do it."

The food was quite a surprise, a really good surprise. We were offered three different choices for our first meal, four for our second, and two for our dessert. I ordered the crab salad, the salmon, and the sorbet. Everything was wonderful, every appetizer, every meal, and the service.

 

                                                          The Crab Salad  

                                                               

                                                         The Sorbet

I was having a a great time, but the night couldn't go on forever. Before I knew it I was back in my room, dreaming about my trip in the summer.