granteespotlight:
Making Waves Academy
Making Waves Academy, a public charter school in Richmond, California, opened its doors to one hundred 5th graders in the fall of 2007. Serving 200 students and their families, the Making Waves Academy is an expansion of the Making Waves Education Programs, which have provided after-school and summer services to middle and high school youth in Richmond since 1989 and San Francisco since 2001. The Academy is stewarded by the veteran leadership of Executive Director Glen Holsclaw and draws upon the Education Programs’ twenty years of successful support and advocacy for high-needs youth to graduate from college.
Imrul Mazid, a 5th grade science teacher, describes the unique school climate that fostered great teaching and learning during the Making Waves Academy’s first year. “The moment you walk into the building there’s a light that envelops you, both literally and figuratively. You walk into the atrium – and I use that as a metaphor, the atrium being part of the heart – because this place has a lot of heart, a lot of compassion, a lot of love.”