Breakthrough San Juan Capistrano 2013-2014 annual report

2013-2014 Annual Report

Message from the Director When I reflect on the past year, I am truly amazed by everything Breakthrough SJC students, teachers, supporters and staff have accomplished. This has been a year of growth and our program has had many firsts: We had 2 AmeriCorps VISTA’s working for the program, were able to meet with high school students on a monthly basis at their respective high schools for the first time, held our first-ever Family Night event which appreciated Breakthrough SJC donors and we published our first program-wide annual report. In addition, we reestablished our Advisory Board, launched a new website and connected more high school students than ever with tutoring, internships and SAT/ACT prep. The list can go on and on!

Our main goals for the year were to effectively serve students so that they can go off to college and end the cycle of poverty in their family and community, but to also make more people aware of our program. We were honored to have the opportunity to present at the Capistrano Unified School Board District, the City Council of San Juan Capistrano, the San Juan Capistrano Chamber of Commerce and we were even featured on the front page of the Capistrano Dispatch! Breakthrough SJC has so much momentum and I am excited to lead the program for another year. Until all students in the San Juan Capistrano community have the opportunity to reach their full academic potential regardless of their race and socioeconomic background, we as a program will continue to find ways to make Breakthrough SJC more effective.

Our Mission • •

To increase academic opportunity for highly motivated, underserved students and put them on the trajectory of a successful college path, and To inspire and develop the next generation of teachers and educational leaders.

What We Do • Three consecutive, intensive six-week summer sessions in core and academic courses before entering seventh, eighth and ninth grade.

• After-school classes twice a week throughout middle school.

• Weekly tutoring sessions and monthly high school meetings for high school students throughout the school year.

• Connect our students with exceptional college and high school students who serve as their teachers and mentors.

• Guidance to parents so that they may be better prepared to support their children.

Our Impact Since its inception in 2006 Breakthrough SJC has Served

232 students

Trained

141 teachers

In-Session Overview • •

• • • •

Hour-long afterschool classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays at Marco Forster Middle School.

Four 5-week quarters of teaching, each focused on strengthening students’ skills in a specific content area from the EXPLORE test – a prep tool for the ACT college admissions exam!

Guest speakers and field trips.

Daily all-school meetings to build students’ public speaking skills and spark their creativity.

Parent conferences each semester to provide support customized to each student’s individual needs.

Activities like Olympics and Quiz Bowl alternating with tutoring days in which teachers conference with students about their grades and help them in the subjects they struggle in most.

In-Session Served: • • •

26 students in 7th grade 28 students in 8th grade 31 high schools students that volunteers as

92%

Students of Color

87%

Receive Free or Reduced Meals

95%

1st Generation to Attend College

teachers

HIgh Schools In-Session Teachers Attended 13%

19%

3%

83%

English is Second Language

65% Dana Hills

St. Margaret's

Santa Margarita

Capo Valley

Total Of 64

hours of programming

421 hours volunteered by In-Session teachers

Date(s)

Middle School Events and Descriptions

September 17 & 19 October 8 & 10

Parent Meetings 7th and 8th grade met to learn about Breakthrough’s school year programming for Marco students.

In-Session Teacher Training Teachers received professional development and training conducted by our Assistant Director. Each training session prepared teachers for their first time teaching in front of the classroom with lessons in proactive classroom management, active participation, leadership and student engagement.

Local Author Presentation Jessica Kirby, author of Golden, visited our middle school students to help celebrate the ACT English quarter. Many students read her novel and received signed copies.

Middle School Individual Conferences (8th Grade) Middle school students met individually with Program Director Lorena Martinez. 8th grade students focused on the transition to high school and fulfilling A-G requirements.

In-Session Teacher Training Dana Point Tide Pools Field Trip Students and teachers enjoyed a trip to the local tide pools after completing five weeks of pre-ACT science curricula. Students conducted scientific experiments and explored a new ecosystem.

Middle School Individual Conferences (8th and 7th Grades) Middle school students met individually with Program Director Lorena Martinez. 7th grade students discussed grades, school involvement and upcoming scholarship opportunities.

7th Grade Parent Meeting 7th grade parents discussed opportunities for increased involvement at the middle school and scholarships such as the Jack Kent Cook Scholarship.

