| OUSD NEWSROOM |
PRESS RELEASE 2018 OUSD Latino Honor Roll Celebration.Thursday, March 18, 2021Contact: John Sasaki Communications Director 510-214-2080 [email protected] Oakland – The OUSD Office of Equity Latino Student Achievement (LSA) and Oakland Latino Educators (OLE) will host the 21st Annual OUSD Celebration of Latino Academic Excellence for students across the District. This year our celebration will be pre-recorded, premiering on Thursday, March 25, at 5:00 p.m. Our theme for the celebration is Our Beautiful Struggle / Nuestra Hermosa Lucha to recognize the hope, resilience, and healing demonstrated by our Latino students and families during the pandemic. OUSD educators, students and families have shown commitment and dedication to academic success despite the challenges of distance learning, the various levels of access to technology last spring and fall, and their having to navigate health and well being. To applaud our students’ achievements during this academic year, we will be expanding eligibility requirements from the traditional Latino Student Honor Roll. Until last year, we only celebrated cumulative GPAs. Now, it’s a celebration that includes all students in grades 6-12 who have maintained one or more of the following during distance learning: Perfect attendance4.0 GPAResilience, as nominated by school staff, but includes students navigating remote learning with a disability, housing insecurity, or juvenile justice experience As a result, 5,308 Latino students will be celebrated in this event. And, a special recognition will be given to the 81 students who have excelled in all three categories by maintaining a 4.0 GPA and perfect attendance, while navigating their housing, juvenile justice and/or disability experience(s). For many of our Latino students and families, this is a significant event they cherish and anticipate with great excitement every year. While it is not yet safe to gather in-person, uplifting and recognizing our students’ efforts to persevere continues to be a priority for us, especially as our students, families, and educators have weathered a global pandemic. “I am excited for Our Beautiful Struggle / Nuestra Hermosa Lucha that celebrates our amazing and driven Latino students. The sense of accomplishment and pride in the eyes of our young people and their families as they are honored for their successes brings me such joy,” said Chief Academic Officer, Dr. Sondra Aguilera. “Oakland students have profound and remarkable talents and it’s critical that we honor them and their families as they persevere through these historic challenges. While we can’t come together in-person, I look forward to celebrating our students at this event, which means so much to our community.”  The program this year will feature cultural performances, parent speeches, a student video challenge, and keynotes from community leaders. All media and community partners are invited to tune in for the 21st Annual OUSD Celebration of Latino Academic Excellence.Thank you to the Educational Coalition for Hispanics in Oakland (ECHO) and Latino Education Network (LEN) for their legacy in establishing this event 20 years ago, and on-going parent volunteering and fundraising efforts that help make this yearly tradition possible. Thank you to Fuerza Unidos from the Golden State Warriors for donating swag and autographed memorabilia that will be raffled off to students. WHAT: 21st Annual OUSD Celebration of Latino Academic Excellence (Formerly the Latino Honor Roll)WHEN: 5:00-6:00 p.m., Thursday, March 25th WHERE: www.youtube.com/c/OUSDOfficeofEquity  |
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