1. Exploring the Power and Potential of Community Schools

Are you ready to shift your perspective on education? This episode offers a transformative exploration into the realm of community schools. We’re privileged to have two leading figures in this educational movement share their incredible knowledge - Dr. Lorraine Perez, Deputy Superintendent of Educational Services, and Dr. Lupe Gomez, Principal of Pio Pico Elementary School. Together, we discuss the essential role of community schools in shaping our children's futures. From the historical roots of the community school movement to the importance of restructuring our current education system through an equity lens, this episode promises to leave you with a new outlook on the potential of community schools.

The journey to implementing a community school model isn't without its challenges. Hear first-hand from Dr. Gomez about the struggles she faced and the triumphs she achieved in this process. The significance of the district's role in assisting community schools is emphasized by Dr. Perez, highlighting the necessity of maintaining open lines of communication with students and providing necessary resources. They offer an in-depth look into the hurdles that often stand in the way of progress, and the ingenious solutions they've found to overcome them.

But the conversation doesn't stop there. We delve into the concept of project-based learning, the beauty of asset-based thinking, and the importance of nurturing an environment conducive to the flourishing of community schools. Dr. Perez shares her brilliant ideas on building upon the strengths of schools in Santa Ana, while Dr. Gomez offers a touching recount of her personal development journey within the education system. Finally, we take a moment to acknowledge and celebrate the influential leaders who have been key players in bringing about positive change in our schools and communities. This episode is a testament to the power and potential of community schools, and the remarkable individuals who bring them to life. Grab a cup of coffee or tea, and join us on this enlightening journey.

Visit us at our Buzzsprout site for more ways to listen, links to our social media sites and any referenced materials, and complete transcripts of our full-length episodes: https://bit.ly/SAUSDAmplifyingLeadership

Transcript

Bianca Barquin: 0:06

Hello and welcome to SAUSD's Amplifying Leadership, the place where we turn up the volume on educational insights and leadership brilliance within our community. I'm your host, Bianca Barquin, the Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning for the Santa Ana Unified School District. Today, in our very first episode, we delve deep into the heart of community schools, exploring their magic, their might and their monumental role in shaping the future of our children. Joining us are two exceptional leaders who are at the forefront of this transformative educational movement. First, we're honored to have Dr. Lorraine Perez, our esteemed Deputy Superintendent of Educational Services, joining us today. Dr. Perez brings with her a wealth of knowledge and passion for creating the conditions for holistic student growth and achievement.

Bianca Barquin: 0:58

Alongside Lorraine, we have the dynamic Dr. Lupe Gomez. As a principal of Pio Pico Elementary School, she's pioneering the community school initiative, being the beacon from Cohort One. Her experiences and insights promise a riveting conversation ahead. So grab your note-taking tools or simply lean back with your favorite cup of coffee or tea and let's embark on a journey of discovery, understanding and amplification. This is SAUSD's Amplifying Leadership, and our deep dive into community schools begins now. So I want to jump right into questions. So, Lupe, what exactly is a community school and how does it differ from other schools?

Dr. Lupe Gomez: 1:43

Wow. I think a lot of our schools in Santa Ana are already doing the work of community schools is bringing our partners into the conversation, bringing in our community partners, bringing in our students, our parents, and getting the perspective of what does school look like for you. And I think the biggest difference from like a regular school to a community school is really embracing the idea of the system we have set up today isn't made for our kids. And so, in order to make it better, we can't just fix a couple of little things. We have to transform it and we have to transform it with an equity lens. As long as you have that vision of like, let's transform this, let's make sure it's equitable for everybody, and let's make sure everybody's voices is being heard and so that the school reflects what the community really truly wants, that's a community school. I think a lot of our schools are already doing work. They'll be made to call it that.

Bianca Barquin: 2:36

So I like what you said about our systems are not set up for our students. What do you mean by that? Can you tell me more?

