First Graduate

To be successful in school and beyond, students need to build social skills as well as academics. At First Graduate, we help our high school students develop their whole selves with a monthly program called Mosaic.

“Mosaic is our monthly community meeting, a chance for all students to come together to get to know each other better, within their class and outside of their class,” says Rachel Alexander, program associate in the Upper Division (grades 10-12). “It fosters peer mentorship and knowledge sharing about college and school and life skills.”  

On Wednesday, January 26, First Graduate program staff led students in the monthly activities that comprise Mosaic. Students broke into four multi-class teams, all named after local colleges, to engage in a little friendly competition. At one end of The Bay School cafeteria, two teams competed to complete timed quizzes that tested their knowledge of their global, local and First Graduate communities. For example, students had to fill in the names of colleges that fellow First Graduate students are currently attending. They were also asked to identify the county that Oakland is in and who among them was born outside of San Francisco.

At the other end of the room, known as the Big Room, other teams were tasked to build toy marble structures with as many turns and drops as they could construct. Their structures, of course, had to stand on their own and allow a marble to travel from top to bottom. Staff graded their work on these and other factors. After completing one competition, the two large groups switched places so everyone got to try the different types of activities.

In both cases, staff observed students to see how they approached their challenges. “The activities were designed so students could gain points by doing the challenge on their own, but if they decided to collaborate they’d be more successful,” says Alexander. As in life, “by collaborating and asking for help, they can get a lot further than they can on their own,” she adds.

"We were all impressed by the students' ability to learn from each of the challenges," says Kennette Banks, Upper Division program associate. "When they switched activities, it was clear what they had taken away. They were asking more questions and some groups immediately decided to work together, realizing that they would be able to accomplish more as a group."

To conclude January Mosaic, staff bestowed ORE awards, or honors for exemplifying excellence in First Graduate’s Pillars of Achievement (Ownership, Respect, Effort). Staff and students also celebrated the latest round of college acceptances and birthdays.