If you close my school...

If you close my school...

Please watch this video created by JuDonn's Journalism RWLO, and call your councilperson as soon as possible.  Let our voices resound!  Save our school!

"My pride, my integrity, and most importantly, my education."

Helen Rowe and Joandaly Chavez at City Council on 5/25
(photo by Andrew Christman)

Good afternoon, my name is Joandaly Chavez. I want to thank the councilmen for giving me an opportunity to speak my mind on the proposal to close the thirteen alternative schools in the school district of Philadelphia.

 First, I want to start off saying that everyday I fight for my future, whether its in school or outside of school. To me, El Centro De Estudiantes is my high school, my pride, my integrity, and most importantly, my education. When I first applied to El Centro, I was a troubled teen, as many are here In Philadelphia. A year previously, I was in a public high school with a background of fights, suspensions, student riots, teacher neglect, and worst of all bullying from students and teachers. I felt alone, I was failing the most important school years of my life. I was also involved in a lot of the violence that surrounded my school and neighborhood. The teachers from the school district of Philadelphia who taught at the public high school assured my parents and me they would keep me focused, give me an excellent education, and would never let me down. Yet, in reality, I was neglected and viewed as just another young woman who would eventually dropout. Due to those conditions, I did dropout. Coming into El Centro gave me hope. There’s no comparison to the teachers at El Centro, because they have a higher level of understanding; They’re way more than just teachers to me and my peers, they’re like an astonishing older brother or sister. When I have the smallest doubt in my mind about actually being a somebody and graduating, not only do my advisors lift my head up high, but so do my peers; We’re all united as one, one family, no one is above anyone. I take school more seriously than anything now, I am no longer getting into fights and my grades are even better.

 I just want to end my testimony with this question up in the air for you to answer, councilmen. What’s going to happen to all the students that had no assurance, dedication, and commitment before Big Picture came into their lives? I believe that if all thirteen accelerated schools were to shut down, ill go back to my old ways. This is not because I want to or because I am a follower, but because no one but the students and teachers understand what El Centro De Estudiantes and the twelve other accelerated schools mean to our education and future. Big Picture Philadelphia is the name I want printed on my transcript when I graduate. I was one of Philadelphia’s troubled teens, who is now truly honored to stand strong and believe that I am going to be successful with the help of Big Picture Philadelphia schools. This is why I strongly ask that you let us keep our schools, our educations, our futures, our homes … our hope!  Thank you for time.

"More than just a school."

Shanna, Precious, and Precious' mom testify on 5/25
(photo by Andrew Christman)

I have never really been a troubled student or been in trouble either. I am a good student and have always gotten good grades. However, the things I’ve had trouble with are self-confidence, public speaking, and other skills that’ll help me throughout my future. After graduating middle school coming out of a private school on a scholarship, there weren’t many schools my parents approved of. So, my parents tried homeschooling me but I needed a more hands-on environment where I could actually talk to my teachers in person and get help rather than over the internet. So, that wasn’t working to well and one day my mom ran into an advisor from El Centro. It had just opened. They talked about it and it sounded like the type of school we were looking for. When we got there it was more than just a school. (And when I say ‘’we’’ I refer to me and my mother because this school is all about having the parents be a part of the students education and always knowing what’s going on.) It’s a school where everyone has an equal chance at learning what they need, whether it be academic or life skills. If they don’t have what you need they’ll find a way to accommodate you. When I felt I wasn’t being challenged, they set it up so I was enrolled in a dual-enrollment program at CCP. There I got a taste of what college is going to be like. I was able to have that chance because they trust the students at El Centro. Internships are a major part of Big Picture learning, that’s where you learn what it’ll be like to be out in the real world working. I’ve had two internships while going to El Centro and through them I’ve learned what I want and don’t want to do in the future. It saves me time and money wasted from changing majors because I’m unsure of what truly enjoy, but because of the m I know. El Centro has taught me a lot about the friends and connections you make along the way and what they’ll continue to mean to you. It’s through El Centro that I learned that my voice had meaning and how to use it and speak up about what I truly want. At El Centro the school is the students domain, it’s where we feel comfortable, and are able to do what we love, and learn. I’ve been so blessed to be a part of El Centro. As a part of the first graduating class of El Centro de Estudiantes, I wanted to be a part of the first group to leave our legacy behind for the next class, instead of being the only legacy. They have been doing extraordinary work with students, some who have gotten to enjoy learning and get something out of it for the first time. Everyone keeps saying that we children are the future but without this school the future looks a pretty dim.

