Women’s History Month Is Essential to Green Dot Public School’s Mission
Our network of schools is built on a foundation of diversity, equity, and inclusion. The recognition and acknowledgement of all communities is paramount to our schools across Los Angeles, Beaumont, TX and Memphis, and our mission that unites our network.
Throughout history, we have celebrated women who, in our nation's pursuit for equity, have stood up against discrimination, broke through barriers, and served as role models for generations. Our nation is far from perfect, but the strides that our heroes have made—and the heroes to come will make—will bring us ever closer to that more perfect and just reality.
This March, we’ve made additional time to acknowledge the immense contributions trailblazing women and girls have made in our schools, our communities, and our nation through our inclusive Advisory lessons and inclusionary curriculum.
To further celebrate these contributions, we’re highlighting seven stories of women and girls across our network that are making our schools and communities better places.
Meet Ruby Esparza, Dell Scholar
Ánimo Watts College Preparatory Academy alumna Ruby Esparza is one of 13 Green Dot students to receive the prestigious Dell Scholarship award in 2021. The program, funded by the Susan & Michael Dell Foundation, provides students with a Dell Laptop, textbook credits, academic resources, mentorship opportunities—and a $20,000 scholarship
Ánimo South Los Angeles Students Hold Drive for Local Unhoused Population
In distance learning, many students had to learn to collaborate while physically apart for the first time. Now with in-person instruction, one student has taken that lesson and used it to build stronger bridges between her school and community during this holiday season.
Ánimo Venice Alum Reflects on First Year of In-Person College Courses
In the fall of 2020, Animo Venice Charter High School alumna Jenny Mendez started her first set of college classes at University of California, Berkeley —a campus she had never visited — on a computer in her bedroom in Los Angeles. One year later, in the fall 2021 semester, Mendez arrived at the university for the first time, saying it felt like it “was freshman year all over again.”
Locke Teacher Shares How Service, Commitment Aided Turnaround Work
For some educators, teaching is more than a career, it’s a commitment. Sarah Bakker has taught English at Alain LeRoy Locke College Preparatory Academy for over eight years, and has only grown more in love with teaching, and the community that she serves.
How this Classroom Teacher Observes and Supports Juneteenth, Leadership
LaShawnae Smith, the African American Achievement and Equity lead teacher at Ánimo James B. Taylor Charter Middle School, created a space for students to discuss and learn about themselves and their community.
The Dream is Alive and Well at Martin Luther King Middle School
Just like Dr. Martin Luther King believed in his “I have a Dream” speech over a half a century ago, the Middle School in Beaumont, Texas that bears his name is striving to make things better for its students. MLK Middle School Principal Julia Rich is starting to climb that mountain and making strides step by step.
How this first year teacher thrived amid uncertainty
For Angelina Mendez, a Bluff City High School math teacher, the teachers in her own life inspired her decision to enter the classroom. “I realized that the people who were there for me either in college or high school, were a lot of my teachers. When I think about the people who have influenced me it was my teachers,” said Mendez.