Newsletter Fall 2021

Presenting the Class of 2021, pg. 8

Join us in keeping our promise, pg. 10

F A L L

Camila learns how to build trust, pg. 6

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Keeping BIG Dreams Intact As you may recall in the fall 2020 issue of our Dance Up newsletter, I mentioned an article

by McKinsey and Company titled, “COVID-19 and Student Learning in the United States: The Hurt Could Last a Lifetime,” that resonated with our team. In response to the article, we began gathering data from various resources and some of the early research was projecting:

Dawn S. Reese

Chief Executive Officer @DawnSReese

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Learning loss of up to 3 to 12 months+ for students that do not return to a traditional classroom setting by fall 2021

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Increased high school dropout rates in thousands of additional students, by 9th grade

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Increase in disconnection rates of students from campuses and work

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College-bound seniors taking gap years or postponing college which may make an impact on their future earning potential

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Increased mental health cases of stress, anxiety, and depression

At The Wooden Floor, in order to mitigate the potential impact to our students, we have been laser-focused on one thing… to ensure our students emerge from the pandemic with the social, emotional, and academic well-being to keep their big dreams intact for their bright futures ahead.

Dance is The Answer. ™ Our high impact approach to dance education is centered in somatics, “soma” meaning “the body,” to ensure our students know who they are by creating a space for reflection and expression, creative problem-solving, exploration, and joy through movement.

Through this lens, we see that for students to achieve social and economic equity in an ever-evolving, automated, and creative-economy, The Wooden Floor’s creative youth development approach must continue to align with the goals of the Orange County Department of Education for fostering the 5 Cs: Communication, Collaboration, Critical Thinking, Creativity, and Character. At The Wooden Floor, we foster a sixth C: Courage.

We are especially proud that throughout 2020-2021, our students and alumni are not only surviving during the pandemic but thriving: ■

Our All-Campus Student GPA is 3.0 and students who have struggled academically have the help of both a one-on-one tutor and an academic advisor

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100% of our Class of 2021 have graduated high school and immediately enrolled in higher education (see page 8)

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Our alumni continue to achieve a college degree attainment rate of 54% since 2005, which is over four times greater than the national rate of 12% for their socioeconomic peers (National Center for Education Statistics)

These sustained successes on behalf of our students and families are made possible due to you — our loving community of supporters. We are grateful to all who continue to work tirelessly each and every year to ensure we move young people forward today and well into the future.

With gratitude,

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THE WOODEN FLOOR

Mission Moment

38th Annual Concert: Passage/Home After four residences, seven full-time weeks of rehearsals, and successfully completing eight stellar performances, students of The Wooden Floor truly returned to live performance in triumph!

Our 38th Annual Concert: Passage/Home was a site-specific spectacular featuring ten separate performances that encompassed dances, multi-media, and visual installations. It showcased creative possibilities, exploring the unknown together, and welcoming audiences into our students’ “second home.”

We thank the endless list of people, who behind the scenes, guided a safe environment. This allowed our students to harness the platform for success they’ve always known, and add their distinctive points of view to co-create a poignant and ground-breaking experience.

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Newsfeed READ-ALONG BOOK CLUB JULY 2021 In our four-week Read-Along Book Club, students read The Velveteen Rabbit, and enhanced their critical thinking skills.

The club exposes students and parents to dual language books and fosters the development of listening skills, spelling, reading comprehension, and vocabulary.

Participants of the Read-Along Book Club collectively read a dual-language book in a virtual classroom setting. Benefits from participating include:

CONNECT6 AND CONNECT7 WORKSHOPS JUNE 2021 This summer, we continued to support our middle school students with our Connect6 and Connect7 workshops. In our Connect6 workshops, students shared and discussed social-emotional topics that will help them make responsible decisions, establish positive relationships, and help navigate challenging situations effectively. In our Connect7 workshops, rising 8th graders learned to be accepting and kind to themselves through conversations about diversity, uniqueness, random acts of kindness, and building empathy.

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Helping students and parents feel included and connected in learning

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Fostering a love for reading in English and Spanish

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Building vocabulary in both languages

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Supporting learning in different environments

THE WOODEN FLOOR

COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS WORKSHOPS JUNE 2021 This summer, our high school students participated in our Senior Summer Workshops, Virtual Career Days, and Virtual College Tours – all designed to help students further explore careers through informational topics on applications and scholarships as well as hearing from professionals in industries such as computer science, biotechnology, and performing arts.

Throughout our Virtual College Tour Series, alumni and college representatives lead virtual campus tours to CSU Fullerton, Concordia University (pictured above), Chapman University, South Coast College, and the University of Redlands so students could inquire about campus life, learn about different majors, and explore options for their future college careers.

