Carl Zaragoza Running For Phoenix School Board
Check out what Phoenix ('04) alum Carl Zaragoza has to say about running for the Creighton School Board in Phoenix:
"I have learned that by setting high expectations, investing community members and families, and enforcing wide-ranging accountability, all children are capable of learning and succeeding at extraordinary levels.
We must be tenacious in our pursuit of real, significant, academic achievement. If we do not change our culture regarding public education, our children will perpetually remain behind. When we implement the principles above, and invest parents and neighbors in our schools, our children will reach the workforce educated, motivated, and prepared to compete in the 21st Century global economy. Creighton communities, schools, students, and families must work together to accomplish real, significant, academic achivement and earn Arizona Exceeding labels."
- Carl Zaragoza for the Creighton School District in Phoenix, AZ
For information email info@carlzaragoza.com, or call (602) 476-2692.
Carl Zaragoza, School Board, Phoenix, Arizona, Campaign (all tags)
Theresa Martinez Running for School Board in Phoenix
Check out what Miami-Dade ('04) alum Theresa Martinez has to say about running for the Osborn School Board in Phoenix:
"As a former urban public school teacher and committed area resident, I believe our schools should raise expectations for student achievement. I taught in a low-income, high-needs school through Teach For America, where my students made significant academic gains because of my fundamental belief that all students can and must learn at high levels. Through my current position at a nonprofit organization in the area, I work to support schools, including those in Osborn Elementary School District. I am an active member on the BelAir neighborhood association and chair the Community Enhancement Committee, working to bring art, entrance signs and online communication to the neighborhood. My experience working collaboratively to benefit the community will guide me as I act with urgency on behalf of all Osborn students, schools, and parents." - Theresa Martinez for the Osborn School District in Phoenix, AZ
For more information email theresa4osbornschools@gmail.com.
Theresa Martinez, School Board, Phoenix, Arizona, Campaign (all tags)
Students having fun in politics
Hello LEE Members,
I want to share an experience I had last week. The Democratic Party had its primary in Georgia and I have been helping a candidate who was a very successful legislator in her first term in the Georgia General Assembly. We needed more volunteers to staff the 21 polling locations in her district so I called my students and in an hour I had about 20 of them signed up to volunteer for Rep. Margaret Kaiser.
Basically, they held Margaret Kaiser signs in pre-determined areas outside the polling locations. After the last shift, the students went over to Margaret's house for pizza and to watch the returns.
I didn't expect it, but my students had A LOT of fun! They all thanked me for calling them and were excited to learn about Margaret. I even had students calling me until 11:30 PM asking me if Margaret won (the final results weren't tallied until 3:00 AM and I am glad no one called then:).
And here was my takeaway from the day - a lot of people develop negative views of politics and I think that is because of how we are first introduced to politics - through the media or cynical adults. My kids loved their first introduction to politics and had a really good time. I found it really exciting to see them getting engaged in local politics and learning about local issues. I am sharing this as my first post because I wanted to let everyone know how easy it is to get student volunteers for something like this, how fun it is and how impactful it can be. I hope some of you get to do the same in November when the general election rolls around.
Oh, Margaret won 71% to 29% and my kids were very excited.
Cheers,
Graham
Alumni share their experices from the state/local campaign trail
Jacques_Arsenault | | 
0
On May 7th, three alumni shared their perspectives, experiences, and tips for getting involved in state and local campaigns with corps members and alumni participating in the webinar, "Hitting the Trail Close to Home: Getting Involved in State and Local Campaigns."
Andrew Greenhill (Houston '91) had never worked on a political campaign before serving as Chief of Staff to a friend, Bob Walkup, who was running for Mayor of Tucson, Arizona in 1999. Since Walkup's election that year, Greenhill has managed two successful reelection campaigns, and served as chief of staff for the mayor.
Alicia Cybulski (Phoenix '05) talked about how her interest in electoral politics actually led her to Teach For America, as she sees education and political action as twin forces in making positive change for children. Cybulski, who is the vice president and political director of the Laveen Education Association, was a President of the University of Arizona Young Democrats while an undergraduate. She served as volunteer campaign manager on the successful campaign of Tiffany Troidl for Creighton Elementary School District Governing Board in the Phoenix Area.
Bill Ferguson (Baltimore '05) started his involvement in Baltimore City politics while a first year corps member, through an email he sent to then-City Council President (and now Mayor) Sheila Dixon, expressing some concerns about problems faced by his students and their families, outside the classroom. In the years since that email, Ferguson has worked in City Council, in the Mayor's office, and on several campaigns. While currently in law school at University of Maryland-Baltimore, he is a graduate intern in the office of Baltimore City Public School System CEO Dr. Andres Alonso.
Click here for an archived audio recording of the webinar.
Click here for the PowerPoint presentation from the webinar.
webinar, alumni, cybulski, greenhill, ferguson, state, local, campaign (all tags)
Leadership Academy for Public Service (Austin, TX)
Kathleen_Reynolds | | 0
Presented jointly with the Austin Area Research Organization, the non-partisan Leadership Academy for Public Service addresses sensible and specific strategies for assessing, planning, and organizing a political campaign. The distinguished faculty - including elected officials and consultants who have organized successful campaigns at all levels of government - offers a balanced and realistic view of the entire campaign process. The Leadership Academy is ideal for individuals interested in running for elected office, managing a political campaign, or exploring the process behind the scenes.
The Leadership Academy is held annually on three consecutive Mondays in November, from 5:30 - 9:00 p.m. Details regarding the fall 2008 program will be announced at http://www.leadershipaustin.org/programs/academy.
