POINT REYES HOSTS CANAL UP! STUDENTS

In August, the Point National Seashore Association welcomed a new cohort of Canal Alliance sixth graders in its University Prep Program (UP!) to Point Reyes. For students in grades six through 12, UP! offers an after school program that provides tutoring, homework help, academic workshops and counseling to prepare students to graduate from high school ready for college.

During their first visit to the Clem Miller Environmental Education Center in Point Reyes, the incoming sixth graders got to know one another for the first time. In 2032, they will return to the center as graduating 12th graders to reflect on their memories, friendships and growth over the years.

The student cohort played name games, learned to use binoculars and became absorbed in bird identification activities, enjoyed sights and sounds of the seashore’s forests on a hike, and raced to finish a scavenger hunt around the center. They wrote reflections on their experience, which they will re-read as graduating 12th graders.

“Within San Rafael there is a district we call the Canal, which is one of the first areas in Marin County being impacted by sea level rise. Our hope is that outdoor programs like this continue the exposure for students around nature, wildlife, sea level rise and climate change, because it is so real for them, especially living in the Canal,” said Henry Velasquez, youth and college education senior manager at Canal Alliance.

Students involved in the UP! program also receive support to apply to and enroll in college. Once in college, the program provides scholarships and case management to support student success. All students are from Latino families with recent immigration experience and attend San Rafael City Schools including Davidson Middle School, Venetia Valley K-8 or San Rafael or Terra Linda high schools.

UP! students who completed the program are enrolled in College of Marin, Contra Costa College, CSU East Bay, Humboldt State University, Sacramento State University, Sonoma State University, San Francisco State University, San Jose State University, Santa Rosa Junior College, the University of California at Los Angeles, UC Merced and UC Irvine.

To learn more about Canal Alliance’s work and how to support families impacted by a fire in San Rafael’s Canal neighborhood, visit donate. canalalliance.org/campaign/ client-support-fund/c276777.