Montanez named “40 Under 40″
ACEL Vice Principal/Teacher Dr. Christine Montanez has been named to the 2011 “40 Under 40″ list by Business Street Magazine.
“This is a fantastic – and well deserved – honor for Dr. Montanez,” said Executive Director/Principal Dave Childers. “Dr. Montanez is not just a valued member of our staff, but she is one of the brightest young educators that you will find anywhere in our area.”
Montanez wears many hats in her first year at ACEL-Fresno Charter High School. She was hired to create the school’s music program, but has since added the responsibilities of Vice Principal and taken over the role of the school’s physical education instructor.
“She exemplifies what it means to be a true team player,” said Childers. “She always considers the students first and students have always flocked to her everywhere she has been. She absolutely is among the best leaders in our community.”
The list is put out each year (since 2007) by Business Street Magazine and the official event – on March 29 – is hosted by the Fresno Grizzlies. Details can be found on the “40 Under 40″ official website.
This marks the second time in three years that an ACEL-Fresno staff member has received this honor. Childers was named to the 2009 class.
The Fresno Academy for Civic and Entrepreneurial Leadership is a fully-accredited small, progressive charter high school in downtown Fresno. The school is in its third year of operation and currently serves students in grades 9-11. Next year the school will add 12th grade and will graduate its first class of seniors. For more information, please call (559) 408-7077 or visit their website.
ACEL job shadows City Hall
December 8, 2011- Today 20 freshmen, sophomores and juniors from ACEL-Fresno spent over four hours touring, job shadowing, and experiencing life at Fresno’s City Hall as part of a partnership with Junior Achievement.
“Today was a fantastic experience for our students and a great opportunity to learn a lot more about how their city is managed on a day-to-day basis,” said ACEL-Fresno Executive Director Dave Childers. “We are deeply indebted to Junior Achievement for making the arrangements, and to all of the wonderful people at City Hall that allowed their day to be disrupted for the benefit of the city’s future leaders.”
The day began with an extensive tour of the facility that included several interesting history lessons about the city and the building. Then students were able to meet face to face with various department heads and city leaders, and were even afforded the opportunity to ask questions.
“It was really cool to see how everyone works together to run the city and make it better,” said Jorge, a junior at ACEL. “It was a very interesting day, and it was cool to see everything from the inside.”
Students also got to spend some time observing the City Council Meeting, and received a warm welcome from Fresno City Council President Lee Brand and his colleagues. Another highlight for students came when Patrick Wiemiller, the City’s Director of Public Works, took a few of the students behind the doors of the Mayor’s Office to take a photograph with Fresno Mayor Ashley Swearengin.
“From start to finish, the students were greeted with enthusiasm and passion,” said Childers. “It was quite a learning experience, and one that I wish all students were able to experience. Our city leaders have challenging and often-times thankless jobs, and I think our group walked way with an entirely new appreciation for everyone connected to the City of Fresno.”
Students from ACEL-Fresno take a moment to be photographed in the Executive Offices at the City of Fresno.
ACEL-Fresno Fully Accredited by WASC
ACEL-Fresno is proud to announce that is has received full accreditation status from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (more commonly known as WASC), the premier accrediting agency for schools in California.
“We were honored to have the Executive Director of WASC, Dr. David Brown, conduct our follow-up visit himself. Dr. Brown was extremely complimentary of our program, and we are proud that he has decided to upgrade our candidacy status to full accreditation moving forward,” said Executive Director/Principal Dave Childers.
The accreditation means that ACEL-Fresno will have three years before conducting a self-study and having a team from WASC revisit to renew its status.
“This is extremely important, as it ensures that our graduates will be recognized in the same exact manner as graduates from any other accredited high school. Our first graduating class (in 2013) will have full and complete access to all options after high school, so we are very excited.”
ACEL API Score Released
August 31, 2011- The California Department of Education released the latest round of API scores to the public today, and ACEL-Fresno Charter High School ranked among the most improved high schools in the state.
“While we still believe that API is not a great measure of a school’s impact, we are ecstatic to have grown so much in only one year,” said Executive Director/Principal Dave Childers. “For a year we have been saddled with an arbitrary number that did little or nothing to show what a great program we have. Now, at the very least, we have an arbitrary number that will allow us more opportunity to share what we do with a greater audience of parents and students.”
