“I wake up every day to see this. To witness my students come to my class and collaborate, build, and be real team players. This is why I wake up every morning and come to work.”

Tina Collier

Cesar Chavez Ravenswood Middle School

Dear REF Community,

Meet Tina Collier, the passionate, dedicated, seasoned educator leading the Cesar Chavez Ravenswood Middle School (CCRMS) STEM and Robotics program. Ms. Collier teaches seven periods daily including Makerspace,  Robotics, and Graphic Design, and spends many weekends engaging her students in VEX Robotics Competitions. She cultivates a safe, inclusive learning environment, welcoming students with a wide range of learning profiles. She even made CCRMS the region’s home base for tournaments so students' early competition experiences would be in a familiar location to reduce students’ anxiety and performance nervousness because “I didn’t want anything to be an excuse or an obstacle for our students to not compete.”

By participating in this program, students learn to lead and be part of teams. They practice thinking on their feet, solving problems like code recalculations, and advocating for themselves when they disagree with a referee’s call. They develop a passion for and gain experience with a career path that was previously inaccessible to them. It is a true joy to see Ravenswood students thriving in this robust, award-winning program that has taken them around the country to compete and show off their talent.

Ravenswood’s STEM and Robotics program - the teacher, the materials, the competition and travel costs - is fully funded by the generosity of the REF community. Your gift to the REF Annual Campaign helps  ensure that  we offer this inspiring opportunity, and many others, including:

• Literacy intervention teachers and literacy and math coaches
• Visual and performing arts teachers
• Field trips for middle schoolers (Washington DC, Yosemite, Outdoor Ed) and elementary students (eg. Hidden Villa, Vida Verde, San Francisco Zoo)
• Middle school athletics and elementary school PE
• Compensation increases for all teachers and staff, bringing Ravenswood salaries to the top third of the county
• Professional development 
• And so much more

Thank you so much for contributing to the annual campaign and supporting Ravenswood students as they work hard to achieve their dreams. 

Ravenswood is a special place - I am grateful to be part of this community with you!

Warmly, 

Jenna Wachtel Pronovost

Executive Director