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Students in middle school are running for different positions in student government including president, vice president, secretary, and treasurer.

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What are the commitments MLA makes to their students? Do they align with their actions?

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What are the commitments MLA makes to their students? Do they align with their actions?

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What are the assets and issues of of my classroom? How do they connect to the broader assets and issues in MLA?

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What are the assets and issues of of my classroom? How do they connect to the broader assets and issues in MLA?

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There's a garden teacher at MLA named Jose Luis who leads garden classes.

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There's one elevator in the school reserved for wheelchair users.

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There's an accessible ramp for wheelchair users.

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All students who are tardy must take a pass to class and give up the first five minutes of their recess to sit in one of the teachers' classrooms as punishment.

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If families want to file a grievance or appeal with the school therapist they can use this information.

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What does the MLA building look like? What about the neighborhood? 

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What does the MLA building look like? What about the neighborhood? 

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MLA is a dual-immersion bilingual school located in Maxwell Park, Oakland. It is one of two dual immersion middle schools in Oakland. Students are immersed in a 90/10 Spanish/English curriculum when they enter Kindergarten. MLA seeks to teach 50/50 by middle school. Students at MLA hail from all over the East Bay, and the population includes both English-dominant and Spanish-dominant students. Many students speak more than those two languages including Arabic and Mandarin. Many of the students at MLA are also newcomers from Latin America and Indigenous communities. Mam is another popular language spoken among students.

Maxwell Park is a historically Black neighborhood which has become increasingly white and middle class because of the encroaching gentrification in Oakland. MLA was originally located in deep East Oakland, and created to serve a majority Spansih-speaking immigrant and Black community. However, as the program gained traction, they moved into the wealthier white suburbs. As a result, the population has become increasingly white, English-dominant, and middle class. The students that the school once sought to support, Spanish speaking students of color, have now become the minority population. Demographically, white students seem to make up at least half of the population in the middle grades. The other half is majority non-Black Latinx, then Black students, Asian students, Indigenous students, and MENA students, respectively.

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Latinx Heritage Celebration at Maxwell Park

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Banner with different countries representing students' diverse backgrounds.

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Maestra Laura- Teacher on Special Assignment 

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Maestra Laura- Teacher on Special Assignment 

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Laura supports new teachers, meets different students' needs, and largely floats around to wherever she's needed. (laura.kaneko@ousd.org)

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Families of the African Diaspora is a parent-led group that meets monthly on the second Wednesday of every month from 7-8pm.

Andrea Holloway-Lowe is a point person (taelowe5@gmail.com)

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Before and After School Program offered to students of MLA. Students who qualify for free and reduced lunch, newcomers, and foster kids qualify for free services from the program. Otherwise, families have to pay for the program. Many of the MLA students take part in the program after school until their parents can pick them up from 5 to 6pm.

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MLA offers a Newcomer Program where seats are reserved in classes for immigrant students to enter MLA in December/January when many people are migrating to the states to work.

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Taken from the website:

Monthly food distribution: This is a smaller scale than what we did last school year though we need volunteers on-site to set up, load cars and deliver to MLA families. Thursday September 9 between 7:50-9 :00. Sign up here or email Jen Houser jenthouser@gmail.com for more info.

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This cart on the right has free books in both English and Spanish that are no longer in circulation inside the library and can be taken by anyone.

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The vision of Melrose Leadership Academy is to partner with families and students to create an environment that enables students to be bilingual, creative, thoughtful, self-motivated learners. We will nurture a culture of mutual respect and multiculturalism, where dialogue among students and adults is central to learning. Melrose Leadership Academy will be a place where students can exercise their curiosity, their voice, make meaningful choices and challenge themselves and each other academically and where students develop their sense of responsibility to transform our school, community and world.

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6-8 SDC Teacher – Maxwell Campus (ia.hernandez@ousd.org)

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Roxanna Otero- Speech Language Pathologist 

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Roxanna Otero- Speech Language Pathologist 

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Speech Language Pathologist (3 days) / Patóloga del Habla y Lenguage – Shared Campus (roxanna.otero@ousd.org)

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Program led by Ms. Andi

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(sandra.perez@ousd.org)

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(tanya.chatman@ousd.org)

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Holly's classroom is located in a portable outside. (holly.welch@ousd.org)

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Anonymous message box outside of Mx. Ian's office on the second floor. 

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Mx. Ian is the "academic counselor" but also focuses on conflict resolution, offers space for students to vent, and provides resources. Mx. Ian also serves on the COS team which addresses issues faced by individual students. (ian.patton@ousd.org)

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There's a full-time librarian that's shared by both the K-2 and 3-8 campus. Students can check out as many books as they want to read at school or take home. The books are bilingual, and largely in Spanish. There are many graphic novels and manga, as per the request of students. If there's a book or series students are really exciting about they can ask Ms. Gonzalez. (laura.gonzalez@ousd.org)

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LGBTQ+? Club meets every Tuesday in Ms. Morgan and Profe Chloe's classroom. The space is for community, discussion, and fun. It's led by Mx. Ian and I sometimes lead if there's a topic I'm exciting about.

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Poster of South African anti-apartheid activist, Steve Biko, outside of Mx. Ian's office 

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The Most Potent Weapon in the Hands of the Oppresser is the Minds of the Oppressed -Steve Biko

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The Most Potent Weapon in the Hands of the Oppresser is the Minds of the Oppressed -Steve Biko

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This is one of the more political posters I've seen in the public spaces.

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Sign outside of Mx. Ian's office on the second floor. 

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Mx. Ian's Pushes For Students to Ask for Help!

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Mx. Ian's Pushes For Students to Ask for Help!

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This is one of the only explicit signs I've seen in the public hallways that emphasizes our relationship to settler colonialism.

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Posted outside of Mx. Ian's office on the second floor. 

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Out of School LGBTQIA+ Virtual Support Group 

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Out of School LGBTQIA+ Virtual Support Group 

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Posted outside of Mx. Ian's office on the second floor. 

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Every Wednesday, Black Girls Unite meets to provide a space for Black girls to talk and share joy together.

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Ms. Nati is the mental health therapist that works at both the Melrose and Sherman campus.

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MLA teachers are part of the Oakland Education Association which fights for the rights of teachers. My CT, Sydney Morgan, is the union rep for MLA.

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MLA Teachers share the responsibilities of maintaining and restocking the lounge with coffee, creamer, and keeping it clean.

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Free books on the way outside of school.

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Black Lives Matter sign of racial justice commitment outside of Ms. Nati's door. 

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Parents volunteer to control traffic and drop-off every morning using these supplies.

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People can make and include culturally relevant recipes to this wall

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Wall outside of Principal's office, first floor. 

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Gender expansive language translated from English to Spansih.

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Maestra Andi is someone that holds RJ circles, helps students and families connect to services, and is a big resource for everyone at MLA.

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Middle School students give each other appreciations at the end of the week which can be redeemed for a raffle prize.

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Wall outside of Principal's office, first floor. 

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Gender expansive language, definitions and translations offered under the first page.

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Black Scientists Wall

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Newspaper Club for students offered every Thursday after school

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Poster outside of Maestra Andi's office 

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Restorative Justice Feelings Chart

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Sign-up sheet for students to express the kind of food they want to see in their lunches.

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Wall outside of Principal's office, first floor. 

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As you walk through the front doors, a wall of Black historical figures from athletes to scientists are showcased on the wall.