Last year the school was assigned a growth “target” of 13 points in the API rankings. Today’s release from the CDE shows a remarkable growth of 134 points – more than ten times what the state required. The growth to an overall score of 683 also moved ACEL ahead of nearby schools McLane, Roosevelt, and Fresno High and only high school in the County had a greater increase than 134 points. The school met all subgroup targets and saw increases in both Language Arts and Math.
“We were able to improve our rating without giving up any of the rich educational experiences that we offer students. In fact, we expanded those,” said Childers. “We are now – in just two years – competitive with similar schools without wholesale remediation classes, homework, text books or relentless benchmark testing. This is a nice victory for education reform.”
Year three begins on Tuesday, September 6, and will bring several new programatic elements – as well as 1:1 computing via Apple iPad 2s.
“More technology-infused learning, more leadership development, and more community involvement,” said Childers. “That is our prescription for growing our program.”
It seems to be working, too. Spaces in grades 9-11 are limited, and the school may achieve capacity prior to next Tuesday’s opening – which would be a first for the program.
“Fresno – and the areas surrounding Fresno – is hungry for educational choices,” said Childers. “Today marks a big step forward for ACEL as we try to create a very distinct alternative to traditional high school settings.”
For more information, please call ACEL-Fresno at (559) 408-7077.
“Historical Perspectives” in the Fresno Bee features ACEL building
August 22- While many of have read about the historic Fresno Station building that houses ACEL-Fresno, today’s Fresno Bee allows the opportunity for interested parties to see photographs and even some video of the former train station that is now a progressive charter high school.
“It was a pleasure to work with John Walker from the Fresno Bee to highlight such a wonderful building, and such an important part of Fresno history,” said ACEL-Fresno Executive Director/Principal Dave Childers. “I think it is also a fantastic example of adaptive reuse in urban environments, as well as a living, breathing architectural lesson to be had by all.”
The building – which was constructed in 1889 – is on the National Historic Register and one of the few remaining train depots in California that were designed in the “Queen Anne” style of architecture. It is widely considered to be the “birthplace” of Fresno.
“John did a great job of capturing the essence of the building and the importance of its history,” said Childers. “I hope that his work gets as many views as it deserves, because at ACEL-Fresno we are passionate about Fresno residents being more in tune with the rich history of their own community.”
The piece can be viewed online at – Fresno Bee Historical Perspectives
Alice Keeler joins teaching staff
July 21, 2011- ACEL-Fresno Charter High School is proud to introduce Ms. Alice Keeler as the school’s new mathematics instructor.
“Sometimes you say you hit a home run with a new hire. Well, in this case, we have hit a grand slam,” said ACEL Executive Director/Principal Dave Childers. “Our amazing teaching staff just got even more amazing.”
Keeler has served as a board member for ACEL for the past year, but she has resigned in order to join the staff. She has taught math at Clovis High School for 13 years and is a well known presenter in local education circles. She has a Master’s Degree, will soon be a Google Certified Teacher, and serves on the board for Central Valley Computer-Using Educators.
“To add someone of Alice’s caliber in terms of curriculum and technology is just a huge boost for ACEL,” said Childers. “She is creative, energetic, and caring – absolutely the complete package.”
In addition to her vast educational qualifications and experience, Keeler also serves as President of the Lowell Neighborhood Association – just minutes from ACEL.
For more information on Ms. Keeler you can visit her web site.
ACEL helping to bring TEDx event to the Valley
TEDx Comes to Central Valley, California Via TEDxMinaretsSchool
O’Neals, CA (July X, 2011) – TEDxMinaretsSchool invites reporters and the public to join Fresno County Superintendent of Schools Larry Powell, community leaders, educational technologists and innovators from a variety of fields at TEDxMinaretsSchool.com on Aug. 5, 2011. The independently organized event, licensed by TED, will be held at Minarets High School from 8:30 a.m to 4:30 p.m. PDT.
In the spirit of the TED (Technology, Entertainment and Design), TEDxMinaretsSchool gathers leading thinkers to create a dialogue about how technology and innovation can lead to more effective schools and community service organizations.
