Students, families, and staff at the Sacramento County Office of Education's (SCOE) newest school site enjoyed a special evening at Back-to-School Night on October 20.
Visitors to the LINKS Academy at the Marian Anderson School had an opportunity to see, first hand, the great work being done by the students and the hard work being put forth by the instructors and staff on-campus. The evening was an opportunity for students, families, and visitors to meet newly appointed Community Schools Principal Philip Moore, who welcomed guests and introduced campus staff. Sacramento County Board of Education trustees and President Harold Fong also met families and joined in campus tours.
As visitors toured the campus, they met with teachers and staff, and visited classrooms to learn more about SCOE programs.
"The LINKS Academy is very successful because kids can get back on track academically, find a new direction, explore career opportunities, learn job skills, and participate in sports and arts programs," said Deputy Superintendent Marty Cavanaugh. "Many of our kids were excluded from those opportunities in their traditional schools, but LINKS is different. LINKS changes the 'can't do, can't join, can't belong' position of traditional schools to 'come in, you can, you are welcome to join, you do belong.'"
LINKS is a SCOE career technical education program in which services are tailored to individual students based on their specific needs instead of through traditional, scripted education. It is a program and philosophy that helps students take control of their lives. The program, for youth ages 14 to 18, is a bridge between academics and real job readiness with service learning in the community and opportunities to earn money.
LINKS stands for:
- Leadership in everyday life,
- Ingenuity in thought and practice,
- Navigating choices,
- Keeping the promise, and
- Sufficiency in preparation.