October 29 Nov. 19 & 26, Dec. 2-5 December 3 January 16 January 23 February 3

February 4 February 10

February 18 February 19 May 24

June 3

June 5

In-Session Teacher Training 8th Grade Parent Meeting The event informed families of resources available to them during the transition from middle to high school. The meeting involved participation from Rotaract at Dana Hills High, AVID at both Capistrano Valley and San Juan Hills High, and the California Scholarship Federation (CSF) club at Capistrano Valley.

Jack Kent Cooke Young Scholars Program Application Workshop Students received guidance on first phase of the Jack Kent Cooke Scholarship Application.

Middle School Individual Conferences (8th and 7th grades) New Student Summer Orientation Our newest class of Breakthrough students and families attended Orientation to discuss logistics, scheduling and expectations of the summer program. All new students completed pre-testing in Math, English, Science and Social Studies.

8th Grade Orientation Returning Breakthrough 8th grade students and families attended Orientation to discuss expectations for the summer program and students finished summer pre-testing in Math, English, Science, and Social Studies.

College Bound Orientation Rising 9th grade students and their families attended Orientation for their third and final Breakthrough summer. Students finished all pre-testing for the summer and discussed the transition into the College Bound High School Program.

Middle School Student Highlight: Amy Fabian

Amy joined Breakthrough SJC as a 7th grade student from Marco Forster Middle School, so she could achieve her dream of becoming a pediatrician. Amy is an adamant reader, loves helping people in need, and has become a fantastic public speaker. Amy is not only committed to Breakthrough SJC, but is also involved in AVID and Roadrunner Reading Buddies.

Recently, Amy was named a Jack Kent Cooke Scholar.

Overview of the College Bound Program • Monthly sessions at each high school, during tutorial or lunch, on topics ranging from goal setting to professional interviewing to SAT prep.

• Weekly tutoring with Breakthrough, provided by area college students. If students drop below a 3.0 GPA, they are required to attend either Breakthrough tutoring or tutoring at their high schools.

• Special events for parents and students such as a resume workshop by City Year and a presentation from a Pomona Admissions representative.

• Class meetings during the Breakthrough SJC 2014 summer program.

Students Served 25 9th Grade

14 10th Grade 20 11th Grade 12 12th Grade 74 Total high school students

17 College Bound Tutors         

7 from the University of California, Irvine 2 from Saddleback College 1 from University of California, Los Angeles 1 from University of San Francisco 1 from Vanguard University 2 from St. Margaret’s Episcopal School 1 from Santa Margarita Catholic High School 1 from Mission Viejo High School 1 from Dana Hills High School

High Schools w/ BTSJC students Capistrano Valley 15 students

Dana Hills 18 students San Juan Hills 27 students St. Margaret’s 14 students

12 Average number of students at tutoring

48 Number of students that received tutoring

98 Number of tutoring hours offered

College Bound Events September

Introduction to College Bound meeting for parents and students

September

High School meetings to set vision for semester (September)

October

College Application Workshop from Pomona College

October

High School meeting to learn about summer programs

November

City Year Cover Letter and Resume Presentation

November

High School meeting to practice job interviews and application essay writing

December

Speaker from Saddleback College

December

College visit to California State University San Marcos

January

High School meetings to reflect on year’s goals and continuous improvement

January

Ice Skating Social

February

RAZA Youth Conference at the University of California, Irvine

February

Second semester parent meeting

February

High School meeting to learn about scholarships and financial aid

March

High School meetings to learn more about academic summer opportunities

April

High School meetings to plan schedules to meet A-G requirements

April

Junior Retreat to work on college applications

May

High School meeting to celebrate year and prep for finals and summer

June

College Bound Celebration

In addition Breakthrough SJC juniors were very generously provided with ACT/ SAT prep courses at a discounted price by Comprehensive College Prep (www. ccprep.org) The Boys and Girls Club of Capistrano Valley generously provided the space for tutoring every Monday and Wednesday from 4:00-6:00 p.m.

High school students were invited back to the summer program for class meetings for the first time ever!

Total of 145 hours of College Bound Programming

Class of 2014 College

Active Students

Two year Four year Total

33% 67% 100%

Entire BTSJC Class of 2014* 30% 42% 72%

*Includes all Breakthrough SJC students that attended 2008 summer program. Only active students continued to participate in Breakthrough SJC program throughout high school.

