{"id":7688,"date":"2017-06-06T12:16:37","date_gmt":"2017-06-06T19:16:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.rsed.org\/?p=7688"},"modified":"2018-05-02T21:28:30","modified_gmt":"2018-05-02T21:28:30","slug":"leading-a-movement-parents-honored-at-the-first-annual-parent-leadership-awards-ceremony","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rocketshipschools.org\/en\/latest-news\/blog\/leading-a-movement-parents-honored-at-the-first-annual-parent-leadership-awards-ceremony\/","title":{"rendered":"Leading a Movement: Parents Honored at the First Annual Bay Area Parent Leadership Awards Ceremony"},"content":{"rendered":"

Parents are the first teachers of their children. They are our Rocketeers’ strongest advocates, and the leaders in our collective\u00a0movement for change. They are closing the achievement gap and bringing educational equity to communities where there are few to no options for an excellent, free, public education.<\/p>\n

Rocketship had the honor of celebrating\u00a0these courageous and powerful parent leaders at our First Annual Bay Area Parent Leadership Awards Ceremony in early May. Over 20 awards were presented, and school leaders and parents from our 12 Bay Area schools gathered together to celebrate.\u00a0Here are some highlights from the award winners:<\/p>\n

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Eva Heredia: Rocketship Education Parent Leader of the Year Winner &\u00a0District 3 Community Champion Winner (Rocketship Discovery Prep)<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

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Eva Heredia honored with Parent Leader of the Year Award<\/p><\/div>\n

True leaders are able to find\u00a0power in their humility, strength in\u00a0their convictions, and\u00a0lift up others through their example. Eva is one of those leaders. Eva came to Rocketship because she had a\u00a0negative experience in a local district school. ” “My daughter wasn\u2019t learning.” Her teachers said she was doing well, and she got ok grades, but then at night I could tell she was struggling with reading.” As a mother, I knew she she wasn\u2019t getting the education she deserved, and I felt shut out. “I felt helpless, until something changed, until I realized that had a voice.” Eva stumbled upon a meeting of Rocketship parent leaders at her local library. “They were involved in their children\u2019s education. They were organizing. They looked powerful.” Eva went into the room, spoke to the parents, and\u00a0“>realized that she\u00a0didn\u2019t have to keep her\u00a0kids in the district school. She applied to Rocketship that night.<\/p>\n

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Eva interviews with the radio station La Raza to spread the word\u00a0about the 2016 Education Candidates Forum<\/p><\/div>\n

Since her daughter became a Rocketeer at Rocketship Discovery Prep, Eva has been a fervent advocate for educational equity and has gained support for multiple community organizing projects from public officials and community members alike. She was a key organizer in the 2016 Education Candidates Forum<\/a>, and continues to encourage”>parents to\u00a0share\u00a0their voice and demand what they need to thrive as a community from their public officials. “As parents from this community, we have a shared concern.\u00a0“”>We need to be powerful together. We need to understand the priorities of the candidates because they will be making crucial decisions that affect us and our children.” Check out our interview with\u00a0Eva <\/a>where she explains the Candidates Forum she helped organize, and the importance of parent civic involvement.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Lety Gomez: Sam Liccardo Civic Leadership Award (Rocketship Fuerza Community Prep)\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

The Sam Liccardo Civic Leadership Award is named after Sam Liccardo, the Mayor of San Jose and a long-time advocate for our mission from the first day of our first school. Mayor Liccardo has been an important\u00a0catalyst for school choice in our community.<\/p>\n

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Lety speaks at the 2016 Education Candidates Forum<\/p><\/div>\n

“How many of you know someone who has been arrested, either as a youth or young adult?” parent leader Lety Gomez boldly asked to a crowd of over 1,400 community members. Lety went on to explain to the\u00a0audience, which included a\u00a0panel of local political candidates, how low academic achievement and expectations coupled with high dropout rates contribute to the school-to-prison pipeline that plagues many of our communities. “We must work together to close the achievement gap and ensure every child has opportunities to be prepared for college.” She then turned to the candidates and stated, “Our communities cannot undertake this responsibility alone. This effort requires the dedication and political courage of our public officials, including those serving on our county school board and those who will be making decisions impacting the entire state of California.”<\/p>\n

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San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo delivers award to Lety Gomez<\/p><\/div>\n

From her first days with us\u00a0as a founding parent of Rocketship Fuerza Community Prep<\/a>\u00a0to this recent parent-organized Education Candidates Forum, Lety has developed into a powerful and influential leader. She has been\u00a0a fervent voice in support of opening other new Rocketship schools, and has developed positive relationships with public officials in her community. “Parent voice does make a difference. As engaged parents living in the community fighting for what\u2019s right, it\u2019s great to know our hard work is totally worth it and that they [elected officials] do listen.\u201d<\/p>\n

Olivia Gonzalez:\u00a0Corazon de Oro Award (Rocketship Futuro Academy)<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"“Rocketship teachers are doing their part in the classroom, and we as parents know what we need to do in the community,” said Olivia Gonzalez, a\u00a0founding parent at Rocketship’s first school in the East Bay region, Rocketship Futuro Academy. Olivia truly exemplifies this\u00a0steadfast confidence in her leadership. “The opportunity to see parents like Olivia grow from a school volunteer into a strong community leader is one of my favorite things,” said Futuro’s founding principal Jason Colon at the ceremony.<\/p>\n

Parent engagement is a powerful force in the East Bay. Over a thousand parents organized to bring a school of excellence to Concord, a place where the school district has failed to provide a quality education to their students, grossly marginalizing both English Language Learners and families from low-income communities. When Rocketship filed three civil rights complaints against the\u00a0local school district<\/a> for discrimination, Olivia was there advocating for her school, her daughter, and her community. \u00a0And she did so with a strong and compassionate\u00a0spirit. \u00a0In the below video about their struggles with the district,\u00a0Olivia reminds us that we can achieve anything when we do it together. “We are very happy because as a community, as parents, we are very united. And they can’t take that away from us.”<\/p>\n