Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/297225
P H O T O G R A P H Y B Y S C O T T B U S C H M A N Learning O n a re ce n t a f te r n o o n , C a m p - bell talks with students in Annie D e l g a d o ' s c l a s s r o o m a t B u h a c h C o l o ny H i g h S c h o o l v i a S ky p e f r o m h e r A r i z o n a home. Campbell admits that drinking was a factor in her diving accident and says that poor decisions can have lifelong consequences. Students walk up to a microphone and ask how she stays so strong, focused and upbeat. "It's all about perspective," Campbell tells them. "My mother told me to focus on the positive. Women are more of a force to be reckoned with. And when you have a woman in a wheelchair in a courtroom, you have two minorities. These men will have to respect me. There won't be any other choice." A class by itself Welcome to The Role of Women in Society and U.S. History, a class Del- gado created in 2008 for the school in the town of Atwater. Students (includ- ing a few boys) learn from strong female role models via Skype, including Maria Shriver, former first lady of Califor- nia; Dee Dee Myers, the first female White House press secretary; and feminist activist Gloria Steinem. Campbell, one of Delgado's former students, tells the teens that Delgado inspired her to believe in herself before the accident. This helped her to carry on later. The class is the only one of its kind in a West Coast public school and recently won a state award for its groundbreaking effort to empower stu- dents, many of whom are minorities and facing economic challenges. "It is very exciting," says Delgado of winning the Civic Learning Award of Merit, co-sponsored by Tom Torlakson, state superintendent of public instruction, and Tani Canil-Sakauye, chief justice of California. "We were "I want to open their eyes so they see women in a different light," says Annie Delgado. "I want them to know they can set long-term goals for themselves. I want them to know they can indeed break the cycle of poverty and achieve their dreams." Irving Chavez is one of several boys in the class. www.cta.org 41 A P R I L 2 0 1 4 Educator 04 Apr 2014 v2.3 int.indd 41 4/15/14 12:05 AM