Colleges Breakthrough SJC 2014 seniors were accepted into Final Decisions: Agnes Scott College CSU San Marcos CSU Fullerton Redlands University Saddleback College UC Davis UC Merced University of San Francisco

New Students Breakthrough students are academically motivated middle and high school students, who are committed to success in a four-year college and demonstrate need for the program. Through engagement with Marco Forster Middle School and organizations in the San Juan Capistrano community, Breakthrough recruits highly motivated, committed sixth grade students and their families to submit comprehensive applications for entrance to the program.

How did we recruit the Class of 2020?

• • •

Marco Forster Middle School Recruitment Presentations: BTSJC’s Director presented to all Social Studies sixth grade classes at Marco Forster Middle School.

Parent Sessions: BTSJC’s Director held two parent sessions at Marco Forster to recruit and explain the program to Marco Forster parents.

Presentations at community organizations: o Boys and Girls Club of Capistrano Valley Via Positiva o Padres Promotores in San Juan Capistrano o Kinoshita Elementary School

Highlights 48 Total Applications 28 New Rising 7th Grade Students (65% acceptance rate)

2 New Rising 8th Grade Students 1 New Rising High School Freshmen 3.77 Average GPA of rising 7th grade students 48% increase in male students from 2013 86% qualify for free or reduced meals 89% will be the first in their families to attend college

Overview of the Summer Program Students’ involvement with Breakthrough SJC starts with our 6 week, 40 hour per week summer program. It is in this intense experience that students discover that learning is fun and that it’s cool to be smart.

Academic preparation, positive risk taking and community are all fundamental outcomes of Breakthrough SJC’s summer sessions.

A Typical Day at Breakthrough SJC Before 7:30 8:00 - 8:25 8:30 - 9:25 9:30 - 10:25 10:25-10:35 10:35 - 11:30 11:35 - 12:30 12:30 - 12:55 1:00 - 1:25 1:30 - 2:30 2:35 - 3:10 3:10 - 3:45 3:45 3:45-5:30

Get ready for bus pick up Breakfast and Attendance Math Class English Class Snack Science Class Social Studies Class Lunch All-School Meeting Academic Elective (Public Speaking, Philosophy, Photography) Advisory and College Time Exploration (Soccer, Tea Time, Zetangle) Teachers say good bye to students Students arrive home and complete homework Faculty Meetings, Professional Development, Committee Meeting, Kid Talk

June 18th- June 27th June 30th July 3rd July 7th July 11th July 16th July 16th July 22nd July 24th August 1st August 8th August 9th August 11th- August 13th

Superheroes: Transforming the world one student at a time

Quick Facts: 28 Rising 7th Grade students 27 Rising 8th Grade students 26 Rising 9th Grade students 20 Teaching Fellows 4 Junior Teachers (Breakthrough high school students) 4 Instructional Coaches 1 Dean of Students

2014 Summer Timeline Teacher Orientation and Training First Day of Breakthrough SJC Spirit Day Parents Night Field trips to San Diego Museum of Art and The Los Angeles County Museum of Art Career Day (presentations from biomedical firm Biostructures LLC, engineering firms The Boeing Company and Fluor Corporation, and St. Margaret’s Upper School Principal) College Bound Bonfire at Doheny Beach Visitors Day College Visits to University of California, Riverside and Occidental College Olympics Last Day of Breakthrough SJC and Late Night Celebration Teacher Wrap-Up

Student Summer Highlights • 7th graders read Sherman Alexie’s novel “The Absolute Diary of a Part-Time Indian”, 8th graders read Orson Scott Card’s “Ender’s Game”, and 9th graders read “Black Boy” by Richard Wright.

•

In just six weeks, 7th grade had a 2.2 grade level increase in Math.

•

7th and 8th grade students increased their reading level by one grade over the summer.

•

All 9th grade students wrote and revised personal essays in their College Skills course, so they may be ready to apply for scholarships and extracurricular programs as high school students.

•

Overall, a 13.8% growth in student mastery of core subjects – and growth across the board in all subjects!

•

All Breakthrough SJC students agreed their participation in Breakthrough will help them achieve their long-term goal of attending college.

Student Quotes

“My experience at Breakthrough has truly been amazing with all my fun teachers, fun activities, and great field trip learning experiences.”

Lexa Aguilar (7th grade)

“Breakthrough helps me learn because every teacher is easy to talk to… You can go to a teacher, and they are so nice to you.”

