CCEA Plus 2025 Surf's Up! Riding the Waves of Opportunity

"We Can Do Hard Things Together" is a dynamic session designed to empower educators at continuation high schools to build a strong, inclusive culture of belonging. This presentation will explore practical strategies for fostering unity and resilience among students and teachers, creating an environment where every individual feels valued and supported. Through collaborative activities, shared goals, and meaningful connections, educators will learn how to transform challenges into growth opportunities, building a community that embraces the unique strengths of each member. Participants will leave equipped with tools to inspire trust, engagement, and collective progress.

We have a three pronged after school credit recovery program (sports, academics, gardening) that can be utilized by students to gain credits outside of the school day. We would like to share our successes and answer any questions, to help others create similar programs for their respective schools.

The Gil Lab/Hope Lab is a credit recovery program designed to meet the needs of our most vulnerable students in Anaheim. These students are either 5th year seniors, former drop outs, or often transitioning back from the juvenile justice system. This program was developed to re-engage these students and ask them to give education a  second (or third) chance. We use hands-on projects, field trips every other week, and incorporate art, food, and humor in order to reach every kid and to make them feel like they have a home. This group stays with one teacher all day, and the class of 20 truly becomes a family. We connect them with resources such as the Department of Rehab, Rising Scholars(college program for formerly incarcerated students), and mental health supports as well as help them secure jobs and make sure they are on the right path once they reach that diploma.  This program has been truly life changing, and we can't wait for you to hear the stories of some of our current scholars (who will be in session).

Art and social-emotional learning (SEL) naturally complement each other, as both encourage self-expression, empathy, and emotional awareness. This presentation will explore how integrating art into SEL can create powerful opportunities for students to connect with their emotions, understand others, and build meaningful relationships. Through interactive participation in hands-on lessons and exploration of adaptable resources, educators will gain practical tools to implement art-infused SEL strategies in any subject area, enhancing student engagement and emotional growth across the curriculum.