Nicole Zhang, President
Nandhana Sathish, Vice President
Eve Sumpster, Events Organizer
Elise Allari, Journalist
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Amador Valley High School Raises Awareness Supporting the Wheelchair Foundation and fundraising more than $1,300 By Nandhana Sathish / Amador Student SEED Journalist The gift of mobility is one that can change a person’s life forever as it gives an individual freedom and the ability to participate in many activities. This is the goal of the Wheelchair Foundation: to give the gift of mobility to all in the world, so everyone can enjoy independence.
SEED students organized Abilities Awareness Week at Amador, which took place between Monday, March 27th and Friday, March 31st. The purpose of this week was to raise awareness of the diverse abilities at Amador and in other places around the world. Nicole Zhang (11), Nandhana Sathish (11), and Eve Sumpster (11) coordinated a Wheelchair Foundation fundraiser and wheelchair activities on campus as part of Abilities Awareness Week. The “Use a Wheelchair for a School Day” program allowed 23 students and 3 staff members to use wheelchairs from the Wheelchair Foundation during this week and experience what it is like to depend on one for mobility. Initially, students and teachers felt that it was fun experience. However, as the day progressed, participants learned that using a wheelchair was a strenuous task, and they constantly faced new challenges to get things done. Participants began thinking about other situations in daily life, such as using a car and shopping for groceries, and pondered how using a wheelchair would alter those experiences. At the end of the day, participants were enlightened by their experience and helped spread awareness of the cause. Amador Valley High School Celebrates Diversity Appreciating the diverse population at Amador By Nandhana Sathish / Amador Student SEED Journalist Living in a dull, homogenous environment filled with the same type of people with the same flow of ideas rarely leads to creative solutions to problems and is overall, boring. This unvaried setting is the stark opposite of the wide-ranging cultures at Amador Valley High School where diversity is embraced, especially through the annual Donversity week celebration. Each day is attributed to a specific theme (origins, unity, interests, awareness, and identity), and students were encouraged to dress up according to the theme to share their identity. The participation was overwhelming as students displayed their support for diversity among members in their community and exhibited their own diversity as well.
“Diversity to me means having an understanding of and celebrating the differences that make each of us unique. It's accepting people for who they are, considering ideas with an open mind, and being unified by this spirit of inclusivity and love,” said Mahika Nayak, a SEED member and a junior at Amador Valley High School. Amador Valley HS Recognized for Inclusion EffortsDesignated "Mix It Up Model School" by the Southern Poverty Law Center By Nicole Zhang / Amador Student SEED Leader MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The Southern Poverty Law Center’s Teaching Tolerance program has named Amador Valley High School as a Mix It Up Model School for its exemplary efforts to foster respect and understanding among its students and throughout its campus during the 2016-17 school year. Amador Valley High School is among 76 schools in the nation to receive the honor. AVHS is one of four schools recognized in California and one of nine high schools recognized nationwide. “We commend Amador Valley High School for finding innovative ways to create environments where respect and inclusiveness are core values,” said Teaching Tolerance Director Maureen Costello. “Though Model Schools vary in size and demographics, they all serve as great examples of how a school—any school—can cultivate these values among their students, faculty and staff.” The Teaching Tolerance program has hosted Mix It Up at Lunch Day for the past 15 years to help students demonstrate the importance of respecting each other’s differences. Mix It Up at Lunch Day is a simple call to action. By asking students to move out of their comfort zones and connect with someone new over lunch, the event encourages students to identify, question and cross social boundaries. The Mix It Up Model Schools, including Amador Valley High School, met several criteria. They each hosted a Mix it Up at Lunch Day during the 2016-17 school year, included different members of the school’s community—cafeteria staff, administrators, teachers and students—in organizing the event, publicized the event, and celebrated inclusiveness with posters, announcements and other media. Furthermore, their Mix It Up at Lunch Day was seen by students and school officials as a success. Amador Valley High School Freshmen Break Social Barriers Encouraging students to "mix it up" By Nandhana Sathish / Amador Student SEED Journalist Amador Student SEED partnered with Amador’s LINK program and Leadership class to organize Mix It Up at Lunch Day, an event that provided freshmen at Amador Valley High School with the opportunity to step out of their comfort zone and cross social boundaries in an effort to reduce misconceptions, biases, and stereotypes. “I think Mix it Up at Lunch is a great idea…. I think this is an awesome way to meet new people. By not being in your traditional friend group, or the normal cliques, you can expand your horizons and meet new people, and maybe those people you sat with will become your friends,” said Alibi August, a member of the Student SEED.
Mix It Up at Lunch Day encouraged freshman students to “mix it up” and get to know students they typically do not sit with during lunch. This casual and fun event provided students with an opportunity to break social barriers and eliminate some of the misconceptions and prejudices that often exist between high school cliques. By interacting across social boundaries, students realized just how much they have in common with their peers. During the event, students not only discussed their commonalities, but also explored and appreciated their differences. Ultimately, the event improved intergroup relations and supported a positive high school experience for all students. PUSD School Board Passes the Equity & Diversity ResolutionSEED students celebrate progress By Nicole Zhang / Amador Student SEED Leader On January 12, 2016, the PUSD School Board passed the Equity & Diversity Resolution as a commitment to breaking systems of inequity and ensuring access and opportunity to all students regardless of their background. Students in the PUSD brought life to this commitment in the video below, which features several SEED students. SEED students attended the PUSD Common Core Cohort meetings on March 22nd and 24th during which they worked with teachers and administrators to interact with the resolution. Students facilitated discussions at their table groups, which revolved around the following questions:
SEED Bay Area Showcase Event and Panel Discussion with Peggy McIntosh Workshops and dynamic conversations By Nicole Zhang / Amador Student SEED Leader On March 11th and 12th, SEED students had the opportunity to attend the SEED Showcase Event and Panel Discussion with Peggy McIntosh. At the SEED Showcase event, students participated in interactive workshops that explored race, gender, ability, diversity, and inclusive families. Through the National SEED Project's methodology, participants acknowledged systems of oppression, power, and privilege without blame, guilt, or shame. Students also took part in a dynamic conversation on White privilege, race, gender equity, and diversity, featuring feminist, anti-racism activist, and SEED founder Dr. Peggy McIntosh, in conversation with Victor Lewis and Hugh Vasquez from the movie The Color of Fear, and Dr. Brenda Flyswithhawks and Gail Cruise-Roberson, co-directors of the National SEED Project. SEED students who attended the event in March look forward to inviting more members to participate in the showcase event next year. Brian Copeland Shares His Story with Students at Amador Valley High School (AVHS)Comedian and author discusses race and personal identity at AVHS By Nicole Zhang / Amador Student SEED Leader Last school year, SEED students invited Brian Copeland, a well known Bay Area personality, stand-up comedian, host of KGO radio’s "The Brian Copeland Show," playwright, and author of the book Not a Genuine Black Man, to be a guest speaker at Amador Valley High School on November 19, 2015. In an effort to build the capacity for a more equitable curriculum, campus, and community, the Student SEED Leader, Nicole Zhang, invited Copeland to her high school and organized the event with support from SEED students, the Student SEED advisor, Mr. Doyle, school administration, and the Pleasanton Unified School District (PUSD). Approximately 200 students representing classes, clubs, and groups on campus including Student SEED, the Social Justice classes, the BSU (Black Student Union), the Amador Valley Latino Club, the Ethics Club, the Arts & Media Academy and the Art classes attended the event. Mr. Jim Hansen, former Interim Superintendent of the PUSD, and Dr. Odie Douglas, Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services of the PUSD, attended the event to show support. |
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