CLIPBOARD

If ethnically diverse neighborhoods are the wave of the future, then northeast Fountain Valley is shooting the curl nicely.

“Everybody is here--Vietnamese, Latinos, whites . . ., “ observed Wanda Napier, a 17-year resident, as she fished just-arrived letters out of her mailbox. “We have no problems. You couldn’t have better neighbors; you ask for anything and they will help you out.”

“Ethnic diversity is the wave of the present,” said George Willson, who is in his freshman year, so to speak, as principal of Los Amigos High. The school seems to reflect the diversity of the surrounding neighborhood. There are more than 30 languages represented at the school, and a good mix of Samoan, black, Latino and Vietnamese students.

“My sense is that students have a real advantage when they’re in a school like this, because they are getting to know the clientele with whom they will be working. Whatever they will do for a living, they’re going to be working with these same people. To me, that’s a real plus.”

Northeast Fountain Valley is crisply laid out in neat mazes of crisscrossing streets and cul-de-sacs with expansive homes surrounded by perfectly clipped yards and well-tended greenbelts. It is, according to one real estate agent, “prime land.”

“That neighborhood is a superb location,” said Medi Ryan of Century-21 Beachside Realtors. “It is very close to the beach and centrally located. Home prices in that area range from the high 100s (of thousands) to the low 300s.”

In spite of the pricey environment, residents seem down-to-earth and involved in what goes on in their little corner of the world.

Neighborhood Watch signs are common and neighbors make it a point to get to know one another.

“This is such a safe neighborhood, and we all keep an eye out for each other, though nothing much happens around here,” said Napier. “And as far as being quiet, you couldn’t have a better neighborhood.”

“I don’t plan on moving. I like it here, though I would like to get the grass greener,” she added, pointing to the few brown patches in her once-perfect lawn. “But because of the water shortage, it’s hard to do.”

Harmony and cooperation seem to be the credo for the neighborhood. And even though Willson has only just begun his tenure at the school, it is his intention to be a good neighbor, too.

“Once we settle in (for the semester), I’ll do some walking in the neighborhood to get to know some people--just in case there are some problems, or to see if there are any concerns.”

It is that kind of cooperative attitude that has made Los Amigos High one of the anchors of the peaceful enclave. And residents seem to wholeheartedly support the school.

For instance, when district budget cuts left some extracurricular activities swinging in the wind with funding in question, it was parents who came to the rescue by organizing Wednesday night bingo games.

“I’ve had very good luck with parents in any school situation,” said Willson, who served six years at Bolsa Grande High in Garden Grove. “But these people are workers. They not only show up for meetings such as my ‘7 a.m. Breakfast Club’ and their regular booster club meetings, they come to work.

“I’m very impressed with this group. They are a positive, supportive group of people, and they do it for free.”

Since bingo was introduced at the school a year ago, the game has paid off the nearly $40,000 in start-up costs and is making a nice profit for the language and drama clubs, athletics, and the scholarship funds . . . and the $250 prize money doesn’t hurt the game’s popularity with the bingo players, either.

“We’re averaging 230 to 250 people per bingo night,” said Nancy Woodroof, a 20-year resident, and one of the original volunteer parents who helped organize the games. “Since they have been cutting funds, the school doesn’t have as much money, and this enables them to have some things.”

Bingo games aside, northeast Fountain Valley has a winning combination all its own--a community that has learned to come together and rely on itself to take care of its own.

Population Total: (1990) 5,568 1980-90 change: +12.8% Median Age: 33.8

Racial/ethnic mix: White (non-Latino): 61% Latino: 13% Black: 2% Other: 24%

By sex and age: MALES Median age: 33.6 years FEMALES Median age: 33.9 years

Income Per capita: $19,711 Median household: $59,082 Average household: $59,442

Income Distribution: Less than $25,000: 10% $25,000-49,999: 28% $50,000-74,999: 33% $75,000-$99,999: 18% $100,000 and more: 11%