Dr. Lupe Gomez: 2:45

Yeah, well, we think about when education kind of started, right, it was making sure that it was an industrial system. You know, we're preparing them for the workforce, basically, right? It was like how can we get them to, you know, be quiet, listen to instructions and follow the boss, right? That's not the world that they're going to go into. And actually a lot of our kids have jobs even now, right, because they are being influencers with doing TikTok or YouTube or whatever it is that they're doing, right? And so we want to make sure that we're preparing our kids for those jobs and that it's a school as a system that expects them to be innovative, to be creative, to bring all of them into the learning, and that we're learning together, versus the teacher having all the knowledge. And I'm going to tell you what we're going to learn, but it's us working together to make sense of this crazy world.

Bianca Barquin: 3:33

I love it, thank you, and we're going to get into more of who is brought to the table in a community school a little bit later on, but I want to jump to Lorraine for a second. So, Lorraine, can you share a brief history of the community school movement? And then I also want you to talk about from a district level, how do you see community schools looking in Santa Ana and what does this movement look like?

Dr. Lorraine Perez: 3:56

Sure.

Dr. Lorraine Perez: 3:57

So community schools in essence really has been something that has existed in some form, some shape, for a long time.

Dr. Lorraine Perez: 4:07

Actually, you know, looking really formalized back to Gary, Indiana, there was a plan in Gary, Indiana, in the 60s that was called the Gary plan a nd it was, if you think about Gary, Indiana, and the background, a lot of diversity, a lot of change in that community that the school system did not know how to respond to.

Dr. Lorraine Perez: 4:30

And I think that's been the catalyst for much of the community schools movement is brought about when folks slow down long enough to recognize that the system, as Lupe said, is not designed for the students that it's serving today. And so how do we actually reach down into the community to better understand the community so that we can better serve the community? And it's been an evolution. But I think the things that have existed with four community schools from the beginning of the movement was that it was grounded in with an equity lens. I'm not going to say that by any means i t reached what probably the intentions were around equity, but it was framed from that lens of equity and trying to meet the needs of the students that were attempting to be served.

Bianca Barquin: 5:24

How many community schools do we have in Santa Ana today, and I'm just going to throw the question out there. I know we have two different cohorts. Can you tell me how many are in Cohort One and how many are in Cohort Two?

Dr. Lorraine Perez: 5:35

So we have our four original schools that started in Cohort One and we now have a second grant that is bringing on eight more schools and, for the first time really, with the second cohort, bringing in an intermediate school. So this effort has strongly been focused on our elementary, and with good reason. We believe that, foundationally, when we create the conditions for our earliest learners alongside their families, this is how we get transformational change. Where from the ground up, we're creating the expectations from our students and from their families to say you are part of this conversation, you are part of this transformation. What you, the assets you bring, are valuable and as we build the system from the bottom up, that way, our parents and our community will recognize that they're valued and they will have that expectation as they move through our system.

Bianca Barquin: 6:39

So, continuing with what Lorraine just told us, Lupe, so tell me, how is the structure of a community school uniquely designed to cater to its surrounding community?

Dr. Lupe Gomez: 6:52

I think it begins with your council. So there's a community school council and it's made up of business partners, nonprofits in the community, of parents, students, teachers and then any other support staff at the school. So it ends up being a pretty big group of people. But it's important to be big because it brings the diversity of voice, right? And so then everybody's looking at it from their own lens, and so we're tackling a problem. Everybody has a different way to look at it, right?

Dr. Lupe Gomez: 7:20

So, for example, something that came up that was really important to the community was gardening. So we have a little garden and it hasn't really flourished like we wanted to. But there was a group of parents who were like we have to do better with our garden. We have to make sure that our kids are eating healthier, right, and the garden can be that step to healthier eating. And so, okay, how do we do it? And so here we are thinking we have to do this all along, and then someone's like, wait, don't we have that SAUSD farm to table? Let's hook up with them. How can they help and support us? Right? And then you know there's a parent who works for a nonprofit, who happens to do canning of like fruits for jams and things like that. It's like how can we bring her organization in to help us? And so everybody had like a different take on how to work with it, and so far right now, we're getting like soil donated. People are helping us. So so far we've had carrots being successful, but we're hoping that more crops come along with the gardening.

