May 21, 2021 during the Hybrid in-person/Zoom banquet
Good evening members of NHAE, supporters of the organization, honorees, and scholarship recipients.
I am Dr. Antonio Acevedo, the president of the Network of Hispanic Administrators in Education or NHAE. On behalf of the executive board, which in addition to myself includes, our vice president, Dr. Maria “Terri” Campos, our treasurer, Maria Fresse-Giffels, our corresponding secretary, Elba Íñiguez, and our recording secretary Nelly Robles, I want to welcome you to the 23rd Annual NHAE Scholarship and Retiree Banquet.
I want to share with you a bit about NHAE; Our mission is to advocate for, and support quality and equity in education for Hispanic educators and students.
NHAE is the following:
A professional organization formed in 1989; originally formed of Hispanic CPS principals, but now our members include assistant principals, central office and network office administrators, aspiring administrators such as teacher leaders, and other friends of the the organization
Committed to quality and equity in education
Provide mentoring for aspiring leaders
Support future educators through scholarships
Provide professional growth and networking opportunities
Provide a forum for the presentation and discussion of issues affecting Hispanic educators, students, and communities
This year we held three virtual general membership meetings during which we addressed topics centered on our mission. In September we began the year with a focus on equity and a presentation from Dr. Maurice Swinney, the Chief Equity Officer of CPS. At the November meeting the focus was on promoting leadership development opportunities through the Latino Leadership Pipeline, IALAS, and the GEM program. In January Dr. Victor Simon, superintendent of district 62 and former CPS network chief, shared with us his recommendations for preparing for a return to in-person instruction within a simultaneous teaching context. In March the membership received an update on the CPS Curriculum Equity Initiative, with respect to English Learners from Dr. Sherly Chavarría, Chief of Teaching and Learning, and Jorge Macias, Chief of the Office of Language and Cultural Education. In addition, each of our business meetings were followed by an hour of networking. We danced, had scavenger hunts, played Kahoot quizzes and other trivia games. I am very proud of the team that worked so hard to plan and execute these meetings and networking opportunities.
This evening is the culminating event of the year and one in which we network once again, award scholarships to education majors, honor members who are leaving CPS to take on a new leadership role, and show our gratitude to retirees who made the lives of our CPS students much better with their commitment and love.
Before I move on to the next part of the program, I want to reflect on the past 14 months during which educators have had to adapt to the challenges of remote learning, address our problems of race in this country with our students, and support one another through the loss of loved ones and other traumas associated with the pandemic.
As we turn the page on this pandemic and return to what might be normal. I hope we use the following terms less often:
Synchronous and asynchronous
Remote, hybrid, and simultaneous instruction
You’re on mute or hot mic
You’re frozen, it’s lagging, it’s glitching
I got a bad connection, I got kicked out
Telework accommodations
Did you complete the health screener?
HEPA air filters
Bring that issue to the safety committee
Quarantining, flipping pods, and contact tracing
ENOUGH!!!!!
Thank you for your time and with this we will move on to the next part of our program.
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