SPIRITED RESPONSE DEATHS SPUR HOOVER HIGH TO WORK FOR CHANGE.Byline: Helen Gao Staff Writer GLENDALE - Leticia Aguirre's eyes fill with sadness and pain when she speaks about her son, Raul Aguirre, who was stabbed and bludgeoned to death last year while intervening in a fight between rival gang members. The Hoover High School Hoover High School may refer to any of the following:
Raul Aguirre, who was not a gang member, died from his injuries and was buried bur·y tr.v. bur·ied, bur·y·ing, bur·ies 1. To place in the ground: bury a bone. 2. a. To place (a corpse) in a grave, a tomb, or the sea; inter. b. the day before his 18th birthday. ``Raul was a nice child, never had any problems with his family,'' Leticia Aguirre said through a translator during a recent interview. ``He was about to celebrate his graduation Graduation is the action of receiving or conferring an academic degree or the associated ceremony. The date of event is often called degree day. The event itself is also called commencement, convocation or invocation. from high school. Good grades. He had a part-time job.'' ``I hope this case will diminish any further aggression or violence,'' she said. Aguirre's death, coupled with that of Avetis ``Avo'' Demirchyan during an accidental shooting in 1998, have brought changes to the Hoover High campus. Students and parents have engaged in activism through new programs and organizations that some say are helping to improve relations between diverse campus groups. ``When someone dies, people think differently,'' said Lizbeth Olivares, a Hoover senior who is a member of the SPIRIT Council. The SPIRIT Council, which stands for Student Problem Identifying and Resolving It Together, has as part of its mission to improve race relations race relations Noun, pl the relations between members of two or more races within a single community race relations npl → relaciones fpl raciales . It's one of the largest groups on campus. Since Raul's death, SPIRIT leaders say racial tensions have subsided due to efforts by students and administrators, and because different ethnic groups are mingling more, instead of staying in cliques. Last summer, some of members worked on a poster that will be distributed throughout the community to raise awareness about racism, sexism sex·ism n. 1. Discrimination based on gender, especially discrimination against women. 2. Attitudes, conditions, or behaviors that promote stereotyping of social roles based on gender. and other types of discrimination. ``If you really want to see the changes, come at lunch hour. You don't see all the Armenians in one corner, all the Asians in one corner, all the Hispanics in one corner,'' said Arax Gevorgyan, who is a sophomore. ``You see diversity.'' Gevorgyan credits the changes to Freshman Camp, a 1-year-old camping program launched by the school with a $500,000 federal grant to give students problem-solving, team-building and multicultural mul·ti·cul·tur·al adj. 1. Of, relating to, or including several cultures. 2. Of or relating to a social or educational theory that encourages interest in many cultures within a society rather than in only a mainstream culture. lessons. During the camping trip, students are separated from their friends and put into groups with people they don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. and who come from different ethnic and racial backgrounds, she said. The result is often a lasting bonding experience that leads to the creation of familylike units on campus that become support groups of sorts for its members. ``After the camp you can not only see but feel the difference,'' said Gevorgyan, who still meets regularly with her camping group. Sam Kim, a senior and onetime camp counselor, said the power of the experience is readily apparent at the end of the trip. ``On the last day, we talk about what they take back. They talk about taking back respect, working in a team,'' Kim said. In addition to student activism Student activism is work done by students to effect political, environmental, economic, or social change. It has often focused on making changes in schools, such as increasing student influence over curriculum or improving educational funding. , Aguirre's death has also inspired parent activism at Hoover High School. Latino Unidos Parents' Association formed in December several months after Aguirre's May 2000 death and is now on the verge On the Verge (or The Geography of Yearning) is a play written by Eric Overmyer. It makes extensive use of esoteric language and pop culture references from the late nineteenth century to 1955. of expanding to other schools. At its bimonthly bi·month·ly adj. 1. Happening every two months. 2. Happening twice a month; semimonthly. adv. 1. Once every two months. 2. Twice a month; semimonthly. n. pl. meetings, the association discusses safety, education and other school-related issues. ``One of the major goals is having our children graduate and go to college,'' said Mike Gomez
Mike Gomez (born April 18, 1951 in Dallas, Texas, U.S.) is an American actor. Filmography
With the progress his school has made, school Principal Kevin Welsh said he knows there is still work to do. ``Yes, we've got problems, but we do more than anyone else to address them,'' he said. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Hoover High Principal Kevin Welsh stands with members of the school's SPIRIT Council, from left, Lizbeth Olivares, Arax Gevorgyan, Sam Kim, Eli Martinez and Cynthia Servellon, students who are working to create more community on campus. Tom Mendoza/Staff Photographer |
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