--Precious Y.

"I chose to attend el Centro for one thing only…"

Good afternoon.  My name is Forrest Laws and I am a student at el Centro.  Over the past few days me and my fellow classmates have heard about the proposed cuts of all 13 Accelerated Schools in Philadelphia.  And el Centro is one of those schools.  The main reason why I am attending el Centro is because I have dropped out of a Philadelphia public school. I dropped out because of all the stress and lack of care from the teachers around the school. I chose to attend el Centro for one thing only…Respect.  From the first time I walked in, till this day, they have showed me the same amount of respect every day.  While I’ve been attending el Centro I have learned a lot about myself that I never knew I could do.  My Advisor, Helen, has pushed me all through the year of becoming the leader that I am now.

"There's no worse feeling than to have your home taken away from you."

I would first like to start off asking the question, “What happened to no child left behind? Or to the equal right to education?” Coming to el Centro has changed me in so many ways, I can hardly put it into words when people ask me what el Centro means to me.  One of my biggest problems when I was in my other school was speaking up, but el Centro has shown me that everyone’s voice should be heard and without speaking up there’s no hope. It has even gave me the courage to speak here today. If it wasn’t for el Centro, I don’t know where I would be in life.

When I think of el Centro many things pop into my head, things like, faith and happiness, love and care, success and the future—things that you will take from me and every single person in my school and the twelve other schools your trying to shut down. There’s no worse feeling than to have your home taken away from you, so why are you taking our home away? El Centro is more than a school, we are a family like any other. We’re not going down without a fight so before you make your final decision, please take a second to think about the kids being affected by this. Thank you.

--Selena M.

"El Centro feels like home."

            Hello my name is Ryan Rivera and I am a student from El Centro. I started going to El Centro after Kensington Business high school would not take me. My mom called the school district and the school a number of times but nothing got done. They just kept telling my mom to do the same thing, which was to call the school district then the school district would tell my  mom to call the school. This went on back and forth for hours. At that point I just did not have a school to go to so I was out of school from about September to January until I found out about El Centro. After I applied it was all good from there.

            I think El Centro is the best school I have ever been to. As soon as I got started here they had an art gallery opening and I was involved. It was all student art and we had a lot of people who came and liked what they saw. Now that art class in my school is called a R.W.L.O. (real world learning opportunity) and they have more classes like that. They also have L.T.I. classes which are internships where you can work anywhere you want as long as it is involved with the school I had an internship at a motorcycle shop where I learned about bikes and how they ran and how to take off parts and stuff like that.

Now I know for a fact that the alternative schools the school district runs do not have classes like this. I have had my experiences. I went to C.E.P. and it was not fun, it had packed classes filled with disruptive kids. No learning happened there and I felt as though they were always violating our space by searching us whenever they wanted. When I went in the morning we would walk through the metal detectors but that was not enough because they still searched us by hand I just hated it there. Ever since I got to El Centro it’s been way different. There are no metal detectors we don’t get searched, it’s just way better. I can’t even call El Centro an alternative school. To me an alternative school feels like a prison but to me EL CENTRO FEELS LIKE HOME.  DON’T TAKE AWAY MY HOME…. 

These students are ME. (And you.)

