In the words of Richard Bach, “The bond that links your true
family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each other's life. Rarely
do members of one family grow up under the same roof.” Often times in inter-human relationships, we refer to our friends, coworkers,
and other influential individuals that surround us as family, when in
reality the only thing we share with them is a common experience. This common
experience that we share is unifying because it combines like with like; people
and a career, supplies, motivation, passion, and results. This ideal of a
unifying common experience is exemplified in all places and aspects of life,
and is found especially at the South City Campus of Confluence Academy in St.
Louis. The academy, which is part of a larger charter network sponsored by
University of Missouri Columbia, prides itself on its familial manner of self-governing,
and makes this warm atmosphere known to all students and parents who often
grace the campus with their presence. The South City Branch of Confluence
Academy is also known for the wide range of diversity it caters to in its
student body, and therefore prides itself on staffing individuals who are
culturally aware and competent, as well as passionate about working in the
academic field. This fact, alongside many others, drove LAMP to reach out to
Confluence Academy, in an effort of non-profit collaboration, to ensure that
one of St. Louis’ most diversely accommodating educational institutions
received not only the donations it deserves but also the acclaim for never turning away a single student.
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| Jannelly Villegas and Loisa Valencia |
One of
Confluence Academy’s strongest appeals is the diversity present in its student
body, which is made up of circa 900-1,000 school children aged from 6-14, in grades
of Kindergarten through Eighth Grade. Of those 900-1,000 students registered for
attendance at Confluence for the upcoming school year, an estimated
40% of them
are of Hispanic descent or cultural background, and the remaining 60% percent
are of Caucasian, African American, or Asian descent, making the academy a
thorough cultural examination of all of the diversity present in our community.
This appeal of a vast diversity is not the academy’s sole
selling point, however, due to the fact of a
100% admission rate for incoming
students, as well as an ever-growing high academic retention rate. Confluence
academy accepts everybody, regardless of race, income level, religion, or
legal status, and takes it upon themselves to educate each and every growing
child that crosses their doors. They ensure that the students, as well as the
parents, are always aware of what is occurring in the school, and has a wide range of community outreach networks ensure this remains the case.
In addition to an all-inclusive approach of student admission, Confluence Academy
is also considered a
“Bronze School”, which means that the students’ Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) exam scores are not only consistently high, but also
are on a consistent record of increase. This shatters the absolute minimum
requirement of Academic Yearly Progress (AYP) that is standardized by the
state of Missouri. These facts and many others, explain the high level of
commitment and passion felt upon entrance to school, and therefore create a
highly interactive, familial approach to the school’s administration. This is
exemplified by one of the academy’s administrators,
Jannelly Villegas, whose
mother
Loisa Valencia, and younger sister Natalie, also work in the school’s
administrative office, and portray the old adage of the apple not falling far
from the tree. The three women, who make their passion for changing the lives
of Hispanic children in the St. Louis area are also responsible for
the academy’s wide influx of Hispanic families, due to extensive outreach and
recruiting efforts designed by Villegas, over the course of 14 years. This
incredible effort caught the eye of LAMP, who is one of the leading Hispanic
advocates in the St. Louis area.
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HealthCare USA, LAMP, and MICA Project at
the 2014 Meet the Teacher Night |
Each
year, Confluence Academy contracts an estimated 10 interpreters of LAMP’s to
aid in quarterly parent teacher conferences at the academy. Although the
majority of these interpreters are serving the academy in Spanish, the academy
makes it is mission to service all languages present on its campus, ensuring
that all students receive equal treatment. This year, the collaborative
efforts between LAMP and Confluence Academy remained consistent on the
interpretative level, but increased in the aspect of community outreach and
social work. This week, LAMP and Confluence Academy collaborated to
host a “Meet the Teacher Night" where school supplies and free health and legal service information were provided. This was made possible through the help of other nonprofit partner organizations to
honor the outstanding work Confluence Academy does to
promote
cultural diversity and safety in the South City neighborhood in St. Louis. Thank you to all the organizations who attended.
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Health Protection & Education Service (HPES) providing
information on free monthly health screenings |
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LAMP Interpreter Daniel and HealthCare USA Mascot
at Confluence Academy Resource Fair in 2013 |
*If you are
interested in donating/contributing to Confluence Academy School, contact Janelly Villegas at (314) 481-4700.
Author: Andrea L., Portuguese Interpreter and Intern at LAMP
