Jack London 1876-1916

Jack London epitomized the life-long learner. His own education was characterized by innovative and non-traditional experiences. London’s primary devotion, however was to the PEOPLE, as he called them, and he wanted an informed public that would direct leaders, not follow them blindly. It is fitting that he be memorialized through this award program, which is designed to recognize and encourage innovative educational programs.

Jack London epitomized the life-long learner. His own education was characterized by innovative and non-traditional experiences. London’s primary devotion, however was to the PEOPLE, as he called them, and he wanted an informed public that would direct leaders, not follow them blindly. It is fitting that he be memorialized through this award program, which is designed to recognize and encourage innovative educational programs. The Jack London Award for Educational Innovation is given annually to educators who coordinate exemplary educational programs in Sonoma County public schools. Programs coordinated by school administrators or community representatives are eligible for the Jack London Special Award for Community-School Cooperation. The programs that received the annual Jack London Award since 1989 are described in this retrospective.

The Jack London Award for Educational Innovation is given annually to educators who coordinate exemplary educational programs in Sonoma County public schools. Programs coordinated by school administrators or community representatives are eligible for the Jack London Special Award for Community-School Cooperation. The programs that received the annual Jack London Award since 1989 are described in this retrospective.

Jack London Award – 23 Years of Recognizing

Educational Innovation Sonoma State University School of Education

2010 Award Winner: 2010 Award Winner: Ready for Kindergarten Ready for Kindergarten Petaluma Adult School Petaluma Adult School Petaluma City School District Petaluma City School District Program Coordinators: Carol Waxman and Nancy Emanuele Program Coordinators: Carol Waxman and Nancy Emanuele Program Goal: A bilingual kindergarten transition program for disadvantaged children who have had little or no pre-school prior to kindergarten entrance, giving one or both parents the opportunity to attend class with the child to learn the academic, social and behavioral skills necessary for a successful kindergarten experience.

Program Goal: A bilingual kindergarten transition program for disadvantaged children who have had little or no pre-school prior to kindergarten entrance, giving one or both parents the opportunity to attend class with the child to learn the academic, social and behavioral skills necessary for a successful kindergarten experience. 2009 Award Winner: 2009 Award Winner: K-8 Dual Immersion K-8 Dual Immersion Flowery Elementary School and Adele Harrison Middle School, Sonoma Valley Unified School District

Flowery Elementary School and Adele Harrison Middle School, Sonoma Valley Unified School District Program Coordinators: Justina Montano and Sonia Castaneda Program Coordinators: Justina Montano and Sonia Castaneda This program aims to educate both native English and native Spanish speaking students to be bilingual, bi-literate and bicultural citizens, successful in a global society.

This program aims to educate both native English and native Spanish speaking students to be bilingual, bi-literate and bicultural citizens, successful in a global society. 2008 Award Winner: 2008 Award Winner: School-To-Work School-To-Work Santa Rosa High School, Santa Rosa City High School District Santa Rosa High School, Santa Rosa City High School District Program Coordinator: Ron Reichmuth Program Coordinator: Ron Reichmuth This program offers four highly successful school-to-work programs for Special Education students to help meet their needs as they move through their Career Awareness and Personal Management programs in pursuit of their high school completion certificate, with an eye toward future employment opportunities.

This program offers four highly successful school-to-work programs for Special Education students to help meet their needs as they move through their Career Awareness and Personal Management programs in pursuit of their high school completion certificate, with an eye toward future employment opportunities.

2007 Award Winner: The Downtown Project Petaluma High School, Petaluma City School District Program Director: Dan Sunia Through this program, students have the opportunity to experience a start-up business and to design, prototype and produce quality products in a manufacturing environment. The products of the students’ work can be seen throughout Petaluma. 2006 Award Winner: Forestville School Drama Forestville School, Forestville Union School District Program Coordinators: Noelle Huberty and Paul Huberty This drama program strives to teach theater skills (singing, acting, and dancing) to 5-8 graders, to provide art to the community, and promote parent and community involvement. 2005 Award Winner: Teaching Garden Valley Vista Elementary School, Petaluma City School District Program Coordinator: Vanessa Passarelli The goal of this program is to teach children how to grow and harvest fruits and vegetables so that they may strengthen their community living skills and sharpen their academic skills through innovative and interdisciplinary lessons in nutrition, math and science. 2004 Award Winner: Let’s Fly To the Library Lincoln Elementary School, Santa Rosa City School District Program Coordinator: Ben Lev This program assists the parents of students to make regular library visits with their children and then go to the library independently. Lincoln teachers act as a “bridge” between low income/immigrant families and the Sonoma County Public Library.