I stand here today as a concerned sibling, guardian and as a product of the North Philadelphia communities (the schools, the local organizations and the people). I was once one of these students, who lacked support at home, feeling like I wasted my time in a public school every single day because my success meant nothing in comparison to the straight A students. A student who struggled to prove my potential because the system only highlights those who are visibly perfect not those students whose parents have language barriers or are simply disengaged, who suffer behind poverty, who have issues at home and use school as an outlet to run from the pain, those students who simply need guidance, support, resources- A HELPING HAND.  I was one of these students and now my 15 year old sister, who is under my guardianship, now she is one like every other student here today. These alternative schools provide these kids with a foundation of positivity- where they learn have support, grow as individuals and professionals where they have the opportunity to shine and prove their potential every single day. These students aren’t walking into schools every morning- they are walking into their second homes. I have come across students who are closer to school staff than their own parents and because of that they are motivated from day one and graduate to come back and help others who like them have been labeled ASTRAY, because no one ever mattered to hear their story. I’m here to tell mine, because each of these students is me; now a working professional, parent and college student at the age of 22, who has overcome barriers and made it through crappy schools with the help of mentors and leaders who many are now the faces behind these schools. As a guardian I have witnessed significant and valuable change from my sister and from many students whom I associate with regularly. These schools are not only for students with behavioral problems, or students who have children, or students who simply didn’t want to go to school – these schools are schools of acceptance, discipline mixed with family values, learning and growth. These schools have made a major impact to our communities and have changed many lives; don’t try to fix something that isn’t broken. These schools are whole, their values are straight and their outcomes are proven every single day with young people like me. Please look into this issue closely and dig deeper because in little time these schools have managed to do what school districts have been trying to 
figure out for years and that’s how to keep every single one of these kids engaged!


--Maryelis S., sister of an el Centro student

Our Future is Important to Us

Hola mi nombre es Luis Molina. Soy estudiante del centro de estudiante big picture. Ya se de la propuesta de que tiene en propuesta cerrar estos tipos de escuela. Es una gran lastima escuchar esto pero sobre todo, me siento muy desbastado. Pero yo espero la buena actitud de ustedes que nos pueden ayudar para que no suceda esto. Muchos de los estudiantes se encontraron como una mala noticia para nuestra nación porque el futuro de esta nación somos nosotros los jóvenes latinos que venimos de otros país y queremos superarnos estudiando aquí en los estados unidos. Tenemos buenos planes para este país, estudiando de buena manera y sacando buena calificaciones en la escuela. Esperemos que cojan carta en este asunto que es bien importante para nosotros, los jóvenes ya que el futuro de nosotros esta en juego.

En esta escuela yo he tenido la gran oportunidad de obtener un internado para desarrollar mis conocimientos en el aria de contabilidad. Tengo 3 meses trabajando en Congreso de Latinos Unidos que son cosa que en otra escuela nosotros no podemos desarrollar, como esta escuela ‘’el centro de estudiante big picture.” Esta escuela en la parte personal yo he aprendido a ser presentaciones explicando de todo mis trabajos y proyecto independiente, en esta escuela nos sentimos también, esta es una escuela que me encantaría que mi hermana tenga una escuela como esta para que ella desarrolle sus habilidades.

 Esta escuela me ha dado la oportunidad de aprender y crecer de una manera que no era posible en otras escuelas de la ciudad. Por eso me expreso de esta escuela de esta manera, cada estudiante tiene una reflexión de esta escuela de sus vida personal, por eso esta escuela hace la diferencia de las otras escuela que están en la comunidad.

Hello my name is Luis Molina. I am a student at el Centro de Estudiantes, a Big Picture School. I have heard about the proposal to close these types of schools. It's a great shame to hear this and I feel very dismayed. But I hope that you will help us and that these plans are not successful. I, like many of the students in my school, believe this is bad news for our nation because the future of this nation is us, the young Latinos, who come from countries who excel studying here, in the United States. We have good plans for this country, studying hard and getting good grades in school. Hopefully you make the right decision, as this is a subject that is very important to us youngsters: our very future.

In this school, I have had the great opportunity to get an internship and to develop my knowledge of the accounting career. I have worked for the last months at Congreso de Latinos Unidos.  This is an opportunity I would not have had in another school. Personally, I have learned to do large exhibitions, explaining and showing the independent project work I have done.  I would love my sister to have the opportunity to attend a school like this and for her to develop her skills like I have.

This school has given me the opportunity to learn and grow in a way that is not possible in other schools in the city. That is why I am hear and expressing myself this way. Each student is a reflection of the school and so this is the difference that this school has made for me.

"el Centro works for the kids who are there."

Colleen and her mother testifying before City Council on 5/25
(photo by Andrew Christman)

Hope is a thing that I didn’t believe in until I came to el Centro. The teachers are like angels from god himself just for me. They have helped me when I wanted to give up on myself and they pushed me to be all I can be.  Today I call them my angels because all my teachers care about every single student in my school and just kids in general.  If you close our doors you will close success and hope for kids like us and kids of the future.  At our school success and hope looks like this: kids going from “D” students to “A” students. Kids going from not coming to school at all to coming to school everyday.  A school that has no metal detectors and no fights.

