2013-2014 Annual Report

Message from the Director

When I reflect on the past year, I am truly amazed by everything Breakthrough SJC students, teachers, supporters and staff have accomplished. This has been a year of growth and our program has had many firsts: We had 2 AmeriCorps VISTA’s working for the program, were able to meet with high school students on a monthly basis at their respective high schools for the first time, held our first-ever Family Night event which appreciated Breakthrough SJC donors and we published our first program-wide annual report. In addition, we reestablished our Advisory Board, launched a new website and connected more high school students than ever with tutoring, internships and SAT/ACT prep. The list can go on and on!

Our main goals for the year were to effectively serve students so that they can go off to college and end the cycle of poverty in their family and community, but to also make more people aware of our program. We were honored to have the opportunity to present at the Capistrano Unified School Board District, the City Council of San Juan Capistrano, the San Juan Capistrano Chamber of Commerce and we were even featured on the front page of the Capistrano Dispatch! Breakthrough SJC has so much momentum and I am excited to lead the program for another year. Until all students in the San Juan Capistrano community have the opportunity to reach their full academic potential regardless of their race and socioeconomic background, we as a program will continue to find ways to make Breakthrough SJC more effective.

Our Mission

• To increase academic opportunity for highly motivated, underserved students and put them on the trajectory of a successful college path, and

• To inspire and develop the next generation of teachers and educational leaders.

What We Do

• Three consecutive, intensive six-week summer sessions in core and academic courses before entering seventh, eighth and ninth grade.

• After-school classes twice a week throughout middle school.

• Weekly tutoring sessions and monthly high school meetings for high school students throughout the school year.

• Connect our students with exceptional college and high school students who serve as their teachers and mentors.

• Guidance to parents so that they may be better prepared to support their children.

Our Impact

Since its inception in 2006 Breakthrough SJC has

Served 232 students

Trained 141 teachers

19%

65%

3%

13%

HIgh Schools In-Session Teachers Attended

Dana Hills St. Margaret's

Santa Margarita Capo Valley

In-Session Overview

• Hour-long afterschool classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays at Marco Forster Middle School.

• Four 5-week quarters of teaching, each focused on strengthening students’ skills in a specific content area from the EXPLORE test – a prep tool for the ACT college admissions exam!

• Guest speakers and field trips. • Daily all-school meetings to build students’

public speaking skills and spark their creativity. • Parent conferences each semester to provide

support customized to each student’s individual needs. • Activities like Olympics and Quiz Bowl alternating with tutoring days in which teachers conference with students

about their grades and help them in the subjects they struggle in most.

In-Session Served:

• 26 students in 7th grade • 28 students in 8th grade • 31 high schools students that volunteers as

teachers

Total Of

64 hours of programming

421 hours volunteered by In-Session teachers

92% Students of Color

87% Receive Free or Reduced Meals

95% 1st Generation to Attend College

83% English is Second

Language

Date(s) Middle School Events and Descriptions September 17 & 19

Parent Meetings 7th and 8th grade met to learn about Breakthrough’s school year programming for Marco students.

October 8 & 10

In-Session Teacher Training Teachers received professional development and training conducted by our Assistant Director. Each training session prepared teachers for their first time teaching in front of the classroom with lessons in proactive classroom management, active participation, leadership and student engagement.

October 29 Local Author Presentation Jessica Kirby, author of Golden, visited our middle school students to help celebrate the ACT English quarter. Many students read her novel and received signed copies.

Nov. 19 & 26, Dec. 2-5

Middle School Individual Conferences (8th Grade) Middle school students met individually with Program Director Lorena Martinez. 8th grade students focused on the transition to high school and fulfilling A-G requirements.

December 3 In-Session Teacher Training January 16 Dana Point Tide Pools Field Trip

Students and teachers enjoyed a trip to the local tide pools after completing five weeks of pre-ACT science curricula. Students conducted scientific experiments and explored a new ecosystem.

January 23 Middle School Individual Conferences (8th and 7th Grades) Middle school students met individually with Program Director Lorena Martinez. 7th grade students discussed grades, school involvement and upcoming scholarship opportunities.

February 3 7th Grade Parent Meeting 7th grade parents discussed opportunities for increased involvement at the middle school and scholarships such as the Jack Kent Cook Scholarship.

