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Summer 2023 saw Avenues Silicon Valley hold its first community event, titled “Avenues in the Square.” Families across Silicon Valley were invited to historic downtown San Jose for a day of entertainment, education and community celebration. Conceived as a means of celebrating the diversity of our local community, “Avenues in the Square” also allowed us to create new and meaningful connections with families and organizations from across the Bay Area
As a school that is at once global and local, Avenues is committed to building community both on and off campus, and connecting our students to organizations working to bring about positive change in the neighborhood. Since opening in 2022, Avenues Silicon Valley has partnered with multiple organizations in the local community to develop the robust program of experiential and service learning that is an important part of the curriculum. At “Avenues in the Square,” we partnered with a range of inspiring organizations, including Mosaic America, Children’s Musical Theatre, Martha’s Kitchen, Teatro Nahual, The City Peace Project, New Age Theatrics, Commonality Dance Team, History San Jose and Sacred Heart Community Service.
The day started with a performance from Spanish-language theater group Teatro Nahual, who treated the audience to a scene from one of their productions, “Legends, Dreams and Realities/Leyendas, Sueños y Realidades.” Performed by Abraham Mijangoes, Alexjandra Trigueros and musician Isidro Jimenez, the scene presented a social and familial perspective on the process of immigration.
Between each performance, our Master of Ceremonies, Avenues Silicon Valley events manager Jolly Tyrell took to the stage, providing laughter and joy while inviting our partners to share their vision and goals as community organizations.
Throughout the day, our community partners led a series of creative activities for the children in attendance. These included History San Jose led a visit to the Luis María Peralta Adobe, one of the oldest freestanding civilian buildings in California. Martha’s Kitchen set up a paper bag decoration station, where children decorated bags which were later used to pack essential items for local families in need.
The day ended on a high note with a traditional lion dance by the Golden Turtle Lion Dance Association, represented by Mosaic America. The audience was inspired by the Golden Turtle Lion Dance Association’s mission to preserve and promote the rich cultural heritage of lion dancing while empowering young people to become dynamic leaders for future generations.
Reflecting on the day, Avenues Silicon Valley’s head of school, Jeff Lippman stated, “Avenues in the Square was a great opportunity to strengthen our relationship with local partners who are striving to improve our community. We are grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with them in ways that enrich the interdisciplinary learning at the heart of an Avenues education.”
We would like to thank all of the partners that participated and helped bring this wonderful event to fruition. We invite you to learn more about these organizations and performers by visiting the links below: