Actor Edward James Olmos heated up the gymnasium at Overland High School with his powerful speech meant to ignite inspiration in the nearly 1,000 attendees of the HOPE conference.

"There is no excuse why you can't be the best you can be," Olmos passionately preached to the crowd. "I'm not looking at any child here who is any different than I was. I strive to be the best I can be - not better than anyone else - just the best that I can be."

Olmos was the keynote speaker at the Hispanic Opportunities for Public Education (HOPE) conference. The focus was empowering Hispanic students and engaging the community in raising the academic achievement of all students and closing the achievement gap between Hispanic and white and Asian students. It was sponsored by the Hispanic Parent Leadership Group at Prairie Middle School in the Cherry Creek School District.

Olmos discussed his "Chicano" heritage and the history of Mexicans with their Mayan and European roots. He forced attendees to ask themselves tough questions such as, "Why do Hispanic kids drop out?" and "Who here is proud of their European heritage?"

He encouraged students to learn about their history and to be proud of who they are. In addition, he stressed the importance of reading every day.

"He was so positive, so inspiring," said Prairie Middle School Principal Kandy Cassaday. "But it's important that we not lose sight of our message. A gap exists and we need to re-engage students of color to help them re-gain a sense of hope and a sense of control over their future.

We realize it's a collaborative effort between the schools, the community and the students."

Cassaday said the community support was felt not only during the conference, but also as 100 or so -- mostly-Hispanic -- members of the Prairie community stayed late the night before the conference to prepare the school for the event. "It was special for us to all be together, working for a common goal."

In the Saturday morning break-out sessions, elementary and middle school students watched clips from 'Stand and Deliver,' starring Olmos, then participated in activities related to the movie designed to help them develop skills and strategies for success in school.

High school students heard from Vince Valdez, head coach of the 2007 State Champion Lincoln High School basketball team and senior team member Saul Torres, a 4.0 student who immigrated here from Mexico.

During the adult break-out sessions, Richard Garcia from the Colorado Statewide Parent Coalition encouraged parents to be involved in their school community. They also heard from Denver-area Hispanic principals.

Eighth-grader Maysa Gonzales, who wants to be a teacher, said she enjoyed hearing from the high school principals and college representatives at the conference. "It reminded me how important education is if you want a good job and if you want to take good care of your family," she said.