Alarcon’s Day Back in School : Youth: He visits his alma mater to tell students how he made the journey from freshman to freshman councilman.

Nobody has to tell the students at John H. Francis Polytechnic High School about the history of Richard Alarcon.

After all, he graduated from this Sun Valley school 22 years ago, and some of his teachers are still around to tell students how he went on to become the city’s first Latino councilman for the San Fernando Valley.

But in case some students weren’t taking notes, Alarcon returned to the school Thursday--his first visit since his election victory in June--to tell a government honors class about his journey from freshman student to freshman councilman.

The morning-long visit, teachers and students said, provided a clear example of how any average student--one teacher described Alarcon as a “low key” student--can realize impressive achievements.

For the students, Alarcon’s accomplishments were that much more inspiring, considering he was once a Poly High Parrot.

“He was one of us. I mean, he was ‘Party on’ and everything,” said Carlos Polanco, a member of the catering class that hosted a reception for Alarcon. “He was a regular student.”

The visit also gave Alarcon an opportunity to present a certificate of merit to Arnie Blakeman, a government teacher who Alarcon said gave him a “B or C” when he was a student. Blakeman still teaches the class and often invites Alarcon to speak before it.

At the reception, Blakeman showed Alarcon a yellowed newspaper clipping of a story that described Alarcon’s narrow 1971 election victory making him student body president. “You always seem to be in a tight race,” Blakeman joked, referring to Alarcon’s recent council squeaker. He won by only 234 votes out of nearly 19,000 cast.

But Alarcon’s ties to the school go beyond his own education. Four sisters and a brother are also graduates. Three years ago, Alarcon’s son, Armando, graduated from Poly High.

Later, during the government class, Alarcon pointed out the seat he once occupied and admitted that he was not a model student. “When I was student body president, I was pretty obnoxious,” he said.

He told the students that his interest in public service was sparked when he was 15 years old and tutoring a 6-year-old boy. The boy’s teacher assumed he did not speak English. But Alarcon discovered that the boy spoke perfect English but pretended not to simply to get out of schoolwork.

Alarcon also offered a short civics lesson, describing to students how the power of City Hall is funneled through the mayor, the City Council and various commissions. Because the students had yet to study the local legislative process, he explained it by comparing the mayor to the President of the United States and the City Council to Congress.

Alarcon also told them that, so far, the hardest part of being a councilman was campaigning--walking from door to door, making phone calls and fielding tough questions from constituents. But on that score he also thanked a group of about 40 Poly High students who volunteered for his campaign.

After the visit, Martel Mendoza, an 18-year-old senior who said he had heard about Alarcon from several teachers, said meeting the councilman infused him with hope. He plans to go to college and start a business.

“He really inspired me,” Mendoza said.