When kids like me and my fellow students tried to get in schools like Fels, Olney, and Kensington, they turned their backs on us. But when we came to el Centro they gave us a chance and hope to live and learn again.  I know it is the same for students at all the other Accelerated schools, too.  Now it feels like they are taking our success away. 

Sometimes traditional just doesn’t work for some people.  What we have at el Centro works for the kids who are there.  This may be some kids last chance for hope so please don’t take a way hope from kids like me and my fellow student at my school and at the other 12 schools.  Thank you for your time.


--Colleen J.

"This is a school worth saving."

I'm the Director of Student Learning, and I work on the fringes of el Centro, observing in classrooms, joking with students in the halls, working with the teachers one-on-one and in meetings.  I’m not at the heart of el Centro, and perhaps because of that, my point of view is a little different.

I know how hard the advisors here work.  I know how challenging the work is.  I see their emails come in at 11:00 at night.  I watch them work through lunch.  And I’ve seen them go through it with their students.  These kids challenge them.  And I’ve seen how they love their kids.  They are patient, they listen to them, they meet them where they are, encourage them, push back.

This school has been a labor of love for them, and for the students.  The kids come here because they need a new way of learning.  And every day, they are pushed outside of their comfort zone.   They learn to speak to groups, to talk about their learning and growth, to assess themselves honestly, to work together, and to set long-term goals and work toward them.  And in return, they get to have a relationship with an adult that is consistent, supportive and long-term.

The amount of love and creativity that flows through this school, the devotion and relationships, the hard work and hard times…  it’s really inspiring.  I’ve worked with many schools, and this one is truly singular.  There is not another group of students or teachers who stand out in my mind as so exceptional, unique, challenged and challenging.

This is a school worth saving.

--Jen Ghidiu

"Give the students a chance for a different life."

My name is Maia Cucchiara, and I am a professor at Temple University’s College of Education.  You have already heard from/or will be hearing from many people whose lives were changed by their involvement with El Centro.  I too have been inspired by the school—and by the Big Picture organization, which has one of the most effective and transformational approaches to working with at-risk students that I have ever seen.  I have also had the distinct privilege of working with several El Centro teachers in my Masters course in urban education at Temple, and have been consistently impressed with their remarkable talent and dedication.

But I want to talk today about something different.  I want to talk about what we know happens to kids who don’t get to go to schools like El Centro, kids who never get the kinds of support, attention, and educational experiences that the Big Picture model provides.  I also want to talk about how hard this work is, and how important it is to support and maintain interventions like El Centro that have been proven to be effective.

Dropouts are significantly more likely than high school graduates to be unemployed.  On average, they earn about half of what high school graduates earn.  They are also significantly more likely to receive government support, including welfare, Medicaid, and food stamps and over four times as likely to end up in prison.  Looking at taxes paid versus costs from government benefits and incarceration, the average high school graduate contributes nearly $6000 annually, while the average dropout costs nearly $7000. 

A national study of the dropout crisis estimated that individual lifetime contribution adds up to more than $250,000 more for every person who finishes high school rather than dropping out.  $250,000.  The cost of maintaining schools like El Centro, that turn dropouts into graduates, pales in comparison.

This report goes on to describe the types of program proven to be effective in re-engaging dropouts.  These programs are generally small, they are led by committed and experienced educators, and they focus on providing real world learning experiences.  In other words, what “works” looks a lot like El Centro.

I understand that the district is proposing to provide similar project-based instruction in the alternative programs it plans to run when schools like El Centro are closed.  This proposal is worrisome.  The history of urban education is filled with failed efforts to implement “innovative,” “student-centered” programs.  Failure is so common for two reasons.  First, providing the sort of project-based, individualized experiences that Big Picture provides at El Centro is really, really hard.  It is hard to structure these experiences, hard to make them both engaging to students and educational, hard to find a staff with the skills to manage them, and hard to sustain this system over time.  Second, it is especially hard to do all of those things with a student population that has had years of bad experiences with schools, is often way below grade level, and faces a variety of personal issues and problems that can interfere with regular attendance.  And yet El Centro does all of these things very well. 

