NORTH : LA HABRA : Program Aims at Diversion From Gangs

In response to increasing interest in gang activity among grade school students, the La Habra City School District has instituted a new program to divert students who may be at risk of becoming gang members.

Students at the district’s two middle schools are pulled from regular classes to meet with Felipe Plascencia, the Y outh and community services coordinator hired to operate the program.

Plascencia is a role model and adviser, taking the time to answer questions and urging students to stay in school, Imperial Middle School Principal Betty Bidwell said. “For the first time they see themselves fitting into college.”

In addition to on-campus activities, field trips are included. Ten students attended a lecture by Mexican novelist Carlos Fuentes recently at Cal State Fullerton’s University Center.

When asked for his reaction to Fuentes, eighth-grade student Lalo Rangel exclaimed, “He was Mexican, and he knew so many things!”

Rangel hopes to play professional football one day and noted, “In order to play, you have to go to college.”

Officials hope that by exposing the students to positive role models, they will be encouraged to stay in school and stay away from gangs.

Ruth Fehr, assistant superintendent of schools, said the idea of creating a full-time position developed a year ago, when Plascencia began visiting Imperial Middle School as part of a program operated by the county Department of Education.

The La Habra district was responding to what appeared to be a growing interest in gangs among students. “Last year, for the first time, we had some boys emulating gang dress,” Bidwell said.

According to Fehr, the county program “worked very effectively and helped some of the children that we thought were at risk.”

Fehr said district officials were delighted that Plascencia was able to discuss problems with the students and that he “gave them a good feeling about their Latino heritage.”

Fehr and Bidwell concluded that the program should be expanded. The Board of Trustees agreed to allocate funds that were provided by state lottery revenues.

Discussing his progress, eighth-grader Felipe Cazares admitted that “before, I didn’t really care about school.”

“Things started getting harder when I got to pre-algebra, and they dropped me down a grade,” Cazares said. “Then I had Felipe, and I said, ‘Why am I going down? I should go up!’

“I told myself, ‘You do good and maybe you’ll have something good in life.”’

While participating in the one-day program last spring, Cazares decided to become involved in school politics and is school vice president.

Consistently dressed in business attire, Plascencia admitted that he had to overcome initial feelings of suspicion and resistance.

“Once we got to know each other, things went really well,” Plascencia said. “Now they’re thinking of their future. They are aware that there are choices other than the self-destructive environment they are living in.”

“At first, I didn’t know what I was doing here,” Rangel said. “But after the first day, I liked it.”

The program is not exclusively aimed at students having problems in school. Emphasizing leadership skills, Plascencia hopes to develop more role models among the student population.

“It becomes like a domino effect,” he said.

Summarizing her evaluation of Plascencia’s efforts, Bidwell said: “Kids feel free to talk with him. If they start talking about gangs, he really lays it out for them how stupid that is. He’s got kids doing their homework.”