By Maricela Guerrero, Executive Director, Rocketship California
As community schools, we deeply engage our families in their student’s academic life and build our school community around our families. Our Care Corps is an expansion of Rocketship’s community schools model, allowing us to support the whole child and families inside and outside of the classroom. Our full-time Care Corps coordinators help our families navigate support systems and get the assistance they need by overcoming language barriers, red tape, and lack of internet access to connect them to vital services that are too often cumbersome and complicated. Care Corps coordinators are fully dedicated to helping families meet their basic needs so their children can thrive in school.
Rocketship Education operates the Delta Prep TK-5th school in Antioch, Futuro Academy TK-5th in Concord in Contra Costa County, and 11 other schools in California, three in Tennessee, one in Texas with a second opening this fall, two in Wisconsin and three in Washington, D.C.
We’re so proud to have once again holistically served thousands of families through Care Corps in the 2022-2023 school year. This past year:
Partnering with the Healthy Kids Foundation and K-12 Health East Bay, we provided free health screenings for 5,655 students across the Bay Area and partnered with Vision to Learn to give free eyeglasses to 618 Rocketship students.
We partnered with Second Harvest Food Bank to feed our families – distributing almost 11,000 food kits to families in San Jose and the East Bay.
We partnered with City Team Ministries to offer a pop-up closetfor our families at Rocketship Brilliant Minds, helping clothe over 200 households.
We also partnered with Bay Area Urban Barber College to give over 500 Rocketeers and their siblings free school supplies and haircuts.
Partnering with the State of California and the Santa Clara County Department of Health, we hosted a vaccination clinic and community resource fair for our San Jose families.
And last, but not least, our very own Ms. Elena organized a Rocketship folklorico group of 80 students that performed for the community at the Vietnamese Association in San Jose every Wednesday.
Thank you for your continued support of our Rocketeers. Our Care Corps team is excited to continue this important work the next academic year.
Once again, Claryissa Wilson and her Forever Me Foundation has organized the annual Antioch Stuff the Bus School Supply Giveaway. This year it will be held on Saturday, August 5 beginning at 10:00 AM at Dallas Ranch Middle School, 1401 Mt. Hamilton Way in Antioch.
The event will include entertainment and resources for those who attend.
Donations of school supplies which can be purchased on the Amazon Supply Wish List or at local stores. Financial donations can be made and volunteers can also register on the event’s website. See all by clicking https://linktr.ee/4evermefoundation.
Edmodo, LLC allegedly collected names, email addresses, phone numbers, device information, and IP addresses of approximately 36 million children under 13 for advertising purposes until approximately September 2022 and “retaining this personal information indefinitely”
Antioch Unified didn’t use it.
The Department of Justice, together with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), today announced that Edmodo, LLC (Edmodo) has agreed to a permanent injunction and a $6 million civil penalty in connection with its online educational platform, as part of a settlement to resolve alleged violations of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Rule (COPPA Rule), and the Federal Trade Commission Act. The civil penalty is suspended due to Edmodo’s inability to pay.
The Edmodo educational platform, sold to schools throughout the United States, enabled teachers to interface with students, including children under 13 years old, to host virtual class spaces, conduct discussions, share materials, make assignments, and provide quizzes and grades, among other things. In a complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, the government alleges that, until approximately September 2022, Edmodo collected the personal information of children under 13, including their names, email addresses, phone numbers, device information, and IP addresses. Edmodo allegedly collected such information without providing notice to the children’s parents or obtaining parental authorization to collect such personal information, as required by the COPPA Rule, and used this personal information to enable third parties to display targeted advertising to student users between 2018 and September 2022.
According to a May 2023 article by Human Rights Watch, “Edmodo was a website and app widely used by children in kindergarten, elementary, and middle schools across the US until September 2022, when the company pivoted to only selling its product to governments. The company benefited from explosive demand in 2020, reporting a 1,500 percent increase in users in the first five months of the pandemic as governments and schools rushed to connect children to online learning.
