The breakfasts are hosted in the dining hall on a quarterly basis, and students are nominated by their teachers. The events are accessible to only those who are invited through these nominations.
During the breakfast, a slideshow is exhibited on the monitors of the dining hall, which display the nomination letters from all teachers, as well as a photo of the respective student. For roughly forty minutes before school, students are able to have breakfast with their parents and the teacher who nominated them for the Core Four Award.
“I have been nominated before,” says Daniela Alcaraz, a senior, “I feel like they are recognizing the students well, and you get a free breakfast.”
Throughout the event, Berta Garcia, one of the academic counselors, translated speakers’ words into Spanish. This was met with appreciation by the audience, as many had brought guests who were non-native English speakers.
“I like how everyone is so involved and engaged,” Daniel Almaguer says, “and how everyone shows their kindness around the campus. [They] all just come together and have a little celebration for it.”
Nathan Lane, the principal of Selma High, presided over the Core Four Award breakfast, along with student counselors Fatima Anguiano, Berta Garcia, Ly Ngin, and Nancy Vazquez. The latter four announced the names of individuals on their caseload who had been nominated for an award, while Lane gave a brief introduction.
Some students were unable to attend the breakfast, but an overwhelming majority were present with parents and teachers. A comfortable atmosphere was set up, and those like Alcaraz were appreciative of it.
“It’s a great time for you to bond with family,” Alcaraz states, “or the person who nominated you.”
Lane reminded students of the Core Four values and explained what it takes to be recognized.
“Core Four was just introduced this year at the beginning of school,” he says, “three days prior to students coming. We met as a staff and identified four traits that we thought are most important for our students to develop and have from Selma High School when they leave. We landed on Core Four, which is work ethic, integrity, perseverance, and accountability.”
There has been much notice of the new addition to Selma High policy of Bear Bucks. These have been receiving acclaim from not only students, but teachers as well, who are able to hand them out to deserving students who exemplify honorable character.
“Bear Bucks are just a positive reinforcement tool,” Lane says, “designed to acknowledge outstanding behavior on the part of our students, whether it’s scholastically or citizenship-wise.”
Lane also states that the values set forth through the Core Four should be held in high regard and that students could be recognized at these breakfasts for exhibiting any of the four characteristics, or simply being diligent, present, and a good citizen. However, he adds that students should aim to apply these principles, such as integrity and accountability, most notably beyond Selma High and into adulthood.
