De Marillac Academy News

News De Marillac

Summer 2019 demarillac.org

Alejandra ’05, Genesis ’10 and Daniela ’09 stand in front of the gate at 175 Golden Gate Avenue.

Enter to Learn, Leave to Serve These three alumnae are paving the path for current and future Saints.

If someone told Alejandra Hernandez ’05, Daniela Velazquez ’09 or Genesis Manyari ’10 that they would go back to their middle school to work, they wouldn’t have believed it. They just completed their first school year as De Marillac staff and faculty. Each pursued different educational and professional paths, but each wanted to pay forward the generosity, compassion and care they experienced while students at 175 Golden Gate Avenue.

De Marillac instilled values of responsibility, compassion, gratitude, perseverance, leadership and integrity. They were taught the importance of learning and taking advantage of all opportunities. Daniela, database and social media coordinator, credits the school’s Lasallian and Vincentian values for leading her to be service-oriented in her career and community.

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A Message from the President I would like to thank you for your contribution to the De Marillac Academy mission. We can’t do it without the collaboration and support of our community, and we do it better because of your contributions. This year, our community embraced the theme “The Work Is Ours” and everyone played an important role in the work of educating young people in the Tenderloin.

This issue highlights the many people who participate in our shared work. I hope you enjoy learning more about our alumni who have come back to work at De Marilllac. Each has made a mark on De Marillac’s present and future work. Families are students’ primary educators and at DMA, family participation is as impactful as any other school – enjoy reading about this year’s family council and the ways they’ve poured into our school community. And, it is a privilege to celebrate a long-time volunteer Rosie Horan who has supported our students and graduates in and out of the classroom since our beginning.

At this time, we reflect on all that has taken place in the school year. We celebrate the completion of the WCEA/WASC self-study and visit. The DMA community learned a lot over the 18-month process, and we are pleased to share that we received the highest level of accreditation. We also have the privilege of celebrating the Class of 2019, who have led the school this year with hard work and service to others. In addition, we congratulate the Class of 2015 graduating from high school and the many graduates who completed a post-secondary achievement.

As we recharge over the summer break, we anticipate the excitement of what the 2019-2020 school year will bring and look forward to welcoming the Class of 2024 students and families to De Marillac in August!

Have a wonderful summer!

Theresa Flynn Houghton President

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Enter to Learn, Leave to Serve As De Marillac students, they faced similar challenges to those of our current students, but the support and encouragement from the school community made a deep and lasting impact. One that left each feeling a responsibility to give back and empower students who grew up with similar backgrounds.

Alejandra, Daniela and Genesis are doing just that. Genesis, a fourth-grade teacher, loves being able to teach her students about the world and tries her best to make sure they know how much they are loved.

And Daniela, guided by her passion for our mission, enjoys telling the stories of our school community through social media and advocating for our students and graduates through the work of the development office.

Alejandra, director of student and family services, works to strengthen programs and services for our families and their students. Her favorite part of her job is building relationships with our families and students. “It feels like I never left. Our families make me feel right at home,� says Alejandra.

We are beyond grateful to have welcomed Alejandra, Daniela and Genesis to our team of dedicated staff and faculty. They serve as leaders and role models for our students and graduates. They are living examples that our students can lead lives of meaning, choice and purpose.

De Marillac Academy is proud to announce:

We’re Social! Search De Marillac Academy and Follow Us 3

Our Graduates We are proud to share with you the milestones of our De Marillac Saints. The Class of 2019 will begin high school in the fall; the Class of 2015 will proceed to their post-secondary path; and many De Marillac alumni completed a post-secondary milestone.

Class of 2019

1

4

Lowell High School

2

Mercy High School

3

St. Ignatius College Preparatory

14

Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory High School

Archbishop Riordan High School

“De Marillac taught me to see the beauty and positivity in everything and deepened my care and understanding of the Tenderloin. As I leave DMA, I’m going to take opportunities to serve others. Our smiles, donations, time, and endless compassion can heal the wounds of those who are struggling.

