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“Today is among the most difficult days that I have experienced in the three years plus that I have been at ACEL. Today our school – and I personally – have experienced a loss that is difficult to translate into words.

Jean Kato was among the most wonderful individuals – and educators – that I ever had the privilege to know. The fact that I had an opportunity to work with her in creating ACEL was merely the icing on the cake. It is impossible for me to capture and communicate just how much Jean meant to the very existence of ACEL, or to clearly explain the role she played in my personal and professional development. I can, though, guarantee that ACEL will never duplicate her integral role at our school.

I know that I speak for the entire staff, board, student body, and ACEL community in extending our heartfelt thanks, appreciation, and admiration for Jean and for the amazing contributions and legacy that she has left behind at ACEL. I also want to pass along our best wishes to her sons Greg and Kevin, their families, and to the countless friends of Jean’s that will miss her as much as we will. I am sure, once some time has passed, that we will be able to celebrate her incredibly rich life and career. But, for now, we will work through the sadness of her passing and do our best to honor her legacy through our work and our interactions with each other.”

Mr. Coate, the students, and Executive Director/Principal Dave Childers were invited by Supervisor Henry Perea to make the presentation of the book, which details the life and times of Harry St. John Dixon. A video of the presentation can be accessed here, which includes students sharing highlights of the book with the supervisors and other attendees of the meeting.

“Mr. Coate is – as Supervisor Perea called him – a local legend,” said Childers. “We are lucky to have him working with our students at ACEL, and today was another great opportunity to showcase the hard work and relevance of the projects that are happening at our school.”

The book was researched, written, and published by the students at ACEL and has now been officially presented at both the Fresno City Council and the Fresno County Board of Supervisors. It is a joint project with the Fresno County Historical Society, and includes a copy of the 1880 census for Fresno County.

Books may be purchased directly through the school by calling (559) 408-7077.

“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.

“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.”

“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.

“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