African American Educators Association
  Tracy Unified School District
  presents
   The African American 8th Grade Recognition Ceremony

TUSD LOGO


AAEA Officers
Sheila Holloway & Terri Mason-Co-Presidents Margie Forehand-Vice President
Jodi Wyrick-Secretary
Javette Stallworth- Treasurer

 

AAEA thanks the following for making this program possible:

George Kelly School
Tracy African American Association
Danette McDaniels
Tracy Unified School District
TUSD Staff and Parents
African American Educators Association Members
Students Recognition Ceremony Committee

Kelani Dennis, graced the audience with her rendition of our national anthem “The Star Spangled Banner”. This 5th grader from Jacobson elementary received a standing ovation at the conclusion of her song. Sheila Holloway is shown introducing the singing 5th grader.
Kelani
AAEA Members

 Guest speaker, Ariel Mason told us “hard work pays off”. After working hard through high school she was accepted at more than twenty colleges with tuitioAreiln offers. College is costing better than thirty thousand dollars a year. High school primes all students for the future. High school is also an investment. The capital invested is time spent on academic and volunteer activities.  The immediate return on that investment can be a college scholarship. That may be a value of greater than one hundred thousand dollars over a four year period.

Ariel, was awarded a 2009 TAAA scholarship and attends UC Merced.

Monte Vista

  (Kirk Jennings,
Vinnecia Cottier, Marcell Spady,Brandon Nnaji,  (Vista M.S.)

Williams MS

Kyra McIntyre, Joshua Clarke Paige Johnson)(Williams M.S.)

Arris and Chinenye

 Arris Adams, Chinenye Nwigwe (Kelly M.S.)

 

Trishana
 TrishanaWilson
(Freiler M.S.)

 Certificates of Achievements were awarded to those students who showed improvements in academics, attendance, athletics, community service and activities promoting good citizenship.

Students were also given a Kente cloth sashes to wear during the award ceremony. The Kente cloth is a royal and sacred cloth adorned at times of extreme importance. This fabric originates from Ghana.

The achievement awards are spring boards to ease these students into the corridors of high school. Students are leaving the 8th grade on a positive note and starting the high school experience knowing that they will be rewarded when they excel.

Students were nominated by teachers, principals and other educational professionals whom were in position to monitor each student’s progress throughout the school year.

 These awards are fuel for the hard work to come in grades 9 to 12.

Guest speaker Tiana Turner invited the future high school graduates to be “Proactive in their educational choices, to take the future in your own hands”. She Tianaalso urged students entering high school ”take only the academic load that you can handle.” Tiana starts 11th grade at West high next term. She plans to go into nursing. Tiana keeps busy as commissioner of lunch activities and coaches the Jr. Tracy Buccaneers cheer leaders.

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