1,000 SAUSD kindergarteners to march on Santa Ana College on March 8

MEDIA ALERT: March 5, 2013
Contact: Judy Iannaccone, Chief Communications Officer, Rancho Santiago Community College District, (714) 480-7503
Contact: Deidra Powell, Director, Communications SAUSD, (714) 558-5555

One Thousand SAUSD Kindergarteners to March on Santa Ana College on March 8
*KinderCaminata Introduces Youngsters to Santa Ana College*

WHAT: More than 1,000 Santa Ana Unified School District (SAUSD) kindergartners will visit Santa Ana College as part of the District’s mission to prepare all students to be college and career ready. The annual event, “KinderCaminata”, hosted by Santa Ana College provides an opportunity for students to experience being on a college campus. “We are thrilled to partner with Santa Ana College for this annual event and to instill in our students during their early years the importance of receiving a college education,” said SAUSD Superintendent Thelma Meléndez de Santa Ana, Ph.D.

The kindergartners, accompanied by teachers and parents, will enjoy more than 30 career stations that provide interactive exposure to a range of careers including:

· The Santa Ana College (SAC) Nursing Department will provide children with a look at IV poles, IV bags, a mannequin with body parts, and a stethoscope.

· SAC Fire Technology will showcase two fire engines and a talk on fire safety.

· Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez’s office will share information about financial aid and how to access resources to go to college.

· SAC TV will have “reporters” roaming the event and interviewing the kindergarteners about their experience.

· SAC Associated Student Government will host a voting booth so children can vote for their favorite cartoon character and exercise their voting power at a young age.

· Comunidad Latina Federal Credit Union will have a mock ATM machine where children can press numbers and get “money.”

· Rueben Martinez and the Librería Martinez de Chapman University will encourage reading and going to college.

· A number of mascots and well-known characters will be visible at the event, including the UC Irvine Anteater, Cal State Fullerton Tuffy the Titan, Clifford the Dog, and Uncle Sam.

The children will be entertained by performances by Relámpago del Cielo, a nonprofit cultural arts organization which supports the study and preservation of traditional Mexican folkloric dance, and the SAC Jazz Ensemble.

WHERE: Santa Ana College (SAC), 1530 W. 17th St.., Santa Ana

WHEN: Friday, March, 8, 2013 – 8:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
At 10:15 a.m. hundreds of children wearing labels that indicate their dream careers will march from the Santa Ana College quad to the college soccer field chanting, “¡Sí, se puede!’

Dr. Thelma Meléndez de Santa Ana (Superintendent of SAUSD) and Dr. Erlinda J. Martinez (College President of SAC) will address students shortly after the March.

WHO: An estimated 1,000 children from the following Santa Ana Unified School District schools will visit SAC:

1.Franklin

2.Fremont

3.Jackson

4.Monroe

5.Monte Vista

6.Pio Pico

7.Remington

8.Santiago

Kindergartners from low-income areas are given priority for attendance.
The 2013 Grand Marshal will be Michael Collins, Ed.D., Santa Ana College’s new vice president of administrative services.

WHY: “Kindergartners attending schools that serve at-risk populations are introduced to the college environment through KinderCaminata,” said Erlinda J. Martinez, Ed.D., SAC college president. “The annual event helps the children and their parents realize that going to college is the natural next step after high school. It is our dream that every child in Santa Ana can one day hold a college degree in his or her hands, and we know this event takes them one step closer to achieving that dream.”

The event is traditionally held near or on the birth date (March 31) of Cesar Chavez, the renowned United Farm Workers leader. On the day of the event kindergartners are given caps with Chavez’s motto, “Sí, se puede” (Yes, you can).

HOW: Support that made the KinderCaminata event possible came from Smart & Final Stores and the SAC Foundation.

This year, the KinderCaminata program is being supported by a new partnership with the Lumina Foundation. The Santa Ana ¡Adelante! Program is working with all SAUSD children to ensure that there is a “College Degree in Every Home” by the year 2025. For more information about this partnership visit: www.sac.edu.

KinderCaminata is a non-profit organization supported by an annual fundraising dinner, Salute to Chancellors, Presidents, Superintendents, organizations, community, colleges and university contributors. A volunteer board of directors composed of the four Orange County community college district chancellors, university, business and community leaders governs KinderCaminata.

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