Given the challenges involved with this work, and the consequences associated with not doing it well, it seems to me that our goal should be expanding, rather than cutting programs that have been proven to be effective.  I urge you to find the resources that will allow El Centro to continue serving the students it serves.  Doing so would not only give the students a chance for a different life, it would also help them contribute to the city’s future.

Thank you very much.

Thanks, el Centro.

El Centro means so much to me.  It gave me a second chance and a new beginning at life.  It helps everybody, and it takes heart and care for what these teachers do for these students.  They got a special bond with each student, and what they do for us is more than we get in different schools.  When I was in a regular school, we had fights, arguing, etc.,  and this school gives us a great start.  It gave us a big jump in life. So thanks, el Centro. 

We students give the teachers an opportunity of teaching and having fun while doing it. The students have fun and show the teachers and students respect.  It’s like we are all one big happy family.  Some of us students can’t go back to school, some got families, and this school gave all of us a second chance to make something of ourselves, to be someone.  If we the students are the future, well  let us stay and get somewhere in life by keeping us open.

--Josuelito C.

A Letter from an Angry Mother

My name is Ann Carbone. I'm the mother of Ashley Strauss. I just heard this awful news that el Centro is going to be closing due to money issues. It's understandable, but my thing is, how can you give other schools money when the teachers can care less for kids education & future, can care less about resolving a conflict that students have with one another etc.?  My daughter came home everyday miserable wanted to give up so many times b/c of the school's environment & I'm not talking about 1 public high school. Every other day she would be in a fight b/c of how they allow students to act, because of what the teachers & staff didn't do to resolve the issue in classes, halls, and on school grounds period. 
Since Ashley attended el Centro, a Big Picture school, I've seen a huge improvement. She's more confident in what she does, has set goals for herself, comes home & does h.w./studies even on the weekend. To see my daughter do this on her own & change dramatically for the better is the best thing any parent can ask for. I do agree it has to do with the school b/c in the 1st week I saw a change. She comes home & tells me her day, what she has learned, how the teachers & staff helped her. It warms my heart b/c I knew my daughter was capable of this & I have to say el Centro has helped her open her eye. I recommend this program to anyone. 
Please, if you can find it in your heart that this school really does help youth, & the "YOUTH" are going to make the "FUTURE" don't shut them down. You're not only hurting me & my daughter but all the students, parents, & staff. They try so hard to be something. More then 1/2 probably never had that motivation from their previous schools, & you're going to take that away in a blink of an eye. When no one else was there this school was. Look at what category the school board falls in to after you shatter these innocent hardworking students. It's a shame.
Sincerely, 
An Angry Mother

Inspiration

One word that describes El Centro would be "inspiration." This school has given a lot of students what they never had: oppurtunities, faith, success, and for most a family. To know that our school might be taken away from us is heartbreaking.  We don't deserve this. Students here were given a second chance and now that second chance might be taken away from us. Please don't do this to us, we worked so hard to just have that blown away.
-- Tasha A.

"This is a school I would want my son to go to."

El Centro has made me feel like there are people that care. The teachers & staff are there when you need them, as in another school the teachers push you to the side or can't help you due to other kids acting up. Getting to the point, el Centro has prepared me for the real world, and it has made me feel wanted by teachers & students. This was my "last chance" school & it is by far one of the best. I believe there should be an el Centro for all school districts & I guarantee there WILL be an improvement. I actually love going to school I consider it my home away from home. We are all like one big family. I have never in my life put in so much effort & care for school until I attended el Centro, I have seen a dramatic improvement. This is a school I would want my son to go to.

--Ashley S.

"We all have dreams."

There are many reasons why I would like El Centro De Estudiantes to remain open. El Centro has given students like me an opportunity to finish high school and accomplish our goals. This school isn’t like any other high school, but we all have one thing in common. We all want to become your future doctor, nurse, police officer, web designer and so much more. We all have dreams. Just because we are an alternative school doesn’t mean we should be treated differently. Just because we couldn’t make it through a regular high school doesn’t mean the alternative and more successful option should be shut down.

When I tell people what kind of school I attend they respond by saying my school is dumb and that I don’t learn anything there. What they don’t know is that we learn a lot and the teachers here are very helpful. Furthermore, the students get along great with each other unlike other high schools I’ve been to that have constant threats of violence. We also have smaller classes, which a lot of students like. You don’t have to be in a class with 20 or more students where the teacher can’t give you the attention you need.

All I’m saying is that we should have the right to not only have our school but also all of the other alternative schools open. When we thought we couldn’t make it and had nowhere to go, this school was here and it gave us the chance and space to follow our dreams.

--Taina Rodriguez

We're taking it back!

It’s sad that someone would want to shut down a very successful school, putting kids at risk and taking them back from where they came from. Not only is it affecting the teachers but it’s affecting the students. Most of these kids came to our school, with no one to talk to with no home and no place to stay and our principal Laura Davis gave them a home here at our school. You take our school you’re taking our pride and that’s something we won’t allow anyone to do, we fight for what we love and we love our school! 


Sincerely, 
Marie
(el Centro student)

"Put yourself in our shoes."

My name is James Fernandez. I'm a student at el Centro de Estudiantes.  I feel scared.  I can't believe that they want this school closed.  I hate this.  What am I going to do if this school closes down? The economy is bad and how am I going to get a job? The reason I came to this school was to succeed, to get my credits, and to graduate.

I have grown so much at el Centro. Please don't close down the school. Please don't let the school close. I used to go to Germantown High School and I am not going back to that school if you close us down  because that school didn't challenge me enough, I wasn't getting credits fast enouch, and there was a lot of violence in the school.

Now, I wonder, where will I go? Not just me, but my classmates, too.  I don't think they deserve  this. They want to change and to better in school and graduate. 

Put yourself in our shoes.  How would you guys feel if you were us and we wanted to shut down your school?

A More Open Connection

My name is Isabelle Rodriguez. I just heard that you are going to close my school, el Centro de Estudiantes. I feel really upset because I work really hard to come to this school and knowing that you are going to close our school makes me think that we have no future. This school is not only a school but it is like a family and we need to have our school open so we can finish and have a diploma and at least be somebody in life.

If you are going to close our school we are not going to be available to have our dream, so basically that feels like you don’t appreciate us and all the hard work we have put into our time at el Centro. I just hope you know how I feel if they close our school.  It is not going to be the same. We came from a school where we were not learning anything and now that we have the opportunity of learning. We never want to lose that.

I have heard the School District will open programs in regular high schools for students like me. For me, it is not going to be the same because programs are so different from our school. el Centro de Estudiantes is more open, we have that connection with the teachers, and I’m afraid that if I end up in a different program it is not going to be the same. I am just going to go back and not learn anything.

 -- Isabelle Rodriguez

El Futuro del Pais / The Future of the Country

Hola, mi nombre is Luis Molina.  Soy estudiante del Centro de Estudiantes, de Big Picture. Ya se del la propuesta de que tiene en propuesta cerrar estos tipos de escuelas alternativas.  Es una gran lastima escuchar esto y sobre estoy me siento muy desbastado pero yo espero la buena actitud de ustedes que nos pueden auydar para que no seceda.  Estoy muchos de lost estudiante se encontraron como una mala noticia para nuestra nacion porque el futuro de esta nacion somos nosotros, los jovenes latinos que venimos de ostros paises y queremos superarnos estudiando aqui, en lost Estados Uniods.  Tenemos buenos planes para este pais, estudiando de buena manera y sacando buena calificaciones en la escuela.

Esperemos que cojan carta en este asunto que es bien importante para nosotros los jovenes ya que el futuor de nosostros esta en juego.

Hello, my name is Luis Molina. I am a student at el Centro de Estudiantes, a Big Picture school. I have heard of the proposal to close these types of alternative schools. It's a great shame to hearthis, and I feel really upset about it, but I hope that you will help us and that these plans are not successful. I, like many of the students in my school believe this is bad news for our nation because thefuture of this nation is us, the young Latinos, who come fromcountries who excel studying here, in the United States. We havegood plans for this country, studying in a good way and gettinggood grades in school.

Hopefully they make the right decision, which is very important for us as young people, as our very future is at stake.