An investigation by Human Rights Watch in May 2022 found that Edmodo was designed with the capacity to surveil children and harvest their personal data for advertising. Our technical analysis found that Edmodo could not only invisibly tag children and identify their devices for the sole purpose of advertising to them, but also enabled other advertisers to do the same by embedding ad-specific third-party code on its platform. After multiple requests for comment, Edmodo told Human Rights Watch in July 2022 that it did ‘not share [its students’] personal data with any Edmodo business partners or third parties.’”
The complaint further asserts that Edmodo was retaining this personal information indefinitely. As of March 2020, Edmodo retained the personal information associated with approximately 36 million student accounts, of which only one million were actively using the platform. This indefinite retention violated COPPA’s requirement that an operator not retain personal information of children for longer than “reasonably necessary to fulfill the purpose for which [the information] was collected.”
The stipulated order, entered by the federal district court yesterday, enjoins Edmodo from collecting personal information from children in a manner that violates the COPPA Rule and prohibits Edmodo from retaining children’s personal information for longer than reasonably necessary to fulfill the purpose for which it was collected. The order also enjoins Edmodo from collecting more personal information than reasonably necessary for a child to participate in any activity offered on its service. It also requires Edmodo to destroy personal information improperly collected from children under age 13 and to comply with reporting, monitoring, and recordkeeping requirements. Edmodo is also subject to a civil penalty judgment of $6 million dollars, which is suspended due to Edmodo’s inability to pay.
“Children do not lose their privacy protections when they use the internet,” said U.S. Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey for the Northern District of California. “Congress and the FTC have established rules to govern websites and apps collecting and storing the personal information of children. The settlement being announced today demonstrates the Department of Justice’s resolve to enforce those rules. We will continue to work with our partners at the FTC to safeguard children’s online privacy.”
“The Justice Department takes seriously its mission to protect the online privacy rights of children and their parents. This order spells out clearly to all online providers that it is unacceptable to collect children’s personal information without their parents’ consent,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Department of Justice’s Civil Division. “The department is committed to protecting against unauthorized online collection and retention of information, especially from children.”
“This order makes clear that ed tech providers cannot outsource compliance responsibilities to schools, or force students to choose between their privacy and education,” said Director Samuel Levine of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. “Other ed tech providers should carefully examine their practices to ensure they’re not compromising students’ privacy.”
This matter was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Vivian Wang for the Northern District of California, Senior Trial Attorney James T. Nelson and Assistant Director Lisa Hsiao of the Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch, and Gorana Neskovic and Peder Magee of the FTC.
Antioch Unified Didn’t Use Edmodo’s Technology
Superintendent Stephanie Anello said the Antioch Unified School District did not use Edmodo’s technology for online education during COVID.
The Deer Valley High School Class of 2023 grads turn the tassels on their caps inside the Los Medanos College stadium on Friday morning, June 9, 2023. Photos by Allen D. Payton
By Allen D. Payton
The Deer Valley High School Class of 2023 graduates, family and friends celebrated their shared accomplishment on Friday morning, June 9th. After entering with their teachers to the traditional playing of Pomp and Circumstance, inside the Los Medanos College football stadium, where the ceremonies were held due to the new turf field being installed in Wolverine Stadium, the graduates were welcomed by teacher and cross-country coach, Michael Green and enjoyed a performance of the National Anthem by the Divine Voices.
The Deer Valley Divine Voices sing the National Anthem. Teacher and coach Michael Green welcomes all in attendance.
They then heard from their first-year principal, Casey Lewis.
“Your journey made the days many,” he said speaking of the COVID pandemic. “Value you those you trust the most. Value those moments. Let them know you care. You don’t have to be great to get started. But you have to get started to be great.”
The grads hear from first-year Principal Casey Lewis.
“It has been an absolute honor to be your principal especially this class which was my first class. So, stay classy,” he added.
Antioch School Board Area 3 Trustee Dr. Clyde Lewis (no relation to the principal) spoke of the “Wolverine spirit”.
AUSD Trustee Dr. Clyde Lewis speaks to the grads about the “Wolverine Spirit”.
