Families, students celebrate end of year and say goodbye to
coordinator
More than 100 people gathered at the Si, Se Puede! Learning
Center at the Villa Luna apartments July 29 as part of the
end-of-the-year celebration.
The evening celebration included a catered meal of traditional
Mexican fare, mariachi music and plenty of dancing by the
elementary school children who have spent the summer at the
center.
Families, students celebrate end of year and say goodbye to coordinator
More than 100 people gathered at the Si, Se Puede! Learning Center at the Villa Luna apartments July 29 as part of the end-of-the-year celebration.
The evening celebration included a catered meal of traditional Mexican fare, mariachi music and plenty of dancing by the elementary school children who have spent the summer at the center.
The 48 students enrolled in the summer program that met weekdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. finished their activities Aug. 4. The close of the session is bittersweet, according to Si, Se Puede resident service coordinator Charles Miller, who ends his term with the center after two years.
Miller, who came to the center in September 2009, said when he first arrived to work the kids he was worried about how much pressure to put on them.
“Educating these kids taught me so much about what to expect,” he said. “I came in wondering how much I could expect from them, but I learned if you set the bar high they will reach it.”
Though the summer program focuses on physical activity, literacy and field trips, the school-year program is largely focused on homework help and enrichment.
“The kids gain the confidence to know they can go from a ‘C’ in language arts to an ‘A,’ even though they are just in third grade,” Miller said.
As he reflected on his time working in Hollister, he praised members of the community for being supportive of fundraisers and activities they conducted through the years.
“The community came together,” he said. “It’s so amazing. And not just the community on site (at the Villa Luna Apartments.) We were able to accomplish more than I imagined because of that.”
Though he said he will miss working with the students the most when he departs, there are other things he will miss, too.
“I will miss the freedom to be able not to buy into any curriculum and see what the students can do,” he said. “We can adapt worksheets to meet their needs and we don’t have to worry about test scores.”
He said he will also miss the team of resident activity leaders with whom he has worked as well as high school volunteers from the SHYNE program.
“I’ve worked with such hard-working people,” he said. “What they do here is so important.”
As he prepares to finish his duties with the Si, Se Puede! Learning Center, he said he is looking to stay in the San Francisco Bay Area because of his connection with the students. He said he wants to be close enough to visit the families occasionally.
Along with Miller most of the resident activity leaders will also be finishing their term at Si, Se Puede, including Leonard Espinoza and interns Zoa Lopez and Edith Villegas.
Karla Munoz, a resident activity leader, will be the only staff member to carry on with the agency in the fall. Munoz started as a high school volunteer and began as activity leader last February, when she turned 18. She is a Gavilan College student who is interested in becoming a teacher.
“I’m really sad to see Charles go,” she said. “The kids love him and he loves them. But I’m interested to see the new people. I’m excited to be the one who has the knowledge.”
She said she hopes to share the values Miller and the other staff members brought to the center when the new resident service coordinator arrived. Miller said a new coordinator had not yet been assigned to the Hollister location.
During the celebration, the families enjoyed a meal made by Max and Maria Espinosa, along with their son Maxi. The couple’s daughter attends the learning center. Max works as a chef at Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital and caters. He and his wife donated their time and the meal to the Si, Se Puede! event. The meal included beans, rice, salad and a traditional Mexican beef stew that is served at weddings, quinceneras and large celebrations. The line for the dinner stayed steady for an hour, as guests filled up their plates and then sat at tables outside on the lawn while listening to music by Mariachi Salinas.
After dinner, the kids lined up inside the center, dressed in the Si, Se Puede! T-shirts they had received that morning and a pair of plastic black-framed glasses. The kids did a dance coordinated to “Party Rock Anthem.” Miller and Espinoza joined in with them.
When the students completed their dance, a group of folklorico dancers entertained the crowd. Afterwards, Mickie Luna, of the League of United Latin American Citizens, presented Miller with an award for his service.
Throughout the night, students, family members, former staff members and volunteers came up to talk with Miller.
“It’s going to be bittersweet, for sure,” Miller said.
