 |
| Member of ALA Celebrate Dia de los Muertos at Wolfe Street Academy |
December 14,
2012
By Hannah Block
The Park School Class of 2015
Reprinted from Postcript
There are new
tutors in town, and they’re not from KIPP or Homework He1pers. The Alianza
Latina en Acci6n (ALA), or Latino Alliance in Action, works with students at
the Wolfe Street Academy in an effort to help and promote awareness of the Latino
community.
ALA stemmed from
the recently disbanded Esperanza club, a language immersion community
service initiative that, last year, limited their volunteers to only adults. In
light of this new change, Lorenza Ramirez ‘14 and Spanish teacher Ileana Imhoff
started looking for other ways for Spanish-speaking students to reach out. Two
things motivated them: the lack of a Latino outreach program now that Esperanza
was gone, and the need for a discussion about immigration.
"We were
particularly fueled by the tone of the immigration debate during the political
campaign and wanted to learn more about these issues, and also to involve more
students in the conversation,” Imhoff said.
At Park, the
club invited guest speakers and works with Lower School Spanish teacher Silvia
Patterson’s 4th grade class on the last Thursday of every month. “It
is important for our younger students to see other young people engaged in
issues of equity and diversity in our community,” Patterson said. “They are
also very excited about how well the Upper School students speak Spanish and
the possibility of speaking that well themselves in the coming years.”
The club’s main
focus, however, is the Wolfe Street Academy. The school was a natural choice to
partner with because 73% of the students are Hispanic and speak English as a
second language. Moreover, there are two people involved at the school who have
Park connections: the principal, Mark Gaither, is married to Alumni Coordinator
Pailin Gaither, and Connie Phelps, the Wolfe Street Community School
Coordinator, graduated from Park in 1989.
Every Thursday
from 3:30 to 6:00, the tutors help students with homework, usually working with
the first and third graders. After homework is done, the kids can play if there
is time before dinner, which the school provides in the cafeteria. The tutors
then help serve the meal and keep the kids company while they eat.
ALA’s impact is
already beginning to show. “The students ask at snack time if the ‘kids’ are
coming,” said Stephanie Given, third grade teacher. “I have seen first-hand how
the children are eager to interact with [the tutors]. Honestly, sometimes they
even pretend to need help just to spend one-on-one time with an ALA member.”
“Because each
classroom consists of one teacher, it is difficult for each child to receive
the attention they need,” explains Michael Brice-Brooks ’14. “For many
students, these homework problems are difficult, especially since they have to
practice these concepts in a language they may not speak at home.”
ALA also gets to
celebrate events with the Wolfe Street students. On November 1, the club
members celebrated El Dia de los Muertos at Wolfe Street, and plans are
underway for the club to attend future events, as well.
In fact there
are many exciting things on the horizon for ALA. Other plans include a panel of
speakers on immigration, a clothing drive, and having Wolfe Street students visit
Park eventually.
Fundraising is also
in the works; Wolfe Street needs funds for transportation and art supplies.
Members agree that the purpose of ALA meets the goals that Ramirez and Imhoff
had in mind: expanding Park’s boundaries and supporting the Latino community.
“Students at
Park oftentimes speak of ‘The Park Bubble’ but [ALA] has created a bridge
between the Park School’s culture and a culture that is entirely different,”
said Brice-Brooks. “As our faces have become more and more familiar, the
students have shown a certain fondness that is difficult to explain. (…) It has
become apparent through these relationships that, as a volunteer, I mean more
than just a homework helper.”
“I can’t even
tell you how happy it made me just to see some of my teachers and peers walking
through the hallways in the ALA T-shirt,” said Ramirez. “To me and to all the
other members of the club, the shirt was much more than just a piece of
clothing: it was a symbol of the progress for the club as we make an impact on
both the Park and Wolfe Street Academy communities and increase awareness in
the process.”
