Tehama - The Magazine - Red Bluff Daily News
Issue link: http://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/195321
"We first brought College OPTIONS to Tehama County to show eighth graders how choosing the right classes in high school provides them options after graduation," said Grissom, "Today, they support the high school counselors, arrange trips and events and help make sense of getting to college, whether it's the financial ins and outs or the academics." Most recently, College OPTIONS partnered with Expect More Tehama to bring ACT and SAT test preparation courses to Tehama County, something that is common in more urban areas. They also coordinate college visit trips for area 8th graders and high school students and generously provide scholarships. Today, many schools have also adopted a No Excuses University model that builds a college awareness culture at school. Mrs.Pooler's fourth grade class at Lassen View School proudly hangs their Chico State Flag outside their classroom every day, and on Friday's the students wear their Chico State shirts. Whether or not they all choose to go to college, the students will at least understand the concept and possibly see themselves as a future college student. Every class at the school has adopted a college, including the front office (UCLA) and the Bus Building (UC Davis). Over time, efforts have also focused on younger students. Expect More Tehama launched Tehama Reads, a school readiness and literacy initiative to champion reading proficiency as a community and moral responsibility. This initiative was in response to the release of a report by the Annie E. Casey Foundation that linked third grade reading proficiency with the probability of future drop30 Tehama - the Magazine, October, 2013 out rates, incarceration and poverty. The effort has included community bookshelves that encourage children to take books home; summer book mobiles delivering books to outlying areas; a connection with the libraries and education that provides a summer reading and incentive program and free book giveaways at Enjoy Movies in the Park and Red Bluff Farmer's Market. Technology is also a priority, and Expect More offered 11 mini-grants to teachers who attended a series of technology workshops this year. To be considered for the grants, teachers had to explain the technology they were requesting, how they planned to use it, and how they would share that knowledge with other teachers. Jon Jones, a teacher at Red Bluff High School, received an iPad to allow him to use Educreations, a content creation and delivery tool. "In addition to giving me access to a new technology platform to create content, the grant allowed me to explore the exploding area of "app" based student content," said Jones. "And I use technology in a greater way to monitor student progress and perform common classroom management tasks." Whether it's career exploration, developing leadership skills, applying new technology, promoting literacy or reminding residents that they have talents to share with youth, Expect More celebrates and champions hope in Tehama County. Understanding and fostering the value of learning, education and engagement is at the heart of that hope. The Los Molinos High School Elevations Workshop will be tailored after this session held in July.