CEO NEWS & NOTES
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
As we celebrate Women's History Month, I have been taking time to reflect on Women of Courage. Throughout my adolescence and adult life, I paid close attention to extraordinary women of courage who fought to abolish slavery and to fight for freedom and for civil and human rights. Among them, Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, Rosa Parks, Melba Patillo Beals, and Nettie Hunt stand out. I admired their leadership qualities, unwavering love for humanity, and their steadfast quests for justice and the equal rights of others.
At International Leadership Charter High School, we strive to instill these same qualities in our students. Therefore, throughout Women's History Month, we are celebrating the many women who have had the courage and commitment to change our country and our world. Through our Youth Leadership Advisory and our Community Development Project, our students are participating in a special initiative to learn more about these pioneers and examine how we can demonstrate character and drive in our own lives.
My Weekly Quote...
“I would like to be known as a person who is concerned about freedom and equality and justice and prosperity for all people.” - Rosa Parks
In 1997, Rosa Parks, known as the "Mother of the Civil Rights Movement," visited the Scholastic Website in to answer questions from students. During this month long project, students had the opportunity to learn more about Ms. Parks, her life before the Civil Rights movement, and the Montgomery Bus Boycott that she started by not giving up her seat to a white passenger in 1955. Through this amazing project, students are able to see how this one brave act resulted in a Supreme Court ruling that segregation on buses was illegal. Rosa Parks died on October 25, 2005 at age 92. Read more from this extraordinary interview.
Featured Biographical Sketches...
In 1957, Melba Patillo Beals, the author of Warriors Don't Cry, integrated the public schools in the Arkansas and became part of the Little Rock Nine at only the age of 15. Read more about Ms. Beals here.
May 1954: This historical photo shows Nettie Hunt and her daughter Nikie sitting on the steps of the US Supreme Court, after the high court's ruling in the Brown vs. Board of Education case that made segregation in public schools unconstitutional. We owe this landmark ruling to Linda Brown who was the first black student to walk into in all white school in Topeka, Kansas. This single act resulted in the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that mandated the right of black children to be educated alongside white children. Teaching resources on Brown vs. Board of Education can be found here.
And finally, I must highlight one of my mentors and a role model for many, Dr. Antonia Pantoja. Dr. Pantoja is the Founder of Aspira and the first Puerto Rican woman to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom, alongside Rosa Parks. Read more about this inspirational woman here.
Scholars of the Month Leadership Awardees
9th Grade
Miriam Hernandez
Aaron Torres
10th Grade
Raymond Rodriguez
Briana Whyte
11th Grade
Benjamin Amankwaa
Sulaiman Bah
12th Grade
Dinesia Hart
Leoscar Roman
Faculty of the Month: Jessy Simon
Mrs. Simon joined the ILCHS community in September 2010. Since then, she has been teaching the Community Development Course to 11th and 12th Grade students while also serving as the school's Special Education and Internship Coordinator. Mrs. Simon received her Bachelors in History and Masters in Special Education and Social Studies from Manhattanville College in Purchase, New York. Mrs. Simon currently holds a dual certification in teaching for Social Studies and Special Education (Grades 5-12.) As an educator, Mrs. Simon's philosophy is to provide a world class education to students and prepare them to be leaders in this global economy.
One Hundred Days of School!
Inspirational Speaker “Coach D” Andrews was invited to join us for our 100 Days of School Celebration to discuss "Attributes of a Leader." Our school community commemorated this event with a powerful and exciting full day of presentations and leadership activities for our students and a special luncheon and professional development for our faculty.
Read more about Coach D here.
Lehman College Sci-Fest Competition
On Thursday February 27, 2014 two of our Senior Scholars shined at the Lehman College Sci-Fest Competition. Leslee Ramos and Chandani Jagmohan entered a project on the Stability of Molecular Hydrogen Inside Fullerenes. They were among the top 9 out of 16 projects entered and qualified for the second phase of the competition.
At ILCHS, we seek to prepare every student to become a leader in the global world, and we are truly proud of our success! To build on and maintain this success, however, we need your support. Please consider supporting ILCHS today!
As ILCHS is a qualified 501(c)(3) organization, your contribution will be fully tax deductible. Please visit our donations page to make a safe and secure online contribution. |
Posted: March 7, 2014