DANCEWEAR DISTRIBUTION AUGUST 2021 Our students picked up their free dancewear uniforms in anticipation of their return to in-person classes for our fall session after more than a year of remote learning. Dancewear is provided to eliminate any barriers to participation during our students’ 10-year journeys at The Wooden Floor. Appropriate dance attire is essential to moving unencumbered during classes and also allows faculty the opportunity to observe alignment and body placement to ensure dancer safety.

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In the First Person:

Camila,

Class of 2025

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t The Wooden Floor, we share a connection through dance, so it is easier to build trust and a close community. I try to take that with me to

other places and build trust wherever I go.

The Wooden Floor is an amazing place that has really inspired me and so many other people. I’ve learned to be more confident. Not only are you learning to dance but you’re also learning to build such strong relationships with your classmates and your teachers.”

-Camila, Class of 2025 This fall, Camila is entering Beckman High School in Tustin as a freshman with a 4.0 GPA. She dreams of studying dance and graphic design in college so she can work in a creative field. Camila is the oldest of four siblings and has a brother and sister also enrolled at The Wooden Floor.

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THE WOODEN FLOOR

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Introducing

The Class of 2021

and the colleges they will be attending

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Amy Acosta

Kaitlyn Gonzalez

Frida Lozano

Santa Ana College Psychology

Santa Ana College Nursing

CSU Fullerton Business Administration

Arlhete Andrade

Lizbeth Gonzalez

Valeria Marquez

Orange Coast College Real Estate

Orange Coast College Undeclared

CSU Los Angeles Business Administration

Mayte Chavez

Jasmine Lopez

Elizabeth Quintanilla

University of Redlands Health, Medicine, and Society

Chapman University Political Science

Orange Coast College Sociology

Marcela Cid-Rosas

Zayra Lopez

Nathalie Rivas

University of Chicago Biology and Global Studies; Minor: Health and Society

Irvine Valley College Sociology

Orange Coast College Political Science

2021-2022 Board of Directors Theresa Allen,* Chair Managing Director and Portfolio Manager, First Republic Private Wealth Management Judith F. Posnikoff, PhD,* Immediate Past Chair Managing Director, Martlet Asset Management, LLC Saar Swartzon,* Vice Chair Principal Attorney, Cohn & Swartzon, a Professional Law Corporation Yvonne O’Neill,* Treasurer Certified Public Accountant, O’Neill Financial Management Joseph Chatelle,* Secretary Principal, Mercer Sasha Ayloush, Director of Sales & Marketing, Hydraflow Falon Baltzell, MFA, Artistic Director, The Wooden Floor Michelle Dean,* Community Leader Brent Funston, Chief Executive Officer, Wind River Group, LLC Elizabeth Gonzalez, Alumni Representative Community Leader Bryan Green, Financial Advisor, Edward Jones Jehan Jayakumar, Founding Partner, Carlson & Jayakumar, LLP

Luis Rodriguez UC Irvine Undeclared

Daniela Salazar Northeastern University Computer Engineering

Cynthia Santiago Santa Ana College Psychology

Marlen Segura Santa Ana College Nursing

Naveen Jonathan, PhD, LMFT, Community Representative Clinical Associate Professor of Marriage & Family Therapy, Chair, Marriage & Family Therapy, Crean College of Health & Behavioral Sciences, Chapman University Simon Khinda, Partner, Bridge Law, LLP Jeremy Krout, President/CEO, Environmental Planning Development Solutions, Inc. Richard Lee, Market President, Retired, Aetna, Southern California

THE WOODEN FLOOR

Iris Lopez-Guevara, Parent Representative Community Leader Catherine M. MacIver, Community Leader Dana McCollum, General Manager, American Funds/Capital Group Companies, Inc. Linh Nguyen, Vice President, Advance Beauty College Arthur Ong,* Executive Vice President, Retired, Deputy General Counsel PIMCO Alix Portillo, Compliance Analyst, Commercial Bank of California Dawn S. Reese, CFRE, Chief Executive Officer, The Wooden Floor Jim Slaughter, Partner, Slaughter & Slaughter, LLP Rossi Staynova, Parent Representative Community Leader Ernesto M. Vasquez, FAIA, NCARB, Partner & CEO, SVA Architects, Inc.

Board Emeriti Joan Beall, Community Leader Beth A. Burns, Founder of The Wooden Floor and Artistic Director (’83-’05) Sharon Hartshorn, Community Leader Richard C. Hunsaker,** President, Hunsaker Management Virginia Hunsaker,** Community Leader Damien M. Jordan, General Manager, Retired, American Funds/ Capital Group Companies, Inc. Yvonne M. Jordan, Community Leader Socorro Vasquez, Community Leader

* Executive Committee Members. ** In Memoriam.

