American Indians In Texas (AIT) Support the Noble Youth of Por Vida Academy

Por Vida Academy Charter High School is one of the original charter districts in the state of Texas.  Por Vida, which translates to "for life," defines our commitment to our students -  to educate young adults and provide them with knowledge, self-respect and skills that will be with them for life.  When our students graduate from one of our schools, they know they will not be forgotten and that they will always have our resources to support them in their life path.


At Por Vida Academy Charter High School in San Antonio Texas, home of the ‘Mighty Jaguars’ we are constantly striving to meet the needs of our students while thinking out of the box.  One way that we are doing this is through our Joven Noble program

The ‘Student of the Week’ is nominated then voted on by the teachers, support staff and administration. Selection of ‘Student of the Week’ is based on the criteria of attendance, academic achievement in one or more classes, leadership amongst the student population, resilience factors and attitude.  

The pictures included are from the AIT-SCM Rites of Passage Trip on December 14-16, 2012 at the Land Heritage Institute in San Antonio, TX.  It was a beautiful thing to see a Circulo hecho de Hombres y Jovens con Nobleza.  Of the 37 gathered there with AIT-SCM, Por Vida Academy Charter High School was proud to represented by 23 participants, 13 of them being high school students grades 9-12.

In our Joven Noble program our purpose is to help families with issues and concerns that encompass the parents and children, especially children/teens that have encountered trouble in school or delinquency and believe that healing can be done for the body, mind and spirit.  The program provides a structural environment, through physical activity, life skills curricula, counseling and mentoring that help families to strengthen their family environment as we promote education to help break the cycle of poverty.  

This retreat was the conclusion of a semester where our Joven Noble students made a positive impact in our High School.  In this past first semester we were able to have Circulo 2 times per weeks with two groups of young jaguars.  One of the ways we improved on the culture of our overall student population was through ‘Student of the Week.'

‘Student of The Week’ is an honor that is bestowed upon an individual who has succeeded in specific areas at Por Vida Academy Charter High School.  The recognition of ‘Student of the Week’ in its very essence is used as a tool not only in Positive Modeling but also is used as a dynamic of Youth Leadership.  The student body that we serve is a ‘Hard To Reach’ population, which in many cases has had academic deficiencies.  That being said when we recognize a ‘Student of the Week’ amongst their peers in an assembly format we are able to highlight the Successes of a student who is achieving excellence.

In our Joven Noble program we urge the students to adopt the concepts of the Joven Noble and be able to ‘integrate’ these concepts into all aspects of their lives.  So far in the Fall semester of 2012 there have been12 students who have been awarded student of the week.  Of those 12 students 8 of them are participants and members of the Joven Noble program.  Being awarded ‘Student of the Week’ also makes a student eligible for ‘Student of the Semester’.  That being said, the ‘Student of the Semester’ was also awarded to a student who is a member of the Joven Noble program.

In addition, we would like to give a special thanks to Martha Briones-Barnes who is the founder of Full Force Foundation.  Mrs. Barnes and her organization donated eight $100 gift cards to our Joven Noble participants who received the 'Student of the Week' honor.  Mrs, Barnes and her organization champion of the cause of youth work in the community and we are honored that she was able to give these diligent students recognition.

El Es Dios,

A. Isai Melgoza, MAC
American Indians in Texas