Catholic Charities In the News
At-risk Hispanic students get a hand up in after school program at Bonnabel
November 22, 2009 - The Times-Picayune & NOLA.com
By Barri Bronston
Luis Torres and Erik Torres have more in common than a last name. Though not related, they are both 14 and repeating eighth grade, and thus are at high risk of leaving school before graduation.
National studies show the dropout rate among Hispanic youths is 21 percent, compared with 5 percent among Caucasian youths and 8 percent among African-American youths.
But Luis and Erik have no intentions of becoming statistics. Both want to go to college and become productive citizens. Luis aspires to be a doctor; Erik hopes to open his own auto repair shop.
To help them in their pursuits, they spend several afternoons a week at a new tutoring and counseling center at Bonnabel Magnet High School in Kenner. Operated by the Hispanic Apostolate of Catholic Charities in the Archdiocese of New Orleans, the center offers everything from homework help to mental health counseling and college preparedness skills to students from kindergarten through 12th grade.
"These students face transition challenges, not just from country to country and culture to culture," said Bonnabel Principal John Kulakowski, "but many are reading below grade level in their own language and now they must face trying to learn a new language altogether."
Center director Darlene Centanni said sixth-graders, who are just entering adolescence, are the most vulnerable. The key, she said, is catching them before quitting school ever enters their minds.
"I think a lot of it is self-esteem," she said. "Once they begin to feel capable, they are more likely to stay in school."
The center moved to Bonnabel in July after a one-year hiatus. For years it had been based at the Redwood Park apartment complex in Kenner, which was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, then at Theodore Roosevelt Middle School, which eventually needed the space back.
Now financed by a two-year $200,000 Kellogg Foundation grant, the center occupies a cluster of unused classrooms at Bonnabel. Its staff includes six paid tutors as well as several volunteers, some of them being the center's more successful students.
One day last week, some students practiced reading, while others worked on writing. An older student logged onto a computer to research a topic for a paper. A bulletin board displayed recent student achievements: Brittany Albarran's honor roll certificate, Valentina Osteicoechea's social studies certificate and Catherine Ortiz's perfect score on a mathematics test.
Academics is only part of the center's mission. It also offers counseling and therapy, both to students and families.
"Initially my sole focus was on college and career counseling," said Roy Salgado, a therapist and professor at Our Lady of Holy Cross College in Algiers. "But then I saw a need for mental health counseling -- students suffering from trauma, abuse, anxiety, depression.
"We have built a community around these kids, and I think they have a better chance of getting to college."
Salgado also gives students information about opportunities at Holy Cross, both in terms of financial aid and in academic offerings, such as nursing and education.
"Many of these kids come from families where there has been little or no formal education, and college is something that has never been introduced to them."
Students say the center has given them hope.
"Last year I failed, and this year I have one A and a lot of Bs," said Luis Torres, a native of El Salvador. "Now that this program is here, I feel more confident about my schoolwork."
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