Dr. Lupe Gomez: 8:17

But it was something that came from the school council. I think for it to be successful, you have to let go of any preconceived notion. The principal is not at the driver's seat, we're taking the directions. The council basically gives me my marching orders, and so for me it's like how do I remove the barriers, how do I connect people to make this work happen, and how can I make sure that everybody in the community understands what we mean or what our vision is or our priorities at the time? So I think that those are pretty much like the things that I feel are really different between, like, a regular school and a community school.

Bianca Barquin: 8:55

So what I'm hearing you say is, when you bring all of these people, all of these actors like what we talked about in terms of collective impact to the table, they also have decision making power. It's not just the school who's taking advice, but everybody sitting at that table is able to make decisions in terms of student outcomes and what we want for the community. Is that true? (Dr. Lupe Gomez: Very true." Awesome, thank you. Lorraine, what are some of the core components or pillars that make up a successful community school?

Dr. Lorraine Perez: 9:31

So I want to be explicit about these things at first and talk about them and mention them separately, but truly, all of these four things that I'm going to share must be integrated. They cannot live in isolation, otherwise you will never realize a true community school. So the four pillars that guide the community schools here in Santa Ana are integrative support services, family and community engagement, collaborative leadership that involves our educators, administrators, families, community, and extended learning time and opportunities. So I want to be explicit about those four but, like I said, those things cannot exist in isolation. You heard Lupe talk about, actually, in the description you gave, I was thinking about the pillars and you hit every single one of those pillars in the description that you gave. So it's when they get integrated and truly live in concert with one another that you really have the impact on your campus.

Dr. Lorraine Perez: 10:40

So your example talked about this, that integration of the support services. You have people coming in from outside. I imagine, at some point, if your council, the advisory group you know, goes in this direction, you're, you know working with local restaurants around nutrition and different, you know, pieces of your garden and how those come into play in recipes that families use in their home, like all of these amazing things come and it is going to look different at every single school. How these four things show up will very much be guided by the culture and the needs of an individual school. But those four are critical and we need to keep our eye on them and pay attention that they all do exist, because otherwise it will get out of balance.

Bianca Barquin: 11:29

Thank you. Lupe, I know you talked to us a little bit about the garden. Maybe you can expand on that and give us more ideas. How do community schools benefit not just the students, because that's normally what we focus on in school, but the broader community as a whole?

Dr. Lupe Gomez: 11:46

So a really good example is this year, for the first time, I called it the Pio Pico convening. So I wanted to make sure that everybody truly understood what a community school was. So I brought in parents, students, teachers, community partners and we all kind of sat with what is a community school and we're kind of engaging in that conversation and really letting them know that they were the decision makers. They were the ones that had to create what is the school going to look like? It's like we're used to schools looking a certain way, but what is really important to you and I think what came down to us and stuff and our vision tends to be very, very long, but our parents were able to simplify it too. All we want to do is empower our students, and what does that mean? Giving them all the tools and resources they need to be able to do what they need to do, and so okay, so we're going to empower students to do what? We want them to be active members in their community. But we want them to do positive change in the world, so we want them to be global citizens that are changing the world. And so think about that, like when we talk up to parents what do you want for their kids? Many times like, oh, for them to graduate from high school, to have a good job, to have this. But when you really sit and listen to what they want at least for our families, it was they wanted their kids to be empowered, to be global citizens, to be able to impact the world in a positive way.

