OUSD Has Many Reasons to Celebrate Good Work Happening Across District Including:
McClymonds High Building an Important Business Pipeline for Students, Skyline High’s Volleyball Team Heading to the D-5 NorCal Championship Game, Oakland Tech Having a National Merit Scholarship Semifinalist, and Prescott Elementary Enjoying a Successful Harvest Festival
Oakland – Oakland Unified School District has plenty of reasons to celebrate right now, as students and staff continue to produce amazing work of all kinds in schools across Oakland. This is a look at several different examples.
The Student Programming for Athletic and Academic Transitioning (SPAAT) is pleased to announce its expanded collaboration with Schnitzer Steel at McClymonds High School. The three-year partnership program, known as Schnitzer Academy, will support classroom training via the McClymonds Engineering Pathway, offer paid internship opportunities, scholarships, hands-on training for students interested in the metals recycling industry, lead facility tours, and eventually provide a pathway to full time employment.
Schnitzer employs a diverse and dynamic workforce of more than 3200 people across the U.S., Puerto Rico, and Western Canada. Schnitzer teams provide essential metals recycling and recovery services, helping to keep valuable materials out of landfills, while conserving energy and natural resources.
“Skilled labor jobs like those at Schnitzer are essential to our national and global transition to a low carbon economy,” said Tamara Lundgren, Schnitzer Chairman and CEO. “Schnitzer Academy aims to bring talented individuals to the metals recycling industry, providing a platform for sustainable development throughout our local communities and beyond.”
“I look forward to continuing our work with Schnitzer to expand both college and blue-collar opportunities to our African American students in West Oakland,” said Harold Pearson, CEO of SPAAT.
Schnitzer Academy participants will:
- Receive hands-on training from mechanics, welders and other industry experts
- Access educational instruction on metal working, vehicle dismantling and recycling
- Work with materials sourced directly from Schnitzer facilities including metal piping, sheet metal, and car parts
- Attend facility tours at local Schnitzer locations
Dyllon Louis, is the first young person to directly benefit from this partnership. He is a McClymonds and SPAAT graduate, class of 2016, who completed the engineering pathway at McClymonds. Dyllon was recently hired as an Account Manager Trainee out of Schnitzer’s Oakland office. “I graduate from Grambling this Spring and this opportunity puts me in a place where I don’t have to worry about whether I’m going to be able to find a job.”
“Schnitzer Academy represents a vital step in training the next generation of recycling professionals in our local communities,” said Tasion Kwamilele, Government Public Affairs Manager in Oakland, CA.
The Skyline High Girls Volleyball Team is heading to the CIF Division 5 Northern California Championship Game. On Saturday, the Titans beat Orland High School from near Chico to reach the Northern California Finals. They play the Drew School of San Francisco on Tuesday, November 16 at 6:00 p.m. at Skyline High School.
If they win on Tuesday, the Titans earn a trip to the D-5 State Championship on Friday, November 19 at Santiago Canyon College in Orange County. This is the farthest that a Skyline volleyball team has ever gone. Good luck to the Skyline Team, Head Coach Erica Hansen, and assistant coach Jaymee Huggins and Go Titans!
Oakland Technical High School has the honor of having OUSD’s lone National Merit Scholarship Semifinalist this year. Senior Peyton Worthington is one of 16,000 semifinalists across the country. The National Merit Scholarship Program honors individual students who show exceptional academic ability and potential for success in rigorous college studies. They qualify through their work on the PSAT test. The semifinalists represent less than one percent of high school seniors, and they are the highest scoring entrants from each state.
Worthington currently carries a 4.65 GPA, and he scored a 1540 out of 1600 on his SATs, and academics are far from his only focus. His sophomore year he played Football, Soccer, and Rowed for Tech, and was also active with the Pi Club, the ACE (Architecture/Construction/Engineering) Mentoring Internship, as well as Math Tutoring. He sings in choir, plays the piano and guitar, and is an Eagle Scout. During his time as a Boy Scout Senior Patrol Leader, his troop supported Oakland Unified’s food distribution centers, built hand sanitizers for the city, and held Friday night Black Lives Matter “Make Some Good Trouble” protests on Broadway. OUSD wishes Peyton Worthington the best of luck in becoming a finalist for the National Merit Scholarship.
The early reviews are in. Rehearsals at Oakland Technical High School for Shakespeare’s play, Much Ado About Nothing, have been amazing. Students have been working hard every day until seven o’clock, including weekends, to get ready for their shows coming up this week. Everyone across the District is invited to come see the production.
Much Ado About Nothing happens this Thursday, Friday and Saturday, November 18-20 at 7:00 p.m. in Oakland Tech’s Auditorium. Proof of vaccination and masks are required. Adult tickets are $10, and OUSD student tickets are $5. NO ONE will be turned away for lack of funds! You can reserve your tickets here: ticket link.
On Friday, November 12, Chabot Space & Science Center held its Grand Re-Opening, and more than 100 OUSD students were on hand for the celebration. The students, who came from International Community School, Emerson Elementary, and United for Success Academy got to watch the ribbon-cutting, tour the center, and hear from leaders from NASA, including an astronaut. The center bussed the students there and back to their schools, and provided lunch and snacks. The dignitaries on hand to support the event included Congresswoman Barbara Lee, Assemblymember Mia Bonta, Oakland City Councilmembers Sheng Thao and Loren Taylor, Alameda County Superintendent L.K. Monroe, Director of NASA Ames Eugene Tu, and Astronaut Mike Hopkins. You can read more about the event here.
And lastly, Prescott Elementary School held its Harvest Festival in late October, and it was a roaring success. Students, staff, and families had a wonderful time. Even with their masks on, you can see how happy the students were to enjoy the season, pick out their pumpkins, and dress up.
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About the Oakland Unified School District
In California’s most diverse city, Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) is dedicated to creating a learning environment where “Every Student Thrives!” More than half of our students speak a non-English language at home. And each of our 80 schools is staffed with talented individuals uniting around a common set of values: Students First, Equity, Excellence, Integrity, Cultural Responsiveness and Joy. We are committed to preparing all students for college, career and community success.
To learn more about OUSD’s Full Service Community District focused on academic achievement while serving the whole child in safe schools, please visit OUSD.org and follow us @OUSDnews.