CÉSAR CHÁVEZ ACADEMY CELEBRATES THE LIVES OF CÉSAR CHÁVEZ AND BENNY CRUZ

CÉSAR CHÁVEZ ACADEMY CELEBRATES THE LIVES OF CÉSAR CHÁVEZ AND BENNY CRUZ
With a reception, dedication and ribbon cutting ceremony of their new media center


In celebration of the life and legacy of César Chávez on his birthday, César Chávez Academy will be unveiling their new state-of-the-art high school media center to the community with a ribbon cutting and dedication ceremony in honor of the late Bernardino “Benny” Cruz, longtime Southwest Detroit community member, musician, educator and former school leader at César Chávez Academy.

Along with the unveiling of the new media center, students at all five César Chávez  Academy campuses will be recognized for their creativity in their art, essay and poetry contests surrounding the topic of “stand up for what you believe in” in honor of both César Chávez and Benny Cruz.

Keynote speakers include: Javier Garibay, Regional Vice President; Fred Pacheco, Board President; Guadalupe G. Lara, LMSW; Laura Reyes-Kopack, interim director at LA SED; and a ribbon cutting ceremony featuring Mrs. LeSandra Sierra Cruz, MANA de Metro Detroit and LA SED. Event sponsors include Variety Foods, Hacienda Foods, MANA de Metro Detroit, LA SED and the César Chávez Academy Board of Directors.

The event is free and open to the public and media. Refreshments and entertainment will be provided. Music will be provided by Mauro Cruz and the César Chávez elementary choir.

WHEN:                Monday, March 31 @ 4:30-6:30 p.m.

WHERE:             César Chávez Academy High School
                              1761 Waterman St.
                              Detroit, Michigan

ABOUT CÉSAR CHÁVEZ ACADEMY

César Chávez Academy opened in 1996 and is a free, public charter school district educating more than 2,000 students grades K-12 on five campuses in Detroit, making it the largest charter school in Michigan. César Chávez Academy is Michigan’s first NCA AdvancED accredited multi-campus charter school district in the state of Michigan. The academy has a 75% ELL student enrollment making it one of the highest ELL districts in Michigan. Bridge, news and analysis from The Center for Michigan named César Chávez Academy in their January 2014 Academic State Champs Top Ten Lists: Top Ten Charter Schools in Michigan. César Chávez Academy was the second-highest ranked high school on the Mackinac Center for Public Policy’s High School Context and Performance report card; CCA elementary and middle school students also scores in the top 10 percent of Michigan students on the elementary and middle school report card, receiving “A” letter grade report card scores from the Mackinac Center. César Chávez Academy High School earned two back-to-back bronze rankings by U.S. News & World Report’s “Best High Schools” list in 2012 and 2013. César Chávez Academy is managed by The Leona Group, L.L.C. and chartered by Saginaw Valley State University. For more information, visit www.chavezacademy.com.

ABOUT THE LEONA GROUP, L.L.C.

The Leona Group was founded in 1996 by Dr. William Coats, a national leader in education reform. TLG currently manages over 60 school sites in Arizona, Florida, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio and is among the largest education service providers in the United States.

Foundational to The Leona Group is the belief that all children, regardless of ethnicity or economic status, can learn and achieve. This belief permeates throughout the organization and is vibrant in each Leona-managed school. For this reason, Leona Group schools are located in primarily urban communities where there is the greatest need for educational choice and opportunity. Leona delivers a quality choice in public school education, focusing on excellence in education in safe, caring environments. Each school program is tailored to the specific needs of its community and demonstrates continual improvement, as measured by increasing student academic achievement in concert with social, behavioral and emotional development. For more information, visit www.leonagroup.com.