The Life stories of migrant youth

Front cover art by
Jesenia Silva
The Life stories of migrant youth
A Production of the center for educational pathways
Created in partnership with
imperial County, California
Office of education
Welcome
Welcome to a special comic book, created by migrant students for migrant
families throughout the world. Through a grant partnership between Imperial
County Office of Education Educational Services, San Diego State University
Imperial Valley Campus, and artist Simon Silva, migrant children across Imperial
County enrolled in the Imperial Valley Migrant Summer Academy created comic
books based on their individual experiences of being a migrant student. This
collection of art and writing represents the hard work, critical thinking, and artistic
creativity of the many children who participated.
The Imperial County Office of Education (ICOE) Migrant Education Program
(MEP) Region 6 provides supplementary academic services to migrant students
through a federal grant. The main goal of the grant is to help migrant students
complete high school with a solid education that will give them access to a
college and career opportunities. The unique needs of the migrant students,
due to their constant mobility based on their parents’ agricultural work, creates
constant educational disruptions. For that reason, it is imperative that we provide
quality educational programs in a nontraditional manner. Migrant students are
given the opportunity to learn to think, be creative, and value their individualism
through programs such as the San Diego State University-Imperial Valley Migrant
Education Program Summer Academy. The academy was guided by SDSUIV professors who instructed migrant high school students in a nontraditional
manner in English Language Arts and Math.
The idea was to prepare the students to take the California High School Exit
Exam along with combining fine arts with the academic experience by having the
artist Mr. Simon Silva working with our migrant students in the ICOE Comic Book
Project on a weekly basis. The combination of academics with fine arts provided
a quality educational opportunity to our migrant students that taught the students
to value their migrant lifestyle and be able to express their feelings by telling
their migrant stories in a comic book titled I Am Migrant.
The Imperial County Office of Education Migrant Education Program Region 6
staff would like to thank Mrs. Anne Mallory, Superintendent of Imperial County
Office of Education and ICOE Board Members for the unconditional support that
they offer migrant students in Imperial County. The Migrant Education Program
Region 6 also would like to thank our Regional Advisory Parent Council which
supports and approves quality programs such as the Migrant Education Program
Region 6 Comic Book Project through the SDSU-IV Migrant Education Program
Summer Academy. Our appreciation also goes out to Dr. Gregorio Ponce, whose
excellent leadership in coordinating this nontraditional SDSU-IV Migrant Program
Summer Academy made it possible for our migrant high school students to enjoy
learning to discover themselves through the combination of academics and arts.
Also, a special thanks goes to Dr. Fernando Rodriguez-Valls, artist Mr. Simon
Silva and Mrs. Lori Campos, whose teamwork made possible the completion of
the ICOE-MEP-Region 6 Comic Book Project.
Imperial County Office of Education
Migrant Education Program - Region 6
Sandra Kofford, Senior Director
www.icoe.org
Bienvenido
Bienvenido a un libro de historietas muy especial, creado por estudiantes
migrantes para familias migrantes de todo el mundo. A través de una asociación
de subvención entre el departamento de Servicios Educacionales de la Oficina
de Educación del Condado Imperial, la Universidad del Estado de San Diego
del Valle Imperial y el artista Simon Silva, los niños migrantes del Condado de
Imperial, mediante la Academia de Verano del Programa Migrante del Valle
Imperial crearon historietas basadas en sus experiencias individuales de ser
estudiante migrante. Esta colección de arte y escritura representa el trabajo
arduo, el pensamiento crítico y la creatividad artística de muchos niños que
participaron.
La Oficina de Educación del Condado Imperial (ICOE) Programa de Educación
Migrante (MEP) Región 6 proporciona servicios suplementarios académicos a
estudiantes migrantes a través de un subsidio federal. El objetivo principal de la
subvención es de ayudar a los estudiantes migrantes a completar la secundaria
con una educación sólida que les dará acceso a las oportunidades de un colegio
y una carrera. Las necesidades únicas de los estudiantes migrantes, debido
a su constante movilidad basada en el trabajo agrícola de sus padres, crea
interrupciones constantes en su educación. Por esa razón, resulta imperativo
que proporcionemos programas educativos de calidad de una manera que no
es tradicional. Los estudiantes migrantes tienen la oportunidad de aprender a
pensar, de ser creativos y de valorar su individualismo a través de programas
tales como la Academia de Verano del Programa Migrante del Valley Imperial y
la Universidad de San Diego en el Valle Imperial. La Academia fue guiada por
profesores de la Universidad que dieron instrucción a los estudiantes migrantes
de la secundaria de una manera no tradicional en las artes de idioma inglés y
matemáticas.