“People who exhibit the Wolverine spirit are typically fearless and are not intimated by anything,” he said. “They are risk-takers and are so focused on their pursuits that the thought of failure does not stop them from their mission. Being a Wolverine means being a spirited, bold trendsetter who goes against the grain to accomplish their goals.”
Senior Class President Heather Galiwango speaks to her fellow graduates as Trustee Lewis listens.
Senior Class President Heather Galiwango then spoke to her classmates saying, “13 years. It’s been 13 years that the government mapped out a road for us. It seems as though our whole lives revolve around school until we got to high school. Then we overworked ourselves.”
“We’ve overcome a pandemic. We became the first class to have personalized parking spots,” she shared to cheers from the graduates. “Your successes as Deer Valley Wolverines are so impressive. Always know I’m rooting for you in your little corners. Thank you and congrats.”
Valedictorian Ryan Cao shares his thoughts with his classmates as Associate Superintendent of Educational Services Christine Ibarra looks on.
“At the beginning of this year I couldn’t wait to graduate. Now that I’m here, I feel the opposite,” said Valedictorian Ryan Cao. “Throughout my entire life I’ve always longed for the next chapter of my life. I didn’t spend enough time with my friends…and especially my grandfather.”
“Don’t let anyone question your talent or ability,” he continued. “Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do something. Cherish what you have in the moment.”
The Class of 2023 grads receive their diplomas inside LMC stadium.
Principal Lewis introduced the Class of 2023 to Associate Superintendent of Educational Services Christine Ibarra who accepted the class for completing the requirements set forth by the Antioch Unified School District.
“Henceforth you are to be considered graduates and alumni of Deer Valley High School,” she said to cheers.
Several grads decorated their caps with special messages.
The Deer Valley Choir and Divine Voices who sang the National Anthem at the beginning of the ceremonies then performed “A Blessing” and “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday”.
The grads are announced by Math Instructor Jessika Tate (red & white sash, left) and Math Department Chair Maria McClain (yellow and green sash, right).
Math Department Chair Maria McClain and Math Instructor Jessika Tate read the names of the graduates as they received their diplomas by Dr. Lewis and Ibarra, first to the ASB and Class Officers, Valedictorian and Salutatorians then the rest of the graduates, as friends, families and classmates cheered.
Dr. Lewis and Associate Superintendent Ibarra take photos with the grads and their diplomas as classmates await their turn.
Class President Galiwango led the class in the turning of the tassels before they celebrated with hugs and tossing of their caps, before the recessional song of “It’s About Da** Time” played.
The DVHS ASB, 2023 class officers and fellow grads celebrate.
The Antioch High School Class of 2023 grads celebrate on Friday morning, June 9, 2023. Photos by Selena Cedano.
By Selena Cedano & Allen D. Payton
The 413 graduates of the Antioch High School Class of 2023 celebrated with their family and friends inside Eells Stadium Friday morning, June 9. They filed in to the traditional sounds of Pomp and Circumstance followed by a performance by the Music Masters, led by Director Katelyn Mason, of the National Anthem and “Not to Say Goodbye”.
The AHS Class of 2023 grads enter Eells Stadium to the sounds of Pomp & Circumstance.
ASB President, and 2022 Antioch Youth of the Year, Mateo Ismael Castro offered welcoming remarks. “Just remember, even though we go our separate ways we remain in each other’s hearts and always hold the ones you love in your heart. Hold them dearly,” he said. “Cherish the people around you because tomorrow is not promised, and hate can’t be taken back. Always be kind, hug each other and love one another. Laugh with your loved ones. Take breaths, smile when you can and always tell that person you love them. Never stay mad at each other because tomorrow everything can be gone.”
ASB President Mateo Ismael Castro welcomes all to the commencement, first year Principal John Jimno addresses his first graduating class and Superintendent Stephanie Anello accepts the graduates on behalf of the school board.
He was followed by Principal John Jimno in his first year in the position.
“Keep going in life. We are so proud of your achievements and accomplishments throughout these past years,” he shared.
Valedictorian Ruben Sandoval Ruiz offered encouraging comments to his classmates.
“Stand together through tough times,” he said. “Be your best self. Love yourself. Take challenges. Be brave.”
