PCC Votes to ‘Adopt’ Oyama Elementary School
October 25, 2012
Board OKs multiyear commitment to provide mentoring, tutoring so that students, parents can aim high academically
Tucson, AZ – Pima Community College will provide tutoring, mentoring and other learning opportunities at Oyama Elementary School after the PCC Governing Board unanimously approved a multiyear agreement with the Tucson Unified School District Wednesday.
Pending TUSD Governing Board approval, the “Adopt-A-School” partnership between TUSD and the District will begin Nov. 1 and run through June 30, 2015.
“The agreement represents a long-term commitment to build a culture that encourages students and parents to aim high academically,” PCC Interim Superintendent Dr. Suzanne L. Miles said. “Our close connection with TUSD gives us the opportunity to instill the value of education into the community.”
About 450 K-5 students attend Oyama Elementary, 2700 S. La Cholla Blvd. Most students come from families in which no one has attended college. In addition to tutoring and mentoring, which will be offered at no charge, PCC will hold activities for parents to promote planning for their children to attend college. Activities will be held at Oyama and at PCC’s West Campus, 2202 W. Anklam Road.
In addition, a PCC/Oyama Elementary School account will be established at the PCC Foundation to accept donations.
The College is working on agreements so that its other campuses can adopt neighboring schools.
The collaboration with TUSD is the latest in a series of new PCC connections with the area’s K-12 school districts. This fall, PCC has been reaching out to local high schools to foster an ongoing dialogue between high school teachers and PCC faculty on how to best align curriculum in Reading, Writing and Mathematics. Underlying PCC’s efforts are the Arizona Common Core Standards, which soon will affect the state’s high school students and their teachers.
Oyama Elementary School is named for Dr. Henry “Hank” Oyama, a longtime Tucson educator, both at PCC and TUSD. Dr. Oyama’s groundbreaking work at Pueblo High School, where he helped create a curriculum for native Spanish speakers, sparked nationwide interest in bilingual education and ultimately led to the signing of the Bilingual Education Act in 1968. Dr. Oyama also is the founder of the Hispanic Student Endowment Fund with the PCC Foundation.
CONTACT:
C.J. Karamargin
Vice Chancellor for Public Information and Government Relations
(520) 206-4850
ckaramargin@pima.edu