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That's my role of a comeback. OK I was mentioning before that you said he had implemented the bilingual bicultural program for four years already and I mean we can because it's much more than that I just mentioned a total of the more complete implementation. We were one of the first schools but with much less of an implementation we've really been as large as we were about oil. So I clarify that. OK then what I was trying to say since you increase the bilingual program you've seen more active participation of a community exactly in the other sense what I'm trying to do is and I'm not much and you also mention for example when I said Oh if it's clean here maybe they'll try to clean up. But if it started here maybe there are going to be even more dirty. What happens when a school doesn't implement a biting well by Concho program would that be able to foster even more direct action more alcoholism more shocking behavior. Well in in a negative sense it was stand there reason that it would. Because if we have seen such a positive proactive

result in our bilingual bicultural program in terms of our parental involvement in terms of attendance in terms of the students feeling of self-worth and their own identity towards who they were therefore having a larger capacity to accept the different cultures around them if that is has such a positive effect I think you would stand to reason by not implementing that it would have a negative effect. And I think if we go back into the history of why bilingual bicultural education was started we found that Hispanics had the highest amount of dropout rate the lowest attendance and lowest the GV because it was very simple. If you cannot learn or understand in a language that you don't know. That to me is so clear it's so evident. And by teaching the child in the language that he or she knows so you can continue to learn for example if I wanted to teach gravity and I taught you in the language you knew all you would have to do is learn the English words and the

concept you would still have. So there's a big difference between learning and just the language. So we have found since such a positive movement that I would certainly say they would be a negative result if this didn't happen. So you're basically also saying that there is so many elements involved in our community need self and improving community. I like your last saying Be proud of yourself. You're trying to improve their self-esteem by saying proving their self-esteem. They start liking a lot in their neighborhood. And by the way there will be less negative behaviors less alcohol and less drug addiction. Exactly and the point is that that can't be done just in words. We can't just have a slogan We're so proud. You have to have something to be proud of and we have worked in three major areas. We wanted to be proud academically. We wanted to be plowed of our school in terms of how it looked and we wanted to have our school be safe a safe place to come to. And in those three major

areas we've accomplished that. So when our students leave here and they wear their shirt we're so proud they have something that they can say they are proud of. They're proud of themselves for having improved academically in their attendance. They're proud of their school because it's clean and they're proud of the fact that it is a safe place they come and they share that pride as they leave. And it's into the community. We have a project where we've adopted a block and we have many of our parents who are cleaning up a lot. Next to our school they're going to make it a science project where Rutgers University is going to come and work with our sixth grade boys and girls in a plant science program in environmental studies. So it doesn't just stay here. It has a tendency to spread and to grow this feeling of pride. And there is where your preventive type programs have an effect because now you're proud of what you do here. So it expands and it expands into the larger community.

And being in the same token how about in terms descent elementary school and stuff like that some of those kids have brothers that go to high school things where obviously there is a higher rate of drug involvement or alcoholism. Do you feel about those younger kids could even Sarah Carly's for the older kids that are getting involved in those areas. Well I would hope so. I wouldn't want to be presumptuous to say that that would happen because when a child is already in other words if this was a spectrum and once a child has already reached a crisis or a trauma situation where they're deeply involved in drugs and they're abusing themselves in probably many other ways in terms of not going to school et cetera et cetera. We're we're deeply involved in researching that if that is and you know where we're spending too much attention that if in fact we did a better job on the elementary level of prevention that hopefully many of our students won't enter into that trauma. Many of the high schools and junior highs do tremendous

the good things in terms of that area. Many of the problems we have never surprises me could have we could have many many more problems. But because our junior highs and high schools worked very hard in that area with there we have a we have less than what we could have. I don't know if we could make that analogy that if younger students could affect their older brothers and sisters I would hope so. I would hope as a role model they would they would get smart and look at what some of the younger brothers and sisters are doing but well we certainly hope to to prove is that as our children move on down the line that there's less and less involvement or need for involvement with those type of negative things and their hope their aspirations and their dreams in more positive areas and measure success based on the programs that we've started here. And let's talk a little bit about the program of the high school kids in here and teach what is a benefit.

What is the relationship between that so that's a good question because what we've basically done there is we've taken YOUNG PEOPLE. Who are new to our country and they were very scared at first and they were in secure and they weren't sure that they were going to be welcomed or that they had any value in this new strange land and by inviting them over here according to some of their teachers which I've talked to their attitude towards their learning and towards being in a new place is change. Why. Because they were valued and they're needed here and that many of our young students love having them come and they tutor them because they are very smart in their own language. They tutor them in Spanish and I my understanding is this new found feeling of self-worth has translated itself into some positive learning experiences for them the Berenger and they're doing much better in terms of their language and much better in terms of English as well. So I think the benefit has benefited us. Our kids

love having them and we need them. And yet it has benefited them. I believe you had the opportunity to also interview a senior citizen who has come one of the positive and most beautiful experiences I can remember it was last year. One of the senior citizens came up to me after they had worked with one of the students and gave me a big hug and said Mr. Michel this is been the happiest day of my life. Now to me that was so meaningful because not only did she share a lot of her experience and love and caring to this child but she in turn got rewarded by seeing herself as someone that was valuable. And we need her very much. So the same with the high school students. That feeling of self-worth has translated itself into some positive actions and preventive actions for them in high school. I was going to ask a question but you are a hazard to finalize the interview I just want to know how do you forsee the future of the Hispanic community know very positively.

I think demographics show that by the turn of the century Hispanics will be the largest minority group in the United States. This portends very strong political force. This portends a movement which shows a sense of pride there's a sense of pride in numbers alone. But more importantly the bilingual bicultural programs that have been started that are in place are producing a whole new. A whole new era of of Hispanic feeling towards being who you are being proud of who you are and yet not being against what is new. Now once again our feeling is you don't have to tear down in order to build up. And since the involvement of bilingual bicultural programmes I see an awful lot of very positive things happening in Hispanic community and I see very positive things happening. The reality is though if jobs aren't improved

then it's going to be a problem for all people who are struggling and and on the upward swing because it's tough enough in good times. So I see very positive potential but I also see unless our economy and our job situation is increased then that of course is is another story. All right. Thanks a lot. OK.