Let us spread unconditional love to the whole world and believe in capabilities as a community, and as individuals.”

—Nicole M., Class of 2019 Valedictorian

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11

students were accepted with honors into high school

2

students accepted into specialized academic programs

“De Marillac set me up to succeed in school and in life. My path to graduation was unorthodox, but the Graduate Support Program has been my backbone throughout college and provided support and encouragement as I worked toward my degree and personal wellbeing.”

—Danny Ramos, Class of 2010

Class of 2015 The Class of 2015 have declared the following majors:

37%

58%

Applied to UC’s

Applied to private schools

Biology Nursing Engineering Finance

79%

Law Urban Design & Architecture Criminal Justice

Applied to CSUs

88%

graduated and will attend college in the fall

Post-Secondary Milestones

Film Editing Political Science

Nine Graduates obtained a postsecondary degree

Psychology Medicine Paleontology Communications Entrepreneurship Environmental Science

Post-Secondary Graduation Rate: DMA compared to students with similar demographics nationwide*

39% DMA 11%

*The

Pell Institute

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Family Council members (from left) Diana Carrizales, Erica Castillo, Angelica Ramirez and Norma Carrera.

Our Families

The Glue that Holds the DMA Community Together We are fortunate to regularly celebrate the milestones of our students and graduates but the partnership we hold most dearly is that of our families. They wholeheartedly give 100% to our community and we are truly blessed to have them participate in their student’s DMA experience. The glue that holds this community together, they are our guiding compass as we work to better serve our students and graduates.

This year, families volunteered to fill significant roles in the library, the student services center and as coaches for our athletic teams. Fourteen families also served on the De Marillac Family Council, an advisory group that fosters community engagement and most importantly is the voice of DMA families.

“Family engagement ensures the success of our students and is a platform for families to voice input on how we can improve our efforts to serve our students,

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graduates and families,” says Alejandra Hernandez ’05, director of student and family services.

Family members stepped up as leaders within Family Council to plan events, support admissions and lead council meetings. The council is also a forum for discussions on neighborhood safety, STEM programming and the lunch program. Family council provides a wealth of information and has helped facilitate conversations with local organizations that can support the work we do at De Marillac.

Families play an important role in the success of our students and graduates and even more so when they take an active role in the school life itself. They have many skills to lend and we couldn’t push our mission forward without them. From coaching DMA Saints’ teams to managing our library, and all the activities in between, we thank you!

Our Volunteers

Rosie Horan, Dedication from the Heart If you’ve attended De Marillac’s Annual Scholarship Benefit, you’ve experienced the work of one of our most dedicated volunteers, Rosie Horan. For the past eight years, Rosie has graciously helped with the coveted student art auction.

With an artistic eye, she selects the student art, frames it and designs the display for the Annual Scholarship Benefit at the Westin St. Francis.

“The art auction is a great opportunity for the school to demonstrate the talent and creativity of DMA students. My favorite part is seeing the excitement in the students when they see their artwork on display,” she says.

Her commitment doesn’t stop there.

Rosie has volunteered in many different capacities since De Marillac’s inception in 2001. She taught enrichment classes, tutored students and has always been involved in the school’s fundraising efforts. Rosie and her husband Jim also sponsor a table at the Annual Scholarship Benefit and love introducing new people to De Marillac each year.

Having both attended Catholic schools, Jim and Rosie have a special place in their hearts for De Marillac.

“De Marillac is a family unit and everyone works together to make sure all students and graduates succeed. I am proud to support the school’s efforts.”

Thank you, Rosie, for your gifts of time, talent and treasure!

Volunteer Opportunities Interested in volunteering at De Marillac?

There are several ways take part in our mission! Teach an enrichment class, coach a sports team, tutor our students, serve as a leadership council member or lend your professional skills.

Please email volunteer@demarillac.org and indicate which type(s) of opportunities interest you.

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Their Lives.

Your Support.

Our Future.

Demarillac.org/give

De Marillac Academy 175 Golden Gate Avenue San Francisco, CA 94102