El Portal

139610~Open schools for those who really don’t want to
learn—
It is sad to read articles like the one I just read. It makes me feel like we have taken things back to the 60s but rather than saying let’s keep the hispanic kids out of our schools, your saying “the students who don’t want learn.” It is extremely sad to see that in this day and age there are people who are still trying to shut out those who are less fortunate. If we don’t help those who cannot help themselves, who will? It is a sad fact that there are many Gilroy parent’s who have given up on their children, we are lucky that we have a program like El Portal who have given these students a new hope. Many of the students at El Portal would not be in school at all if El Portal didn’t exist. Remember, the students attending El Portal didn’t just appear, they are products of the Gilroy Unified School District who, time and time again, failed them. El Portal is simply taking over where the GUSD left off. You can’t take a student who is at a 3rd grade level and teach him everything his teachers at the “regular” GUSD schools didn’t teach them. Ms. Apuzzo, speak to some El Portal students, they will tell you their stories (and don’t worry, they do, in fact, speak English.) Everytime Ms. Apuzzo speaks of El Portal she might as well substitute the word poor Mexicans…regardless of whether or not that is what she is trying to say(or is WOMAN enough to admit it)that is how it makes me feel. Please remember, this is the United States. All of us were underdogs at one time or another, El Portal is simply helping those whom the Gilroy Unified School District and People like Ms. Apuzzo, have deemed useless, unteachable, unwanted, etc. There are hundreds of thousands of people out there today whom have benefited from programs like El Portal, Academia Calmecac, and Downtown College Prep who, without these programs, may have been the people that robbed your house or broken into your car. Luckily they were saved by people who are willing to help those who actually need the help. Let’s not simply look at statistics from greatschools.com, let’s ask some real questions. Why are these students so behind? How many of the El Portal students would have taken college prep courses at GHS? What percentage of the Hispanic students at GHS are encouraged to take the college prep course of study? Answer these questions and you will have the real reason behind why El Portal is so neccesary in our community. These are our children. We need to nuture them and offer them as many educational options as possible.