SIATech at Fred G. Acosta Job Corps, Tucson, Arizona
901 South Campbell Avenue
Tucson, AZ 85719
Tel: (520) 879-9271
Principal: Dave Gerber
dave.gerber@siatech.org
Overview
SIATech at the Fred G. Acosta Job Corps Center is centrally located in Tucson, Arizona. The seven-acre Acosta Job Corps complex enjoys a convenient setting close to the University of Arizona and the downtown campus of the Pima County Community College. The North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement (NCA) accredits the state-chartered school.
Principal Profile
Prior to employment with SIATech, Dave Gerber taught high school English, coached high school wrestling, and taught college level writing classes. Mr. Gerber began his employment with SIATech at its inception in Tucson in 2001, and progressed from lead English instructor to principal in 2002. Mr. Gerber holds a BS in Education from the University of Missouri at Columbia, a MA in English from Northwest Missouri State University, and an EdS in Educational Leadership from the University of Arizona.
Success Stories
Honoring Mexican American Culture SIATech Tucson Students Learn and Celebrate the Legacy of Cesar Chavez by Monika Mendoza
Tucson students and teachers came together in March to celebrate and walk in the Cesar Chavez Memorial March. Our classes decided to participate in the march after discussing ways we could extend our classroom into the Tucson community. The students worked for several weeks to create their banners and learn about Mexican American culture. Pictured above are David Hernandez and Josue Romero as they carry the SIATech banners at the beginning of the march.
The Annual Cesar Chavez March for Peace and Justice started in 2001 as one of the many efforts to create a paid holiday in Pima County in honor of the labor leader and co-founder of the United Farm Workers. This is the second CCMPJ SIATech students have participated in. One student, Carlos Alvarez, commented, "The march is going to affect my life in a good way. It reminded me why I have a voice and that I should always standup for myself."
The light bulb moments I love to see occur in the midst of the experience; the moment students realize they are participating in our community and making a difference is what motivates me to teach. An example of this is when during the march a student turned to me and said, “Monika, I grew up here my whole life and I had no idea this existed.” Pictured above: David Hernandez and Alycia Rabago carry the Hands Across the Border banner.
Participating student Jeanette Dorame said, "This project meant a lot to me. It made me feel good to march for freedom and rights. The SIATech teachers made this happen because they want us to be involved and learn more about our history and different cultures. I will pass it on to my kids and family and from there it will go on for centuries and keep our culture strong."
Another beautiful moment at this year's march was when several older people came up to our students and asked them about the banners. To see older members of our community turning to our students to learn something about Cesar Chavez, border politics and the labor movement was phenomenal. The students felt proud to be able to teach an older person about our community and history. Pictured above: SIATech students share their banners with the Tucson community at the rally before the march.
As a Chicana and teacher of Mexican American literature I am very motivated to help young people in Tucson learn more about Mexican and Mexican American History, the history of Tucson, and the value of our shared labor and community.
Amber Wells, the Creative Technology and Senior Project Teacher, commented, “Community involvement and the power of extending the classroom into the community transforms and motivates our students to be lifelong learners. It is the connection between the classroom and the outside world that is vital to becoming life long learners for our students.”
The march has had a great and lasting impact on the students.
Ms. Wells shared, "The slogan 'we are hope' really captures how the students were impacted by the march. In the beginning stages of the project students were unsure and maybe a little nervous to commit to the march, but by the end they were fully involved and really saw themselves as a positive part of the community and as people who have the power to change the world we live in." Pictured above: Carlos Alvarez and Andrew Chavez display the completed Loteria banner.
Students felt empowered and engaged following the march. Student Roberto Castro said, "We became part of history. I learned that if an idea is powerful enough people will support it and make something happen."
Two of the major issues that were discussed at the rally before the march were Sen. Bill 1070 which Governor Jan Brewer just signed into law and the elimination of GED funding in Arizona due to budget cuts. The students who participated in the march have been following 1070 and the controversy very closely. The students who participated in the event have become much more politically aware and are following the news and events in our community much closer than they were before.
BANNER MESSAGES
The student-created banners were rich with meaning. Student Andrew Chavez explains, "I have done things in memory of Cesar Chavez before, but the artwork we made is what made this time different. The banners symbolically showed Mexican Americans’ struggle for equal rights. I am very inspired by Chavez to always do what I set my mind to. I know I can continue my education and not be stopped because of the color of my skin or where my family is from." Pictured above: Students Alejandra Maytorena Diaz, Mariah Turnbull, and Josue Romero work on the early stages of the Loteria banner.