Dr. Lupe Gomez: 13:11

It's a lot more than just a high school diploma, having a good job, making good money, and so I think that's kind of where the whole system benefits, because now everybody at school is like, okay, what are we doing? We're empowering our students to become these global citizens right, to change the world, and we can do it. You know, we're just doing it one step at a time. So everything that we do is about is this leading to more empowerment for our students? And because if it's not, then we have to figure out how we can do other things that will empower them. Because that's our goal, that those were our marching orders from our parents and it came out from our convening. So we were very glad that parents felt comfortable, because that's another one parents have to feel comfortable, students have to be comfortable. The psychological safety right To be able to say something and not have any repercussions because of what you said.

Bianca Barquin: 14:00

So what you're talking about brings to mind the graduate profile in SAUSD. So tell me about the alignment. Since you've embarked and you're well into this community schoolwork, how aligned is it to our graduate profile?

Dr. Lupe Gomez: 14:17

It's super aligned because one of the things that we ended up doing and we did it with our council again, the council is very involved in a lot of the things that we do and as we got our vision, the board priorities, our LCAP, our graduate profile, the pillars of a community school, and then we started making those links, and one of the things that we saw was that a lot of the stuff is connected.

Dr. Lupe Gomez: 14:39

Right, we wanted kids to be lifelong learners, right? Well, that's empowering students, right? If they're going to be lifelong learners, they need to know what they need to use that knowledge for, because they're going to change the world in a positive way, right? And so I think a lot of the things, when you start thinking about that graduate profile, are embedded in the work that we're doing, and we just make sure that they understand those links, because otherwise they see it as separate things and they feel like it's overwhelming, but it's like nah, look, we're doing this one thing and it's hitting all these different things, but we just have to do a couple of things, but we got to do them very well.

Bianca Barquin: 15:13

I think that's so beautiful that you develop this kind of, in my mind, it's a crosswalk between a ton of the things that we are focusing on in Santa Ana and really connecting the dots for everybody who's on your council and your families. I really appreciate that, so, thank you. What are some of the challenges that you faced, Lupe?

Dr. Lupe Gomez: 15:37

I think the challenge at the beginning was like not really understanding what a community school was, because I heard a lot about it--d on't worry, you're already doing it, right? I started off saying, "on't worry, you're already doing it Right. And it's about alignment, it's about coherence and don't worry, you're just in a line. And so I was like, but how? And it wasn't until I truly understood, like, the spirit of community schools that I began to then say, okay, in my task, how do I help people to make sure we transform the school? Not change it, but transform it? And that's a big ask, right? And so I think that was one of the first challenges, really understanding what a community school is. And another one is this thing that people kind of get caught up and I get caught up all the time is budget, right? Which is like I need money to do this and I need money to do that, but the reality is you don't need money to be a community school or to do community school work, right? With our council, at this point we have not discussed money at all. It has not come up because we're still trying to figure out what is that going to look like for our whole community? What is that vision of school that you want, right? And money is not a discussion right now.

Dr. Lupe Gomez: 16:53

One of the best things that I can remember is we had a focus group of kids, and so they were they're telling me all the things that they want, right? And one of the things they came up with was lockers. And as a principal who has worked at the elementary level, intermediate and high school, I know what lockers can create. And so I was like, no, we're not doing lockers, absolutely not. And the kids are like, "o, Dr. Gomez, but we need lockers. I said, dude, you don't need lockers. Okay, let's be honest. But then, for some reason, I asked why? Because my mind was made and made up they're not lockers, right? Why? And I got the best answer the little kids said, "Dr Gomez,

Dr. Lupe Gomez: 17:36

when we were in elementary, we had a space. My desk was my space. I can put my stuff in it, I can put my stickers, whatever I wanted. It was in my space, right? Now that I'm in junior high, I don't have a space because I'm going from classroom to classroom so I can't leave anything behind because that space is not really mine and when I go home, I have to share a room with my sister or with my brother, or we're living with another family, and so I don't have a space.

