WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. By John F. Bailey. January 4, 2007: The White Plains Youth Bureau, partnering with El Centro Hispano, the Hitchcock Presbyterian Church of Scarsdale, the City School District and the White Plains Department of Public Safety launched an information-outreach program to Hispanic parents of White Plains last night: Family Excel.
The first of twelve dinner-programs to acquaint parents with White Plains schools and city resources and procedures attracted 22 Hispanic parents and approximately 35 of their children to Highlands Middle School. The program is open to parents whose children participate in Club Excel, the Youth Bureau after school program for Hispanic youngsters. Family Excel is a new program to aid Spanish-speaking mothers and dads to help their children to succeed in school and adjust to the community. For information on the Club Excel and Family Excel program, you are urged to contact Sherri Williamson of the Youth Bureau at 761-8865 or 422-1378. Photos, WPCNR News
Sherri Williams, Club Excel Director, right and Digna Johnson, left, a White Plains resident who crew up in Honduras, who has made White Plains her home after being victimized by Hurricane Katrina. Ms. Johnson conducted the evening program with Detective LaValle Larrier of the White Plains Department of Public Safety.
According to Sherri Williams, the Director of the Club Excel for the City Youth Bureau , the weekly dinner meetings will introduce school district guidance counselors, officials, grading and report card procedures, sessions on how to communicate with teachers, and direct them to resources for their children and themselves, within the school district and the City of White Plains.
The parents attending enjoyed a dinner prepared by Caramba restaurant then met with Detective LaValle Larrier (left above) and Digna Johnson of the Youth Bureau for an overview of the program and a get-acquainted session.
The group represented countries from Mexico, Chile, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, introduced themselves talked about differences in education in their countries and the United States and got acquainted, laughing often, finding common ground, recognizing similar experiences and developed a rapport with several expressing appreciation for the initiative to help them.
Straub, The Catalyst: Dr. Frank Straub, Commissioner of Public Safety, spoke of his experience in Columbia and Mexico, saying he saw first hand what a disconnect between the community and its residents can do, and assured the audience there was no disconnect in White Plains, ("White Plains is just the opposite") that there are organizations, school resources, and Public Safety resources available to help. Straub also suggested the programming he felt would be most helpful to White Plains immigrants which helped form the core of the Family Excel program that began last night.
Scarsdale Church Reaches Out to White Plains Hispanics: Betsy Bush of the Hitchcock Presbyterian Church in Scarsdale said the dinner program concept to facilitate bringing the Hispanic parents together, grew out her church desire to help new Hispanic immigrants to White Plains adjust to their new home
“It was a collaboration between people in Hitchcock who wanted to find a program that would be useful to our growing Hispanic community in our neighbor, White Plains. Isabel Villar (of El Centro Hispano) suggested we talk to Frank Straub the Police Commissioner, so we had a wonderful meeting with him and (Deputy Police Chief) Ann Fitizsimmons. Dr. Straub said what we really need is a more effective program that deals with the issues immigrant families are facing in Westchester and an idea arose that I don’t think any of us could have though of individually.”
"We thought by providing a meal that would draw families for an evening, take care of the kids, provide the food that would be the glue that would hold all the different parts of the program together. There were resources that would be available, but what they couldn’t do was provide the food. Hitchcock Presyterian Church has underwritten the meals prepared by Caramba Restaurant, and given a grant to Centro Hispano to provide the meals. We (the church) couldn’t cook all the meals, but we could pay for somebody else to cook.”
Councilman Arnold Bernstein, Chair of the White Plains Youth Board, greeted the throng of 55 with three lines of fluent Spanish which was greeted by applause, and invited the audience to explore the 50 programs for youth that the Youth Bureau offers.
Superintendent of Schools Timothy Connors spoke of how the White Plains community comes together to provide for the community's children by pooling the resources of the city and school district.
After a dinner of pork and onions, yellow rice and black and brown beans and boiled potatoes and onions, the 22 parents, fathers and mothers went to Room 105 at Highlands where Detective LaValle Larrier of the White Plains Department of Public Safety and Digna Johnson , Family Literacy Coordinator for the White Plains Youth Bureau provided an overview of the program.
Digna Johnson reported on parents' reactions: “We got the parents to introduce themselves and the countries they are from, how many children they had in the White Plains schools. They discussed their educational experiences in their country, and I let them know what is expected of their children here (in the White Plains School System). We did a comparison of educational systems in their country and education experiences here.”
Ms. Johnson said the parents are impressed with education in White Plains: “They all mostly agreed the education system in the United States is much better. Education here is put first, sometimes back home sometimes depending on your status. If you were poor you didn’t really get a great education. If you had money, you were able to go to the city and get a good education.”
WPCNR asked if the parents raised any particular concerns, Johnson said, “One gentleman was saying with Detective Larrier, the concern was that undocumented people didn’t want to come out and get the support because they were scared they were going to get reported to immigration. Detective Larrier aid basically they are here for the people. When something happens, the White Plains Police are not coming out to get them they are here to protect and serve.”
The program continues next week at Eastview School. For information on how your children and you can participate in Club Excel and the Family Excel experience, do not hesitate to contact Ms. Williamson at 761-8865.