Banner #1 Cesar Chavez Memorial Banner
This banner displays an image of Cesar’s face and the year of his birth and death. Across the top of the banner it reads: “Si se puede!” the battle cry of the UFW and Chicano Movement. The SIATech logo, farm workers in a field, saguaro cacti, and a depiction of Xavier Viramontes’ print Boycott Grapes: Support the United Farm Workers Union 1973 are also on the banner.
Banner #2 la soldadera
This banner depicts a female soldier from the Mexican Revolution. She wears bullets across her chest and a fierce expression. However around her there are grapes and flowers images that remind the viewer of the importance of women in the Chicano and Chicana movement. The slogan in Spanish that runs across the top of this banner carries the message: the people united will never be defeated.
Banner #3 Loteria!
Students decided to take the traditional game Loteria and change the images on the card to represent key players in the Chicano Movement: Cesar Chavez, Dolores Huerta, Bobby Kennedy, Luis Valdez and the Virgin of Guadalupe to name a few. This banner reads todos somos esperanza (we are hope).
Banner #4 Hands Across the Border There are two sides to this banner. The two sides represent both sides of the United States/Mexico Border. In the middle there are shaking hands, the Virgin of Guadalupe, and a dove. Either side of the border has images of people from Mexico or the United States. The Mexico side is represented by: Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, Emiliano Zapata, a lucha libre wrestler, an Aztec and Aztec pyramid, and the Mexican flag. The United States side is represented by: Cesar Chaves, Dolores Huerta, a pair of zoot suiters, Dora the Explorer, astronaut Ellen Ochoa and the American flag. Pictured above: Carlos Alvarez, Andrew Chavez, and Jeanette Dorame display the completed Hands Across the Border banner.
Thank you to SIATech English Instructor Monika Mendoza for submitting this story and photos.
Island in the Desert SIATech Tucson Students Honored at RAPSA National Conference
The Tucson Islanders, a group of musicians and singers formed at the SIATech at Fred G. Acosta Job Corps in Tucson, Arizona, made their musical debut at the Manchester Grand Hyatt Hotel in San Diego on February 19, 2010. The group was invited by RAPSA, or Reaching At-Promise Student Association, which sponsors a yearly convention to spotlight educational issues and improve student success.
Islander leader Tyson Wajar along with Linson Joran, Sonya Milne, and Junior Jacklick sang and played ukeleles from a repertoire of Marshallese folk songs before an audience of 600 people including teachers, support staff, administrators, and national leaders in education. The SIATech/Job Corps’ students were enthusiastically received by applause and standing ovations between musical numbers. The performance was described by many viewers as “inspiring.” All students are self-taught in their talents.
The group evolved over the course of a year through teacher Katherine Salas, SIATech ELL teacher, who initiated the use of ukeleles in school curriculum and an After-School Program. A video of the Marshallese musicians was broadcast after the introduction of the Marshall Islands by SIATech Principal David Gerber. The video spotlights Linson and his passion for music, while Sonya Milne describes her success in her vocation. Tyson, widely complimented for his leadership of the ensemble, balances his musical interest with his duties as Sergeant-At-Arms for the Student Body Association.
All are examples of Job Corps’s commitment to student success. Ms. Salas concludes the video by stating that her support of and achievement with the students is a daily honor and privilege.
Profiles on Tucson Islanders Linson Joran, 17, performed as a lead male in the Tucson Islanders’ performance at the recent RAPSA conference in San Diego and was showcased in the accompanying video. Linson is active in SIATech’s after-school program playing traditional ukelele and singing. He began learning the ukulele from friends when he was nine years old. He says, “I would watch their hands and do what they were doing.” He enjoyed performing for the large RAPSA audience and was only “a little nervous.” He enjoyed the group dynamic and would do it again.
Linson arrived at Tucson Job Corps in July, 2009. Linson is studying plumbing as his Job Corps vocation. As a child living in the Marshall Islands, he remembers helping his grandfather fix pipes. Linson is an active basketball player at Job Corps and plays point guard. He is pursuing his high school diploma from SIATech because it is important to him. He says, “It’s going to make me a better employee.”
