California Educator

April / May 2018

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self-advocates, able to stand up for themselves and for others, too. Her students become more confident and hone their skills through experiences that build their self-esteem, including volunteering, part-time jobs, training for certifications, and involvement in school activities, athletics and clubs. During the past four years, Charter Oak High School added two new classrooms of students with moderate to severe disabilities, including students with autism and behavioral problems. Bet z is now working with her depar tment to create a sensor y room, a safe space for these students that provides personalized sensor y input to help them with self-regulation in preparation for class- room instruction. See Betz talk about her work at tinyurl.com/annbetz. 63 A P R I L / M AY 2 018 Estella Owoimaha- Church CTA Peace and Justice Human Rights Award " The focus is always on [students'] community, being their best selves for themselves and the neighborhood." O W O I M A H A - C H U R C H , a member of the Centinela Valley Secondary Teachers Association, designed and implemented human rights curriculum and social justice-centered projects in her classroom. She has brought in community groups that provide oppor- tunities for her students to practice peace, justice and empathy. Her work with students and partners has led to students taking action in several ways, such as building new organizations on campus that promote inclusion and tolerance, and creating art that promotes peace. A finalist last fall for the Global Teacher Prize, Owoimaha-Church has also helped lead students on several collaborative projects with students in more than 70 countries to reach sustainable devel- opment goals as outlined by the United Nations. She is a local ambassador and representative to several agencies working toward peace, justice and international understanding, including Creative Visions' Rock Your World and Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights' Speak Truth to Power. See Owoimaha-Church talk about her work at tinyurl.com/eowoimaha-church. Cecily Myart- Cruz Human Rights Award in Honor of Lois Tinson " Educational justice is racial and social justice." C E C I L Y M YA R T - C R U Z , vice president of United Teachers Los Angeles/NEA, uses her powerful voice to advocate for students, parents, educators and their communities. She has worked tirelessly as a social justice warrior and has spearheaded racial justice work within her union at the local, state and national levels. Myart-Cruz consistently stands up for black lives, whether it is bravely taking a knee during a school board meeting, speaking out against the privatization of public schools in brown and black communities at the NAACP forum, fighting for the ending of ran- dom searches that disproportionately hurt black youth, or calling out legisla- tors to support fully funded community schools. She has mentored countless leaders of color and brought them fur- ther into union work. Myar t-Cruz has been an unwav- ering advocate for all students. She worked with schools, parents and the communit y to oust "lemon prin- cipals" and collaborated with school sites to protest the excessive testing of our students. See Myart-Cruz talk about her work at tinyurl.com/cmyart-cruz. Elizabeth Villanueva Cesar Chavez "Sí Se Puede" Human Rights Award " It's important for me to see myself in my students — to have the empathy, compassion, sense of humanity." M O S T S T U D E N T S call her Maestra Vil- lanueva. Some call her " Young Dolores." But she is best known as "Elizabeth the activist." A member of the Sacramento City Teachers Association, Villanueva understands issues that touch immi- grants. She teaches cultural heritage to her students, instilling in them a sense of pride. She created a successful Dreamers program at her high school for DACA students, Dreamers, AB 540 students (nonresident students exempt from paying nonresident supplemental tuition), and students with no legal documentation. She meets with them weekly, holds parent information meet- ings, and presents "Know Your Rights" workshops where guest speakers talk about community support, immigration law and college planning. She empow- ers students to take on senior projects where they work with elementary and middle school Dreamers, create a Dreamers webpage on the school web- site, and plan a bilingual graduation ceremony. Villanueva plans to grow the program next year by creating a Dreamers Resource Center, training more teachers and developing a men- torship program. See Villanueva talk about her work at tinyurl.com/evillanueva.

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