Dr. Lupe Gomez: 18:06

And so it'd be nice to have a space." and so how can you say no to that? And this is where I'm really glad, because all you need to do, honestly, is communicate, right? I got on the phone. Hey Orin, hey Lorraine, the kids want lockers. This is so crazy. Can we make this happen?"

Dr. Lupe Gomez: 18:22

And Orin went over there. He went a couple of times to figure out where we're going to put these lockers, and it's the best thing for the kids. Now you go to our campus and stuff, and you'll see the lockers, and you see the kids during their lunchtime and they're just sitting around with the lockers, right? But now I understand why. Because as a principal, we'd be like, "Nope, you're not supposed to be here, get out of here. But they're by the locker because that's their space, right. And so we were able to create that by just listening to kids, right.

Dr. Lupe Gomez: 18:50

And so I think there's going to be a lot of challenges, but I think don't think about the budget, don't let that stop you, because once you start getting in your nonprofits and the other organizations, right, you pull all your resources together to make the work happen and you'll just be amazed how many people move things out of your way to get things done. And then I think you know don't worry if you don't know exactly what a community school is. Know that you're already putting in a lot of those elements in place. It's just going to be like what Lorraine said, it is the integration of everything and understanding that it's a way higher purpose than just school as business as usual. right? We're transforming, so it's going to take time and it's going to look messy. That's going to be okay.

Bianca Barquin: 19:36

Lupe, I am truly inspired that you're authentically listening to students, and with an issue like the lockers. My next question actually goes to Lorraine. What is the district's role in supporting community schools and helping them overcome some of these challenges that they may face?

Dr. Lorraine Perez: 19:57

So I think and, honestly, your response I was like you've captured so much and that's the power of the real application, Like you're in the work, and principals are the folks who are going to have that, you know, that boots on the ground application. For us it's really asking those probing questions around have they got to the root of their challenge yet? So when Lupe was first asking about the lockers and I remember she was like really a no-go on the lockers and then a while later she came back and was like oh my God, let me tell you why the students want these lockers.

Dr. Lorraine Perez: 20:39

So it's that probing that we need to do from a district level standpoint to make sure that we're actually providing the support that is gonna meet that need.

Dr. Lorraine Perez: 20:51

So when we know that our leaders have done the due diligence and we've asked the probing questions and we know they're at the root, then we have to give the space and really just carve out that path for them to do what they need to do for their school.

Dr. Lorraine Perez: 21:08

And I cannot emphasize this enough that each school is gonna look so drastically different. Lupe has a circumstance where she's growing her dual language program and so now they have, you know, sixth, seventh and eventually eighth grade on the campus. It's not gonna look that way, for you know other community schools. But the same process needs to occur that we're slowing down, listening, asking the probing questions that get to that essential need and then providing the support. A lot of times we think we know the challenge or the need and we are quick to go okay, let's just do this or give this thing or this money, like you described, and that's not actually gonna get you there because we haven't taken the time to really know what the challenge is and what the needs are. So I think our support comes in the way of helping, creating the space and having the opportunity for us to really deeply understand the need.

Dr. Lupe Gomez: 22:13

I would like to add to the whole root cause that's so important. Attendance is a big issue, right? And we looked at our data and we found out that 56% of our students were absent 10 or more days left school year. So they can't learn if they're not in school, right? So we were kind of meeting with parents and, you know, doing home visits, and parents were like I'm doing my best, I work at nights and I have to stop by in the morning and I thought the kid went to school, or I went early, you know, and I was like what are we gonna do? There's nothing I can do, there's nothing I can do, right? And so that was honestly like my thought until I understood community schools and understood what we needed to do, which was like, let's get to the root cause, right? Because we're giving kids popsicles and stickers and like raffles and like pencils for coming to school. That's not the root cause of it, right? The root cause of it is the parents need a friendlier schedule for work. That's that simple, right? We can't have our parents working at night, having to come in at six o'clock in the morning trying to drive their kid into school.

