Our Stories
We told them, “Okay, if you don’t wear your caps and gowns, you will not receive your diploma.” They quickly agreed, and put them on. What actually brought tears to my eyes was witnessing our “gang bangers,” march to “Pomp and Circumstance” and having their grandparents, mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, and members of their extended families watching them receive their diplomas. My Family Lessons My parents were from Sonora, Chihuahua. All but three of 11 children were born at home because there were no doctors. My dad had a second-grade education and worked in the copper mines. He led a successful strike seeking medical services for the miners. He moved us to Tijuana and later to San Diego, where my father bought our house in Shelltown. I’m often reminded of the examples my parents provided us: the value of hard work, speaking for those less fortunate than us, and the importance of higher education. They gave me the strength to persevere and to do the right thing in life.
A Charter School for Dropouts We used similar inclusionary principles to create a Charter School for at-risk high school students in the South Bay. First, we had to convince the Sweetwater Union High School District in 2000 that the need existed. Second, we had to find a site. The former Jerome’s Furniture Warehouse at Third and Quintard in Chula Vista became available. With the help of Jerry and Ann Jerome, we convinced the City of Chula Vista it was the right thing to do instead of trying to keep it a commercial property. The Sweetwater Union High School District provided a list of 600 students who should have been in school but were “dropping out.” From that list, MAAC recruited students for the inaugural class—75 percent were on juvenile probation.
MAAC Charter School Flyer (Photo courtesy Roger Cazares Archives)
Never Give Up We implemented non-traditional teaching approaches. Some of the at-risk students were “taggers,” so we hired muralists Guillermo Aranda, Victor Ochoa, and Mario Torero to teach them the basics of murals, along with the theory and history of various styles. They were also taught subjects required to graduate high school. In its first year, there were 28 graduates; one of them even received a scholarship to UC Berkeley. These are kids that would have never received high school diplomas. Their graduation ceremony was held in 2001 at the Barrio Station. Most of them refused to wear traditional caps and gowns. They were embarrassed because their families and friends might tease them.
MAAC Project Community Charter School remodeling old Jerome’s Furniture
Warehouse, Chula Vista – 2001 (Photo courtesy Roger Cazares Archives)
Cazares Family – 1948 (Photo courtesy Roger Cazares Archives)
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San Diego Latino Legacy – Timeline • Milestones • Stories
Chapter 4 – The Rise & Legacy of the Chicano Movement
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