PS7 Elementary School Band 3
Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Fair
Sac High hosted the annual Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Fair on September 15th and, once again, HBCU representatives stated Sac High students were the highlight of their multi-city tour. More than 40 HBCUs were represented at the fair, and most of them offered on the spot admissions decisions and scholarships to qualified seniors. The fair was a lively and positive event for our community, and our entire senior and junior classes were able to meet with admissions representatives, learn about exciting opportunities at HBCU campuses, and submit applications
Student Spotlight: Rayonna Thompson, ASB President
Meet “Ray” this year’s Sac High ASB President and Student Representative to the SHPS Board of Directors.
How long have you been at St. HOPE?
This is my fourth year. My sister went to PS7 and that’s when Sac High really caught my attention. The schools are not for everyone, but the focus on A-G requirements at Sac High really excited me and got me thinking about life after high school.
Why did you want to be the ASB President?
New Garden Mural Created by Dragon Alumni Aizik Brown
Edible Sac High sat down to get to know more about muralist, Aizik Brown, a 2012 Sac High graduate who also studied Studio Art at Humboldt State University. Aizik was inspired at a young age by his father, who was a graffiti artist. He remembered his father showing him how to draw and was totally stunned by it. “I couldn’t believe what I was seeing,” said Aizik. “Once I found graffiti I did not want to stop doing it. I have to say that my father was the main influence and inspiration in me becoming an artist.”
St. HOPE Scholars Excel at College Track
HOPEsters participating in College Track ended the 16-17 school
year with a bang and are off to a great start as they head back
to school this August. Joining the Oak Park neighborhood in 2014,
College Track’s mission is to remove the barriers that prevent
students from earning their college degree by providing them with
comprehensive academic support, leadership training, financial
and college advising, and scholarships. Like us, they teach our
scholars the skills necessary to succeed in college and
beyond.
Scholars Intern in Oak Park
While most students are sleeping in and hanging out with friends, a group of 12 scholars entering their senior year at Sac High participated in the new St. HOPE Oak Park Internship Program. The pilot program connects students with various nonprofit organizations all located in the Oak Park neighborhood for a 4-week volunteer internship of 12-15 hours per week.
Oak Park Prep Scholar Grows Over Five Grade Levels in Reading
Our Oak Park Prep scholars spend two years with us, and during each and every one of those days, all of them know our mission, which can be summed up in one word: growth.
We have always placed a special emphasis on literacy. Our scholars receive two specially designed ELA classes daily. One class focuses on rigorous, grade level content while the other meets them where they are, at their individual reading level. We believe this method enhances growth and promotes a culture of learning.
DeMarcus Cousins & VSP Global Host Basketball Camp at Sac High
New Orleans Pelican, NBA All Star, and 2016 Olympic gold medalist DeMarcus Cousins (DMC) has seen his share of successes. As a former Sacramento King, his impact was always a topic of debate. His on-court persona has been at odds with his off the court demeanor. Regardless of your opinion, one truth is evident; DeMarcus Cousins has kept his promise to the Sacramento youth who saw him develop as a professional into the superstar he has become.
Students excel at Sacramento High School
There’s been a dramatic turnaround at Sacramento High School.
Fourteen years ago, it was in danger of closing. Now, it’s a charter school with 800 students operating under St. Hope Public Schools. About 95 percent of all graduating seniors have been accepted into four-year colleges or universities for the second consecutive year.
One-third of all the students at Sacramento High School are from the surrounding neighborhood of Oak Park. But because it’s a charter school, Sacramento High must accept everyone who applies.
What is Cousins’ legacy? With Kings, it’s debatable. In Oak Park, it’s ‘everlasting.’
DeMarcus Cousins’ love for Sacramento did not end the day he was traded to the New Orleans Pelicans.
He’s still connected to the many friends he made in nearly seven years, and he’s still loyal to the children and families cared for as if they were his own. That’s why Cousins was at Sacramento High School on Wednesday, working up a sweat and having fun with over 200 children for the DeMarcus Cousins Elite Skills Camp, which was free to all youth who registered and included an eye exam from VSP and glasses for those who need them.
