Fifteen-year-old East Austin resident Catalina Herrera said she was not comfortable when she went to O. Henry Middle School in West Austin after completing Allan Elementary School.
"The school was so far, and I was embarrassed, because my parent didn't have a good car like my friends did. Teachers also didn't understand where I am from," Herrera said.
Geneva Oliva, Herrera's mother, said she was also embarrassed when she went to parents' meetings. Oliva said her daughter's teacher asked her why Herrera didn't go to middle school in East Austin.
In the Govalle/Johnston Terrace area in East Austin there is no middle school, so students are bussed to other middle schools such as O.Henry, Murchison, Lamar and Martin middle schools, said Johnny R. Townsend, a youth pastor at Solid Rock Baptist Church in East Austin.
"It had been a big problem for students in the Govalle/Johnston Terrace neighborhood for a long time. They couldn't take an advantage of after-school activities and tutoring, because they had to catch the school buses that run immediately after school to get home," Townsend said.
The Southwest Key East Austin Community Development Project hopes to help alleviate this and other problems in East Austin by improving the physical, political, economic and social well-being of members of the community. In 2006, the Austin-based nonprofit organization Southwest Key Program Inc. and the East Austin Community Advisory Council created the project, which includes plans for a new middle school.
"Our goal is to serve as a model middle school that successfully prepares all students, regardless of economic background, for a rigorous high school curriculum," said Sal Cavazos, chief development officer for Southwest Key Program.
Before 1980, Allan was the only junior high school in Johnston Terrace, but in 1980, Allan closed down and changed into an elementary school, according to the school's Web site.
Townsend said the youth and their families in East Austin are from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds and, in most cases, do not have transportation.
"This disables the parents involved, because if there are parent conferences, it would take them finding a ride or using public transportation," Townsend said.
According to national statistics, the per capita income in Govalle/Johnston Terrace is $9,533, compared to the national level of $21,587. Only 48 percent of East Austin residents have a high school diploma.
Cavazos said the East Austin Community Development Project will provide a multitude of critical educational, economic development and capacity-building opportunities for East Austin. Programs include workforce development training, English as a Second Language courses, a GED program and cultural arts enrichment programs for parents as well as students.
The new school, Southwest Key College Prep School, which is under construction in the 6,000 block of Jain Lane, will have many innovative features, including several Saturdays devoted to community service, a robust visual and performing arts curriculum and a longer school day. The new public school would start with up to 150 sixth-grade students for the 2008-2009 school year. The school is funded by a variety of sponsors, including the Economic Development Administration, the City of Austin Neighborhood Housing and Community Development office and Southwest Key Program employee donations and fundraising.
Cavazos said he looks forward to building a stronger and better Austin through this project.
"One child at a time, the impact is great for a community that has long been left behind in needs of services. This project would not only strengthen the community, but also the greater Austin community," he said.
Mary Gonzalez, a Mexican American studies senior and co-director for Latino Leadership Council, said Southwest Key College Prep School would be a great tool to connect UT-Austin with East Austin.
"Our center has tried to [reach out to] students in East Austin, but there has been very strong disconnection. This preparatory school will give students in East Austin awareness and open up more opportunity to go to college," Gonzalez said.
Be the first to comment on this article!