avalon students provide christmas to the communities most needy

Avalon High School students show their generosity and support for the work Harbor Interfaith does within the community.  Each year Avalon partners with Harbor Interfaith to bring non-persible food items, Christmas gifts and clothing to the over 1200 adults and  nearly 700 children Harbor Interfaith will serve during this holiday season. This year was Avalon High School's largest collection of gift items and food to date.  Student Body President, Monic Cortez under the leadership of Ms. Faye Kirk, a teacher at Avalon, reached out to community partners to engage Sharefest, as well as Rio Tinto, British Petroleum and others to provide additional gift cards and funding for their effort.  It is so inspiring to see so many students give so much to those who are less fortunate, understanding that many of these students go without some of the same basic necessities themselves.  This is a true testimony of the stewardship of the youth and faculty at Avalon High School and a tangible example of the true spirit of giving this holiday season.  

year-round yda - a resounding success

post created by Shannell McMillan, Program Director

As the semester closes for our year-round YDA programming at Avalon Continuation High School we are celebrating the success of many who have graduated over the past 4 months.  With program partners like Derrick Engoy offering a college level creative writing course, he not only helped the students recover their "creative selves" but also assisted them in earning the much needed english credits towards their graduation.  

The students, under the caring guidance of new principal, Dr. Monica Fiello, seem to be transforming into a community of self motivated, community minded, laser focused individuals with their sights set on a post high school education and a desire to come back and serve along side fellow Avalon students at Sharefest's 10th Annual Workday, Saturday, May 4, 2013.

Year Round YDA is a collaborative effort with the teachers, administrators and the LCSW Ms. Lamb who provide the students with a holistic approach to education and personal development.  

In a recent letter shared by one of the students written to a teacher, the student shared the tremendous impact the staff has made on her life.  She shared that Avalon isn't just a high school, it is a community and the teachers have become "family" to her.  

Very few people get the privilege to see behind the scenes at a continuation high school. The students are dynamic, energetic, multi-faceted and uniquely gifted which requires a lot from the teachers who instruct them.  I am profoundly moved by the personal commitment, tenacity and dedication of the staff and our program partners at Avalon to find creative ways to keep the students engaged and learning as they move through their high school careers.

Thank you to all the Sharefest corporate sponsors who partner with us in providing this unique experience for the students of our Year Round YDA here at Avalon High School.  Your investment makes a immeasureable difference in the lives of these youth, their families and their futures.

The Creative Collision

By Derrick Engoy

Q: What happens when creative writing collides with the community?

A: A beautiful explosion that rains down the amalgamation of teenaged minds and words onto the doorsteps of creative recovery.

When the opportunity to teach creative writing to the wonderful teens of Avalon High School came knocking, I didn't hesitate to swing the door wide open. I jumped at the chance to unleash on their curious minds the creative literary tools that I accumulated throughout my learning years (to some degree, I’m still learning). I excitedly dove into my writing toolbox to conceptualize what the journey could look like for them. And, because it has always been my dream to offer creative writing classes for the community, seeing my desires come to fruition has left me elated since we began a few weeks back.

The journey, I imagine, has yet to even begin.

I’m a firm believer that creative writing is more than just delicately dotting “I’s” and collaboratively crossing “T’s”. It’s more than properly perfecting verb and noun agreements. It goes beyond fusing comma spliced sentences. And it dives a little deeper than conjugating words to convey proper mood. Creative writing is a holistic endeavor. And, in this endeavor toward harnessing our creative side, the journey actually dives into a rediscovery of what once was lost. I operate under the conviction that we were all once more creative than we are. The fact that we were created by something or someone leads me to believe that we possess hints of creativity. Unfortunately, through the course of life and our maturation toward adulthood, our creativeness has subsided into the depth of our own black holes and simply hibernates until we wake it up.

Our goal then is to awaken our creative beasts.

This is the journey of our class. This, in essence, is the journey of our lives. It’s a rediscovery of what was once lost. And through various writing exercises and self-discovery tools, the students at Avalon High School are on a journey to explore their “artistic child.” It’s only been a few weeks since the students began their trek to unearth their dormant creative selves from the gravels of conformity, but they’ve already shoveled past the surface and have met hints of creativity with excited surprise.

“Someone told me she thought it’d be a regular boring class,” one student said of another student’s comments.

It’s this kind of enthusiasm that propels me to provide an environment for creative rediscovery to happen. It’s this kind of eagerness that encourages me to assist them in their desire to be more creative. It’s this kind of unexpected realization that creative writing isn’t as mundane as they initially assumed that invigorates me to excitedly come alongside them in their discovery.

I’m looking forward to seeing these students journey deeper into themselves and extracting more artistry. I’m looking forward to the rest of the semester and enter their worlds of poetry, prose, short stories. And, perhaps, joining the students on their revelatory path will help to unearth more creativity that’s still dormant in me.

a visit from Dodgers great Maury Wills.

During the last week of the Summer YDA, campers were treated to a baseball clinic. They learned to field, hit and catch on the beautiful baseball fields of Cal State Dominguez Hills. The week ended up with a visit from Dodger great Maury Wills on probably one of the hottest days of the year. Out on the field, the legend told about growing up poor in the suburbs of Washngton D.C, playing baseball without shoes. He said one of his greatest influences was a visit from a major leaguer to the local park when he was 8 years old. The pro encouraged Maury to get some shoes and pursue baseball as he saw his talent.  Maury then tossed the ball to a few children and told them that they should all be thinking about what they wanted to be when they grow up and to start working on their dreams.

Afterwards, he posed for pictures in the dugout and signed photos for everyone of the 220 campers and their counselors. He asked every child their name and joked with them in the heat of the dugout. When it was suggested he stop early, Maury replied "all of these kids are interesting and I don't want to dissapoint them". It was a memorable day as Maury managed to connect with  everyone and expressed through his words and example,  the importance of giving back.

meet evan

Evan is 13 years old and this was his first time to the summer YDA. He did not want to attend the YDA because he believed it was for "kids who had to stay out of trouble" which he felt was not his case. He preferred to stay at home over the summer. When asked what he would have done at home, he replied "watch tv and be bored". Evan was also hesitant because he feels he often has a hard time fitting in and did not want to spend a month being the odd man out. Alas, his mom found out about the program and made him apply. When we interviewed Evan at the end of the program he said it was all worthwhile because of the people he met, especially his counselor Gabriel. He actually felt that the relationship he formed with Gabriel was the highlight of his experience because Gabriel could relate to him. They were able to spend some time talking in between all the swimming and sports. Evan learned that Gabriel shared simliar experiences and struggles growing up. Evan said it felt good to know someone understood.

The Summer YDA is about exposing children to new experiences, teaching them new skills,and allowing them to have a productive summer while  avoiding the "brain drain" that so many children experience over the summer months. For many though, like Evan, it is a time to meet new people and make friendships in a warm, non-threatening environment where they can be themselves.