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Castlemont Community School Initiatives

Castlemont Initiatives

Castlemont High School is located in Deep East Oakland and serves an incredibly diverse student body with a high percentage of Latinx, Black, English learners and International students. 

Students in front of a building with a sign that says "CHS" farm

Castlemont selected OKF to serve as their lead agency in 2017 to coordinate Knight Time extended day programs and Knight Success full-service community school services that meet the unique needs of Castle students and families.

Each year, OKF surveys students and receives input from youth, school staff and partners about what kinds of programs and activities to provide. 

In total, OKF’s Castlemont Community School Initiatives engage over 500 students each year, with 120 youth attending programs each day.

Castle Cares is a new initiative to provide one on one care management and small group support to help students build positive culture, community and a sense of belonging.

Survey Results

 85% of youth agree the programs helped them prepare successfully for college, career and community.

81% agree the programs offered support they need to succeed in high school by passing classes, earning credits and graduating on time.

Reach Out to US

For more information about OKF’s Knight Time and Knight Success Extended Day Programs, contact NaDerris@kidsfirstoakland.org

For information about Castle Cares, contact

 

Alejandra@kidsfirstoakland.org

College, Career, and Community Ready

Academic Support

Arts and Expressions

Leadership Programs

Health and Wellness

Work Based Internships

Farm and Garden

Life Skils

School Culture and Climate

Care Management

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Get updates on our programs and activities! 

TOP

Skills Gained

Building relationships

Facilitating and leading activities, processes or conversations

Improving collaboration or learning how to work with other youth

Feeling more connected to their community

“What made me interested in the Farm programs was seeing an instructor who looked like me for once and was able to give me instructions in a language that I understood. As a student who was part of the international building, understanding the instructor made me feel very welcomed. It also allowed me to connect with nature which is something I have always enjoyed.”
Image of Josemaria Cobian
Josemaria Cobian
11th Grade
“Knight time after school program helped me build bonds and try new things and helped me find my passion for my future career.”
Image of Kamaria Cole
Kamaria Cole
2023 Graduate
Image of Senayt Sium

Senayt Sium

Organizer

(She/Her/Hers) is a Program Coordinator for REAL HARD and facilitates after school programs at Oakland Tech and Oakland High School. She attended OUSD public school and is a proud alumni of Oakland High School. Senayt is a first generation college graduate from University of California, Davis in Sociology with concentration in Law and Society, Public Health Science and Chicano/a Studies. One of her key passions is advocacy. She strongly believes in addressing and combating systemic issues that affect marginalized communities.

She strives to empower and support youth in developing essential skills while fostering activism. As a former REAL HARD student organizer, Senayt is very excited to be working with youth, and provide them with the necessary resources to support and help them accomplish their goals.

Peter Truong

Peter Truong

PROGRAM MANAGER

Peter (he/him/his) supports staff across OKF programs to incorporate best practices in positive youth development. Peter oversees the REAL HARD after school program and supports all chapters to develop youth-led transformational school culture campaigns.

Peter also writes curriculum for Oakland Kids First programs and supports organization-wide youth organizing campaigns such as development of the Student Justice Platform. A life long learner and educator, Peter earned a degree in Ethnic Studies at the University of Oregon.

Cara Holiday

Cara Holiday

SENIOR DEVELOPMENT MANAGER

Cara (she/her/hers) is the Senior Development Manager who oversees fundraising, communications, grant writing and reporting and also serves on the senior management team. She has been part of the OKF community since 2009 in a range of roles including volunteering as a board member from 2009-2012, and then working on staff.

Cara currently works for OKF remotely from her hometown of St. Louis, MO. Throughout her career, Cara has focused on supporting students to reach their individual goals to graduate and access post-secondary education while also advocating to improve systems and equity in public schools. She earned a MA in Education Policy, Organization and Leadership Studies from Stanford University, a teaching credential from San Francisco State University, and a BA in English from Washington University in St. Louis.

Previous positions include working as Assistant Director at the Gephardt Institute for Civic and Community Engagement at Washington University, as a Community Programs Manager for Alternatives in Action and as an English teacher on the McClymonds high school campus in OUSD. In her free time, Cara enjoys hiking with her family and two dogs, and exploring the local food scene.