Last Modified: September 1, 2021

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TH AN K

YOU

1 5 T H A N N UA L KEEP THE PROMISE BENEFIT

SPONSORS PREMIER The Beall Family Foundation Janice & John Markley

PLATINUM R&V Management

GOLD Adele & Bryan Green Sharon & Terry Hartshorn The Hughes Family Foundation KNU For Kids Foundation Judy Posnikoff Nancy & Geoffrey Stack The Thompson Family Foundation Julie & Justin Wilson Nancy & Arn Youngman

SILVER Ann & John Clark Michelle & Timothy Dean The Ezralow Company First Republic Bank Frome Family Foundation Teri & Alan Hoops Hydraflow - Ayloush Family Yvonne & Damien Jordan Carole & Rich Lee The Muzzy Family Paula & Douglas Neff Sherry Sandoval & Jon Lash Carolyn & Peter Shea The Weaver Family Foundation Peter G. Welsh

15TH ANNUAL

BRONZE

To ensure the health and safety of our community, we have decided, along with Co-Chairs Janice and John Markley and Premier Sponsors Joan and Don Beall, to once again forego an in-person wine tasting event and continue to raise funds for our year-round programs that transform the lives of under-served youth in Orange County.

Although we will not be gathering together in person, it remains vitally important that we continue to keep the promise we make to our students over their 10-year journeys at The Wooden Floor: from here, you can step anywhere. We thoughtfully ask you for your support to help change the trajectory of the lives of young people from low-income communities.

Without normal event-related expenses such as food, décor, and audio-visuals this year, 100% of the funds raised will support The Wooden Floor’s comprehensive dance, academic, and family services programs that support nearly 500 under-served youth every year. Please join us in keeping our promise!

TheWoodenFloor.org/WineTasting

Theresa & Jonathon Allen Michele & Joseph Chatelle Edna & Richard Cole Jehan Jayakumar - Carlson & Jayakumar LLP Karin Krogius & Scott Mason Joe & Sylvia Livingston Monica & Jim Meacham Ginger & Arthur Ong Bonnie & Dan Platt Kassandra & Gregory Richardson Simon Foundation for Education and Housing

COPPER Diane & Dennis Baker Denise & Keith Banning Mrs. Sandy Fainbarg Ruchika Garga Pamela & Donald Gilmour Donald Grant Susan & Peter Hitch Susan & Scott Kisting Warren R. Lyons Cath MacIver & Jim Slaughter Tracie & Dick McCloskey Sandy & Charlie McLaughlin Donna Neff Barbara & Ken Strottman Rutan & Tucker As of September 13, 2021

THE WOODEN FLOOR

Supporter Sightings From Left: Board Member Jehan Jayakumar with Jillian Jayakumar, Eric Wang, and Nancy Wang

38th Annual Concert Opening Night Celebration Supporters gathered in-person for the first time in more than a year to celebrate and support students at our 38th Annual Concert Opening Night Celebration. Guests gathered outdoors for a brief dessert reception before setting off to enjoy Passage/Home, A Site-Specific Exploration of Place. Students of The Wooden Floor collaborated with choreographer and film director Stephan Koplowitz to transform The Wooden Floor’s Ernesto M. Vasquez-designed space at its Main Street flagship location into a multiplatform stage and exhibition space for a unique site-specific performance.

From Left: Immediate Past Chair and Concert Underwriter Judith F. Posnikoff with Board Treasurer Yvonne O'Neill

“One of the guiding principles of The Wooden Floor is that we believe if our students are provided the best – they will rise to their best, and this couldn’t be better illustrated than by this Annual Concert.”

Judith F. Posnikoff, Immediate Past Board Chair and Concert Underwriter

From Left: Board Member Linh Nguyen and Dung Vu

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1810 North Main Street Santa Ana, CA 92706-2727 714.541.8314 TheWoodenFloor.org

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Please Save the Date!*

Saturday, October 16, 2021 | 8:30am-1:30pm THE WOODEN FLOOR MAIN STREET LOCATION Do you know a child who needs us? Our Annual Auditions return to an in-person format with safety measures in place. Please help spread the word to our community about the opportunity to join The Wooden Floor.

More information at TheWoodenFloor.org/Auditions

Eat & Wrap – IN PERSON! Monday, December 6, 2021 | 11:00am THE WOODEN FLOOR MAIN STREET LOCATION Join The Wooden Floor as we bring Christmas cheer to our 475 students! Enjoy wrapping gifts for each and every student and decorating trees to be sent home with children who would otherwise go without. Lunch will be served.

More information at TheWoodenFloor.org/Events *Based on community health conditions at the time.

Photography by Timothy Agler, Christine Cotter, Sarah Delgado, and Tony Lattimore. ©2021 The Wooden Floor.

Annual Auditions – IN PERSON!

DanceUp is a trademark of The Wooden Floor.

We remain hopeful we will be able to gather at the following events to help propel our students and our mission forward.