HOPE Conference Seeks to Help Students Grow

Saturday, Aug. 10, marked the first annual African-American Family Conference at Vista del Lago High School. Looking to improve the academic, emotional and social growth of students is the reason that parents, families, educators, community-based organizations and local businesses have been working for quite some time as they sought to provide a well-rounded conference filled with positivity, encouragement and community support. Hosted by the African-American Advisory Council of Moreno Valley Unified School District (MVUSD), members of the council spoke to several hundred families for just over four hours explaining the importance of education and the necessity for parents to show interest continuously in their children’s education. The theme of this year’s conference, “Hanging onto Positive Expectations” (HOPE), was designed to empower families with information to help them more effectively understand and navigate the educational system, from support resources and programs, to financial planning, and college/career preparation. Guided by influential speakers and heartfelt testimonies, MVUSD Superintendent Dr. Judy D. White explained that in addition to highlighting some of the current graduation, dropout and expulsion rates, educators and board members are hoping that kids take with them a new sense of motivation and inspiration. Dr. White’s expectations of students are simple, as she lives by the motto, “Be history makers and stereotype breakers.” “Moreno Valley is a wonderful place to live and to work in, and when the community comes together we can do amazing things and we can close the achievement gap. If you look around there are faces other than of African-Americans that are part of this journey. Just as in the Civil Rights Movement, it took a diverse group of people to change the course of history,” said Dr. White. Families who registered did so free of charge and were able to enjoy a continental breakfast, refreshments, grade-specific breakout sessions and workshops, a resource fair, and prize giveaways. The conference was aimed at parents/guardians and students in grades K through 12 from Moreno Valley Unified School District. “We knew that African-American parents and students did not feel as comfortable in our schools because of experiences,” said Dr. Martinrex Kedziora, Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services at MVUSD, “so in order to make more people feel more comfortable we started to develop a bigger African-American parent group. This is amazing what’s happened here.”