 RENO, NV, Nov. 18, 2007 -- For Gladys Cabriales, going to school every day had become a negative experience. A year ago, some of her schoolmates made her middle-school experience a living hell.
"Because of her corpulence, many people would make fun of her body; they called her names," said Alvaro Cabriales Aguirre, her father. "We changed her school because we thought that it would be for her benefit but, (the situation) ended up worse." The circumstances were exacerbated because as a "new girl" at Traner Middle School, Gladys, 15, was taunted more. Her father noticed her behavior became problematic. Aside from being more irritable, Gladys began to assault the people who would offend her. Her father said she also began hanging around the wrong crowd and using drugs.
"People were making fun of me," Gladys said. "I didn't used to get along with my mom, my dad and my little brother." But everything changed when her desperation led her to skip school. A counselor at her school spoke to her father and recommended that he place her in a Washoe County School District pilot program. "She's gone to therapy and it's given results," said Cabriales Aguirre, in Spanish.
"They've helped raise her self-esteem." Gladys is not alone. Many students who avoid going to school have underlying problems that compel them to dismiss their academics, said Nicole Mara, the Bridge Center's director of operations. The truancy reduction and prevention program is provided by the Bridge Center, an agency that aims to keep young people, ages 6 through 18, in school. "We've realized that truancy is a symptom of other issues," Mara said. "These issues may range from academic deficiencies to socioeconomic issues, family disengagement, substance abuse, transportation and even mental-health and behavior issues."
The program seeks to help families and their children re-engage in their education. It helps them design a graduation plan and stick to the plan, so that the students may graduate on time and at their proper grade level, Mara said. The Bridge Center takes each referred case, identifies the student's problems, and then addresses their troubles through family counseling, substance abuse counseling, social services, case management and other programs.
The program was first piloted in the district during the 2006-2007 school year for about 60 students from various middle and high schools. This year, the program is focusing on six consortium schools in Sparks and southeast Reno: Wooster High School, Sparks High School, Pine Middle School, Vaughn Middle School and Dilworth Middle School. This program is free of charge to the parents of kids in these schools; it's paid for with a grant from the Nevada Department of Education. Parents of students who do not attend one of the consortium schools might have to pay up to $800 for the program, which does offer a sliding scale for fees based on income and ability to pay.
When a child has unexcused absences at one of the six schools -- usually three absences or more -- the school contacts the family to let it know about the issue and the option of placing the child in the program. If the family decides to explore the option, a facilitator goes to the child's home to explain the program, ask questions, identify the needs of the student and try to understand the dynamics of the family. Parents and the children then are invited to an informational meeting at the Bridge Center.
Thereafter, the students must partake in two assessments: a mental health/substance abuse evaluation and an educational evaluation. "That is where the focus of working toward graduation, working through family issues, mental health, substance abuse issues starts," Mara said. Facilitators in the program must maintain constant communication with the parents, student and the school's counselors to ensure the student's success in the program and foster their trust. Providing students with merit prizes for their accomplishments, such as movie tickets, also helps, Mara said. "When presented as a positive step toward their graduation, we get their buy-in in realizing their own destiny and graduating successfully from high school," she said.
But triumph is a group effort, said Sara Haldeman, coordinator of the truancy and prevention program. "We can have measurable results as long as the whole family is willing to participate," Haldeman said. Cabriales Aguirre also realizes the importance of that stipulation. He's been working with his family to allow for better communication with his daughter and trying to foster respect between Gladys and her brother.
"Everything is functioning well, thank God," Cabriales Aguirre said. "(Gladys) no longer gets mad with the people who offend her -- she doesn't even pay attention to them." Gladys since has moved on to high school, where she is surrounded by a more mature group of people who don't taunt her, she said. And she said she's stayed away from drugs and has been clean for six months.
"It wasn't worth it because it was just destroying my mind and my body," Gladys said. "I decided it was dumb to do. I started losing my friends and my parents didn't trust me anymore." However, students often are reluctant to take part in the program when they first begin the process. "I didn't want to (partake in the program), but I had no choice," Gladys said. "It was either that or go to the McGee Center." McGree Center is a runaway shelter and youth services center for unruly teens in southeast Reno. She said facilitators initially offered her tutoring for school, but she was dissatisfied because she'd always been an "A" and "B" student and thus did not need academic help. However, she said the counseling did make a difference. "When I went to the counselor, I really liked it because I had someone to talk to," Gladys said. "I get along with everybody there. I think it is a great place to go for help. I have activities with them, such as drawing (and) talking. They don't give you limits there, and they do help you a lot."
For more information, interviews, or photos, contact The Bridge Center at 775-857-2999, or visit us on the Web at www.renobridgecenter.com.
About The Bridge Center
The Bridge Center was established in 2006 with the ultimate goal of providing a comprehensive array of wrap-around services for children 2 through 18 years of age. Our hope is to help remove the barriers to success for children and adolescents through a process that addresses socioeconomic factors, educational deficiencies, chemical dependence, and mental health and behavioral concerns. By finding the causes, The Bridge Center plans to give hope to the future of our community |
