5 Schools Honored as Cultural Bridge Builders

Five schools with a commitment to promoting understanding among cultures received the Orange County Human Relations Commission’s Building Bridges award Friday.

The schools demonstrated their commitments in a variety of ways, from adding bilingual teaching aides to creating clubs to fight racism head-on.

“These students and faculty, as well as parents and administrators, are the hope of the future,” said Lin Fujitsubo, president of the Human Relations Commission’s Board of Directors. “They are building bridges for a peaceful tomorrow, teaching tolerance and understanding of all our Orange County neighbors.”

The schools receiving the award are:

* O.A. Peters Elementary School in Garden Grove, where administrators have diversified their staff and brought in aides who speak Vietnamese and Spanish. The school has also established a parents’ institute and has added a cultural diversity section to the school library.

* Kraemer Middle School in Placentia, where students have started a human relations club. The club organized a poster contest, “Beyond Skin,” and it sponsored a week with a focus on stereotyping, name-calling and conflict management.

* Marco F. Forster Middle School in San Juan Capistrano, where students wage anti-violence campaigns and participate in a unity month. Students also have plans to meet with senior citizens to share stories.

* Nicolas Junior High in Fullerton, where a small group of students called CARE--Caring About Racial Equality--has expanded campuswide. The school has created a tile mural representing students’ various ethnic roots. Students are reaching out to elementary pupils too, presenting skits about the damage done by rumors and stereotypes.

* Mission Viejo High School, where school staffers have created a strong human relations program. Students, parents and employees participate in retreats, and many visited the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles on a field trip. The school also hosts a cultural diversity festival.