ACEL Students Meet With Legislators
Two ACEL students are part of the Youth Council for Sustainable Communities
Two ACEL-Fresno students recently returned from Sacramento where they were participants in the Youth Council for Sustainable Communities. As part of their service, the two students met with legislators and testified before lawmakers regarding issues that relate to sustainability and child welfare.
“These types of real-world leadership experiences are priceless for young people,” said ACEL-Fresno Executive Director/Principal Dave Childers. “This isn’t talking about leadership inside of a classroom, this is practicing leadership alongside the people who run our state. I am extremely proud of the work that these two young ladies are doing.”
As part of the council, the two students will also have internships at Fresno City Hall this summer. One will intern with Councilmember Clint Olivier, and the other will intern in the Community Revitalization Department.
“Not only did these young ladies get to see state government in action, but now they will get to spend the summer seeing how their local government operates,” said Childers. “Again, this is a very unique opportunity for any young person to get to experience.”
The Youth Council for Sustainable Communities is a partnership between The California Center for Civic Participation, the Center for Multicultural Cooperation, and the Wangari Maathai Center. Students from Sacramento, Fresno, and the Bay Area participate. Locally there are eight students participating.
ACEL welcomes Dr. Christine Montanez!
May 24, 2011
ACEL-Fresno Charter High School is proud to announce that accomplished music instructor Dr. Christine Montanez will be joining the school’s faculty starting in the 2011-2012 school year.
“We are thrilled to be adding a music program next year, and even more thrilled that we will have one of the most respected and accomplished music teachers in our area at the helm,” said Executive Director/Principal Dave Childers. “Christine is the perfect fit for ACEL and will develop a program that is a fantastic mix of classical and contemporary musicianship. She is a remarkable hire for us at this stage in our development.”
Ms. Christine Montanez completed her college coursework at Fresno State, where she earned her B.A. and M. A. in Music Performance and Ed.D in Educational Leadership. Christine has served as the Music Director at KIPP Academy Fresno and Big Picture Middle/High School Fresno teaching music theory and history, as well as instrumental music to grades 5-12. Christine has also served as undergraduate clarinet instructor at CSU Fresno and as Vice Principal at Big Picture Middle/High School Fresno. Christine is also the Assistant Director of the West Coast Clarinet Congress at Fresno State.
Ms. Montanez will teach instrumental music at ACEL and will also assume other duties as assigned.
“Christine is not just a teacher, but an accomplished leader as well. She is going to be heavily involved in all aspects of the educational program at ACEL, and hopefully for many, many years to come,” said Childers.
Dr. Christine Montanez will join the faculty at ACEL-Fresno this Fall.
ACEL, the Mayor, and Downtown
On Tuesday morning, 9 of ACEL’s finest students reported to school bright and early at 6:15 a.m. to prepare to volunteer at The State of Downtown Breakfast, featuring Fresno mayor Ashley Swearengin. The students assisted the PBID Partners of Downtown Fresno (formerly the Downtown Association) with the second-annual event, serving as ushers and traffic control for the sold-out crowd. The students were also allowed to stay to hear the keynote address from Mayor Swearengin, and received a very nice public thank you from the Chair of the PBID Partners Board, Mr. Dan Doyle.
Nine ACEL freshmen and sophomores served as volunteers for the State of Downtown Breakfast on Tuesday morning.
Did You Hear the Latest?
Test prep is overrated! Look at how ACEL performed compared to Fresno Unified as a whole, and some of our closest neighbors. Not bad for a school that refuses to take away electives, has a higher percentage of both English Learners and Special Education students, doesn’t use textbooks, doesn’t assign homework, doesn’t bench mark test, and doesn’t spend class time on memorizing bits of data to regurgitate on a test!
http://www.acelfresno.org/about/year-one-results/
Welcome Back the ACEL-Insider!!
(click to download the PDF!)
ACEL announces new downtown location!
On Friday, June 11, the Academy for Civic and Entrepreneurial Leadership announced a 10-year lease agreement to move its school to Fresno Station – near the corner of Tulare and H Streets in downtown Fresno.
The announcement culminated a search that spanned more than 18 months, but resulted in ACEL finding a building with incredible historic value. There was great response from the local media – coverage which you can follow with the links below. If you have any further questions, please call Principal Dave Childers at (559) 898-2445.
Links to Local Coverage:
ACEL In the News
Last week was a busy one for ACEL, as both Principal Dave Childers and History/Tech teacher Chris Durham were featured prominently in separate Internet campaigns. Principal Childers was named last week’s “Business Leader of the Week” by Business Street Online – which included a segment on the 
Alan Autry talk radio show on Thursday (link below), and being the guest on the weekly webcast “Business Leaders Live” (link below).
Not to be outdone, Mr. Durham was one of the subjects of Mutual of Omaha’s “Aha Moment” series that chronicles outstanding people and the turning points in their respective lives. You can see Mr. Durham’s “Aha Moment” online here - http://www.ahamoment.com/pg/moments/view/10713.
http://www.businessstreetonline.com/news.php?ax=v&n=1&id=2&nid=2103 (Story)
http://www.businessstreetonline.com/index.php?n=10&id=129&topic= (Archived Webcast)
http://www.940kyno.com/index.php?id=367 (Alan Autry radio show)
ACEL Principal, Parent named “40 Under 40″
Fresno, CA (Feb. 24, 2010) – The honorees have been announced for the third annual “40 Under 40” reception, presented by BusinessStreetOnline.com and the Fresno Grizzlies, and to be held Thursday, April 1 at the 600 Club at Chukchansi Park in downtown Fresno.
The reception recognizes some of the top young business professionals in the public and private sectors in central California who are leaders in the community and have experienced great success before the age of 40. They represent the future of the Central Valley, and were nominated by their peers on 40u40.com.
“It is always our pleasure to honor young, remarkable professionals in central California who have already made an impact in our communities, and will no doubt continue to do so in the future,” said Lance Cardoza, president and publisher of Business Street Online.
The list includes:
• David Childers – Principal – ACEL-Fresno Charter High School
• Laneesha Senegal – Central California Adolescent Development Corporation (and ACEL parent!)
For more information visit: http://www.40u40.com/Class_of_09.html
Disney lends ACEL a helping hand
On Saturday, February 13, 2010 ACEL welcomed over 100 volunteers as part of Disney’s “Give a Day, Get a Day” program to encourage volunteerism. All together the volunteers distributed over 2,000 flyers, many applications, and gathered contact information for interested parents and students. In return for their day of service, all volunteers receive a free ticket to Disneyland or Disney’s California Adventures. For more information on applying for ACEL, you can visit http://acelfresno.posterous.com/
ACEL visits Valley Prep Charter School
ACEL students
Last week we had five ACEL students – and Valley Prep alumni – visit their old stomping grounds to share some of their work and help start recruiting for next year’s freshman class. Charles, John M, Michael, Justin, and John G got to see old classmates and talk about their new experiences at ACEL. All the gentlemen also got to see their 8th grade teacher Mr. Bill Coate – who also taught Principal Childers when he was in 8th grade in Madera. It was great meeting all of the Valley Prep 8th graders, and there was a great deal of interest in next year.