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March 2,2005
We've seen students get reinvested in their
education. We spark learning in them.
director of LISTOS
Advancing Hispanic Youth
continued
from Front
center recently received accredita­
tion with the Northwest Associa­
tion o f Schools, Colleges and Uni­
versities.
Y v o n n e M ery, d ire c to r o f
L ISTO S, said the program began
in the basem ent o f Benson High
S chool as a tu to rin g session.
T here are currently 68 students
enrolled - the m axim um am ount
possible is 80.
As aG E D preparation program,
M ery said the school usually
serves students who have had a
series o f unsuccessful attem pts
w ith education because o f c u l­
tural barriers, being expelled, or
not having enough c re d its to
graduate. O thers are sim ply stu ­
dents who have not been in the
Portland Public School system at
all because o f im m igrant status.
In addition to their education,
s tu d e n ts g et a s s is ta n c e w ith
lunch program s, transportation,
counseling and teen parenting.
T he program is en tirely free.
W hile som e students are told
about L ISTO S through social
serv ice program s, m ost know
about it through word o f mouth.
“W e’ve seen students get re­
in v e ste d in th e ir e d u c a tio n ,”
M ery said. “We spark learning in
them . I’ve seen students on the
borderline o f abandoning their
education who decide to move
on to college. I ’ve seen students
gain independence in their lives
and the skills to m ake decisions
on their ow n.”
Language can be one of the
largest barriers in learning for a
H ispanic youth.
O ctavianaC ruz, 16, came from
O axaca, M exico three years ago
to live with her mother. She’s been
with the course for a year now.
Cruz said that before her in­
volvem ent, she had never used a
com puter and now she can check
I
'4
By
Reg Weaver,
President,
National
Education
Association
You're never too
old, too wacky,
photo by
Promoting Better Health
Coalition Hosts Nutrition Forum
photo by K atherine
read with a
child.
nea
NATIONAL
EDUCATION
ASSOCIATION
nva.org
Great Public Schools
f o r Every Child
NEA's 2 .7 million
members are the
nation's leading
advocates for
children and public
education
K ovacich /T he P ortland O bserver
Students participate in a LISTOS class at the Oregon Council for Hispanic Advancement in
northwest Portland.
her e-m ail on her own. She also
said that math and literature were
never her best stre n g th s, but
she’s doing well in those sub­
jects now. She’ll be graduating
the program this year and wants
to continue on with her higher
education.
Luzy Flores, 17, has been with
the program for 1 Vi years. In that
tim e she’s made a com plete 180
with her life, how she values edu­
cation, and her self-w orth.
“I was into gang life. I was
never at school - I had straight
F ’s,” she said. “There was a lot o f
bad influence around me. I had
dream s but I w asn’t finding the
right way to go.”
Flores has plans to attend col­
lege when she’s done with her stud­
ies, hoping to go on to law.
Let’s Make
Read Across America
An Every Day Event
Kids who read - and kids who are read to - do better in
school and better in life. It’s a fact supported by research
and the com m on sense wisdom o f parents everywhere.
This week, more than 45 million students, parents, grandpar­
ents, teachers, education support professionals, and others
are taking part in the National Education Association’s Read
Across America day.
But reading can’t be just a one day event. Kids need to expe­
rience the joy of reading every day. It’s more than a way of
helping students in school. Family reading helps strengthen
families. Strong families help build strong communities.
Reading and lifelong learning are at the core o f our founding
generation’s highest aspirations for the United States of
America.
too wild to pick
up a book and
M ark W ashington ZT he P ortland O bserver
Area residents use the Matt Dishman Community Center, a
Portland Parks facility in northeast Portland, for exercise and
better health.
NEA’s Read Across America is one example o f NEA’s work to
make sure every child has a public school as great as
America’s best public schools. NEA’s Read Across America
events bring others into the school com m unity who might
not otherwise get involved. School-based and community-
based Read Across America events draw com m unity leaders,
politicians, athletes, musicians and actors into contact with
students and with schools. Some o f those connections
between com m unity leaders and schools evolve into ongoing
efforts to be engaged with the school year-round.
“I w ould love to be a law yer,”
she said. “ I’d work with youth
that have been through a lot o f
th in g s.”
