OUSD and Oakland Latino Educators Set to Honor Thousands of Students Virtually in 20th Annual Latino/a Honor Roll Celebration on Friday
“Nuestra Gente Unida – Our People United”
Oakland – The OUSD Office of Equity Latino Student Achievement (LSA) and Oakland Latino Educators (OLE) will celebrate 3,321 Latino students in grades 6 through 12, who have maintained a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher and who are on track to go to college. This is the 20th Annual OUSD Latino/a Honor Roll Celebration for students across the District.
This is a major Latino community celebration in Oakland. Each year, a huge group of students, their proud families, and an appreciative community come together for this important event. Despite being unable to host the celebration in-person this year, Superintendent Kyla Johnson-Trammell and Chief Academic Officer Sondra Aguilera are excited to celebrate our scholars over Zoom and Facebook Live. While this virtual webinar format celebration is no substitute for the energy, enthusiasm, and joy of our students and families in person, organizers are making sure this will be an exciting, informative, and memorable event for all honorees.
“We honor the work of our outstanding students every day, but there is something magical about this honor roll event – and others like it – that always fills me with joy and inspiration,” said Chief Academic Officer Aguilera. “While we wish we could recognize these students in person, this event will remind them that their hard work and dedication are paying off, which will add fuel to the fire of their academic pursuits over the long term. Likewise, the students’ friends and classmates will see and hear about their success and recognition, and in many cases it will inspire others to rededicate themselves to their studies. We thank Oakland Latino Educators, and other important partner organizations including the Educational Coalition for Hispanics in Oakland (ECHO) and the Latino Education Network (LEN) for their commitment to supporting our students.”
Of the 3,321 students being recognized, 1,139 students have GPAs of 3.75 or higher, and 668 of them have GPAs of at least 4.0. Students with 4.0 and above will receive special recognition from Assemblymember Rob Bonta. All students will have the chance to win a tablet, thanks to the grassroots fundraising campaign led by Oakland Latino Educators and community advocates from ECHO and LEN.
The program this year will feature a student video challenge, in which students share gratitude letters with their families, and send a message to educators that student achievement and success depend on strong family engagement and community support.
This will be a powerful event that shows our students’ success in the face of a worldwide crisis, and all media is invited to tune in to see our students being honored.
What: 20th Annual OUSD Latino/a Honor Roll Celebration
When: 3:00 p.m., Friday, May 8
Where: Facebook Live: facebook.com/Office.of.Equity.OUSD
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 83 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.
This post based on a press release from OUSD to Zennie62Media, Inc.