Eduardo Ruiz (7th grade)

“Breakthrough is amazing. Even though we have a lot of hard work to do, everything pays off.”

Nancy Mendez (8th grade)

“Breakthrough is the best program I have been in!”

Alan Abrego (9th grade)

Teaching Fellow Summer Highlights • • • • • •

100% of teachers were satisfied with their overall expereince at Breakthrough SJC. 100% of teachers agreed that Breakthrough SJC has better equipped them to be advocates to change educational inequality.

100% of Teaching Fellows completed their 8 week summer commitment.

60% increase in male Teaching Fellows.

3 Breakthrough SJC 2013 Teaching Fellows returned to teach another summer, a 200% increase from previous summer.

2 Breakthrough SJC students returned to the summer program to serve as Teaching Fellows.

Colleges represented in 2014 Teaching Fellow Cohort

Teacher Quotes “The best aspect of Breakthrough is the students. I am so grateful to have been able to work with them and to have been able to learn from them. I also would say that the support system for Teaching Fellows at Breakthrough comes in at a close second.”

David Pham, Vassar

“BTSJC increased my commitment to the teaching profession because it gave me the confidence I needed to pursue my dream of becoming a teacher. BTSJC gave me tools to improve my teaching and continue to grow in the future.”

Elena Segarra, Claremont McKenna College

“Breakthrough students wake up early every morning in the summer to come to school. They are enthusiastic about the program and make all the hard work worth it. I can see potential in each of them, and I loved seeing them grow over the past two summers. I have seen them grow so much.”

Eliza McDonough, Dartmouth College

“The interaction between teachers and students is the best aspect of Breakthrough.

Breakthrough students don’t know too many college students, but now they are exposed to twenty of them. It makes college more real and attainable because they come from all sorts of colleges and universities, not just the big name top ten schools in America. They like their teachers and eat lunch with them, and it makes learning fun.”

Coral Ramos, Breakthrough SJC sand Dana Hills High School student, 2014 Junior Teacher

Teacher Demographics Breakthrough SJC 2014 Total Teaching Fellows: 20 Gender Male Female Primary Race African American American Indian Asian Latino Caucasian Multi-racial Other Teacher Demographics First in family to go to college Breakthrough student/alumni Education At Time of Application High school College undergraduate Education Experience Education Major Before Breakthrough New Breakthrough Teacher Returning Breakthrough Teacher Colleges Ivy League Top 50 (National University Ranking) Top 50 (Liberal Arts Ranking) Other Summer '14 Average GPA

Number

Percentage

8 12

40% 60%

2 0 3 8 6 0 1

10% 0% 15% 40% 30% 0% 5%

10 2

50% 10%

6 14

30% 70%

5 16 4

25% 80% 20%

3 10 6 2

15% 50% 30% 10% 3.59

Community Outreach

Breakthrough Presents at San Juan Capistrano City Council Breakthrough Families Host Appreciation Dinner for Donors and Supporters

Breakthrough and Friends of the Library Celebrate World Book Night

Breakthrough Students March at Swallow’s Day Parade

Breakthrough Featured on The Capistrano Dispatch and The Dana Point Times

Breakthrough SJC Receives the 2014 Innovation Grant from Breakthrough Collaborative

Breakthrough Presents at Capistrano Unified School District Board of Trustees

CR&R Becomes a Breakthrough Community Partner

Community Members Attend Open House Tour of Breakthrough’s College Bound Tutoring Program

Community Members Attend Visitors Day to Catch a Glimpse of our Summer Program

CCPrep Generously Offers Discounted SAT/ACT Classes for Breakthrough Students

BioStructures, Boeing, Flour, and St. Margaret’s Inspire Students at Career Day

Boys & Girls Club of Capistrano Valley Hosts Breakthrough College Bound Tutoring Program

Flour Corporation Shares Engineering Techniques with Students in Breakthrough’s Summer Program

Two Breakthrough College Bound Students Intern with U.C Irvine’s Chemical Engineering and Materials Science Lab

Financial Report Sources of Funding $20,000 , 6%

Donations SMES $60,088 , 18%

$87,500 , 26%

In-kind Donations SMES Foundations

$100,000 , 29%

$71,751 , 21%

Individual Donors Corporate Sponsors

Use of Funds $25,000 , 7%

Program Operating Cost

$314,339 , 93%

Administrative & Fundraising Costs

Reserve funds at September 30, 2014 were $45,816 (25% of annual need)

