Local District 6

Pupil Services and Attendance

Paving the Way
LOS ANGELES UNIFIED V O L U M E 4 I S S U E 3 D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 9
SCHOOL
DISTRICT
Smart Choices at South Gate
DISTRICT 6
SATELLITE
High School
OFFICE By: America Alvarenga-Phillips
4247 ELIZABETH ST.
CUDAHY, CA 90201
This year South Gate High School (SGHS) had its 1st Annual Pregnancy Prevention Day. The theme of
PHONE: the event was “Smart Choices.” The occasion was strategically chosen on the same day as Homecom-
ing, since many of the students planned to have parties and gatherings that evening. Every student and
(323)560-4293
faculty member wore a red ribbon in support of the cause. The red ribbon symbolized, “Stop,
FAX: Think……Make the Right Choice.” . There were over 3,000 ribbons worn throughout the day and into
the evening.
(323)560-0521
Although the posters had the name of our PSA Counselor to offer any guidance, when it comes to talk-
ing about preventing teen pregnancy, few voices are as powerful or authentic as those of teens them-
selves. An abundance of students made banners that were posted throughout the school with different
Dionne Y. Ash, MSW slogans in hope of having students think about the consequences of sex. The Media and Communica-
Administrator tions Academy made a 10 minute Public Service Announcement for the school that featured pregnant
and parenting teens who volunteered to share their stories. These SGHS students explained the sacri-
Velma Davis, M. Ed. fices and hardships entailed in their current situation of being pregnant or a parenting teen. Many
SARB Chairperson students expressed their sentiments as to the lack of guidance in talking to them about sex or answering
questions regarding their development. Many felt that having a day like this provided the opportunity
Carmen Lendo, MSW for students to ask questions about feelings, pressures, and in essence, what choices are available to
District Counselor them. Many students strongly believe young people need more information about abstinence and
contraception.
Monica Santana, MSW
South Gate High School has taken a comprehensive approach to preventing teen pregnancy in three
District Counselor
ways. First, each of the eight Academies has a component that promotes academic success, connected-
ness, and self worth; all of which have shown to reduce high risk behaviors. Second, multiple group
counseling groups have been implemented surrounding the subjects of emotional support, education,
Specialized Unit tutoring, and social support groups whereby students attend recreational field trips. These programs
Counselors: have been proven to reduce high risk behaviors amongst teens. Lastly, partnering with the community
with programs aimed at positive youth development such as parent education group that teach skills on
Marcia Price, MSW how to speak to their children about the consequences of having sex and making negative choices have
Neglected and also proven beneficial. Currently, after school classes on meditation, garage band sessions, salsa and
Delinquent Counselor merengue dancing are offered.
The ultimate desired outcome is a decrease in teen pregnancies, and an increase in graduation rates. Of
Ana Quintero the pregnant teens and teen fathers during the last school year, only 30% returned after giving birth, and
Homeless Education the other 70% chose to stay home and raise their child.
(213) 763-7431 We know where there is education and awareness - pregnancy rates among teens decrease. South Gate
High School has invested in this concept and strives to infuse education and hope into the lives of their
students and of their youngest parents to be. Their babies will reap the dividends of far fewer teen births
in the decades to come. As interventionists, it is difficult for us to think in terms of 10-15 years in the
future. As Pupil Services and Attendance (PSA) counselors, however, it is much easier to realize the
more we invest in awareness, education and choices, the fewer teen parents we will have in our future
genera-
tions.
 Keeping Kids in School and Preventing Drop-Outs
PAGE 2 By: Elaine Ruiz
“President Obama says, ‘When you drop out of school, you’re not just quitting on yourself, you’re quit-
ting on your country’. We need to educate our way to a better economy, and we won’t be able to do
that if one in four kids who enter high school aren’t graduating within four years.”
More than ever we are faced with a multi-faceted epidemic in our country and the Bell High School
community is stepping up to the challenge. Students are dropping out of school in high numbers and
Bell High school has taken steps forward to address this issue that affects EVERYONE. “La Crisis” or
the economic crisis we face now has been linked to high school dropout rates. New findings show that
the best economic stimulus is a high school diploma, in order to achieve long-term economic stability
the nation needs to focus attention on students at risk of dropping out (U.S. Press Release September
23, 2009).
At Bell HS strides have been made towards helping students stay in school. Principal, Dr. Onofre Di
Stefano, stated at an assembly “I consider all of you At-Risk, and I want all of you to graduate”. Statis-
tics show that nearly half percent of all 9th graders don’t make it to their graduation ceremony and Bell
HS is no exception. Many intervention programs and assemblies have been implemented across the
campus including a career panel from Chivas USA addressing this issue and motivating students to stay
in school. Our community at large has also taken notice. For Example, MTV 3 has produced a docu-
mentary about Bell High students searching for friends that dropped out. “Yearbook Chronicles” illus-
trates the harsh reality and reasons why students drop out.
The top 3 reasons students drop out of high school are;
1. Adults giving up on them,
On behalf of Local 2. Falling behind in school/poor attendance
District 6 Pupil 3. Having to work to help out at home
Services and If students fall within one of these criteria they should seek their counselor immediately. Bell High
school is moving in the right direction with dropout rates decreasing 1.8% last year. (http://
Attendance and blogamole.mtvtr3s.com/mg/documentary)
Dropout
Prevention,
We wish you and Dionne Y. Ash: PSA Administrator’s Spotlight on PSA Counselor:
your family a Rosalba Gonzalez
warm holiday
season and a My name is Rosalba González. I was born and raised in Cuernavaca, Morelos, MX. My family
immigrated to the US when I was only 14 ½ years old. Coming to a new country and not
Happy New Year! knowing the language was a challenge. I attended Bethune Jr. and subsequently was bused
from BHS to Verdugo Hills HS in Tujunga, Ca. As I graduated from HS, my goal was to be-
come a prestigious and recognized dentist, but as I started to work as a paraprofessional at
Fishburn Elementary my interest changed. It was rewarding to see that my students were
learning what I was teaching them. Therefore, I pursued a career in Education. I earned my
BA degree at CAL State LA in Urban Learning with a minor in Education, and a Masters of
Science in School Counseling and Educational Leadership.
Six years later, I ended up teaching at Fishburn Elementary. When I got hired as a PSA Coun-
selor, I was fortunate to remain at Fishburn as its new PSAC. As a PSA Counselor, I was first assigned to a multiple
school assignment in LD6. This was a difficult transition and I even felt like going back to the classroom, however,
when I was placed at Bell High as a full time PSA, my perspective changed. I planned and coordinated the imple-
mentation of our current attendance policy, which eventually became synonymous with “constant improvement”
according to Dr. Di Stefano, Principal. I was able to implement and established attendance protocols to better ser-
vice our families. It’s rewarding to see that every year our attendance rate continues to soar, and that our hard
work is paying off. After all, Coming to School Pays Off! And at the same time BHS is graduating more students.
I genuinely care about helping children become successful. I strongly believe that we all benefit from education.
That every person is equally deserving of receiving the best academic preparation regardless of race and social
class. This is exactly why I am in the education field, so I can inspire children to follow their dreams and live up to
their potential. Our job may be draining at times, but rewarding when we get to see the fruitful results.
I was raised with the idea that I have to do my best, and this is why I try hard to bring into my school as many ser-
vices as I can to ensure that our students’ needs are met.

Volume 4, Issue 3 December 2009