South Elementary students climbed to the top!

South Elementary School Principal J. R. Silva with students proudly presenting
plaque and $500 check for outstanding participation in See MC/Sí, MC

By Rebecca Bell
Dean of Community Relations and Special Events

Ninety percent of the students at MISD’s South Elementary School speak two languages, so at the May 9 school assembly, when the principal J. R. Silva said, “En esta dia subieron la montaña con mucho exito,” the students knew that he was saying, “On this day you climbed the mountain with much success!”


The mountain (la montaña) to which he was referring had a double meaning: Mr. Silva wanted the students to know that they had “made it to the top” when they and their families decided to attend Midland College’s See MC/Sí, MC day in order to find out about attending college, and he was also referring to the rock climbing wall—by far the most popular attraction during the April 21 event!


See MC/Sí, MC targeted potential First-Generation-to-College (FGTC) students and consisted of college information, music, food and fun for all ages. Midland College is dedicated to encouraging higher education participation by FGTC families. In the fall 2011 semester, 1,483 FGTC students attended Midland College, and in the spring 2012 semester, there were 1,392 FGTC students attending.


See MC/Sí, MC offered an opportunity for the Midland community to tour the campus and find out about college admissions, financial aid and instructional programs. During the day’s festivities, a contest was held among MISD Title I schools to see which could have the most participation at the event—this included students, parents and faculty/staff. South Elementary won the contest, and at the May 9 assembly, a $500 check was presented to the school. Principal Silva explained that some of the money would go toward ice cream for the students during their upcoming Field Day; however, most would be put in a fund to help pay for school uniforms.


Liz Zenteno, associate director of MC’s Cogdell Learning Center, said, “South Elementary and MC partner in a great many projects. The close proximity of South to the Cogdell Learning Center allows us to accommodate families with some of our services, such as GED classes, English as a Second Language classes and basic computer classes. Midland College has also participated in a number of South Elementary School events promoting higher education. While we know that these families feel comfortable at Codgell, we were also thrilled that they participated in the See MC/Sí, MC day at the main campus. Congratulations to South Elementary for winning the contest. We look forward to continuing our successful partnership!”