Tyson Wajar, 19, led the Tucson Islanders band at the recent RAPSA conference in San Diego. Tyson is active in music, student government, and sports at the Tucson Job Corps. He also plays point guard in basketball and pitcher in baseball for Job Corps. Tyson plays ukulele and sings Marshallese folk music. He is a member of SIATech’s after-school music club which focuses on traditional music of the Marshall Islands.
Tyson enjoyed the Tucson Islanders’ first formal appearance. He found it “challenging” for himself and his crew. He would like to keep performing and gaining experience in the public eye. In addition, Tyson holds the elected office of Sergeant-At-Arms with the site’s Student Government Association. He recently attended the ResCare 14th Annual Leadership conference in Washington D.C. This year’s theme was “Planting Seeds for the Future” and appealed to students, Job Corps Program, and the community. As one of the highlights of the trip, he and his fellow officers met with Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords at her office.
Tyson studies plumbing in the Home Builders vocation. He has been at Job Corps since January, 2009. He likes to “fix problems” using detailed processes that include soldering. He has plans to own and operate his own plumbing company. He wants to “lead a better life” and for that reason may also pursue a business degree at a college or university. He is working toward his high school diploma at SIATech to realize his goals.
Originally from Kwajlein, Ebeye in the Marshall Islands, Tyson has also lived in Hawaii both in Honolulu and Kona. He went to school in Kona from the time he was 11 to 17 years old. He speaks Marshallese, English, Samoan, and some Hawaiian.
Sonya Milne, 20, was the sole female vocalist and ukulele player at the recent RAPSA conference in San Diego. In an unusual twist, Sonya is also the only left-hander. She says she plays the way right-handers do but adjusts the chords to fit the music. She says music is fun especially with friends but found the live performance very exciting. She says, “Of course, everybody makes mistakes but we’re just playing and having a good time.”
Sonya attends SIATech in order to prepare herself for college. She wants to become a nurse and so far follows in the steps of her two older sisters who have graduated from Tucson Job Corps in the Certified Nursing Assistant program.
Originally from Ebeye Atoll, Sonya began her studies at Tucson Job Corps in April, 2009. She is working hard to complete her program and her high school diploma. She practices regularly with the Tucson After-School program and is enthusiastic about performing for a large audience again.
Thank you to SIATech ELL Instructor Katherine Salas for submitting this story. Thank you to RAPSA for creating this inspirational video on the SIATech program. More information on RAPSA can be found at www.rapsa.org.
More Tucson News
SIATech at Tucson has received acceptable state ratings since its opening in 2001. Arizona Instrument to Measure Success data since 2001 has proven a steady growth in achievement for all students.
SIATech Principal Dave Gerber was interviewed on the Tucson Vision television show. The program
was hosted by Yvette Critchfield, Business and Community Liaison for the Fred G. Acosta Job Corps Center. The video shows excerpts from that interview.
Prior to employment with SIATech, Dave Gerber taught high school English, coached high school wrestling, and taught college level writing classes. Mr. Gerber began his employment with SIATech at its inception in Tucson in 2001, and progressed from lead English instructor to principal in 2002. Mr. Gerber holds a BS in Education from the University of Missouri at Columbia, a MA in English from Northwest Missouri State University, and an EdS in Educational Leadership from the University of Arizona.
2010. The group was invited by RAPSA, or Reaching At-Promise Student Association, which sponsors a yearly convention to spotlight educational issues and improve student success. 
The group evolved over the course of a year through teacher Katherine Salas, SIATech ELL teacher, who initiated the use of ukeleles in school curriculum and an After-School Program. A video of the Marshallese musicians was broadcast after the introduction of the Marshall Islands by SIATech Principal David Gerber. The video spotlights Linson and his passion for music, while Sonya Milne describes her success in her vocation. Tyson, widely complimented for his leadership of the ensemble, balances his musical interest with his duties as Sergeant-At-Arms for the Student Body Association. 
Sonya Milne, 20, was the sole female vocalist and ukulele player at the recent RAPSA conference in San Diego. In an unusual twist, Sonya is also the only left-hander. She says she plays the way right-handers do but adjusts the chords to fit the music. She says music is fun especially with friends but found the live performance very exciting. She says, “Of course, everybody makes mistakes but we’re just playing and having a good time.” 
