August 6, 2017

To whom it may concern:

People aspire to the character traits of initiative, involvement, and commitment. One particularly
impressive leader with these qualities is Ebonee Weathers. Over the past 2 years, I have come to recognize Ebonee
as an outstanding educator who shines brilliantly in her role as a GSA advisor at Horace Mann Middle School. It is
more than reasonable to characterize her commitment to the students as extending over and above the typical
expectations of a GSA advisor. She has consistently shown her wares as a model advisor.

When my department coordinated a GSA Advisor Night in the Fall, we wanted Ebonee to share some of
her expertise in the area of student and family communication via her self-styled GSA website. It is worth noting,
first of all, that she is the only advisor in the entirety of the district who built a website devoted to the GSA. This not
just a Facebook group, but a bona fide website with loads of resources for students, parents, and colleagues as well
as a schedule with upcoming and previous events. In my discussions with students from the Mann GSA, I sense a
degree of school connection at least partly because they are cognizant of a variety of support and resources options
that are easy to explore via the website that Ebonee created. Her willingness to spread her website ideas with
colleagues has been a factor in building dialogue around best practices amongst fellow GSA advisors around
SDUSD.

Another reason for the students’ engagement and empowerment stems from Ms. Weathers’s priority for
student participation. It’s important to acknowledge that--in the context of GSA activities--the function of the
youths’ participation is often a result of coordinating and actually transporting them from one event to another. From
afar, the transportation angle doesn’t get the glory that other components to a successful effort or program often do,
but it is EXACTLY this kind of involvement (GSA Ice Skating Night, Out at the Park Padres Game, the SCPA Drag
Show, etc.) that Ebonee is willing to do along with broader coordination and organizing--whether it’s helping bridge
connections between her educator colleagues and community resources or guiding her GSA student leadership in the
coordination of activities like a Day of Silence photo-shoot. Sometimes, it means direct student support like stepping
up as the mentor for young LGBTQIA-identified students (or those from a variety of different identities) who need
help in negotiating various phases of their development because there are few such people readily available in their
lives—Ebonee is an incredible resource who is willing to roll up her sleeves.

It is also worth noting that Ebonee’s commitment to youth empowerment entails a sweeping vision that
embraces the confluence of various identities and lived experiences including race, ability, gender, socio-economic
status, etc. As an English teacher, she consistently prioritizes texts that are natural segues into explorations and
discussions of diversity, civic engagement, and ethical dilemmas. In short, Ebonee balances a keen recognition for
social justice and youth empowerment with interpersonal skills that make her eminently approachable and embraced
by myriad constituents. . .especially the youth themselves. The universal praise for Ebonee in youth-serving circles
is a testament to her ideals and ethical imperatives. . .ones that are fully aligned with the efforts of SDUSD to march
toward a more equitable and just educational path for ALL students. Ebonee is the embodiment of these ideals and
any youth or educator who is lucky enough to cross paths with her will benefit from the interaction. It is a pleasure
to provide my unconditional endorsement for such an invaluable resource and steward for advocacy. It is my
heartfelt belief that Ebonee Weathers’s appointment to a dedicated position would fulfill an explicit calling in the
work that she is so clearly qualified and adept at delivering.

Sincerely,
Mick Rabin
Project Resource Teacher
mrabin@sandi.net