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El Centro de Acción Social

Unique Summer Experience Inspires Students and Teachers

Kindergarten and first graders are sitting on picnic tables in the middle of Pasadena’s Central Park. The letters T-R-U-T-H are written out on the students’ papers. Their assignment is to think of words that begin with those letters and relate them back to the overall theme of “Peace in our Community.”

A little farther away is another picnic table where the fifth and sixth graders are busy learning how to make lanterns out of construction paper. Earlier, these students, along with students from the fourth grade class, had the opportunity to make salads with Chef Lydia from the Nutrition Network. Each student wore a blue apron and a white chef’s hat while making the salad. Afterwards, they got to eat what they created.

These students and their teachers are all part of a unique program called Summer School in the Park, run by El Centro de Acción Social.

“It has been rewarding to see how much the kids I’ve had in years past have grown and progressed,” said Michelle Salgado, a teacher who works for the Victorville School District. Salgado has been with the program for three summers and teaches the second and third graders.

Norma Benitez, a teacher for the Pasadena Unified School District, is in her first summer with El Centro. She teaches the kindergarteners and first graders. “I love how we integrate different resources, such as the Nutrition Network, to make their experience a positive one,” she said.

While in the program, students study a variety of subjects including math, science, writing and reading. They also create art projects and learn about nutrition. Each Friday, chefs from the Nutrition Network come and spend two hours with the second through twelfth grade students, educating them on healthy eating habits. Students prepare food such as salad, fruit salad and fruit pizza. For a fruit pizza, fruit is put on top of the pizza crust, instead of the usual toppings such as pepperoni and mushrooms.

In addition to helping students with academics, El Centro takes them on field trips. Places visited include the Huntington Library, Olvera Street, The Pasadena Humane Society, and El Cabrillo Marine Aquarium. The outings reinforce the lessons taught in Summer School and broaden the students’ cultural and community experience.

“It’s not just about improving their grades; it’s about improving their lives. You don’t have to be an A-student to be a leader,” Executive Director Randy Ertll said.

With each trip they are given an assignment such as an essay to complete. For many of the students, this is their first visit to these places. “It helps them because it gives them a different perspective on life,” Ertll said.

Although all of the teachers enjoy teaching in the park, there are certain distractions, such as traffic, sirens, and homeless people who congregate in certain areas of the park.

Fifth and sixth grade teacher Megan Esquer has a unique way of dealing with the challenges. She said that she tries to make the distractions relevant to the students. Esquer gave one example in which her students were making fun of a homeless person who was in the park, and she used the opportunity to teach them that all people deserve to be treated with respect. “I get to teach about life skills and not just academics,” Esquer said. She has been with El Centro for four summers.

Benitez agrees that there are benefits to being in the park. “The children see that learning doesn’t have to be in a classroom setting,” she said.

The first Summer School in the Park was held in 1968. That same year El Centro was founded by a group of parents from Pasadena who were concerned about the Latino community and wanted to help by providing services, such as tutoring and English as a Second Language classes. Parents would tutor students in their backyards. Word of the tutoring sessions spread, and soon they needed more space. They came up with the idea to hold the sessions in the park, and as a result, Summer School in the Park was established. The program is held in Central Park on Fair Oaks and Del Mar and is provided free of charge to low-income families.

During the school year, Esquer teaches at Mayflower Elementary in Monrovia. She shares her summer experiences with her Monrovia students so they can learn how other children live. The children at the Summer School already know about gang violence and that not everyone grows up with both parents. She wants her Monrovia students to be aware of these things too. She has also benefited from teaching students from two different cities.

“Working here gives me a diverse perspective,” Esquer said. She finds that her Summer School students have a greater sense of pride in their cultures and heritages than her Monrovia students. She gives as an example a project both groups do, called a “Culture Bag.” They decorate it with items relating to traditions within their families and from ethnic backgrounds. Her Monrovia students interpret it as a pop culture bag with pictures of their favorite American singers. In contrast, her Summer School students decorate the bags with flags from their home countries and skulls representing Día de Los Muertos.

Esquer encourages her Summer School students to be proud of their academic accomplishments. “My goal is for them to realize their potential as artists, students and people,” she said.

Salgado wants her students to “focus on peace in the community and to understand that one person can make a difference.” She teaches them about Cesar Chavez and Martin Luther King, Jr. Salgado says she wants her students to realize that these men made a difference and that they can as well.

El Centro de Accion Social provides referrals to social service agencies, senior citizen programs, and youth programs, such as after school tutoring and leadership classes. It also holds celebrations for various Latino holidays throughout the year. Today, El Centro provides services throughout Pasadena to people of all ethnic backgrounds. One of El Centro’s mottos is “Build better lives through service to each other and the community.” The organization accomplishes this in part through its educational programs for youth.

“El Centro empowers kids by teaching them about their community, nonviolence, and their environment,” Benitez said.