Guidance Center staff members sported T-shirts and showed their support for the Komen Race for the Cure this week. Staff members are shown wearing their shirts and crossing their arms in support of a former staff member who remains in their thoughts and prayers.

Students from Computer Maintenance and Networking program took a behind-the-scenes tour of the technology that goes into staging a baseball game at Minute Maid Park. The tour was the first of its kind for the Astros staff. (Below right) Fidencio Alanis, Keith Yuen, Gregory Martinez and Jefferson Corrales listened to their host explain how some of the computer technology works. (Bottom photo) Steve Reese, the Astros' technology director, gives a lesson in ball park technology to Casey Smith, Jefferson Corrales, Emanuel Vasquez, Keith Yuen and Samuel Bedingfield.

By AL CARTER

Communications Specialist

He was soaking wet as he stood there inside the front door of
the Community School Building, irrigating the linoleum with runoff from his rain-drenched clothes. Javier Quintanilla, consumed by
the elements, looked as forlorn and lost as any stray cat caught
in a cloudburst.

Yet, that was the day that Quintanilla, an 18-year-old stray from the Pasadena ISD graduation rolls, found himself -- for good.

Staff members helped him dry out that day, just over a month ago. Happily, none of his Community School classmates tried to spin the soggy scene into a joke.

"They all knew I rode my bike," Quintanilla says, "so I guess they understood."

Yet, that was the day Quintanilla wasn't sure if he understood. That was his day of doubt. The day that almost derailed his
dream of a high school diploma -- a dream that this week finally became reality.

That was the slick September morning when Quintanilla seriously questioned his decision to go back to school. He wondered whether enrolling at Community School, a district alternative campus that specializes in getting near-graduates across the finish line, had been the right thing to do.

Quintanilla's decision to return to school came with a dilemma -- transportation.

Rather than take a public bus to Community School, he decided to ride his bicycle - 50 minutes each way.

For the first month of class, he spent nearly two hours a day -- four days a week -- on the seat of his green Pacific Scorpio road bike. The first two weeks was all smooth cycling. Then it rained.

"It started pouring down, raining on me," he recalls. "It was real tough, and I said I don't know why I'm coming back to school. I said, well, I still got to come. I want to get my diploma. So I pushed it out and made it over here."

On Wednesday, Quintanilla completed the one-half credit of Algebra II he needed to graduate. Teachers and classmates arranged a party for Quintanilla and four other Community School students who have earned the diplomas just since the start of school on Aug. 24.

Officials will now send his certification to his home high school, Sam Rayburn, and a Rayburn diploma will be issued in his name. Once his graduation is official, U.S. Navy recruiters will accept his enlistment.

Sometime next year, Quintanilla will ship out for the Navy's Great Lakes training facility in Illinois.

"I'm going to be an interior communications electrician," he says.

"That's a long name for a telephone man."

Quintanilla has already memorized the list of things he's allowed to take.

His Bible.

And a sturdy shaving kit.

"It takes me about two hours to grow a beard," he laughs.

But his bike will stay parked at home, with an aunt and an uncle in Pasadena who two weeks ago gave him an alternative place to stay -- one closer to school. That enabled him to cut his bike commute from 50 minutes down to a half-hour.

Although he's leaving it behind, Quintanilla says, his bike will always be parked in his heart.

"It symbolizes that there are still people out there who care about me," he says. "Before, I didn't think that anybody cared about me at all."

Now Quintanilla seems to make another fan every time he turns around.

"He did not miss a single day, not one" says Tom Swan, director of the Community School. "He was always 'yes, sir' and 'no, sir,'" He was always just the most polite kid."

"I have never seen anyone as driven as that young man," says Donna Groce, the Community School math teacher who helped steer Quintanilla through his final slice of Algebra II.

"He not only came to class, he stayed for two periods - he stayed for the next class, as well. He had that driven to want to finish."

Community School, expanded this fall from its previous evenings-only schedule, has already made great strides in tapping into the hidden drive of many dropouts.

