Migrant Pirates achieve club status
By Ashley Testa
Published:
Like a
mama bear protecting her cub, Reedley High School migrant students
instinctively fought for their cause. They wanted a district-recognized club
of their own, and did everything in their power to make it happen.
“These kids were so excited about just having a place to meet,” advisor
Doris Rosales said. “This was an area where they could actually speak how
they felt.”
Kings Canyon Unified School District trustees recently approved the school’s
Migrant Club, allowing the group to participate in school activities, hold
fundraisers and organize community service projects.
“The club actually came from them,” Rosales said. “They didn’t feel like
they could connect to other clubs as much as they connected here.”
The road to club status began last fall, when the Fresno County Office of
Education Migrant Program assigned a Fresno State student to mentor RHS
migrants. Janeth Vega, a migrant herself, began by simply asking students
about their goals.
“She could relate to the kids really well,” Rosales said. Vega explained the
requirements that students needed to meet to attain their goals, and why
certain classes were important. She met with the children individually,
reviewed their grades, and helped create personalized road maps for success.
Vega and Rosales discovered the students had admirable goals, but didn’t
know how to achieve them.
“It’s interesting, because a lot of kids weren’t on track for their
credits,” Rosales said. “We found out that many kids didn’t even pay
attention to their grades, and didn’t know that you had to have credits in
various topics.”
Inspired by Vega’s mentorship, students began meeting informally to discuss
their goals. They presented their idea for a club at last year’s migrant
parent mini-conference at Reedley High, proudly calling themselves “Migrant
Pirates.”
The students agreed to leave negative influences behind and commit to
academic success. They passed out sheets of paper for parents to sign their
support, and created a poster board explaining their mission. Last May, the
students elected club officers and listed 25 confirmed members on their
application to the district.
“We started with a small group of eight or nine the beginning part of the
year to get migrant students to have a sense of belonging,” Rosales said.
“From there, word got out among the students that they wanted to have a
club. By the end of the semester, we had about 30 to 40 kids.”
President Tania Alvarado said the club has boosted her confidence, allowing
her to speak in front of large groups with ease. She learned about school
graduation requirements, how to reach goals, and the importance of community
involvement. Alvarado plans to apply for the nursing program at CSU
Sacramento, and wants to organize fundraisers for college field trips.
“It’s helped me a lot,” she said. “Before, I didn’t really think about what
I wanted to do after high school.” Alvarado also wants to volunteer at local
retirement homes, raise money for the needy, and clean up the community.
Vice president Monica Ferreyra said the club not only explains graduation
requirements, but the reasons behind them. “We take classes, but we don’t
know why we are taking them – so we get behind,” she said. “I’m an AVID
student so I know the requirements, but a lot of students don’t.”
Ferreyra said that migrant students needed this club, and Vega inspired them
to speak up. “She helped us come out of our quiet zone,” Ferreyra said. “Now
we can help others with what we learned from her.” Club officers want to
inform members about college requirements and scholarship information, and
raise money to visit a college campus at the end of the year.
Ferreyra plans to apply to UCLA and become a Spanish or Chicano teacher. She
made the decision after taking a Spanish Native Speaker class at RHS. “I
learned a lot of different things about my culture, and it made me want to
learn more,” she said.
Membership is open to migrant and non-migrant students, and students will
decide what activities they want to focus on. Rosales said that members have
expressed interest in community service, volunteering at school events,
holding food drives and fundraising for field trips.
“They’re going to be learning leadership skills that will help them develop
as a person, and help their self-esteem,” Rosales said. Organizers plan to
hold the first club meeting in September and continue once a week during
lunch. They’ll gather in advisor Arnulfo Sanchez’s classroom, and identify
worthwhile causes to address. Advisors plan to keep students on track
academically with goal-setting discussions and progress checks.
As part of the district’s new service agreement, advisors will offer an
eight-week computer class to migrant parents, starting in October. They will
explain the PowerSchool program, computer fundamentals and required student
curriculum. “The parents are working so hard, that sometimes they’re not
aware of all the requirements,” Rosales said.