Dr. Lupe Gomez: 23:14

So then now the goal is okay, we know what the root cause is. Our parents do not have the best working schedule, so how can we work with the community around us right, to be able to, even the district, right? Engage 360 is hiring, right? To be able to get them to have a job, right, that would allow them to be there for their children and make sure that they're getting to school. Because, I would be honest, I was one of those people that would be like I did everything I could. It's on them now, right, but it's not. I haven't done everything, because now it's to mobilize people and my community partners to try to figure out how can we help them with resumes, how can I help them to mock interviews and prepare for those interviews, right? So I haven't done everything, but now I know the root cause and now I know the work that we need to do to be able to begin to problem solve, because, as attendance, it's always gonna be an issue until I get to the root cause.

Dr. Lorraine Perez: 24:07

I wanna take an opportunity. You brought this up and I'm gonna make a connection actually to our leadership meeting yesterday. You know all of that work, what we were talking about, the collective impact yesterday. That's a perfect example. It's getting to the root cause. It's having other people come around the table to help you understand, if we're at that place. Attendance, oh yeah, okay, put my hands up, there's nothing more for me to do.

Dr. Lorraine Perez: 24:35

But we don't expect and I'm gonna say this from the, from district level and educational system in general, we don't expect that our principals carry the load of helping parents with resumes. Will we?

Dr. Lorraine Perez: 24:47

Yes, we will do whatever we need to do. But that's where those partners come in, because now you know what the need is of your community and you're saying, okay, you know what? I know that there's a resource for this, so I have my wellness center, I have the location. Let's invite them in so that they can help meet that need. And that is exactly what community schools are designed to do and what I meant by the equity piece, because it's about uplifting the whole community and our students will have access and better access when we're meeting those needs. And it is our responsibility maybe not to personally always be the one to do that but to connect with the resource. So that collective impact that we talked a little bit about yesterday in our leadership meeting is exactly exemplified in our community schools and what we were trying to have folks wrap their heads around and think about. So we're doing this work in a transformative way.

Dr. Lupe Gomez: 25:48

And I agree with you because there's no possible way I could do this by myself. My council is instrumental. My coordinator, from my TOSA to my office staff, everybody is doing a piece to look for those partners, to look for those connections, to say, okay, we identified the need, now what's out there to help us?

Bianca Barquin: 26:05

So I want to switch gears a little bit to talk. I have two last areas I want to talk to you both about. One is instruction. So how does instruction look different in a community school versus another school?

Dr. Lupe Gomez: 26:22

Easy word, project-based learning, right? It has to be connected to the community. It has to be connected to who the kid is, right, what they're bringing, what their interests are, and you can hit the standards, right? Is this a matter of the teacher really being able to know the standards, knowing their students very well, giving opportunity for student voice, graduate profile, right, being able for the kids to say this is what's important to us right now and being able to then weave in those standards into that learning? But it's, how do we then give back to the community? How do we help the children have this knowledge that they're learning but then apply it in the right now, right?

Dr. Lupe Gomez: 26:58

Oftentimes we think about reading. We normally teach reading with you first have to learn all the sounds and then, once you learn all the sounds, then we can start blending. But that's not true, because if you have like M-A-P-S-T, you can begin to 'map' and 'sat', right, so you can start blending some words. So let's not wait until they have everything to apply it, but, as they're getting the tools, get them to apply it right away. And that's going to make sure that our kids become these lifelong learners, but that they truly have understanding that they can transfer on to other places and to other situations, and so I would say project-based learning is the biggest difference, and students really are the drivers.

Bianca Barquin: 27:37

So that requires a teacher to be truly adaptive and flexible and not necessarily bound by pacing guides and following the T-E-M being on certain timelines. It almost is freeing and gives the artistry back to the teacher to really do that well. Okay, last question. So, Lorraine, where do you see, well, what is the future of community schools within SAUSD?

