Quartz Hill – On Saturday, Jan. 21, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., the High Desert Alliance of Black School Educators (HDABSE) will host its 5th Annual Parent Symposium themed: “Positioning Our Students for Success”. The event will take place at Joe Walker Middle School located at 5632 W. Ave. L-8 in Quartz Hill. Admission is free, but registration is required.
The symposium is billed as an educational forum to empower parents, students and educators and will feature Susan L. Taylor, Editor-in-Chief Emeritus of Essence Magazine and founder of the National Cares Mentoring Movement (NCMM).
Taylor founded NCMM in 2006 to increase high school graduation rates among African American students, end violence in Black communities, and end the over-incarceration of Black youth.
“Creating safe, top-tier schools in every underserved community in this nation is the mandate,” Taylor said in a written statement. “It’s doable.”
At the symposium, Taylor will discuss the importance of mentoring and supporting children.
The symposium will also feature an award ceremony to present the Dr. William B. Shaw Award, the highest honor awarded to a district or individual school site by HDABSE.
This year’s attendees include:
- The New Buffalo Soldiers 10-H Division (Color Guards)
- NASA (providing a robotics and aerospace demonstration)
- An elementary school choir from Palmdale School District
- A high school choir from the Antelope Valley Union High School District
- Norm Hickling from County Supervisor Michael Antonovich’s office
- Representatives from both the City of Palmdale and Lancaster
There will also be parent and educator workshops, science workshops, and technology exhibits by industry engineers focusing on Science, Technology, Engineering, Math, and Medicine (S.T.E.M.M.).
Additionally, Antelope Valley junior and high school students will be given the opportunity to participate in an “Open Mic” session with renowned entertainers, producers and writers in the entertainment industry.
Students must attend at least two workshops to participate in this special session.
Symposium admission is free, but registration is required as space is limited.
(Information via press release from the High Desert Alliance of Black School Educators.)