AHS Class of 2023 Valedictorian Ruben Sandoval Ruiz and Salutatorian Zachary David White speak to their classmates.
Salutatorian Zachary David White reflected on their four years in high school.
“The pain of the pandemic made us. The growth changed us,” he stated. “Stay positive in life even when it’s hard.”
The grads celebrate as they receive their diplomas.
Area 5 Trustee Mary Rocha officially acknowledged the class on behalf of the school board.
“Life is full of surprises. Take it as it comes. Be wise”, she said.
Before accepting the class for meeting the state and district requirements to graduate, Superintendent Stephanie Anello said, “No dream or goal is ever too big for what you can accomplish. Think big. Reach high.
Several graduates decorated their caps with special messages.
Senior Class President Carol Cervantes spoke last before leading the graduates in the turning of their tassels. “When we are down in our time of need, be a friend,” she said. “Be kind in a big world.”
The graduates then celebrated their shared accomplishment with hugs and a few tossing their caps, as family and friends cheered.
The Dozier-Libbey Medical High School Class of 2023 graduates turn their tassels to end the commencement ceremonies on Thursday, June 8, 2023. Photos by Allen D. Payton
By Allen D. Payton
After the 153 graduates of Dozier-Libbey Medical High School’s Class of 2023 filed into the Deer Valley High quad amphitheater to the traditional sounds of Pomp and Circumstance, senior and fellow graduate Rosaly Crisp sang the National Anthem and ASB President Arana Amin led the Pledge of Allegiance. Principal Karen Clark then introduced local dignitaries, including school board Trustees Gary Hack, Mary Rocha and Antonio Hernandez, and Superintendent Stephanie Anello.
The DLMHS grads enter the Deer Valley quad amphitheater to Pomp & Circumstance on Thursday, June 9, 2023.
“It’s a great day to be back at Dozier Libbey Medical High School but it’s an even better day to be graduating,” said Area 1 Trustee Hernandez, a Class of 2012 alum of the school, during his opening remarks.
He was followed by Commencement Speaker and Class of 2023 graduate Briana Galindo.
Senior Class President Saniya Maka leads her classmates in the turning of the tassels. Commencement speaker Briana Galindo shares her thoughts.
“We learned to be creative…and stay strong during times of uncertainty,” she said about their experience during distance learning of the COVID pandemic.
“Class of 2023, these past four years we’ve all grown as individuals. We’ve embraced the values we were taught from the beginning,” Galindo continued. “Dozier-Libbey prepared us. Let these four years be the foundation of what we can do and what we are capable of. I’m proud of you all. We will continue to persevere, chase our ambitions and become the change makers.”
In closing she thanked their teachers and parents.
Vice Principal Mark Libbey reads the graduates’ names. Principal Karen Clark addresses the Class of 2023.
After the presentation of the Class of 2023 by Principal Clark, she spoke of the students’ experience during distance learning.
“The challenges…you’ve faced have forever shaped all of us…managing your own time,” she said. “Together we conquered many, many obstacles.”
“It is our hope that DLMHS has instilled the qualities of compassion, empathy and understanding… navigating the complex career of healthcare or any other career you will pursue,” Clark added.
Many of the grads decorated their caps with special messages.
Superintendent Anello accepted the class having completed the graduation requirements of the Antioch Unified School District and State of California. “Henceforth you are to be considered graduates and alumni of Dozie-Libbey Medical High School. Congratulations,” she said.
The grads cheer on their classmates as they receive their diplomas.
As their names were read by Principal Clark and Vice Principal Mark Libbey, the son of one of the namesakes of the school, the graduates were presented their diplomas by Trustees Hernandez and Rocha.
Valedictorian Aimee Elizabeth Albanese receives her diploma from Trustee Antonio Hernandez. Salutatorian Tyson Jade Lee receives his from Trustee Mary Rocha.
Class President Saniya Maka led her classmates in the turning of their tassels and the graduates celebrated, hugged and tossed their caps in the air as their family and friends cheered and the song Don’t Stop Believing by Journey played during the recessional.
The DLMHS Class of 2023 grads celebrate their shared accomplishment.