Dr. Lorraine Perez: 28:06

So, I want to honor something that you said very early on.

Dr. Lorraine Perez: 28:11

There is some truth to that piece when people were saying you're doing a lot of these things.

Dr. Lorraine Perez: 28:15

So I want for us to start from a place of building upon the assets that we have.

Dr. Lorraine Perez: 28:21

I do agree that in many cases, our schools in Santa Ana have operated in a way that was community school oriented, but I think what I see changing and being that transformation is the intentionality and the explicitness with which we're approaching this, because it's going to take that-- it's not going to happen by happenstance or chance. We are going to have to be very intentional about building the systems and actually building the culture in our district where we're really putting this into action and continuing to push on ourselves as the system to ask are we really meeting the community's needs and are we really honoring the community and the way that we're meeting their needs? Because lots of times folks will say, oh, those people need this and that's not the approach. It's really honoring that folks. We are part of those people and that's the thing that I really want us to land on. We are, collectively, a community, so what do we need as a community to really create that transformation and the conditions for community schools to really thrive.

Bianca Barquin: 29:47

So I believe that there's still so much more to talk about that we are going to have to have you all agree another session about community schools where we can delve a lot deeper. So, just like that, we've come to the end of our inaugural journey into the world of SAUSD's Amplifying Leadership, and a heartfelt thank you to both of you for sharing invaluable insights and lighting the path for everyone who's listening. But before we sign off, I'd like to start something that may become a tradition here. I call it the amplifier acknowledgement. So if you could amplify the message or a lesson of one educator or leader who's made a significant impact in your journey, who would that be and what would be that resonating message?

Dr. Lupe Gomez: 30:46

I'm thinking.

Dr. Lorraine Perez: 30:49

You know, for me it would be my first grade teacher, Ms. Aparicio. She saw my community. She was not from my community but she saw my community and she saw the value and the assets that the students from my community brought to our learning environment and she really believed that about everybody you know all of us, but for me in particular she did clear a path for me to see that in myself, that there were assets, there were benefits in me, and for me in the experiences that I already brought to that learning environment. So, Ms. Aparicio, she has passed away, but she had a great impact on so many people.

Dr. Lupe Gomez: 31:40

Yeah, I think Ms. Sanchez was a librarian at McFadden for SAUSD and my mom was a single mom and so she had to drive into work early. So she either had to drop us off at school at like six o'clock in the morning or she would have to do it during her break so we would go with her to the shop and then she would drop us off later. So the easiest thing was dropping us off at six and Ms. Sanchez would always get to McFadden super early. She would always see me right there by the front gate, right, always reading a book or doing something else, right.? Sometimes it would be really cold.

Dr. Lupe Gomez: 32:16

And Ms. Sanchez looked at me one day. She said what are you doing here? I said my mom just dropped me off early and she's like, why don't you get to work? I was like what? And she's like, come on. And so she took me to the library, which is super warm, right, and she made me work, and so it was those back in the days you had newspapers, right, and so I had to separate the newspapers into their different sections, and then she showed me how to shelf books, and then, but it was just so touching to me that it wasn't like oh, pobrecita, here's a jacket right. Oh, pobrecita, you know, like just sit there, you know. But it was like no, you got something to give, come on, let me put you to work and stuff, and so, and then that was one of the ways that I got connected to the other teachers, because they would always see me now in the library, and so the library became really special to me, but it was because of Ms. Sanchez.

Bianca Barquin: 33:06

Such powerful acknowledgments. Remember, leadership is not just about guiding, but also celebrating and acknowledging those who've paved the way. To our listeners, may these stories inspire you, challenge you and remind you of your own amplifiers. So until our next deep dive, keep amplifying, keep leading and keep making a difference within the walls of our schools and in the hearts of our students. I'm Bianca Barquin, and this has been SAUSD's Amplifying Leadership. Stay inspired.