February 4 In-Session Teacher Training February 10 8th Grade Parent Meeting

The event informed families of resources available to them during the transition from middle to high school. The meeting involved participation from Rotaract at Dana Hills High, AVID at both Capistrano Valley and San Juan Hills High, and the California Scholarship Federation (CSF) club at Capistrano Valley.

February 18 Jack Kent Cooke Young Scholars Program Application Workshop Students received guidance on first phase of the Jack Kent Cooke Scholarship Application.

February 19 Middle School Individual Conferences (8th and 7th grades) May 24 New Student Summer Orientation

Our newest class of Breakthrough students and families attended Orientation to discuss logistics, scheduling and expectations of the summer program. All new students completed pre-testing in Math, English, Science and Social Studies.

June 3 8th Grade Orientation Returning Breakthrough 8th grade students and families attended Orientation to discuss expectations for the summer program and students finished summer pre-testing in Math, English, Science, and Social Studies.

June 5 College Bound Orientation Rising 9th grade students and their families attended Orientation for their third and final Breakthrough summer. Students finished all pre-testing for the summer and discussed the transition into the College Bound High School Program.

Middle School Student Highlight: Amy Fabian

Amy joined Breakthrough SJC as a 7th grade student from Marco Forster Middle School, so she could achieve her dream of becoming a pediatrician. Amy is an adamant reader, loves helping people in need, and has become a fantastic public speaker. Amy is not only committed to Breakthrough SJC, but is also involved in AVID and Roadrunner Reading Buddies. Recently, Amy was named a Jack Kent Cooke Scholar.

Overview of the College Bound Program

• Monthly sessions at each high school, during tutorial or lunch, on topics ranging from goal setting to professional interviewing to SAT prep.

• Weekly tutoring with Breakthrough, provided by area college students. If students drop below a 3.0 GPA, they are required to attend either Breakthrough tutoring or tutoring at their high schools.

• Special events for parents and students such as a resume workshop by City Year and a presentation from a Pomona Admissions representative.

• Class meetings during the Breakthrough SJC 2014 summer program.

17 College Bound Tutors

7 from the University of California, Irvine 2 from Saddleback College 1 from University of California, Los Angeles 1 from University of San Francisco 1 from Vanguard University 2 from St. Margaret’s Episcopal School 1 from Santa Margarita Catholic High School 1 from Mission Viejo High School 1 from Dana Hills High School

Students Served

25 9th Grade

14 10th Grade

20 11th Grade

12 12th Grade

74 Total high school students

High Schools w/ BTSJC students

Capistrano Valley 15 students

Dana Hills 18 students

San Juan Hills 27 students

St. Margaret’s 14 students

12 Average number of students at tutoring

48

Number of students that received tutoring

98 Number of tutoring hours offered

College Bound Events

September Introduction to College Bound meeting for parents and students

September High School meetings to set vision for semester (September)

October College Application Workshop from Pomona College

October High School meeting to learn about summer programs

November City Year Cover Letter and Resume Presentation

November High School meeting to practice job interviews and application essay writing

December Speaker from Saddleback College

December College visit to California State University San Marcos

January High School meetings to reflect on year’s goals and continuous improvement

January Ice Skating Social

February RAZA Youth Conference at the University of California, Irvine

February Second semester parent meeting

February High School meeting to learn about scholarships and financial aid

March High School meetings to learn more about academic summer opportunities

April High School meetings to plan schedules to meet A-G requirements

April Junior Retreat to work on college applications

May High School meeting to celebrate year and prep for finals and summer

June College Bound Celebration

In addition

Breakthrough SJC juniors were very generously provided with ACT/ SAT prep courses at a discounted price by Comprehensive College Prep (www. ccprep.org)

The Boys and Girls Club of Capistrano Valley generously provided the space for tutoring every Monday and Wednesday

from 4:00-6:00 p.m.

High school students were invited back to the summer program for class meetings for the first time ever!

Total of 145 hours of College Bound Programming

Class of 2014

College Active Students Entire BTSJC Class of 2014*

Two year 33% 30% Four year 67% 42%

Total 100% 72%

Colleges Breakthrough SJC 2014 seniors were accepted into

Final Decisions:

Agnes Scott College

CSU San Marcos

CSU Fullerton

Redlands University

Saddleback College

UC Davis

UC Merced

University of San Francisco

*Includes all Breakthrough SJC students that attended 2008 summer program. Only active students continued to participate in

Breakthrough SJC program throughout high school.