2003 Award Winner: Write to the Point Mountain Shadows Middle School, Cotati-Rohnert Park School District Program Coordinators: Gina Cloud, Rae Galeazzi, Keri Bryski, Beth Williams, and Amy McKenna The goal of this program is to create a more authentic and ongoing assessment tool that students and teachers could use to provide direction to writing instruction throughout the school year and to create an assessment with a scoring process that could be reasonably managed at a school site. 2002 Award Winner: 4-6 Physical Education Washington School, Cloverdale Program Coordinator: Lisa A. Fogg This program strives to promote a caring and loving environment that will foster success for every child-physically, intellectually, and emotionally. 2001 Award Winner: Rekindling Hoped and Dreams Santa Rosa Middle School, Santa Rosa Program Coordinator: Walter Gloshinski This program provides opportunities for Special Day Class students to practice authentic life skills in real setting as a pathway to independence and civic responsibility. 2000 Award Winner: Dolphin Kings Chess Robert L. Stevens Elementary School, Santa Rosa Program Coordinator: Kathy Huffstutter The Chess program aims to improve 4th through 6th grade students’ higher order thinking skills, increase self esteem, increase student achievement by stimulating intellectual growth, and motivate second language student involvement in school events.

1999 Award Winner: ArtQuest Santa Rosa High School, Santa Rosa Program Coordinator: Jan Sophie The goal of this program is to serve those students for whom individual expression and artistic creativity are of paramount importance. The arts provide the foundation for academic and artistic learning. 1998 Award Winner: Student Exchange Program Cali Calmécac School, Windsor Program Coordinator: Ginger Dale This exchange program aims to extend students’ learning beyond the classroom to the world as they live with Mexican families and attend a Mexican middle school for three weeks. Mexican host brothers and sisters also have the opportunity to come and study in Windsor for three weeks. 1997 Award Winner: Panel of Young Americans Rancho Cotate High School, Cotati-Rohnert Park School District Program Coordinator: Flora Lee Ganzler This program provides an after school activity for high school students through which they not only learn to value differences but also work to inspire others to strive for greater understanding. 1996 Award Winner: Pre-Engineering Tech Lab Analy High School, Sebastopol ProgramCoordinators: Gene Karas and Dennis McGahee This goal of this program is to provide relevant career education with maximum student exposure to students through the delivery of practical, challenging and meaningful interdisciplinary instruction. 1995 Award Winner: Bringing Every Child to Literacy (BECL) Cotati-Rohnert Park Unified School District. Program Coordinators: Barbara Vrankovich, Jane Ginn. The goal of this program is to Ensure literacy acquisition for all students.

1994 Award Winner: Physical Education Program Kenilworth Junior High School, Petaluma Program Coordinator: Nancy Janeck. This program was designed to provide a state of the art physical education program which blends the academic, social and physical needs of the student. 1993 Award Winner Biology III – Molecular Genetics Casa Grande High School, Petaluma Program Coordinators: Jaye C. Larsen and Nicholas Anast The goal of the program is to introduce genetic engineering techniques and focus this technology on the problem of toxic waste. 1992 Award Winner: The Science School Piner High School, Santa Rosa Program Coordinator: James Gonzalez This unique, three-year program offers accelerated and specialized instruction in science, mathematics, and technology. Each student is required to complete an individualized year-long project as a member of a four to six person team working to find solutions to relevant local problems. A total of sixteen projects involving ninety-six students were developed during the first year of the Integrated Science course. 1991 Award Winner: Invention and Innovation Marguerite Han Elementary School, Rohnert Park Program Coordinators: Gail Eagan and Brenda Payne The program is designed to enhance creativity and problem solving skills of students who create inventions utilizing a problem solving model that addresses everyday chores and challenges. Students gain an awareness and understanding of inventions and the roles they play in our daily lives and of the innovative thinking that leads to the development of new products and technology.

1990 Award Winner: California Kids Reading Project La Tercera Elementary School, Petaluma Program Coordinator: Mike Thompson The program involves the entire sixth grade in a theme-bases literature program that emphasizes shared student/teacher control and stresses cultural diversity. Students are divided into teams and book themes are offered the make a connection with their lives, such as: Divorce, Friendship, Mystery, Poetry and Child Abuse. 2008 1989 Award Winner: Spanish Bilingual Immersion Program Windsor Union Elementary School, Windsor Program Coordinators: Julie Moore and Ginger Dale The program develops fluency in communication and literacy for both Spanish and English speaking students by putting together both groups and using both languages throughout the curriculum. The goal is for each group to learn each others’ language and culture; one hundred and fifty students are currently in the program. 1988 Award Winner: Special Education Work Experience. Analy High School,Sebastopol Program Coordinator: Joyce Tauch. The program places Special Education students in a variety of work experiences, enabling then to achieve full-time employment after graduation. These work situations benefit students and those who train them by enabling both to experience success.

2003

Nominate an Innovative Program for the 24th Annual Jack London Award

The School of Education at Sonoma State University hosts the Jack London Awards for Educational Innovation every year in May. Start thinking NOW about nominating a program from your Sonoma County Public School for this prestigious award. Award criteria include: 1. Original vision and impetus for the program 2. Innovative and creative approaches 3. Engages teachers and school community collaboratively 4. Describe the impact of this program on students and how it might be adaptable to other settings Applications for the 24th Annual Jack London Awards will be available for distribution in January of 2011. Watch for it in the SCOE electronic newsletter. For more information contact dean.education@sonoma.edu

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The Jack London Awards for Educational Innovation

are generously supported by:

The Office of the President, Sonoma State University The California Faculty Association The Sonoma County Educators Council CTA/NEA The Sonoma County Office of Education The School of Education, Sonoma State University