Speakers include Apple Distinguished Educators, Google Certified Teachers, CEOs and leaders of Web 2.0 tools that are free or very inexpensive, innovative educators, administrators and leaders of nonprofit organizations. Each presentation will explore the theme of “Imagination, Education, Inspiration” and will last 18 minutes or less.
“Minarets High School is synonymous with the aggressive use of technology for challenge based learning,” said Jon Corippo, Instructional Technology Coordinator at Minarets High School, O’Neals Calif. “TEDxMinaretsSchool is an ideal venue for local education leaders and leaders of nonprofits to meet and share their best practices.”
The program is presented in conjunction with ACEL-Fresno Charter High School, a progressive charter high school in the urban core of downtown Fresno.
“Events like these add to the collective intelligence and inquisitiveness in our area, help to dispel unfair stereotypes, and ultimately help to reverse the ‘brain drain,’” said ACEL Executive Director/Principal Dave Childers. “In other words, it is the exact type of event that we want to help sponsor and support to better our community.”
The event is $60 and open to the public, but pre-registration is required. Registration is currently open and seating is limited: www.tedxmineratsschool.com. Reporters interested in attending should contact Jon Corippo at jcorippo@gmail.com by Aug. 1.
Superintendent of the Fresno County Office of Education Dr. Larry Powell will serve as the master of ceremonies for the event, and will be sharing stories of dynamic leadership and innovation in education.
For more information about Minarets High School visit: http://www.minarets.us.
About TEDx, x = independently organized event
In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance, but individual TEDx events are self-organized. (Subject to certain rules and regulations.)
About TED
TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. Started as a four-day conference in California 26 years ago, TED has grown to support those world-changing ideas with multiple initiatives. At TED, the world’s leading thinkers and doers are asked to give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes. Talks are then made available, free, at TED.com. TED speakers have included Bill Gates, Jane Goodall, Sir Richard Branson, Benoit Mandelbrot, and former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown. Two major TED events are held each year: The TED Conference takes place every spring in Long Beach, California (along with a parallel conference, TEDActive, in Palm Springs), and TEDGlobal is held each summer in Edinburgh, Scotland.
TED’s media initiatives include TED.com, where new TEDTalks are posted daily; the new TED Conversations, enabling broad conversations among TED fans; and the Open Translation Project, which provides subtitles and interactive transcripts as well as the ability for any TEDTalk to be translated by volunteers worldwide.
TED has established the annual TED Prize, where exceptional individuals with a wish to change the world are given the opportunity to put their wishes into action; TEDx, which offers individuals or groups a way to host local, self-organized events around the world; and the TED Fellows program, helping world-changing innovators from around the globe to become part of the TED community and, with its help, amplify the impact of their remarkable projects and activities.
For information about TED’s upcoming conferences, visit http://www.ted.com/registration
Follow TED on Twitter at http://twitter.com/TEDTalks, or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/TED
CONTACTS:
• Chris Scott, webmaster
cscottsy@gmail.com
805-215-8864
• Rob Darrow
robdarrow74@gmail.com
559-351-5928
DirectLink: TEDxMinaretsSchool.com
ACEL Leaders Chosen for Google Teacher Academy
ACEL Executive Director/Principal Dave Childers and board member Alice Keeler were recently accepted to the Google Teacher Academy in Seattle in late July. The two were among only 50 educators selected from the entire group of applications. Following the training in Seattle, both Childers and Keeler will be Google Certified Teachers and will be eligible to provide Google sanctioned professional development.
“I’m very proud that we have two of our school leaders among such a select group of visionary educators,” said Childers. “I think it is a good indicator that we are doing great things with technology and that we have a great leadership team.”
ACEL 2.0 in the books
Friday, June 10 marked the end of school year number two at the Fresno Academy for Civic and Entrepreneurial Leadership! After morning classes, the entire school celebrated at John’s Incredible Pizza with lots of food, drinks, dessert, games and rides. Thank you to everyone for a GREAT school year and for making ACEL-Fresno Charter High School Fresno’s most dynamic high school!
Hands On Technology
Today ACEL-Fresno had a great day at The Tech – San Jose’s interactive technology museum. Here Micaela tries out some interactive arm wrestling!
