A transcript of an oral history of Martha Guise on Century High School. Martha Guise was on the site council for Century High School. The purpose of the council, according to Ms. Guise was to incorporate local input and representation in school decisions. A majority of the research was done block scheduling. Generally speaking, the interview covers the process the Site Council used in their research.
A transcript of an oral history of Nancy Haack on Century High School. Nancy Haack was hired by principal Barnekoff to be the activities director at Century High School. Ms. Haack explains that previously, she had been a permanent substitute teacher at Glencoe High School. Her vision for the school was inclusionary, she wanted all of the students to feel a sense of belonging and emphasized community service.
A transcript of an oral history of Oralia Aguilar-Becerra, student at Century High School, on Hispanics in the Hillsboro schools. Ms. Aguilar-Becerra emigrated from Mexico with her family. She expresses her feelings that the school provides a lot of support for Hispanic students and the teachers and staff are supportive. In her spare time Aguilar-Becerra volunteers in the Western Farmworkers’ Association.
A transcript of an oral history of Dawn Montgomery, Principal of Century High School, on Hispanics in the Hillsboro schools. Ms. Montgomery began 9 years ago at Evergreen Middle School, later she became Assistant Principal at Century High School when it opened in 1997. During 1998 Montgomery particpated in the Hispanic Youth in Oregon program at Lewis and Clark College. The program focused on total bilingual schools and outreach programs. Afterwards Ms. Montgomery went on to spend two weeks in Waupaca, Mexico, looking at the school systems and social systems. It was after that she became part of the Strategic Plan team. The Hispanic population at Century High School has been as high as 35%, currently at 20%. As a result of an increase in hiring bilingual teachers at Century High School, their ESL program has grown as well as JAG TV, Hispanic News, after-school tutoring, and Hispanic clubs. The school has grants from Lewis and Clark College to train ESL teachers. Pacific University, PSU, and PCC also have programs to help Hispanic youth get into college. Century High School and Glencoe have in place special drop-out prevention teams that stay in contact with students who drop out. Ultimately, this has effectively decreased drop-out rates in the last five years. A newer addition to the school has been a program for teachers and administrators about “Understanding Racism”.
A transcript of an oral history of Ana Alonso, student at Century High School, on Hispanics in the Hillsboro schools. Ana emigrated from Mexico City with her family after her father had already been here. Later the family settled in Hillsboro because there were more opportunities in the area and other family was located in Hillsboro. Ana participated in ESL during 7th and 8th grade and found it very helpful. She explains that she would like to see more programs for Hispanic students at Century High School. At the time of the interview, Ana was on the dance team and participated in Jag TV doing the Spanish News. She feels that she is role model for other Hispanic students. Another activity Miss Alonso was involved in was Project Plus, which has been very supportive in helping with college and scholarships. She has also been president of the club Latinos Sin Fronteras.
A transcript of an oral history of Joe Rodriguez, Hillsboro School District Superintendent, on Hispanics in the Hillsboro schools. Mr. Rodriguez has been a junior high principal, a high school principal, assistant superintendent, and superintendent in the Hillsboro School District. Hillsboro School District works with students from the migrant summer school program. the school district also runs an extensive ESL program. Within the Hillsbioro School District's program, the majority of the students are Hispanic, nevertheless, there are also Russian, Korean, and Vietnamese students. The Office of Hispanic Outreach works with Hispanic families to help them feel more involved in the community. Mr. Rodriguez works to actively recruit role models who are bicultural and bilingual as teachers, counselors, and administrators. It is his hope to expand dual language immersion programs at W.L. Henry School to other schools. The movement at Groner elementary school hosts a program for students who are deaf or hard of hearing, teaching American Sign Language. Rodriguez explains that some of the long term goals for Hillsboro School District include more Hispanic students involvement in sports and activities and hiring more role models. But most of all, to make all students feel welcome and safe at school. Within the community, poverty is still an issue, Mr. Rodriguez elaborates, stating that 38% of students on free/reduced lunch, 28% in Beaverton, and 54% in Forest Grove. Portland State University has a bilingual program that enables instructional assistants to become teachers. The Migrant Education Program has proven to be very successful; Henry Williams helped start the program and run it for Washington County. they currently have good partnerships with Hillsboro Police Department, Central Culture in Cornelius, and other agencies to meet broader needs of students and families.
A transcript of an oral history of Estella De Jesus Hernandez, student at Century High School, on Hispanics in the Hillsboro schools. Estella immigrated from Guaca, Mexico with her family in 2002 when she was 17. Her father works in a nursery and applied for his family visas in 1995. She feels the school’s programs have been helpful to her and is currently still involved in ESL. Her brother attends the migrant summer school also. She plans to attend PCC to take daily ESL and would like to become a nurse.
