For the final entry in our #ChartersGiveBack series, we are highlighting three different charter school networks in Southern California and their stand-out efforts to meet the physical and emotional needs of students during the pandemic.
As this series has shown, charter public schools in the Bay Area and Central Valley are a big-hearted, stabilizing force in the communities they serve, delivering vital resources and emotional comfort to kids and their families. It’s the same story when it comes to the charter school community down South.Once again, let’s get inspired by how much #ChartersGiveBack!
KIPP SoCal Public Schools is serving healthy meals to all public school students
Since March, KIPP SoCal public schools has demonstrated what it means to live out the value of ‘better together.’
The Los Angeles-based charter school network, which operates 20 schools and serves more than 9,000 students, has partnered with Revolution Foods, nonprofit meal sponsor Our Little Helpers, and the San Diego Unified School District to deliver one million healthy meals to families and students from both charter and traditional public schools.
With team members spread across 17 Grab-&-Go School sites, the collective effort has brought much-needed food security to underserved students and families in Boyle Heights, Compton, East Los Angeles, Huntington Park, Maywood, South Gate, South Los Angeles, and Southeast San Diego.
“Children in our school communities may not always have access to healthy food in their homes, and our goal has always been to provide as many meals as possible to children, whether they are physically in school or distance learning,” says Amanda Lanfré, KIPP SoCal Associate Director of Regional Operations.
For one meal distribution team member, service to the community translates to personal joy.
“I am proud to be part of a team that works together for the community. Being able to bring some relief to families during these unprecedented times is a great joy,” Vanessa G.
For a closer look at KIPP SoCal's food distribution program, head here.
Granada Hills Charter motivates the mind and the body
The L.A.-based, academic powerhouse Granada Hills Charter has been serving up a different type of nourishment to student athletes during the pandemic: food for the soul.
Unstoppable Unbreakable is a motivational YouTube series created by head coach and former NFL player Bucky Brooks. The series emphasizes how student athletes who hone their talent with hard work become unstoppable while at the same time building resilience that makes them unbreakable.
The opening of the episodes feels like a montage for an ESPN special: live footage of GHC student athletes from various sports overlaid with gritty graphics and music. But the interviews themselves are authentically Zoom and feature current and former coaches warmly discussing topics ranging from having a vision that informs leadership to the power and passion of perseverance.
While the GHC football team may have sparked the series, other coaches from softball, soccer, and track and field—and other schools—have taken turns as hosts and guests. Each guest offers sage advice for not only improving athletic performance, but also how to build a meaningful and impactful life away from the field of play.
In a recent episode, former USA Olympic team member and current GHC softball pitching and catching coach Irene Rivera reminds players that during an upending pandemic, it’s the simplicity of the sport that can spur much-needed positive feelings of improvement.
“Go in the backyard. Hit some softballs. Do some drills. Remember that feeling of getting better.”
Magnolia Science Academy Santa Ana focuses on kicking up physical activity during pandemic
To stay active during the pandemic and have some while at home, Magnolia Science Academy Santa Ana is tapping into professional soccer players and coaches in its own backyard.
The K-12 charter public school has partnered with the Orange County Soccer Club to offer students from underserved communities, and with aspirations of playing professionally someday, with access to virtual soccer clinics and curriculum. The Power of One Foundation, a local nonprofit focused on fighting hunger and poverty, is also a collaborator in the virtual effort, and has worked with Magnolia during the pandemic to distribute meals as well.
Here’s how the innovative, multi-level curriculum works: The four age groups, stretching from grades K-12, each has five levels of competition. On Mondays, students receive a video of a pro player practicing a skill. They then record themselves practicing the skill and send it back to the OCSC for review and are notified about advancing to the next level. Once students complete all five levels for their respective age group, they win a prize and are entered to win larger prizes like computers and tablets.
“The thing about it is, it’s going to be fun. They get to level up, win prizes. And at the end of the day, they’re learning,” Power of One Foundation President and Executive Director Andre Roberson says.
To learn more about this collaboration and Magnolia Science Academy Santa Ana, head over to the school’s Facebook page.
