Mandela High School Wins the 2009 Deloitte & College Summit Award 
Oakland Unified School District Press Release: Oakland's Mandela High School Wins the 2009 Deloitte & College Summit Award. Law & Public Service Academy will receive $5,000 in recognition of its strong, sustainable college-going culture.
Oakland - June 3, 2009 - Mandela High School's Law & Public Service Academy has won the 2009 Deloitte & College Summit Award honoring high schools that use innovative approaches to develop a sustainable college-going culture among their students. Mandela, part of OUSD's Fremont Federation of small schools, will receive $5,000 from Deloitte and will be honored at a Bay Area reception in the fall of 2009, hosted by the Northern California College Summit regional office and the Oakland/San Francisco Deloitte office.
Deloitte's judges noted that Mandela boasts a multitude of programs to propel students toward college success and added that the range of offerings separated Mandela from the competition. Specifically, Mandela's counselor, Ana Vasquez, meets individually with all students starting in eleventh grade, to discuss post-graduation plans. College counseling is also part of the school's Advisory curriculum, which all students take throughout their time at Mandela. In addition, Mandela offers AP courses in English, math, science and social studies and specialized intervention programs in Math and English for the California High School Exit Exam. All Mandela students take the PSAT exam free of charge and have the opportunity to take the SAT and ACT exams. Students with qualifying grade point averages participate in a tour of colleges during their junior year and partnerships with local colleges and universities also provide transitional support for college-bound students.
"We work very hard to make sure that students understand that college is attainable and continually show them the plan to achieve their goals," explained Mandela High Principal Glover. "Along with this, we believe modeling is one of the best strategies; we make sure to promote college by focusing on student work, college posters, A-G requirements, college guides in the hallways of our school, and by having great counseling and a continual, open dialogue about post-secondary education."
Paul Collins, Executive Director for Northern California College Summit, remarked, "It's been an extreme honor and pleasure for our team to work with Ana Vasquez, Principal Robin Glover, and her teachers and students. They are incredibly deserving of the award-in both substance and style-and we look forward to celebrating their work at the fall 2009 event." He added that College Summit has been grateful for the partnership with Mandela and "with all of the adults throughout the District who are so dedicated to positive outcomes for students."
Over the past decade, College Summit has worked in partnership with schools, school districts and colleges to develop a sustainable model for raising college enrollment rates community-wide. One high school from each College Summit region is chosen by an awards committee to receive the Deloitte & College Summit Award, including representatives from both College Summit's National Office and Deloitte LLP. In selecting the winner, the committee reviews the quality of the activities designed and resources used to help forge a college-going culture within the school community.
Additional information about Mandela High School can be found at http://mandelahigh.net.
