Posted on July 14, 2010 8:46 AM
Squeals of
excitement and laughter could be heard as our alumni, staff and TA's
from years past gathered at the Sacred Heart campus for Peninsula
Bridge's second alumni reunion. Not only was this our second reunion,
but it was a celebration of our 20 year anniversary. The Peninsula
Bridge program held it's first summer program 20 years ago at Sacred
Heart so it seemed appropriate to have the reunion where everything
began. Before our reunion we had a board-sponsored reception and
honorary guests included:
- Dolly Sacks - Former program officer at Packard Foundation. Packard
gave us one of our first grants.
- Dr. Charlie Mae Knight - Former Superintendent of the Ravenswood
School District who saw the importance of the program for her students.
- Les DeWitt - Founding member of Peninsula Bridge and current board
member
Posted on July 13, 2010 10:14 AM
Peninsula Bridge was given
the opportunity to receive much needed supplies through an innovative giving
program conceived by Silicon Valley company, Conceptus. Peninsula Bridge created 'giving cards'
with supplies that were needed for our summer programs, such as binders,
gardening tools, pens, paper, t-shirts and composition books. Employees from
Conceptus then chose from $15, $20, and $25 cards that listed these supplies
and donated them to Peninsula Bridge.
In total, the generous employees of Conceptus donated over $1,200 worth
of supplies for our students. The
supplies were distributed to our school program sites, and are already being
put to good use. Thank you, Conceptus!
Posted on July 12, 2010 9:30 AM
By Alum Demetra Jones-Schoby
First, please accept my sincere apology for the belated update. As you can imagine, our
lives have been in turmoil since our home was destroyed during the
plane crash in East Palo Alto last February.
After a month-long stay in a hotel, we moved into a rental
property located in East Palo Alto very close to our original home.
My mom has been orchestrating the project to rebuild our home, and
all seems to be going well....so far (gulp!). However, we still do
not know just when construction will begin, and how long it will
last. We can only hope that we will be back in our home by year end.
Posted on July 11, 2010 9:03 AM
by Grainger Marburg, Executive
Director
Anniversaries and reunions can
be powerful events. They have the potential to engender strong
emotions and catapult us to the past. They are also opportunities to
reflect on where we are now and where we hope to be in the future.
Though I have only been with Peninsula Bridge for five years, I have
become part of a rich mosaic of individuals that has spanned twenty
years. A lot can change in that time. Twenty years ago at Peninsula
Bridge's inception, Germany became a united country, Nelson Mandela was
freed after 27 years in prison, and the internet became a global
phenomenon. Peninsula Bridge itself has evolved, expanding to 7 sites
and currently serving 300 students this summer. Some things can also
stay the same, such as the enduring commitment to our mission that so
many folks have demonstrated over the years.
Posted on March 4, 2010 4:00 PM
Our 6th Annual Bridge Builder's Society Breakfast,
'Passport to Success' was a huge triumph! Thank you to all who attended
to support Peninsula Bridge. Demetra Jones Schoby, an alumnus of the
Peninsula Bridge program, was our keynote speaker. Since graduating
from Peninsula Bridge in 1993, Demetra graduated from Spelman College,
worked as an equity trader in San Francisco, and was one of the early
supporters of For Youth By Youth, a community based organization in
East Palo Alto. Demetra's enthusiasm and passion for "giving back" were
contagious.
Posted on March 4, 2010 3:00 PM
In the summer of 1990, a group of 26 middle school students from East
Palo Alto cautiously stepped upon the Sacred Heart Prep campus and participated
in the inaugural year of the Peninsula Bridge Program. Spearheaded by the indefatigably optimistic
Les DeWitt and an enthusiastic Sister Brown at Sacred Heart, the Program
quickly gained traction and expanded to Woodside Priory the following
year. By 1994, Menlo, Castilleja
and Crystal Springs Uplands had also joined the Peninsula Bridge family, and we
recently welcomed St. Joseph's and St. Matthew's Episcopal as program sites as
well, enabling us to reach almost 270 underserved students from East Palo Alto,
Menlo Park, Redwood City, and San Mateo.
Posted on March 4, 2010 2:00 PM
One of the ways Peninsula Bridge has succeeded in expanding and delivering high
quality programs is by soliciting the help of talented volunteers and interns. One such volunteer is Angie McPhaul, who is currently a student at Stanford University, majoring in Urban Studies. Angie began her journey with Peninsula Bridge in June of 2009 as a
teacher's assistant at the Menlo site and worked after the program was over at
our main office helping measure student achievement over the summer.
Posted on March 4, 2010 1:00 PM
One of the many facets of Bridge is our families with multiple children who are a part of the program. The Waltons, one of these families, have two alumni and one current Bridge student. Mrs. Emy Walton explained, "the
parents' job is to make it possible for the child to get a better education by
sacrificing the simplest thing; time".
Time, however, is not the only thing needed to help children succeed in
their education. According to John
Walton Sr., "Bridge is a way to
level the playing field by providing equal academic opportunity. I say that in our family that mission
has been accomplished. Our kids
are definitely well prepared."
Posted on June 10, 2009 5:53 PM
Want to get an idea of what
happened at the Peninsula Bridge Program this summer? Check out the TA
Blog on the Peninsula Bridge website. Together, the TAs worked to provide
us with an inside look at each site. The TA's captured the spirit of everyone
involved and gave us the opportunity to see the impact of our programs through
their perspective. Check out this
blog post by Mariel, a Castilleja
TA.