A transcript of an oral history of Flori Exiquio, student at Century High School, on Hispanics in the Hillsboro schools. She emigrated from Mexico with her family when she was an infant. They lived in California before moving to Oregon. Her family is very supportive of her education. She had ESL in elementary school and would like to see Hispanic students make more of an effort to use school support. Miss Exiquio is friends with diverse ethnic groups and feels comfortable. Exiquio had a teacher in 5th and 6th grade, Miss Crawford, who was very supportive and motivated her to do well.
A transcript of an oral history of Jose Jesus Guzman, student at Century High School, on Hispanics in the Hillsboro schools. Guzman emigrated from Mexico with his family to California when he was seven. His father had been in California for the previous two years and moved to Oregon to be near family. Mr. Guzman was in the ESL program and he found it very helpful. He learned about the Caesar Chavez movement, however, he did not become involved with it.
A transcript of an oral history of Marle Guzman, student at Century High School, on Hispanics in the Hillsboro schools. Marle is in ESL 2 at Century High School. She can read and understand English but has some trouble speaking which causes her to feel some discrimination. She would like to see more classes with help for ESL students.
A transcript of an oral history of Veronica Guzman, student at Century High School, on Hispanics in the Hillsboro schools. The transcript contains Guzman’s answers to questions only. Miss Guzman and her family are from Michoacan, Mexico. She is in the ESL program and also the Spanish news for Jag TV. She feels it helps Hispanic students become more involved in school. She is also in the Hispanic club, Latinos Sin Fronteras.
A transcript of an oral history of Ismael Millan, student at Century High School, on Hispanics in the Hillsboro schools. Ismael Millan was born in the U.S., only his father emigrated from Mexico. His parents are very supportive of his education, and would like him to graduate high school and go on to college. He explains that two of the programs that help Hispanic students with college applications and scholarships are the “Project Plus” and “Project Connection”. Hillsboro School District provides an ESL program and Spanish news.
A transcript of an oral history of Miriam Ramirez, student at Century High School, on Hispanics in the Hillsboro schools. Miss Ramirez is a student at Century High School and is an anchor person for the Spanish News program. Three years ago she came from Mexico and began participating in both the ESL program and the summer school program. She is a member of Latinos Sin Fronteras, a Hispanic club focused on education and getting students involved in school.
A transcript of an oral history of Edwin Rangel-Ramirez, student at Century High School, on Hispanics in the Hillsboro schools. Ramirez is a sixteen-year-old student at Century High School. His parents emigrated from Mexico, but he was born in the U.S. His family emphasizes a good education for better opportunities. Edwin participated in ESL classes until 8th grade. Mr. Ramirez explains his thoughts about increased interaction between ESL and English classes to help the students feel more comfortable with each other.
A transcript of an oral history of Maricruz Serrata, student at Century High School, on Hispanics in the Hillsboro schools. In 1989 Maricruz Serrata and her family emigrated from Mexico to the U.S. They settled in Hillsboro where they already had relatives. Her parents were well educated in Mexico and often stressed the importance of a good education. She was in ESL only in Kindergarten and later was placed in English classes. Miss Serrata expresses her favor towards emmersion in English classes rather than continual ESL. She has received a college scholarship from the Hispanic Metropolitan Chamber.
A transcript of an oral history of Jason Baca, Science and ESL Biology Teacher at Century High School, on Hispanics in the Hillsboro schools. Mr. Baca arrived at Century High School four years ago and began teaching science to ESL class, ESL-integrated class, and a biology class. Generally speaking, the goals is for ESL students to be mainstreamed after 3-4 years. One of the concerns of Mr. Baca is the involvement of the 'Hispanic parents'. However, both the students and parents seem very positive about programs for Hispanic students. Two of the district liaisons have been Ms. Acuña and Ms. Igigi. Within the school there are also ESL programs based in Cambodian and Vietnamese.
A transcript of an oral history of Charles Cleveland, Social Studies Teacher at Hillsboro High School, on Hispanics in the Hillsboro schools. Mr. Cleveland has been a soccer coach for over thirty years and has worked with many Hispanic students who had previous experience playing soccer. Cleveland has also worked in the Summer Migrant program teaching social studies. During the interview, he also discussed his time spent working in the International High School at Hillsboro High School with the State Model United Nations program. The Summer Migrant program started in 1980 for out-of-state children who left their schools before end-of-term to work in the fields. The program allowed them to take classes that they were missing, and was also a social outlet. The program was held at Evergreen Middle School and Glencoe High School. Later in the interview, Cleveland recalls a summer spent in Guadalajara and his experiences in a foreign country and not being fluent in the language. As a result, he reiterates the importance of both these programs and the integration of students within the school community.
A transcript of an oral history of Pat Cochran, Art Teacher at Century High School, on Hispanics in the Hillsboro schools. Ms. Cochran began teaching at Hillsboro High School in 1991 and moved to Century High School in 1997. At the time of the interview, she was teaching four levels of art. According to Cochran, at times language can be a barrier. Nevertheless, the students are at least visually engaged inlearning rather than listening. Overall, Century does a good job meeting student needs, however, the district could do better. The ESL programs are good, yet Ms. Cochran explains additional spanish lessons could prove beneficial. In class they have studied Frieda Callow and Diego Rivera.
