2017 MSAN Student Conference Site
Oct. 17, 2017 -- The CH-UH School District is hosting the Minority Student Achievement Network (MSAN) National Conference October 18-21 at the Beachwood DoubleTree Hotel.
Fifteen Heights High students in the MSAN club, their three advisors, and the Educational Services Department have been planning the conference details. The work included selecting keynote speakers, outlining the action planning process, icebreaker activities, talent show and college visits.
Heights High seniors Christine Roberts, Jaylen Chesney and Jaylin Coleman are part of the student leadership team helping to plan the conference.
Jaylin and Jaylen helped plan icebreaker activities that will include the Cleveland Cavaliers Q-Stix percussionist Elec Simon. Both students attended other conferences and wanted to create a place for introductions and idea exchange.
Christine is part of the action planning team. Each school team works on an action plan to implement throughout the school year. While the larger purpose of the plan is to address the achievement gap, each school has different priorities and the action plan reflects that.
“We really wanted to design a process that helps students get a good plan to take back to their school,” said Christine.
After months of preparation, Jaylin said, “We have been working so hard on this, we are ready.”
The Heights High MSAN advisors are O’Dasha Blue, Shawn Washington, and Nate Williams.
“We have seen our students become stronger leaders with a stronger voice as they plan this conference,” said Mrs. Blue. “I am so proud of their work and the fact that they are leaders both in the school and in the community.”
Last year the students attended the national conference in North Carolina and returned with a focused plan. “They were motivated when they came home, ready to work hard,” said Mrs. Blue.
Being selected to host the conference is just one result of the group’s hard work.
More than 300 students from 23 school districts around the country will attend the conference. Heights High alum Jeff Johnson is the keynote speaker on Wednesday evening. The students will take campus tours of Case Western, Cleveland State, and Kent State on Thursday, followed by keynote speaker Jeff Almanzan and a talent contest.
Friday’s activities include action planning discussions in the morning and a visit to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the afternoon. The closing reflections are Saturday morning.
MSAN is a national coalition of multiracial, suburban-urban school districts that work to eliminate the achievement opportunity gaps in schools. The CH-UH School District is a founding member of the organization.