YET, STILL WE RISE !

LAUSD stills scratches its head over what gave rise to Cleveland High School’s Village Nation 10th grade African American class, passing the CAHSEE in both MATH and ELA at 92%! They now are confronted with yet another “impossible achievement” for African American students—an API increase of 81 when the target was 7! Cleveland High School, the largest comprehensive 9th -12th,Title One, traditional calendar high school in the second largest school district in the nation, now flexes the title of California Distinguish School while holding the ever elusive six-year clear accreditation. School officials say that a 7-point increase on the API score is considered sufficient. In 2004, the API scores for the African-American sub group at Cleveland High School exploded by an amazing 53 points. The following year, in 2005, the scores increased an additional 37 points. 2006 brought another 29 point leap! A 17 point thrust in 2007, allowed Cleveland High School’s African American sub group to shatter the 700 API glass ceiling for a comprehensive, Title One urban school. After a dip in 2008, Cleveland High School defied gravity and ascended 81 points with a 748 API score! Guidance, love, discipline, and a whole lot of prayer have proven, yet again, that students who were considered “unreachable” can be resilient and soar to excellence without limits. Meanwhile, in our other 6 schools, African American students have exceeded the API targets—the second highest growth was at Citrus Hill where students scored 75 points!

TVN’s parent organization, Life Line and The Village Nation/UCLA Partnership hosted its first annual Parent Summit titled, “Education is a civil right- Back to the Movement,” while the third annual Black/ Brown Love assembly brought 2,600 Black and Brown brothers and sisters together in solidarity. In the meantime, this summer concluded with our Summer Institutes I & II: “Unlocking the Genius of the African American Student” –a four day retreat for teachers, administrators, parents, counselors and advocates.

As we roar into the 6th Year of the Village Nation, we see continued positive growth from our students’ preparation to navigate successfully the halls of higher learning, along with new rites of passage called the “Solution” in which they have taken a firm stance in understanding the responsibility that accompanies their culture and heritage. The Village Nation embarked on its “Solution I” event with more than 1,100 students on Thanksgiving Day and fed thousands of less fortunate brothers and sisters at the Fred Jordan Mission in Los Angeles. Solution II will take place from Thanksgiving Day to Martin Luther King Day during which we will replenish the pantries of the downtown missions, then march in the MLK Day parade. The Solution events serve as a reminder to our kids of the greatness that runs through their veins. Contact us for more information on how you can participate in this year’s “Solution I & II.”

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Words of Inspiration

Every man must decide whether he will walk in the creative light of altruism or the darkness of destructive selfishness. This is the judgment. Life's persistent and most urgent question is 'What are you doing for others?