New Students

Breakthrough students are academically motivated middle and high school students, who are committed to success in a four-year college and demonstrate need for the program. Through engagement with Marco Forster Middle School and organizations in the San Juan Capistrano community, Breakthrough recruits highly motivated, committed sixth grade students and their families to submit comprehensive applications for entrance to the program.

How did we recruit the Class of 2020?

• Marco Forster Middle School Recruitment Presentations: BTSJC’s Director presented to all Social Studies sixth grade classes at Marco Forster Middle School.

• Parent Sessions: BTSJC’s Director held two parent sessions at Marco Forster to recruit and explain the program to Marco Forster parents.

• Presentations at community organizations: o Boys and Girls Club of Capistrano Valley Via Positiva o Padres Promotores in San Juan Capistrano o Kinoshita Elementary School

Highlights

48 Total Applications

28 New Rising 7th Grade Students (65% acceptance rate)

2 New Rising 8th Grade Students

1 New Rising High School Freshmen

3.77 Average GPA of rising 7th grade students

48% increase in male students from 2013

86% qualify for free or reduced meals

89% will be the first in their families to attend college

Overview of the Summer Program

Students’ involvement with Breakthrough SJC starts with our 6 week, 40 hour per week summer program. It is in this intense experience that students discover that learning is fun and that it’s cool to be smart. Academic preparation, positive risk taking and community are all fundamental outcomes of Breakthrough SJC’s summer sessions.

2014 Summer Timeline June 18th- June 27th Teacher Orientation and Training June 30th First Day of Breakthrough SJC July 3rd Spirit Day July 7th Parents Night July 11th Field trips to San Diego Museum of Art and The Los Angeles County Museum of Art July 16th Career Day (presentations from biomedical firm Biostructures LLC, engineering firms The

Boeing Company and Fluor Corporation, and St. Margaret’s Upper School Principal) July 16th College Bound Bonfire at Doheny Beach July 22nd Visitors Day July 24th College Visits to University of California, Riverside and Occidental College August 1st Olympics August 8th Last Day of Breakthrough SJC and Late Night August 9th Celebration August 11th- August 13th Teacher Wrap-Up

A Typical Day at Breakthrough SJC

Before 7:30 Get ready for bus pick up 8:00 - 8:25 Breakfast and Attendance 8:30 - 9:25 Math Class

9:30 - 10:25 English Class 10:25-10:35 Snack

10:35 - 11:30 Science Class 11:35 - 12:30 Social Studies Class 12:30 - 12:55 Lunch

1:00 - 1:25 All-School Meeting 1:30 - 2:30 Academic Elective

(Public Speaking, Philosophy, Photography) 2:35 - 3:10 Advisory and College Time 3:10 - 3:45 Exploration

(Soccer, Tea Time, Zetangle) 3:45 Teachers say good bye to students

Students arrive home and complete homework 3:45-5:30 Faculty Meetings, Professional Development,

Committee Meeting, Kid Talk

Superheroes: Transforming the world one student at a time

Quick Facts:

28 Rising 7th Grade students

27 Rising 8th Grade students

26 Rising 9th Grade students

20 Teaching Fellows

4 Junior Teachers (Breakthrough high school students)

4 Instructional Coaches

1 Dean of Students

Student Summer Highlights • 7th graders read Sherman Alexie’s novel “The Absolute Diary of a Part-Time Indian”, 8th graders read Orson Scott

Card’s “Ender’s Game”, and 9th graders read “Black Boy” by Richard Wright. • In just six weeks, 7th grade had a 2.2 grade level increase in Math.

• 7th and 8th grade students increased their reading level by one grade over the summer.

• All 9th grade students wrote and revised personal essays in their College Skills course, so they may be ready to apply for scholarships and extracurricular programs as high school students.

• Overall, a 13.8% growth in student mastery of core subjects – and growth across the board in all subjects!

• All Breakthrough SJC students agreed their participation in Breakthrough will help them achieve their long-term goal of attending college.

Student Quotes

“My experience at Breakthrough has truly been amazing with all my fun teachers, fun activities, and great field trip learning experiences.” Lexa Aguilar (7th grade)

“Breakthrough is amazing. Even though we have a lot of hard work to do, everything pays off.” Nancy Mendez (8th grade)

“Breakthrough is the best program I have been in!” Alan Abrego (9th grade)

“Breakthrough helps me learn because every teacher is easy to talk to… You can go to a teacher, and they are so nice to you.”