La idea era preparar a los estudiantes a tomar el examen de salida de preparatoria de California (CAHSEE) junto con la combinación de bellas artes con
la experiencia académica logrando que el artista Sr. Simon Silva trabajara con
nuestros alumnos migrantes en el proyecto del libro de historietas de ICOE,
una vez por semana. La combinación de académicos con bellas artes brindó
una oportunidad educativa de calidad para nuestros estudiantes migrantes que
enseña a los alumnos a valorar su estilo de vida de migrante y ser capaz de
expresar sus sentimientos al contar sus historias migrantes en una historieta
titulada Yo Soy Migrante.
La Oficina de Educación del Condado Imperial (ICOE) Programa de Educación
Migrante (MEP) Región 6 quisiera dar las gracias a la Sra. Anne Mallory,
Superintendente de la Oficina del Condado de Educación de Imperial y
miembros de la Mesa Directiva de ICOE por el apoyo incondicional que
ofrecen a los estudiantes migrantes en el condado de Imperial. El Programa
de Educación Migrante (MEP) Región 6 también quisiera agradecer a nuestro
Concilio Consejero Regional de Padres Migrantes por apoyar y aprobar los
programas de calidad, como el proyecto del libro de historietas del Programa
de Educación Migrante Región 6 a través de la Academia de Verano de SDSUIV. Nuestro agradecimiento al Dr. Gregorio Ponce, cuyo excelente liderazgo
en la coordinación no tradicional de esta Academia hizo posible que nuestros
estudiantes migrantes de secundaria disfrutaran aprender a descubrirse a sí
mismos a través de la combinación de la academia y las artes. Igualmente
nuestro gran agradecimiento al Dr. Fernando Rodríguez-Valls, artista Sr. Simon
Silva y a la Sra. Lori Campos, cuyo trabajo en equipo hizo posible la realización
del proyecto del Comic Book de ICOE-MEP Región 6.
Oficina de Educación del Condado de Imperial
Programa de Educación Migrante - Región 6
Directora Sandra Kofford
www.icoe.org
Ana
Jauregui
Alan
Ruiz
Alberto
Garcia
Alexa
Gonzalez
Christopher
Escobedo
Daniel
Gonzalez
Diana
Magallanes
Dharla
Torres
Adriana
Gomez
Carolyn
Martinez
diego
Rocha
Elvia
Murga
Hector
Arias
Itzel
Cesena
Jaime
Serrano
Jesenia
Silva
Jim
Murrillo
George
Parra
Leonardo
lechuga
Lilian
Aguilera
Lizbeth
Ruelas
Manuel
Rayos
Michael
Valdez
Mirna
Miranda
Noe
Herrera
Quetzali
Martinez
Tania
Nunez
Lillian
Arellano
The Center for Educational Pathways is a 501(c)3 nonprofit
organization that establishes creative pathways to learning
and academic success for youths, schools, and communities.
The Center reconnects students to a love of learning through
creativity, inquiry, and entrepreneurship.
The organization has four objectives:
1. Academic Reinforcement
2. Social and Character Development
3. Career Pathways
4. Community Building
Since 2001, the Center for Educational Pathways has been
at the forefront of innovation in education. The two flagship
programs are the Comic Book Project and Youth Music
Exchange. These programs have impacted over 50,000
students across the United States.
For more information, contact:
Dr. Michael Bitz, Executive Director
www.edpath.org
[email protected]
The Comic Book Project helps students forge an alternative
pathway to literacy by writing, designing, and publishing
original comic books. The Project puts children in the role of
creators rather than receivers of information. Students write and
draw about their personal experiences and interests, thereby
engaging them in the learning process and motivating them to
succeed in school, after school, and in life.
Step 1: Getting Creative
The Comic Book Project launches with activities designed to
foster creativity and teamwork amongst students.
Step 2: Writing the Comic Book Manuscript
Students brainstorm, plot, sketch, and draft their comic books
on an identified theme.
Step 3: Creating the Comic Book
Students draw the characters, write the dialogue, and color the
backgrounds to produce a complete comic book.
Step 4: Publishing the Comic Book
Students are featured in a custom printed publication distributed
throughout their schools and communities.
www.ComicBookProject.org
Back cover art by
George Parra
A production of the center for educational pathways
Created in partnership with
imperial County, CAlifornia
Office of education
Design and Layout by Allison Rubin
www.edpath.org