Bill Cirone: Making a Difference, One Student At a Time
http://www.noozhawk.com/noozhawk/article/111208_bill_cirone_making_a_difference_one_student_at_a_time/
By Bill Cirone
El Puente schools in Santa Barbara, Santa Maria and Lompoc have provided a path to success for students who struggle in a traditional setting.
“Cody” was on the wrong path. Like too many others, he was in trouble in school, behind in credits, unfocused and at a crossroads. The path he chose was El Puente Community School in Lompoc. His story is now decidedly different.
“Getting my diploma is making my family and friends proud of me,” he said, “and it also made me proud of myself. It’s a good feeling knowing that I’m not one of those high school dropouts. Because now I have something that is going to make life a lot easier. Hopefully, someone gets motivated by my success and does the same as what I did.”
“I am grateful that I found this school,” she said. “I have really been able to learn and understand the subjects that I was not getting in high school. The staff at FitzGerald puts their energy into truly helping the students comprehend what they are studying.” Angelika is interested in the medical field and is well on her way to realizing that dream.
A parent whose child attends El Puente in Santa Barbara wrote, “Thank you for providing a safe and caring environment in which my child can successfully complete her high school education. This school has saved my daughter’s education. We had no other alternative.” Her daughter is making good strides.
El Puente schools are alternative settings for many young people who are not finding success in traditional high schools. Some have behavior issues; others have drug issues. Some have been involved with the juvenile justice system. Their stories are varied. Their situations are not positive when they arrive. Some are beyond our reach.
But for scores and scores of students, year after year, El Puente schools countywide, with their small classes, individualized instruction, counseling, special education services and targeted resources, have been lifelines to a new path. In several cases, they have literally saved lives.
Last year alone, our office graduated 65 students from El Puente schools — students who had not been on a path to reach that vital pass to a successful future.
Some students who catch up on their credits return to their home school so they can graduate with their class. Those students are not included in El Puente graduate numbers, but the goal is always to return the students to the traditional high school when possible, and their success is something we still look at with pride. At FitzGerald School, there was a 20 percent increase in midyear returns to the traditional high school last year, and at El Puente Santa Barbara, a 50 percent increase. We consider this a true success story.
We all know that graduation is just one step. What happens to these students after they graduate? Students from all three schools either enter the work force, seek enrollment in local community colleges or vocational technical schools, or enlist in the armed forces. Last year, 20 percent of El Puente Lompoc’s graduates enrolled in community college after graduation. Of the prior year’s graduates, 25 percent have requested transcripts for post-secondary enrollment or the military. At El Puente Santa Barbara and FitzGerald schools, 35 percent of recent graduates enrolled in local community colleges. Students receive scholarships from school PTAs to attend Alan Hancock in Santa Maria.
All told, in the past two years, students have completed 8,500 credits.
All three sites have developed strong partnerships with several community agencies to provide additional support services to students. Partners countywide include Fighting Back, Probation, the Community Action Commission, local school districts, Rotary Clubs, the Police Activities League, YMCAs and local recreation departments. In addition, local merchants and businesses provide support through the donation of goods or volunteer hours.
Success stories abound. At El Puente Lompoc, a former student who is now in management with a local bank provided a six-week course on banking skills for students. Another former student is pursing a nursing degree through a military career. Another is working in business management in Las Vegas, and another one is working on QVC in video production.
For El Puente Santa Barbara, former students have completed their associate of arts degrees at Santa Barbara City College and are now enrolled at UCSB. One former student is enrolled in the nursing program at SBCC, and another has started his own landscaping business.
At FitzGerald School in Santa Maria, former students are now working for Probation as officers. One former student is completing a bachelor of arts degree at Cal State Los Angeles. Another has a real estate license and is working full time in Santa Maria. Yet another is completing the auto tech program at Hancock College, thanks to a PTA scholarship. One former student is working in the school district, and another is employed with the county’s social services department in billing.
As one teacher said, “They’re really great kids. We are here to provide the extra guidance they need to be successful wherever they go. I wouldn’t trade my job for anything; it’s so rewarding.”
“Terry,” a student, is typical of others at El Puente schools. “I am very thankful to have received my education here,” she said, “and now I have goals of going to college and becoming an optometrist, and eventually exploring the rest of the world. I do not know where I would have been without FitzGerald and am so grateful that I did not have to find out.”
There are many ways to approach the problems facing our young people. El Puente is not the answer for all of them. But we are very proud that it is the answer for many of them. I really must salute the dedicated staff members, who deal with the most challenging of students, and make a difference every day, one young person at a time.
Bill Cirone is Santa Barbara County’s superintendent of schools.
http://www.noozhawk.com/noozhawk/article/111208_bill_cirone_making_a_difference_one_student_at_a_time/