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Aspire Public Schools names Stockton native Anthony Solina as new Central Valley executive director

By Hannah Workman | October 3, 2022
Original article here.

Stockton native and veteran educator Anthony Solina has been tapped to lead Aspire Public Schools’ 16 Central Valley schools, including its 10 Stockton schools, as the organization’s new Central Valley executive director.

Solina will be responsible for the overall performance of all schools in the Central Valley region. Aspire is the largest public charter school organization in California, with over 30 schools in the Central Valley, the Bay Area and the Los Angeles regions.

“Aspire is ‘College for Certain,'” Solina said, referencing the K-12 school system’s motto. “That doesn’t mean we’re taking college ready kids to start, but it’s about creating a belief in the students early that they can go and then by high school it becomes real.”

Solina has been with Aspire for 20 years, first starting as an elementary school teacher in 2002. He was a founding teacher at two Aspire schools in Stockton:  Aspire River Oaks Charter School and Aspire Langston Hughes Academy. He then segued into administration and became the founding principal of Aspire Port City Academy in 2007.

Solina said his primary goal will be the same one he has had since he first stepped foot in a classroom — to make sure every student is college and career ready by graduation.

Solina said at Aspire, students can begin taking college classes when they’re in high school as part of its early college high school program. The program gives students the opportunity to earn a minimum of 30 units or graduate with an associate’s degree.

Aspire is also looking to bring a career pathways program to its Stockton schools, Solina said.

“In Modesto, we have a health careers academy that’s partnered with Modesto Junior College and the students are on a health careers pathway,” Solina said. “They can take courses in radiology, nursing, anatomy, physiology … so we’re piloting that in Modesto and that’s been a great experience so far, but we’re thinking about in Stockton, potentially partnering with [San Joaquin] Delta College and University of the Pacific on an engineering pathway.”

According to Solina, Aspire also is considering is a teacher career pathway. He said it is his hope that this pathway would not only help students find fulfilling careers, but also address the on-going staffing and teacher shortages in San Joaquin County.

“We’re just finding it a huge problem in the pipeline,” Solina said.

A survey recently conducted by EdSource found that the Stockton Unified School District is among the districts with the most significant staffing and teacher shortages in California.

While there is not an exact launch date for the teacher career pathway program yet, Solina said there are plans to pilot the program next summer. Meanwhile, he is looking to provide more opportunities for students to gain hands-on work experience.

“The more we can get connections with local businesses and get students into places of work to learn both the work skills and the life skills, as well as the academic needs for those careers, is where we’re hoping to head to first,” he said.

Record reporter Hannah Workman covers news in Stockton and San Joaquin County. She can be reached at hworkman@recordnet.com or on Twitter @byhannahworkman. Support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at https://www.recordnet.com/subscribenow. 

Congratulations to our Senior Support Scholarship winners!

Congratulations to our Senior Support Scholarship winners, Arlette Campos and Kailey Martinez!

Arlette from  Aspire Pacific Academy and Kailey from Aspire Richmond CaliforniaCollege Preparatory Academy will no doubt have success as they prepare for their post-secondary pathways. Both lifetime Aspire learners, these two senior scholars are prepared and eager for their next chapters. Learn more about them and their goals below.

Arlette Campos

Arlette has been with Aspire since elementary school, and during this time has learned the importance of asking questions when needed and leaning on people around her for help. She looks forward to using this skill set both to help others and to navigate college. During her time at Pacific, she took advantage of their early college program by enrolling in three college courses, including Administration of Justice, Sociology, and Psychology. Through the coursework itself and the act of balancing advanced classes, Arlette is proud to have gained experience in fostering her mental health and wellness, as well as improving her grade point average and gaining experience with college-level work.

Arlette loves learning, and as a first-generation college student, looks forward to continuing her pursuit of knowledge. Dealing with various challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic has especially fostered her desire to pursue a career that will allow her to give back to her family and broader community. She hopes to get both a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree to provide financial stability and inspire her younger sisters that anything is possible with hard work. She plans to attend Los Angeles Trade-Technical College where she will explore a variety of STEM and social science courses to determine the right career path for her.

Kailey Martinez

Kailey has grown and thrived with Aspire since kindergarten. She has been a part of numerous clubs, including TechHive, through which she grew an interest in science and became fluent in data analytics, and YouthRadio, in which she examined art through digital media. She was also involved in Cal Prep’s Pride Club and student government. While in student government, Kailey suggested and implemented a middle school student government program – which had previously only included high schoolers – to help younger students feel heard and connected to their school community. A particularly life-changing opportunity outside of school occurred when Kailey was fifteen and she took care of an individual with disabilities. Over the course of a year, she had the responsibility of feeding him, teaching him how to speak, and simultaneously teaching and learning American Sign Language. Being his caretaker offered an invaluable lesson in empathy and furthered her interest in pursuing a career path in helping others.

As a first-generation college student, Kailey is especially motivated to attend and graduate from a four-year university. She will attend California State University Channel Islands, where she plans to study either counseling or nursing in pursuit of a career in the human service field. She credits her teachers and school counselors for making her feel safe and motivating her to continue and accomplish her goals and looks forward to being able to do the same for children in the future.

The Senior Support scholarship is funded by generous contributions from Aspire Regional and Home Office staff. If you’re also interested in supporting scholars like Arlette and Kailey, see how you can make an impact on our  Support page.

Introducing Aspire’s 2022 Shining Stars!

The Aspire Shining Stars award recognizes outstanding seniors across our high schools in the Central Valley, Bay Area, and Los Angeles regions.

We are happy to announce that each award winner will receive a scholarship award to put towards their post-secondary education. This scholarship was made possible through the generosity of Richard and Theresa Crocker, to whom we are very thankful!

Our 2022 Shining Stars have demonstrated the Aspire vision of College for Certain. Learn more about their current goals and aspirations below.

To our 2022 Aspire Shining Stars, congratulations on all of your high school achievements and we wish you all the best in your post-secondary success ahead!

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