Senior Signing Day
Sac High seniors from the Class of 2017, joined by their families and other supporters, came together for the fifth annual Senior Signing Day Event on May 26th. This is one of Sac High’s showcase events and allows graduating scholars a platform to proclaim to the rest of the student body, as well as PS7 and Oak Park Prep students, where they will be attending college following graduation.
The Sacramento Black Book Fair
On June 2-3, 2017 Underground Books partnered with Blue Nile Press to present the 4th Annual Sacramento Black Book Fair!
Learning Beyond the Classroom
One of the many things that makes St. HOPE Public Schools special is having the nearby 40 Acres cultural center as an extension to school campuses. Following on the heels of a successful Best of Sac High student art exhibit, several Freshman Honors English classes visited 40 Acres as a field lesson to explore the artwork of their peers as well as tour the various St. HOPE Development Company projects.
Sac High Students Meet with NASA
On May 22nd, a few of our very own Sac High 9th graders had the amazing opportunity to Skype with astrobiologist, Shawn Domagal-Goldman, from NASA. Scholars filled Sac High’s Mel Lawson Theater, anxiously waiting to meet the scientist and converse with him about sustaining life on Mars. Students came prepared with a variety of questions pondered in the previous weeks of class.
Domina Stamas, educator working with NASA
This article was published on 05.18.17.
Domina Stamas has a question for her ninth-grade science students at Sac High: How would you make Mars a sustainable living space for humans? It’s a tall order, but with a wild payoff. When the school year ends, her kids will be presenting their best models to the NASA scientists working to get an American on the red planet by the 2030s. It’s not your everyday biology unit. But, then, Stamas isn’t your everyday teacher.
Staff Appreciation Week
St. HOPE Public Schools went all out in its celebration of teachers and staff during this year’s annual staff appreciation week May 1st through May 5th. The party began early as staff gathered for a day of what they thought was going to be serious work time, but were later surprised with activities like bowling and brunch, tours of the Crocker Art Museum and excitement at K1 Speed Zone. Overall, staff members were pleasantly surprised and enjoyed a fun day to kick off a week of appreciation.
Scholars Win Public Speaking Contest
On April 29, six dynamic Sac High Dragons competed in the inaugural Jack and Jill of America, Sacramento Chapter, Oratorical Contest, aimed at getting youth in the community to use public speaking as a way to showcase their leadership skills, as well as public speaking abilities. Founded in 1938, Jack and Jill of America, Inc., is a membership organization of mothers with children ages 2-19, dedicated to nurturing future African American leaders by strengthening children through leadership development, volunteer service, philanthropic giving and civic duty.
A Middle School Limo Ride to Remember
For Quarter 3 of the 2016-17 school year (January-March) PS7 Middle School implemented an incentive system to motivate scholars to work their hardest and try their very best. Scholars who achieved proficient or advanced on all four of their end of quarter exams in each of their core classes – Math, ELA, History and Science – were celebrated with a limo ride to Round Table where they enjoyed an all-you-can-eat pizza buffet!
2017 Dragons to Attend Prestigious Universities
The 140 members of the Class of 2017 will be remembered as one of our most academically successful classes ever to walk through Sac High’s doors. For a second year in a row, 95% of the senior class were accepted to four year universities, but the quantity of students accepted to prestigious universities soared.
Scholar Spotlight: Mackenzie Martinelli
Sac High Senior Mackenzie Martinelli accepted a full-athletic scholarship to attend Oklahoma City University in the fall. The 5’ 10” softball standout is a 3-year varsity player with multi-purpose ability. Next year, Martinelli will step off the pitching mound and return to her normal shortstop position while playing for the OCU Stars.
Oak Park principals trade notes and honor students in school collaborative
Eighth-grader Araba Cudjoe watched from the sidewalk in front of her Oak Park school Thursday as a banner with her picture was hoisted on a pole high above Martin Luther King Boulevard.
Speaking to a crowd of politicians, principals, parents and students, the 13-year-old at Father Keith B. Kenny K-8 School wore the same shy and wide smile as the one on the banner as she explained it made her feel “special” to be honored. It proved, she said, that success was a matter of hard work after earning a 4.0 grade average and a years-long perfect attendance record.