Encouraging everyone to make education and the safety of children a priority, Geoffrey Canada, founder and CEO of Harlem’s Children Zone, visited Fenger High School May 14 for a special rally in the Roseland community on May 14.
Canada’s visit was part of the kickoff for the
SGA Roseland Children’s Initiative, a cradle to career effort – inspired by the
Harlem Children’s Zone – that looks to provide support to children and their
families in the Far South Side community and help rebuild and recreate there.
Since fall 2009 when Fenger became one of the
Chicago Public Schools turnaround schools – a controversial program where the
school is emptied of its students and staff and all new of each are brought
back in – current principal Elizabeth Dozier has noticed improvements at the
school, once deemed one of the school district’s most underperforming. Dozier
now points to a reduction in the dropout rate, a 30 increase in Freshman
On-Track rate, an increase in ACT scores and over 70 percent participation in
extra-curricular activities.
Dozier said after visiting Harlem, doing
research and seeing how the process works, she and other community leaders and
organizations are looking to see what is best for the Roseland community.
“We’re trying to mobilize resources and support
not only Fenger high school but the community and the children to really ensure
that from cradle-to-career students are exposed to a multitude of options, have
proper health care and are educated to the best that we can offer,” Dozier
said.
Travel hiccups delayed Canada’s arrival to the
event, but his message was still as poignant and on time as ever for those who turned
out for the rally. He explained that he got involved in the community where his
students lived because in 1985, he noticed 11 of his students had died in such
a short time due to violence.
“When I started watching my kids die in the 80s,
I realized the code had changed,” said the Harvard-educated Canada.
A native of South Bronx who also lived on Long
Island in New York, Canada admits to encountering fights with other kids as a
youth, but the fight never ended in gun violence like today.
“As children then, we learned as long as you
thought you were tough there was always someone tougher than you. As kids we
learned you have to set boundaries and think about consequences because
fighting wasn’t a fun thing,” he said.
Canada said as he began to look at the issues
today’s youth are facing, he
noticed it wasn’t the kids but “the problem with this kind of behavior
escalates completely throughout your community.”
“For my staff, if kids don’t go to college then
you don’t get to keep your job,” he said.
Yolonda Watson, member of the No Child Left
Behind Parent Advisory Council, in conjunction with SGA Youth and Family
Services, and parent of two Fenger students said she enjoyed the rally but wish
there was more participation from the parents.
Since being involved with her children’s
education, Watson has noticed her children are more active with after school
and sports programs.
“I’m working on more parental involvement in our
organization because some parents just don’t take the time out for their
children’s education,” she said.
Watson said changes within the school has taken
place and the community is getting better, “but in order to change the
stereotypes we’re going to have to bring people from the outside in, give the
neighborhood more insight on what’s going on at Fenger and create an atmosphere
where the parents trust you enough to help.”
Community leader and entrepreneur, Leon Walker
who grew up in Roseland, discussed how everyone plays a part in reinvesting in
the future of Roseland.
Walker said he has found his purpose in bringing
corporate information, major developments and skills back to help his community
gain what was lost.
Alderman Carrie M. Austin of 34th Ward – which
includes parts of Roseland – said she supports Fenger high school.
“The students are good at Fenger and it’s never anything
happening in the school, it’s what happens when the children are outside of the
school,” said Austin.
She hopes the children strive to want better.
“Students need to learn when approaching
conflict it doesn’t have to end up with them fighting,” she said. If you can be
a great debater then that means you can be a great attorney, a great judge and
learn how to resolve problems for others.”
Copyright 2011 Chicago Defender