Eduardo Ruiz (7th grade)

Teaching Fellow Summer Highlights

• 100% of teachers were satisfied with their overall expereince at Breakthrough SJC. • 100% of teachers agreed that Breakthrough SJC has better equipped them to be advocates to change

educational inequality. • 100% of Teaching Fellows completed their 8 week summer commitment. • 60% increase in male Teaching Fellows. • 3 Breakthrough SJC 2013 Teaching Fellows returned to teach another summer, a 200% increase from previous

summer. • 2 Breakthrough SJC students returned to the summer program to serve as Teaching Fellows.

Colleges represented in 2014 Teaching Fellow Cohort

Teacher Quotes

“BTSJC increased my commitment to the teaching profession because it gave me the confidence I needed to pursue my dream of

becoming a teacher. BTSJC gave me tools to improve my teaching and continue to grow in the future.”

Elena Segarra, Claremont McKenna College

“The best aspect of Breakthrough is the students. I am so grateful to have been able to work with them and to have been able to learn from them. I also would say that the support system for Teaching Fellows at Breakthrough comes in at a close second.” David Pham, Vassar

Teacher Demographics

Breakthrough SJC 2014 Total Teaching Fellows: 20

Number Percentage

Gender Male 8 40% Female 12 60% Primary Race African American 2 10% American Indian 0 0% Asian 3 15% Latino 8 40% Caucasian 6 30% Multi-racial 0 0% Other 1 5% Teacher Demographics First in family to go to college 10 50% Breakthrough student/alumni 2 10% Education At Time of Application High school 6 30% College undergraduate 14 70% Education Experience Education Major Before Breakthrough 5 25% New Breakthrough Teacher 16 80% Returning Breakthrough Teacher 4 20% Colleges Ivy League 3 15% Top 50 (National University Ranking) 10 50% Top 50 (Liberal Arts Ranking) 6 30% Other 2 10% Summer '14 Average GPA 3.59

“Breakthrough students wake up early every morning in the summer to come to school. They are enthusiastic about the program and make all the hard work worth it. I can see potential in each of them, and I loved seeing them grow over the past two summers. I have seen them grow so much.” Eliza McDonough, Dartmouth College

“The interaction between teachers and students is the best aspect of Breakthrough. Breakthrough students don’t know too many college students, but now they are exposed to twenty of them. It makes college more real and attainable because they come from all sorts of colleges and universities, not just the big name top ten schools in America. They

like their teachers and eat lunch with them, and it makes learning fun.” Coral Ramos, Breakthrough SJC sand Dana Hills High School student, 2014 Junior Teacher

Community Outreach

Breakthrough Presents at San Juan Capistrano City Council

Breakthrough Families Host Appreciation Dinner

for Donors and Supporters

Breakthrough and Friends of the Library Celebrate World Book Night

Breakthrough Students March at Swallow’s Day Parade

Breakthrough Featured on The Capistrano Dispatch

and The Dana Point Times

Breakthrough Presents at Capistrano Unified School District Board of Trustees

Breakthrough SJC Receives the 2014 Innovation Grant

from Breakthrough Collaborative

CR&R Becomes a Breakthrough Community Partner

Community Members Attend Open House Tour of Breakthrough’s

College Bound Tutoring Program

Community Members Attend Visitors Day to Catch a Glimpse of

our Summer Program

Two Breakthrough College Bound Students Intern with

U.C Irvine’s Chemical Engineering and Materials

Science Lab

CCPrep Generously Offers Discounted SAT/ACT Classes for Breakthrough

Students Boys & Girls Club of Capistrano Valley Hosts Breakthrough College Bound

Tutoring Program

BioStructures, Boeing, Flour, and St. Margaret’s Inspire Students at

Career Day

Flour Corporation Shares Engineering Techniques with Students in

Breakthrough’s Summer Program

Financial Report

Sources of Funding

Use of Funds

Reserve funds at September 30, 2014 were $45,816 (25% of annual need)