Sixty-six students have enrolled already this fall, and more are trickling in each week. Students are offered four daytime class sessions and can grab as much - or as little - as each needs to graduate.

"Some will say, 'I'm not going back to high school for just two classes,'" Swan says. "But here they can take only those subjects they need to take."

A senior last spring at Rayburn, Quintanilla found out just before graduation that he had failed the second half of Algebra II and would not graduate with his class.

"I had a really tough teacher and I just gave up on myself," he says. "I didn't see any future for myself. I was doing the wrong things, and I didn't see anything out there."

He moved in with an uncle, who pressed him into getting a job. Quintanilla decided to join the navy. In early August, he met with recruiters, who told him the same thing they had told him when he had inquired in the spring.

To enlist, he had to have a high-school diploma.

So in mid-August, he went back to Rayburn to register for another semester. While filling out the paperwork to re-enroll, a counselor told him about the new program at Community School and the possibility that he could finish up in weeks, not months.

"All right!" he said. "I'll do it!"

Quintanilla's biggest problem was how to get to school. He turned to his friends at the New Testament Christian Church in Pasadena for help.

Quintanilla, who played flute in the Rayburn band, had honed his musical skills at church singing in the choir. Now he let it be known that he needed a bike to get to school.

A couple who attend the church gave him one they had at home.

Quintanilla began his routine of 50-minute bike rides to school and home. To beat traffic, he began leaving at the crack of dawn, arriving at Community School at 7 a.m.  - 90 minutes before the start of class.

"I noticed one day he wasn't doing very well," Groce says. "He wasn't really focused. I asked him about it and he said he hadn't had breakfast that morning. Well, I went to the vending machine and got something in him."

Soon other staff members were taking turns picking up food for Javier on their way to work.

"He's actually gained weight," Groce says with delight.

"His pants fit now!"

Well, at least when they're dry.

What matters more to Quintanilla is that Community School turned out to be a perfect fit for his career goals.

"A lot of people who gave up on me have noticed how much I've changed," he says. "They're proud of me now. And that's a great feeling."

* * *

Quintanilla is one of five students who have earned their diplomas through Community School since the start of the school year. The first was Henri Mestizo, a Dobie student who graduated two weeks ago.

Janet Hernandez earned her diploma from Memorial High. Married with a nine-month-old son, she made up a full credit of English in night school and then picked her missing half-credit, in Economics, at Community School. She plans to continue her education at San Jacinto College and hopes to be an elementary school teacher one day.

Njarie Thomas earned his diploma from Dobie. He made up his full credit of senior English and his half-credit in Government at Community School. He plans to attend San Jacinto College and then Baylor in pursuit of a degree in bio-chemistry.

Melissa Torres also earned her degree from Dobie. She made up two half-credits of English, one from her sophomore year, and a business credit at Community School. She says she'll decide soon whether to enroll at San Jacinto College or join the army.

Javier Quintanilla parks his bike in front of Community School (right); Community School math
teacher Donna Groce (upper left) helps Quintanilla try on a Sam Rayburn graduation gown;
Quintanilla and fellow Community School grad Njarie Thomas (lower left) celebrate
at the school's graduation party this week.   
 
"

Angel Ponce, a representative from the City of Houston Mayor's Anti-Gang office, speaks to Guidance Center students about the risks of drugs and gang activity. Event photo follows.

State Rep. Ken Legler visited L.P. Card Career and Technical Center this week to meet with criminal justice and welding students. Legler addressed the importance of voting and also gave an explanation of his role in state government. (Below) Rep. Legler (center) meets with L.P. Card students.

  Students and staff at Guidance Center will be involved in multiple activities over the next few weeks. During November, students will be helping to restock community food pantries with a food drive. Donations will go to local pantries at Sagemont Church and Neighborhood Centers. Students will compete in a friendly contest of "Upstairs Versus Downstairs" to see which group can come up with the most donations. Staff members are also engaged in their yearly "Walk-a-Thon" contest, organized to promote exercise. The ongoing "Biggest Loser" contest is an incentive for staffers to lose weight.

