Educate the Dream

I don’t often weigh in on the immigration debate, but I have views. One of these is young people, no matter who they are and how they got here, they need to be educated. Education is a gateway to productive participation in our society. All young men and woman who are motivated and work hard deserve educational opportunities so they can contribute and may have real hope for the future.

Back in Arlington I was proud and privileged to get involved with something called the Arlington Mill High School Continuation Program. It runs approximately 300-350 students. I would say that about 90 percent of the students are immigrants or children of immigrants. They are mostly Hispanic, ESL and HILT students, but their collective heritage spanned the globe -- Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa and Middle East are all well represented, in addition to Central and South America. The continuation program is an alternative education vehicle with night classes and day sessions, set up to flexibly allow students 16 years of age and up, almost all of whom work, to complete a high school education that otherwise would end up in the dropout statistic bin. Options include on-line courses. It's a stay in program. 

When I got involved, Arlington Mill was an orphaned program in the sense, that at critical junctures, no one outside of its administration was speaking up for the program or on behalf of its students (the traditional schools are well represented by PTA's). The students themselves had no organized voice, not even a student council, a problem that was only later rectified. The program was being pushed around and losing ground. The situation was difficult for Arlington Mill students but easy for me, because all I had to do to help, literally, was to speak up.

Shortly after I left Arlington, the promised change from program to high school was implemented. Arlington Mill High School had its first graduation ceremony last spring. Here is the graduation video.

 

If you have some time it is instructive and uplifting to listen to the speakers. The School Board Chair recounts the story of the young man who sold three cows to leave his native land in order to finance his journey to this country in search of his mother. A young lady speaks of the joys and challenges of the Arlington Mill experience.  A young man recounts the seven year journey it took to get to this point. My friend Barbara Thompson, Arlington Mill principal (she was called “administrator” when Arlington Mill was still a program) tells the graduating students, as I heard her say so many times, to read, read and read and never stop. You would be hard pressed anywhere to find a group of students happier and prouder of earning their high school diplomas. 

Dr. Thompson worked hard with the state to drive the adoption of an alternative accreditation program for Arlington Mill. Traditional graduation time frames do not apply.

"It may take a little longer, but they get there," Arlington Mill Principal Barbara Thompson said. "The final outcome is much more important than the snapshot in time the data provides."

Arlington business persons are coming forward to give Arlington Mill students something to shoot for.

Edson Flores Awarded Arlington Rotary Challenge Stipend 

Edson Flores, a graduate of the Arlington Mill High School, was awarded a two year stipend of $10,000 to help with his college expenses by the Arlington Rotary Education Foundation on Thursday, July 18. The Foundation is the Arlington Rotary Club’s non-profit organization for helping Arlington students.  It created the Arlington Rotary Challenge Stipend to help Arlington high school graduates who have made a dramatic turn-around in their educational pursuits and who need financial support to attend college.  An Arlington resident, Edson graduated from Arlington Mill in 2012 and is a server at Gordon Biersch Restaurant.  He will attend Northern Virginia Community College studying business.  For the past year, he has been mentoring and tutoring students in math at Arlington Mill on his days off.   

Arlington Mill High School Principal Barbara Thompson said “We are proud of Edson, a prime example of Arlington Mill students who are dedicated and committed to completing their high school diplomas. Congratulations to the Rotarians for helping him pursue his college dream.” 

Rotarian Joe Lott, Foundation President, said “Edson’s activities exemplify Rotary’s spirit of service above self.  Our club is pleased that we can help Edson achieve his academic goal.” 

About Arlington Mill High School

Arlington’s newest accredited high school has a full diploma awarding program, offering academic, career and technical courses in day and evening classes. The school will be co-located with the Arlington Career Center beginning in August 2013. Students enrolled in Arlington Mill High School receive their diploma from Arlington Mill.

Arlington Mill
joins hands
around the world.

Yes! Arlington Mill moved to the Arlington Career Center campus in my old neighborhood last month. This is a win/win for the school because now all the students will have ready access to STEM courses and vocational and technical training, as well as easy access to the school itself (the campus is located just off Columbia Pike, easily accessible by bus from the west end where most of the students live). It looks like the strategy of quietly running the night program at the Career Center problem free for several years has paid off.  In the 2006-2007 time frame, my then neighbors went ballistic about the prospect of having Arlington Mill vagrants and criminals across the parking lot from their precious children who attend the neighborhood school on the other side. It was NIMBY, NIMBY, NIMBY. Now the liberal insularity (these people voted 70 percent for Obama, they claim to be open and inclusive, they are phonies and liars to the core) is overcome. 

All the best to Arlington Mill High School and its faculty, staff and student body.