$87,500 , 26%

$71,751 , 21% $100,000 , 29%

$60,088 , 18%

$20,000 , 6%

Donations SMES

In-kind Donations SMES

Foundations

Individual Donors

Corporate Sponsors

$314,339 , 93%

$25,000 , 7%

Program Operating Cost

Administrative &Fundraising Costs

Thank You to Our 2014 Volunteers

Advisory Board Duraid Antone Antigone Blackwell Laura Freese Jeneen Graham Ed Hand Gila Jones Jim and Karen Murphy Stacey Nicholas Elizabeth Novick Jim Reardon Gretchen Scott Teaching Fellows Nikita Akkala, Scripps College Paige Bermudez, William and Mary College Ethan Blake, Brown University Angel Ceballos, Swarthmore College Luis Ceballos, Swarthmore College Qunsia Daniel, Northwestern University Jassmin Del Rio, St. Margaret’s Episcopal School Samantha Geary, Wake Forest University Nicole Hood, University of Florida Jose Limon, Yale University Lidia Lopez, St. Margaret’s Episcopal School Leanne Lupone, University of California, Irvine Eliza McDonough, Dartmouth College David Pham, Vassar College Ellen Schneider, Mercer College Elena Segarra, Claremont McKenna College Grant Thomas, University of Nebraska Brandon Torres, Swarthmore College Alexander Tran, University of California, Los Angeles Farida Valji, University of California, Berkeley Instructional Coaches Lindsey Behm, Marco Forster Middle School Erin Bratcher, St. Mary’s School Blair Dyer, Dana Hills High School Cat Nolan, San Juan Hills High School Junior Teachers Mariel Diaz Natalia Garcia Rolando Perez Coral Ramos

In-Session Teachers Maribel Castanon Nicole Demirbey Natalia Garcia Jessica Guerinot Jillian Harper CJ Jacobs Soo Min Kim Roman Lemus Cameron Manor David Mena Alissa Ohanesian Devon Palladni Coral Ramos Natali Sanchez Shiva Shabak Neal Singh Nivin Singh Trent Sorenson Ariana Vargas College Bound Tutors Lilibeth Aguilar Kareem Allam James Davis Kevin Estipular Hannah Ghavami Jocelyn Gonzalez Roxy Hernandez Issac Huerta Fatima Lopez Micaela Maciel Sheenaros Manuel Paola Miranda Lauren Mouacdie David Nissenoff Jessica Ramos Jessica Singh Kathryn Trenbeath

Summer Student Leaders Katherine Adelman Rocio Alarcon Andre Antone Cinthia Avila Daniel Briseno Jack Cowan Evan Feller Alex Gallastegui Jose Hurtado Katarina Lado Aide Najera Jana Phillips Brian Salgado Ivan Santana Roberto Santana Shiva Shabak Josephine Shaw Nivin Singh Trent Sorenson Ariana Vargas Jason Vorhis Blake Williams Homestay Families Girand/McGregor Family Gossard Family Graham Family Kaufman Family Linaweaver Family Marko Family Murphy Family Salkin Family Scott Family Solt Famiy

Donor Organizations AmeriCorps VISTA

Breakthrough National Office

Comprehensive College Prep

Connelly Family Foundation

CR&R Incorporated

Croul Family Foundation

J. Stanley & Mary W. Johnson Family Foundation

Microsoft Matching Gifts Program

The Nicholas Endowment

Orange County’s United Way

Printing OC

Ricardo’s Place

San Juan Capistrano Equestrian Coalition

St. Margaret’s Episcopal School

Summer Food Service Program

United Way Silicon Valley

Individual Donors

Candy and Duraid Antone

Steve Behmerwohld

Jim Behmerwohld

Chris and Brad Bonhall

Laura Bretzger

Linda and David Bush

Patricia and Earnest Clark

Ruth Clark

Lyn and Paul Clute

Ryan and Anne Dahlem

Ellen and David Edington

Lynn and Sydney Edwards

Lara and Jim Farhadi

Geeta and Sonny Grover

Kelly and Jay Jacobs

Marla and Joseph Kaufman

Melissa and Brent Kuhn

Melissa and J.P. Leasure

Leah Martinez

Lorena Martinez

Aysun and Sager Moritzky

Rita and Mark O’Hare

Margie Robinson

Gretchen and Matt Scott

Beverly and David Shaw

Penny Tacquard

Lysa and Jeff Thomas

Jolanta and Arminas Wagner

Thank You to Our 2014 Donors

The following lists reflect Breakthrough SJC donors for July 1, 2013 – June 30, 2014