On Monday, March 24, at 6 p.m., the Archie Success Network, a collaborative initiative focused on improving academic performance and closing achievement gaps, organized a Community Connections Night. Hosted in the Archie Williams Student Center, the event invited students and families to engage with presentations about academic support, college financial aid, and wellness services. Organizers also provided food and refreshments and hosted a raffle.

The event started promptly as attendees filed into the student center, which student volunteers and staff had decorated with green balloons, tablecloths, and handmade paper lanterns. Archie Williams Principal Jacob Gran welcomed attendees, introducing the evening’s activities with the help of Spanish translators. One of the translators, English teacher LoRayne Reza, emphasized the importance of translation services. 

“We do a lot more translation now than we have in the past, so our district is getting a little bit better. A lot of parents that come to meetings [and events] are from other countries, and they’re not very familiar with our education system here in the United States. So for me, it’s really important that they feel comfortable coming and advocating for their own students, and that they understand how [to] connect to resources [and] help their students,” Reza said.

After the speech, students and families attended listening sessions in classrooms around campus. These sessions included icebreakers and facilitated conversations that allowed participants to share experiences and provide verbal feedback on how to improve the school.

Meanwhile, other community members explored the resource fair inside the student center. They learned about various organizations and programs, including the wellness center at Archie Williams, education programs, and other information from attending representatives. 

Many present organizations provide information about access to college financial aid, including CalKIDS. According to CalKIDS outreach specialist Diana Sanchez, their program can provide low-income students with college financial aid. 

“CalKIDS is a new…free… savings program [that’s] offered through the California State Treasurer’s Office [for] low-income public school students…[who] automatically get a scholarship account with CalKIDS. We are here trying to help families claim their account…[and] be able to access these funds…to use for higher education expenses, like books, tuition, room, and board,” Sanchez said.

Community Connections Night also serves as an opportunity to showcase Archie Williams Peer Resource (PR), a program that aims to educate Archie Williams students on mental, physical, and sexual health. Archie Williams senior Scarlett Chinn finds that PR offers students a welcoming and supportive environment.

“We have a lot of resources like peer mentoring…brochures…in the Wellness Center…on opioids and how to quit vaping, and [resources for] LGBTQ [community members]. Wellness [gives] lots of support for mental health, physical health, and sexual health,” Scarlett said.

Archie Williams Intervention Coordinator Ginnie Chu facilitates a collaborative impact group called Success Network. As one of the event’s coordinators, she believes that the event could strengthen the school’s community and improve inclusion.

“I hope that this event will create a feeling where students and families feel like they belong on campus. I think when you can put a face and name to an institution, it’s more personable [where] we can build our community. We have plenty of resources at Archie Williams, but [it’s] getting them to the students that [is] needed the most,” Chu said.

When the event came to a close, Gran announced the raffle winners, who received Target and Amazon gift cards. 

Sophomore attendee Alexandra Berry feels the event left students and families with new resources. 

“[I thought the event] was really well done… [It was] a great way to learn about different resources that the school has to offer and local organizations that can help you,” Alexandra said.