On a broader level, M endoza
Gray sees the investm ent in Latino
youth as a m oral im perative and
an econom ic necessity.
“W e should capitalize and use
L atino youth as an investm ent
for this country,” she said.
Everyone knows that fruits and
vegetables are the cornerstone of
a healthy diet. But if your body
craves chips and not carrot sticks,
it’s sometimes hard to get in the
recommended servings o f five a
day.
It’s especially important for Af­
rican Americans to eat iron-rich
greens and potassium-packed ba­
nanas, as well as a variety o f fruits
and veggies, to fight off diseases
such as diabetes, hypertension,
strokes and some cancers that
affect people o f color dispropor­
tionately.
“A lot o f those chronic dis­
eases can be treated or prevented
by beh av io ral m o d ificatio n s,
meaning eating more servings of
fruits and vegetables on a daily
Cultural Center Merger Possible
Interstate
Firehouse and
Ethos talk
The m ulticu ltu ral Interstate
Firehouse C ultural C enter and
Ethos, Inc., two programs focused
on the arts in north and northeast
Portland, are discussing plans to
merge. A decision is expected by
March 23.
Proponents o f the merger see
how the two programs would feed
off o f each other, both youth ori­
ented.
“They have a wonderful music
program and we have a wonderful
theatre arts program,” said John
Levers, president of the IFCC board
o f directors. “It would be an oppor­
tunity to expand their arts and it
gives us outreach and contacts to
many schools.
Ethos, a music education pro­
gram for local kids with a strong
staff and management team, would
have access to space at the cultural
center on North Interstate Avenue.
“W e have a full theatre and
So on March 2 - and every day - take a m om ent and read
with a child. Visit NEA.org to find out more about how you
can get involved in activities in your area.
they’d be able to tap into our per­
forming and visual arts,” Levers
said.
Charles Lewis, Ethos’ founder
and executive director, said there
are a lot o f details to be worked out.
“We are entering negotiations
in good faith with the hope that the
missions of both organizations can
grow and expand.”
Ethos, now located at 27 N.E.
Killingsworth Ave., is midway in a
campaign to raise money to remodel
the former Masonic Lodge across
from Jefferson High School for a
future home.
Columbia Villa Film Premiers
“Imagining Home: Stories of
Columbia Villa" is a documentary
based on the lives o f those relo­
cated during the reconstruction of
New Columbia, a housing project in
north P o r tla n d ’s P o rtsm o u th
Neighborhood.
The film seeks to “define the soul
o f a historic, maligned and cherished
neighborhood" in asking what the
neighborhood meant to the residents,
how they coped with displacement
and feelings about returning to the
revamped area.
S creenings will be held on
W ednesday, March 3 at 7 p.m. at
JasonW. Ruecker
Loan Officer
In the same way, it provides an opportunity to highlight what
NEA knows works in the classroom - the same ingredients
that are supported by research by parents and by teachers
and education support professionals: strong parental
involvement, qualified and certified teachers, small class sizes
that allow for individual attention, and books and materials
aligned with high standards - and high expectations - for
every child.
basis and increasing our levels of
p h y sic a l a c tiv ity ,” said Bill
Beamer, special projects director
for the African American Health
Coalition.
A Nutrition Forum, produced
by the AAHC, is scheduled Thurs­
day from 6 to 7 p.m. at Emanuel
Hospital’s Lorenzen Center. The
free event features a talk by Ileana
Lee, a registered dietitian, who
has expertise in nutritional needs
for diabetics.
The AAHC also has a full
schedule of physical activities
classes designed to help you get
started and reach your fitness
goals.
To register for the nutrition fo­
rum, call 503-413-180 or visit
www.aahc-portland.org.
My first
priority is
your best
interest!
Portsmouth Middle School and
Friday, M arch 4 and Saturday,
March 5 at 7 p.m. at 5lh Avenue
Cinema at Southwest Fifth Avenue
and Hall Streets. Admission is free,
but seating is limited for all events.
For more information, call 503-331 -
3960.
Home Purchase
Refinance
Great Service
Office:
FAX:
503.223.2162
503.223.2163
Toll Free:
Cell:
800.280.4187
503.803.5177
Jason.ruecker@flagstar.com
926 NW 13th Avenue, Ste. 140, Portland, OR 97209
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