Staff members at the Guidance Center wrapped up their food drive last week. The photo below documents the results.

The DECA program at L.P. Card continues to take the initiatiovefor campus recyling. The organization sees to the purchase of new receptacles on campus and makes announcements twice a month to remind students about the benefits of recycling. (Below left:) Alexis Castillo and Kelsey Goode, both Memorial High students, load up the paper recycle bin. (Below right): Hector Campos (South Houston High), Monica Vela (South Houston) and Crystal Davila (Pasadena High) gather plastic bottles for recycling.

The DECA chapter at L.P. Card has erected its first "Giving Tree." Two families of students who attend the school have been "adopted" this holiday season. The families were asked to submit needed items and the names of those items were placed on tags that now adorn the tree. Students and staff are selecting items to purchase for the families. Photos follow.

The DECA chapter at L.P. Card will conduct a food drive the week of Nov. 29 through Dec. 3. All donations will go to the Houston Food Bank. Donation receptables have been placed in every classroom. The class with the most donated items per student will receive a free breakfast or lunch. (Below) Cinthya Silva (Sam Rayburn High), Kelsey Goode (Memorial High) and Norma Estrada (Pasadena High) prepare to deliver donation boxes.

DECA students at L.P. Card hosted a Scholarship Day recently. More than 80 students attended the event. Dora Trevino, counselor from San Jacinto College, talked with the students about college preparations, scholarships and financial aid. Students received assistance in filling out college and scholarship applications. DECA will also host a Financial Aid Day in March. (Below) DECA members Abel Naranjo, Alexis Castillo and Fernando Obregon, all from Memorial High, display signs to advertise Scholarship Day.

Students in the L.P. Card Electrical and HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning) programs took a behind-the-scenes tour of the operations that provide heating, cooling and electricity at Minute Maid Park. The tour was the first of its kind for the Astros staff. In the photos below students from Lupe Garza's classes meet with Astros operations directors.

L.P. Card teachers Rafael Garza and Jane Dickerson were awarded a mini-grant for their proposal to unleash students with an interest in computers on "oldies but goodies," washed-up computers in need of repair. The Shell Federal Credit Union
Mini-Grant of $4,410 will be used to fund an after-school program to restore these computers. Potential students will be asked to prepare an essay explaining their interest. Students who successfully complete a restoration project will be allowed to keep the computer.

Garza flashes his mini-grant check with presenters Cindy Parmer, the Pasadena ISD's Director of Community Relations; Rosie Prusz, Associate Superintendent for Instructional Leadership; Education Foundation representatives Jay Bain and Chris Bezdek; and Gallegos.

Welding students from L.P. Card took a field trip to North Shore Supply Company recently. The students, from Ezequiel Garcia's class, saw a variety or production processes, including fabrication, plate-processing and steel burning. Event photos follow. 

The Summit celebrated its Second Annual Literacy Fair with a cross-curricular event featuring student-centered and student-developed learning activities. Activities such as bingo, computer-personality surveys and plays were interwoven with Greek mythology, "A Christmas Carol" and other great literature. Guest speakers shared their favorite books with students and explained the importance of reading in their lives. (Below) Eighth-grader Juan Gonzalez explains Hera, the goddess of marriage, and her role in mythology.

  During the sixth annual "Be Beautiful, Be You" Empowerment Forum and Fashion Show, Tegeler Career Center's female students were reminded of something that young girls often forget: Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. 
  "You're the person who determines your beauty," said Barbara Henderson, a Tegeler science teacher and organizer of the event. "You have to see your beauty first before others can see it in you." 
  The event included motivational speakers, musical performances from local singing group Truly Unique and a fashion show. 
  Page Parks Modeling Agency gave students tips before they walked the catwalk to show off their latest fashions, donated by Dillard's. 
  Students were given advice on appropriate dress by Dr. Nora Benny of ITC Services. Students were also treated to Chick-fil-A and T-shirts from House of Dereon.
  "It's important to empower young ladies because sometimes the world makes them think that beauty is only on the outside -- but it's on the inside too," said Tegeler Principal Jean Cain. "We want our girls to know that and walk with their heads held high regardless of what's on the outside." Event photo follows.