An Open Letter to the Philadelphia City Council

Dear Councilmember,

I’m writing to you in response to the school district’s recent proposal to eliminate all of the city’s alterative schools, including my own, El Centro de Estudiantes. When I enrolled in El Centro in Late September 2009 I had been out of school for a month ½. I was going to school at The Young Women Leadership School of Rhodes. My most recent opinion of that school is horrific, and it still is. I attended that school for about 2 ½ years. Reason being was because my third year I got beaten almost to death by 4 girls who nearly killed me in my own neighborhood. Yes, they did attend the school I went to, yes I reported that incident, but unfortunately my school’s Principal suspended me as well as the 4 girls, for several days. After the several days, we got reinstated to return to school and that was the end of it.

El Centro gave a peace of mind. That school guaranteed me that I would be safe. If there was a time that someone would try to put a hand on me, disciplinary action will be taken place immediately. This is my second year at El Centro and I’ve made more progress here the any other school I’ve tried or attended. For example my vocabulary has extended, I learned that I want to become a Interior Designer. In the first 6 months I’ve met 3 Designers from 2 firms: Ewing Cole and ACP3 Architects on 7^th & 8^th and Arch street in Center City Philadelphia. And finally I’ve made my decision to attend Community College of Philadelphia (CCP) for 2 years  then get transferred to Drexel University, for Architecture, Design, Business, and Marketing.

My point is if El Centro is to close, it WILL be the BIGGEST mistake. To every student who already is enrolled in any El Centro, for some this is their last chance to make a difference in the world or their own lives. It’s El Centro’s main idea of an alterative school. All of us at El Centro including me are committed to doing every last thing we can to keep our doors open for our students and supporters. We’re asking city council to push the district to keep our Alternative Education schools open. We need your help; we need you to hear our voices.

 Sincerely Yours,

Anyeah Dominique Stover 

Student of El Centro

What is a family, anyway?

When I began working at el Centro de Estudiantes in the summer of 2009, I have to admit having been slightly turned off by the very free usage of the word "family."  Its frequency in my discussions with students and faculty of existing Big Picture schools across the region (and indeed across the BP literature I read) smacked of "messaging."  I doubted the term's sincerity, or at least its resemblance to the way I use the word.

Family is the very bedrock of my life.  How could it be that a school could share or even supplant this position?  I have extraordinarily fond memories of school, myself-- it was the center of my social, academic, and, for a time, my emotional life and growth-- but as I grow older, those memories recede.  What has come to the forefront once more is family.  I would rather spend a day with my parents and my sister than most other people I've ever known.  (Now, Natalie Portman, that's a different story...)  While I was a rare student who hated to miss school, I can hardly say now that I'd rather spend a day in high school than do much of anything else.  I cannot honestly say I'd want to spend even an hour back in high school.  So, while it provided me with fertile ground from which to grow in many ways, school does not compare to the impact family has had (and continues to have) on me.

I ask again, then, how could a school be family?  My experience at el Centro, and, of course, a growing understanding of, well, everything, has answered this question.  (And it has allowed me to stop from cringing when people use family to describe something other than real, actual family.)  Forgive me for thinking of a country song while ensconced in an urban paradise like Philadelphia, and forgive me further for actually having the audacity to quote one, but it seems apt to recall that "blood is thicker than water, but love is thicker than blood."

It is not simply the blood bond that I share with my family that holds us together.  That might have helped to get us through the tough times, but what makes us strong is the love we share (even if we tend to shy away from that word itself).  This is clear to me, now, and it has become more so with the help of my relationships at el Centro, which is a place full of a familial type of love.  It is deeply conflicted love-- but think of your family.  Is it not so, too?  El Centro is a place where the love does not flow out of all hearts, minds, and mouths on every single day-- but think of your family.  Has that ever been your experience?  It is a place where we have had to strive for love, and on some days we have had to fight, to claw and to scratch and to gnash our teeth for something even resembling love.  And even then, sometimes we have failed.

But we march on, every day, even when we face termination through no fault of our own.  We march on today for a host of complex reasons, but for a single simple (and sincere) one: el Centro is a family.  A conflicted, challenging, loving, changing, growing family.

Matt Prochnow
Advisor, el Centro de Estudiantes 

The Preamble

We the students of el Centro de Estudiantes, in order to keep our school up and running, work harder and harder every day. We the students have come a long way and have established good relationships that have made us a better community. We the students love our teachers because they really love what they do and we the students think that there is nothing that could describe them. We the students have all come from different kinds of communities and now we all get along as one big community. We the students at el Centro have learned to care for one and other like family.

--Jose A. Roman