Causecast

By Caroline An

In October, Gabriel Amaro was tardy to class three consecutive times and received the punishment of having to attend Saturday School.

Instead of spending an autumn day indoors, the Duarte High School ninth-grader sheepishly admitted to keeping a prior engagement – a training session with the El Monte Police Department’s Torch Academy program.

The infraction did not go unnoticed by school officials, but instead of serving his suspension at home, Amaro was sent to Project Pride, an experimental in-house suspension program, where Duarte High School and Northview Intermediate School students complete their suspension at school, do homework and attend character values classes. In exchange, the suspension is not listed on their final record.

For Amaro, the experience proved to be a pleasant wake-up call, he said. So much, that he skipped the majority of classes Wednesday to participate in volunteer event – this time with his teachers permission.

“They know about this,” Amaro said, as he scooped granola into plastic trays Wednesday. “This is a lot of fun and it’s for a very good cause.”

Amaro and 12 other students spent Wednesday learning about empathy and being generous with your time while helping to prepare 1,400 meals at Project Angel Food in Los Angeles.

The organization provides meals to people with HIV/AIDS, cancer and other serious illnesses throughout Los Angeles County. Hot and frozen meals are personally delivered by a crew of dispatch drivers in the area.

After a quick informational meeting some students helped fill coolers with a week’s worth of meals and desserts, including rosemary chicken and rice, others helped to prepare Friday’s meal of Chicken with mozzarella and parmesan with creamy parmesan polenta.

Marcia Hazelton, director of Project Pride, said field trips like often remind her students to not take things for granted, and that particularly during the holidays, extra assistance is always appreciated.

“This is a wonderful program and I think we’ll be back next year,” Hazelton said. “The kids are having a lot of fun.”

Project Angel Food’s Chef Chris Witt, said the steady stream of student and adult volunteers helps his kitchen crew cut down on the time it takes to prep ingredients.

As she filled plastic containers with frozen peaches, Ashlen Grant, a Northview Intermediate School eighth-grader, said she will likely come back to the Project Angel Food to volunteer on her own – or find a similar organization near her home to volunteer at. The 14-year-old among other activities, helps prepare meals at her school cafeteria.

Grant completed three days of Project Pride after she got into a fight with a classmate. After that incident, she has learned to keep her temper in check, she said.

The majority of students who filter through Hazelton’s Project Pride program are victims of their own poor judgement.

By choosing to ditch class, talk on their cell phone during class, accumulate unnecessary tardies, or the worst offense, get into a fight with another student, Hazelton said the junior high and high schools students are not troubled teens. The program so far appears to be successful – none of the students have had to repeat the program.

Additionally, by having students at school doing work and not falling behind in their classes, it’s better than “spending the day at home watching TV all day,” she said.