Posted on June 9, 2009 8:10 PM
by Grainger Marburg, Executive Director
We
opened our seventh program site this summer (see article on St.
Matthew's), enabling us to host 270 motivated middle school students
from East Palo Alto, Menlo Park, Redwood City, and San Mateo. While we
are now supporting 30% more students than we were in 2007, our
commitment to quality programming and individualized attention hasn't
changed. We maintained a 5:1 or better student to teacher ratio
(including TAs) at all of our sites, and had one of the most talented
and competent cadre of site directors, teachers, and TAs the
organization has had in its history.
Posted on June 8, 2009 8:38 PM
The economic climate doesn't change what kids need to grow and
thrive. Boom or bust, kids need a safe and challenging environment
during the summer to make sure they don't lose vital academic ground.
Peninsula Bridge understands our program is more critical now than
ever, and we were thrilled to open a new program site (our second in as
many years) at St. Matthew's Episcopal in San Mateo this past summer.
Our expansion enabled us to support 30 additional students (rising 5th
and 6th graders) from the San Mateo-Foster City School District.
Posted on June 7, 2009 8:49 PM
Briana is a 5th grader who attended this summer's Bridge program at St.
Matthew's. Below, find excerpts of the card she made to thank Bridge
supporters!
Dear Friend of Peninsula Bridge,
I just want to
say how much I appreciate all that you have done for us this summer. I
have really enjoyed being here, and I can't wait to come back next
summer. I enjoyed playing sports with the TAs and learning language
arts and math. One day I hope to be a singer, and I think this program
will really help me in the future. Thanks for helping us out and
cheering us on in this wonderful program.
Posted on April 23, 2009 10:55 AM
1996— Jeanette Maldonado - will be graduating from Chicago Medical
School in May and looks forward to realizing her dream of becoming an
MD.
1996—Ricky Whitfield - was on a national tour for the show “Thomas the Train”, which included stops in the Bay Area this year! This follows an International “Thomas the Train” Tour last year. Ricky is the Associate Choreographer.
1997—Claudia Lopez - is currently studying abroad at La
Universidad de Granada in Spain and will be graduating from UCSF. She
plans to apply for her Master’s or PhD. She is majoring in Sociology
and Latin American History.
1999—Jose Gonzalez - is studying
abroad in Rome this semester. He is currently a Junior Political
Science major at UC Berkeley.
**Dates reflect the year alumni began Bridge**
Posted on April 23, 2009 10:49 AM
We have a new logo, a new website and a new tagline. Why? Because we want to more fully embrace the spirit and the purpose of Peninsula Bridge. As our mission states, “we promote academic and personal success for motivated middle school students from under-resourced communities.” We do that by inspiring our students to first DREAM, then BELIEVE in their dreams and finally show them they can ACHIEVE their dreams through hard work and education.
Many thanks to our former Board Member Chris Alden who connected us to
the talent and provided us with the resources to create our new logo
and to give us a more professional presence on the web.
eNewsletter
- along with our new look, we are now migrating all of our
communications to email. Not only does this save paper, but it also
gives us the opportunity to create an easy way for our supporters to
communicate with us more directly.
Posted on April 21, 2009 4:59 PM
By Grainger Marburg, Executive Director
Stories of financial mismanagement and bad investments have dominated
the headlines for the past six months. It’s been a troubling time of
loss for many, not a time of growth. Yet that is what we are doing at
Peninsula Bridge. We’re as committed as ever to making sure more middle
school students from under-resourced homes and schools get the support
they need to be successful in school and life.
For the second consecutive year, we’ve added a new program site, which
has enabled us to support 30% more students than we did in 2007.
Education is the core
of opportunity and success - it’s the cornerstone of our mission - and
an investment we can definitely count on. The returns are always
positive.
Posted on April 21, 2009 3:55 PM
When parents and kids communicate effectively, it helps children
realize their potential, both as students and as individuals. Last
year, based on parent input, Peninsula Bridge launched a series of
classes to give moms and dads the tools to create a healthier, more
positive dialog with their child. Wide-ranging topics included
everything from the challenges of kids and cell phones to encouraging
parents to share their own life stories and values about education.
“The classes helped me connect better with my daughter, something I
really needed as the parent of three children, including a toddler,”
says Judy Woo, mother of seventh grader Francesca. “They reinforced
what I already knew and taught me other strategies to try. Now, I
understand a little better what’s going on in my daughter’s head.”
Led by experienced bilingual parent educator Veronica Goei, the
interactive classes have received praise from parents and kids alike.
Goei used innovative methods to reinforce the curriculum, encouraging
parents to role play and act out specific scenarios. Afterwards, many
students commented on how their relationship with their parents had
improved. More sessions are planned for 2009, with an added focus on
how to communicate with your child’s school.
Bridge also helps parents through family intake meetings. Bridge staff meet with the families of incoming fifth graders to learn about their child’s needs beyond the summer, such as homework support and involvement in outside activities. Through research and ongoing relationships with many excellent, affordable community resources, Bridge provides the family with a menu of options tailored to meet their child’s needs. Through robust partnerships with quality community-based organizations, Bridge students can continue making positive strides throughout the year.
Posted on December 29, 2008 12:50 PM