Thank You to Our 2014 Volunteers Advisory Board Duraid Antone Antigone Blackwell Laura Freese Jeneen Graham Ed Hand Gila Jones Jim and Karen Murphy Stacey Nicholas Elizabeth Novick Jim Reardon Gretchen Scott Teaching Fellows Nikita Akkala, Scripps College Paige Bermudez, William and Mary College Ethan Blake, Brown University Angel Ceballos, Swarthmore College Luis Ceballos, Swarthmore College Qunsia Daniel, Northwestern University Jassmin Del Rio, St. Margaret’s Episcopal School Samantha Geary, Wake Forest University Nicole Hood, University of Florida Jose Limon, Yale University Lidia Lopez, St. Margaret’s Episcopal School Leanne Lupone, University of California, Irvine Eliza McDonough, Dartmouth College David Pham, Vassar College Ellen Schneider, Mercer College Elena Segarra, Claremont McKenna College Grant Thomas, University of Nebraska Brandon Torres, Swarthmore College Alexander Tran, University of California, Los Angeles Farida Valji, University of California, Berkeley Instructional Coaches Lindsey Behm, Marco Forster Middle School Erin Bratcher, St. Mary’s School Blair Dyer, Dana Hills High School Cat Nolan, San Juan Hills High School Junior Teachers Mariel Diaz Natalia Garcia Rolando Perez Coral Ramos

In-Session Teachers Maribel Castanon Nicole Demirbey Natalia Garcia Jessica Guerinot Jillian Harper CJ Jacobs Soo Min Kim Roman Lemus Cameron Manor David Mena Alissa Ohanesian Devon Palladni Coral Ramos Natali Sanchez Shiva Shabak Neal Singh Nivin Singh Trent Sorenson Ariana Vargas College Bound Tutors Lilibeth Aguilar Kareem Allam James Davis Kevin Estipular Hannah Ghavami Jocelyn Gonzalez Roxy Hernandez Issac Huerta Fatima Lopez Micaela Maciel Sheenaros Manuel Paola Miranda Lauren Mouacdie David Nissenoff Jessica Ramos Jessica Singh Kathryn Trenbeath

Summer Student Leaders Katherine Adelman Rocio Alarcon Andre Antone Cinthia Avila Daniel Briseno Jack Cowan Evan Feller Alex Gallastegui Jose Hurtado Katarina Lado Aide Najera Jana Phillips Brian Salgado Ivan Santana Roberto Santana Shiva Shabak Josephine Shaw Nivin Singh Trent Sorenson Ariana Vargas Jason Vorhis Blake Williams Homestay Families Girand/McGregor Family Gossard Family Graham Family Kaufman Family Linaweaver Family Marko Family Murphy Family Salkin Family Scott Family Solt Famiy

Thank You to Our 2014 Donors

Donor Organizations

Linda and David Bush

AmeriCorps VISTA

Patricia and Earnest Clark

Breakthrough National Office

Ruth Clark

Comprehensive College Prep

Lyn and Paul Clute

Connelly Family Foundation

Ryan and Anne Dahlem

CR&R Incorporated

Ellen and David Edington

Croul Family Foundation

Lynn and Sydney Edwards

J. Stanley & Mary W. Johnson Family Foundation

Lara and Jim Farhadi

Microsoft Matching Gifts Program

Geeta and Sonny Grover

The Nicholas Endowment

Kelly and Jay Jacobs

Orange County’s United Way

Marla and Joseph Kaufman

Printing OC

Melissa and Brent Kuhn

Ricardo’s Place

Melissa and J.P. Leasure

San Juan Capistrano Equestrian Coalition

Leah Martinez

St. Margaret’s Episcopal School

Lorena Martinez

Summer Food Service Program

Aysun and Sager Moritzky

United Way Silicon Valley

Rita and Mark O’Hare Margie Robinson

Individual Donors

Gretchen and Matt Scott

Candy and Duraid Antone

Beverly and David Shaw

Steve Behmerwohld

Penny Tacquard

Jim Behmerwohld

Lysa and Jeff Thomas

Chris and Brad Bonhall

Jolanta and Arminas Wagner

Laura Bretzger

The following lists reflect Breakthrough SJC donors for July 1, 2013 – June 30, 2014