FASC was honored to be invited to give a presentation at the March 25 meeting of the Snohomish County NAACP.
The theme for the night was education. Dr Andrew Griffin, Assistant Superintendent, WA State Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), was the keynote speaker. Dr. Griffin spoke on "Equity in Public Education". FASC members had the opportunity to have dinner with Dr. Griffin and several NAACP chapter officers before the meeting as well.
During the meeting, the chapter also honored their 2nd student recipient for the new Local Heroes and Minority Students of the Month program. The program, which began in February, recognizes one minority professional and one student each month and is unique to the Snohomish County NAACP chapter, according to president, Judge Eric Lucas.
Rendel Jones, a student at Everett High School, has been named the NAACP Minority Student of the Month for March. Jones is a senior at Everett High School. He was recently awarded a $1,000 scholarship for outstanding student achievement at the annual Students of Color Career Conference at Everett Community College.
Jones has been a three-sport athlete through high school, lettering in football, basketball and track. He serves as captain of the high school track team. He is a member of the school's Latin Image Club, and he maintains a 3.0 grade point average and plans to attend college.
~HeraldNet, School Life: Winners
It was wonderful to see this young man honored by the community for his accomplishments and contributions to his school. He received a standing ovation from the crowd. The award includes a $100 savings bond.
FASC's presentation focused on our history, our work and accomplishments to date, issues for students of color in our schools, and our working partnership with the Edmonds School District. We stressed the importance of school districts partnering with their communities to effectively and equitably meet the needs of all students.
Representatives from area school districts were present, including Everett, Marysville, Arlington, and Mukilteo school districts, and we were able to speak with some of them about how we are partnering with our district to do this work.
Lillian Ortiz-Self, Commissioner on the WA State Commission of Hispanic Affairs, pledged support for FASC's work, and stated that she'd like to see it used as a model at the state level.
Rep. Marko Liias, 21st Legislative District, spoke about planning and location for the UW North 4-year campus proposed for Snohomish County. Rep. Liias is a member of the House Education Committee.
After the meeting, FASC had further opportunity to connect with Dr. Griffin, who showed great interest in our work, and offered his insight and support in a continuing connection.
We appreciated the opportunity to introduce our work to our local NAACP, Dr. Griffin, and the communities and districts in our county. We look forward to furthering the connections we made that night.
