Telesis Alumni

From time to time I think it is important to recognize Telesis Graduates, our alumni, in what they have accomplished and what they have become. If you are reading this and you are a Telesis Alum, please email me or comment to this post to tell me where you are and what you are doing, so I can spotlight you in this way.

For this first post, I will fall prey to my motherly instincts and recognize a Telesis Graduate of the Class of 1997, my son, Ryan Breece. Ryan was recently recognized by the San Diego City Council for his heroic work as Vice President of Information Systems for the San Diego North Chamber of Commerce, a position he has held since 2002. During the recent wild fires that tore through southern California, Ryan added an important section to the Chamber website, The San Diego Fire Recovery Resource Guide (http://www.sdncc.com/). Councilman Brian Maienschein also presented Ryan with a Special Commendation honoring his work in developing the Resource Guide. It helped San Diego and the many surrounding communities to reach out to the victims of these fires who strive to put their lives back together. Everything from shelter to food to blankets, the Resource Guide enabled San Diegans to help their neighbors recover from this tragedy.

We at Telesis are proud of you, Ryan, and of the good character you have demonstrated in your many achievements. At Telesis, character always comes first.

Character Education at Telesis

Telesis Preparatory Academy initiated our Character Education program in 2003 when a grant-in-kind was obtained from the international program called Character First!. Since then, the program has grown and grown with the addition of a student-driven Character Council with representatives from every classroom and with classroom teachers and specialists teaching and emphasizing the 49 Character First! Qualities focusing on the “Character Quality of the Month” each month. We have shared this message by providing Character First! and Character Council information on our website listing us as a Character First! School with notes home to parents explaining our character education goals. Out of our Character Council has grown several successful programs: Character Cops, Family Movie Nights, and Telesis Silent Witness. We are now seeking to collaborate with organizations in the community to assist our ongoing character education efforts striving to take our Character First! School to an even higher level: A Character First! Community.

The Telesis Triangle

Maybe you have wondered the significance of the metal structure in the planter box when you first walk onto the Telesis Preparatory Academy campus. We call it the Telesis Triangle and it represents the partnership we have with students and parents at Telesis. The word Telesis is a word derived from Greek that means "planned progress." If we are going to plan the progress of each individual student, we need to join together as a three-member team: the teacher, the student, and the parents. The meaning of the sphere in the middle of the triangle is two-fold. It represents the curriculum that is shaped to the needs of each individual student and the world that awaits each student upon successful completion of one's education. The Telesis Triangle is there to remind us of this very important partnership to make possible the vision we hold for each of our students.