A transcript of an oral history of Francisco Cortez, ESL Assistant at Century High School, on Hispanics in the Hillsboro schools. At the time of the interview, Mr. Cortez was an ESL assistant at Century High School and also a juvenile counselor for Washington County. He started the Muvimientos Estudental Chicano de Aslan club, also known as M.E.C.H.A. at Century High School to help Hispanic students go on to higher education. It was started in the 1960s by some Hispanic college students in California. The club was replaced by Latinos Sin Fronteras. He also started a soccer club, Azteca, for off-season play. Believes the ESL program is good for students for 2-3 years and then they should be immersed in English classes. Mr. Henry Wiens and Mr. Cortez’s brother helped to start the Summer Migrant program. Feels Hispanic students need more education in civic law, sex education and accountability. He met Caesar Chavez at Mt. Angel Abbey as a child, and marched with him in Hillsboro during the grape and lettuce boycott.
A transcript of an oral history of Ruben Degollado, ESL Teacher at Poynter Middle School, on Hispanics in the Hillsboro schools. Mr. Degollado is on the Hispanic Outreach Committee which helps parents. Olga Acuña leads the Office of Hispanic Outreach in the district. At the beginning of the program, students start in ESL focusing on language, vocabulary, and American society. Afterwards they move to classes and are then mainstreamed into English classes. Two types of English are taught and are a part of the learning process – BLCS (Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills) and CALPS (Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency Skills). Degollado was recruited into the Hillsboro School District by Mario Alba for the 1999-2000 school year. During the interview, Mr. Degollado explains his involvement in Unión América, which helps Latino teachers stay connected and get retraining when needed. He goes on to discuss his intended role in administration next year along with Gus Balderas, Adelia Schofield, Mario Alba and Carlos Perez. Principal Mike Scott influenced Mr. Degollado’s decision to teach in Hillsboro instead of Woodburn. Degollado also expresses his thoughts regarding student acclimation. He references research done at Virginia Collier which proved that students who are better acclimated to American culture do better in school. A huge help to this at the high school has been Charlene Rivera, one of the home school consultants in the counseling center. Ms. Rivera is bilingual and is dedicated to helping students adjust. One of the tasks Mr. Degollado has worked on this year has been using the money from the Project Task Grant to offer ESL classes to parents within the community. He also states the recent recognizing of The Office of Hispanic Outreach and now works with NEA.
A transcript of an oral history of Maria Fernandez, ESL/Migrant Facilitator at Century High School, on Hispanics in the Hillsboro schools. Maria Fernandez works with the Migrant Worker Program. Students from Mexico face language and cultural barriers. The Hillsboro Outreach program is providing more agencies to help the students. During the interview Fernandez explains the need for parents to be educated about our system. As a result they would be able to more effectively help their children. The Migrant Worker Summer School program helps kids keep up with English skills as well as classes. However, she retierates the need for more Hispanic mentors for students and parents.
A transcript of an oral history of Jonathon Fernow, Teacher on Special Assignment, Title III (ESL), on Hispanics in the Hillsboro schools. Mr. Fernow is currently the ESL TOSH or Teacher on Special Assignment for the Hillsboro School District for Title 3 ESL. Mr. Fernow has also been teaching in the Migrant Summer Camp Program since 1995. He was born in Argentina and schooled in Spanish thru 7th grade. After attending Gresham High School, Fernow went on to attend Warner Pacific College, where he earned an Elementary Education degree. He has taught ESL at all levels, including at Glencoe High School, J.B. Thomas Middle School, and David Hill Elementary Schools. Also during his career, he was principal at a school in the Cayman Islands. Has been a classroom teacher, Resource teacher, and Head teacher (principal) in the Summer Camp program. At the elementary level teaches basic vocabulary and Spanish Literacy. To transition from ESL classes to English, must receive a 4 on a “Woodcock Muños”. Hillsboro has the highest percentage of students exiting ESL in Oregon. Mr. Fernow wrote a report in 1995 on the drop-out rate of Hispanic students in the Hillsboro School District. It was his thesis project for his Master’s Degree at Linfield College. Some of the causes for dropping out were economic reasons, or starting a family at an early age. Some came to high school with only 3rd or 4th grade education and found school to be extremely hard. There are several programs to help dropouts finish their education, for example: Miller Education, PASS program, Migrant Summer Camp program. Hillsboro District is incorporating SIOP program (Sheltered Instruction Objective Protocol), where every lesson has a direct goal and language objective. According to Mr. Fernow one of the best teaching models is the ESL program as it teaches students in dual-language. The “No Child Left Behind” act made ESL students more visible and schools looking for ways to better meet their needs.The State of Oregon expects 11-13% of ESL students to exit the program after five years.
