How to Support Rocketship Alum Rock

by Alicia Ross, National Director of Parent Leadership

A big thank you to the over 200 incredible Rocketship parents who filled the Lee Mathson Middle School cafeteria last Thursday evening with purple Rocketeer pride demonstrating the overwhelming community demand for passing the Rocketship Alum Rock charter. Current and aspiring Rocketship parents, along with Rocketship school leaders and community partner supporters, attended the Alum Rock Union School Board meeting, which included the hearing for the Rocketship Alum Rock charter petition.

The hearing began with a ten minute presentation from Preston Smith, CEO, Maricela Guerrero, Rocketship Alum Rock Principal, and Fred Ferrer, Rocketship Board member and CEO of the Health Trust. Following the presentation, ten Rocketship Alum Rock Parent Leaders shared their powerful stories of why they want the option of sending their child to a Rocketship school. Rocketship alumni students, who currently attend Alpha Blanca Alvarado Middle School, also shared their heartfelt testimony on how Rocketship schools challenged them and prepared them for success in middle school. Many additional Rocketship supporters spoke, as well as opponents to the charter, primarily from the teachers’ union.

In order to build further support leading up to the Board’s vote on Rocketship Alum Rock on Monday, May 12, Rocketship parent leaders are meeting with Alum Rock School Board members individually to ask for their support for the Rocketship Alum Rock petition.

 

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Thank you for all your support! We cannot get this done without a true community effort. See you on Monday, May 8, 7:00PM at the Alum Rock Union School District Office for the final vote!

Regards,

Alicia

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Alicia grew up in Anaheim, but has lived in the Bay Area and Sacramento for the last 16 years. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies and Women’s and Gender Studies from Santa Clara University and a Master of Liberal Arts in Spirituality from Naropa University. Alicia worked in the field of community organizing with the PICO National Network for the last decade. She served as executive director of Sacramento Area Congregations Together (ACT) for six years, where she expanded ACT’s “Stand Together Campaign” to decrease youth violence by helping to spearhead the creation of a local parcel tax campaign to generate resources for youth jobs and the piloting of the Ceasefire Strategy to reduce gang violence in Sacramento. Prior to this, Alicia was a community organizer with People Acting in Community Together (PACT) in San Jose, where she was extensively involved in education reform efforts, helping to create new small, autonomous public schools and advocate for increased parent participation in district decisions. Alicia led a successful parent organizing effort to launch the first ACE Charter Middle School in the Alum Rock Union School District. Outside of her work with Rocketship, Alicia enjoys vegetarian cooking, exploring spirituality, playing the piano and spending time with family and friends.  

Published on April 17, 2014