Students at the L.P. Card Career Center competed in a Gingerbread House Contest for the fourth consecutive year and the winning entries matched craving with creativity. Pasadena ISD Superintendent Kirk Lewis (below) and other adminstration officials were on hand to judge the entries. Taking first place was Ralph Garza's Technology entry (bottom left). Second was Carrie Geier's entry from Pharmacy Technology (bottom middle). Third was Chris Wasson's entry from Automotive Technology (bottom right).

Pasadena police officer Jose Martinez visited L.P. Card recently to set up a simulated crime scene as an investigation exercise for students. (Below left) Criminal Justice teacher Shawn Mulligan watches as students pick up clues from the staged crime scene; (below right) Criminal Justice teacher Danny Steffenauer instructs Janet Bui on how to sketch a crime scene; (bottom) Officer Martinez gives instructions as students listen attentively.

A pair of criminal justice students -- Tiffany Pooley from Pasadena High and Brice Horrigan from Memorial High -- placed third in competition at the SKILLSUSA Regionals earlier this month. The two competed in the Felony Traffic Stop event. The third-place finish allows the two L.P. Card students to advance to state.

  Edward Molina, a Dobie High junior at The Summit, has been named a winner in the "Friends of the Pasadena Public Library" poetry contest. Molina's winning poem, "Night," hangs in the Summit Library along with the school's five other contest entries. An awards ceremony and reception for the winners was held May 1 at the Ginn Library in Pasadena. Molina, pictured at right, was among those reading his poem to ceremony attendees. He will receive a medal and a booklet of the winning poems. The Summit will also receive a copy.

Five seniors from L.P. Card were awarded Rotary Club scholarships to pursue their career goals. The students are (pictured below) Crystal Davila (Hospitality, Pasadena High), HoangVu Tran Pham (Pharmacy Tech, Dobie High), Jose Nicholson (Computer Tech, Dobie), Ryan Plaisance (Welding, Memorial High) and Kelly Gartner (Pharmacy Tech, Dobie.) All five plan to attend San Jacinto College.

Ray Landers, representing mini-grant sponsor Landers Financial Strategies Inc., joins with Arcos representative Kimberly Osterhout for a check presentation to Kevin Johnson, Sean Woods and Brenda Alvarado of The Summit faculty.

From L.P Card celebrants show off the big card: (back row) Pasadena ISD Education Foundation members Dana Philibert, Tom Hancock, Rudy Ayles and Linda Lukaszewski; Morgan Meador of Meador Staffing; Pat Gregory of the Education Foundation; Sarah Wrobleski, principal of L.P. Card; and (front row): Pharmacy Tech student Sicily Caraballo; Jaynie Mitchell, representing mini-grant sponsor San Jacinto College; Darla Haygood of Meador Staffing; and Carrie Geier, L.P. Card teacher and mini-grant writer.

  Students from The Summit participated in a Bayou Clean-Up last week as part of their Service Learning curriculum. 
  The program, under the direction of Jason Murray, encourages students to give back to the community in ways that are both educational and meaningful. Students participated in Prairie Restoration activities last fall at Armand Bayou Nature Center and continued their program by filling bags of washed-up trash collected while piloting canoes launched at Bay Area Park to Armand Bayou Nature Center's boathouse. 
  Despite gusting winds, the students worked together as a team, learned skills on the water and developed an awareness of the importance of the watershed. 
  Staff and volunteers from Armand Bayou Nature Center led the teams from canoes.

Former Pasadena High student Jose Carbajal was able to receive his high-school diploma eight years later with some help from Community School. Pictured below are Carbajal and Tom Swan, Community School's director.