Behind the Las Vegas Strip

Building Community on a Shoestring Budget

Alana P. Rico

I live in the fabulous city of Las Vegas, Nev., which, like outsiders imagine, is full of lights, casinos, and excitement. But I often remind my family and friends back home in Texas that there are real communities behind the Las Vegas Strip.

I work at Dean Peterson Elementary School, a Title 1 school just five blocks from those world-famous casinos. The nearby community is basically composed of rows of low-rise apartments with families, many of them immigrants, living in poverty and fear in a high-crime area. As a teacher when Dean Peterson opened, I only saw parents in the office or classrooms when there was a problem with their children.

To encourage positive interactions and widen the world for them and their children, I realized that the school needed to unite with the parents and the community. With the support of my principal, Susan Steaffens, the Dean Petersen Family Center was born in the 2008–09 school year. We had an empty classroom, old computers, and no funds—but plenty of energy to begin the journey. With the help of guidance counselor Trish Marquez and family aide Marianela Bermudez, we began offering classes in English as a second language, nutrition, and computers and also immigration workshops.

Some people have the misconception that immigrants do not want to learn English—but they do. Immigrant parents also want to learn how to open a checking account, fill out a job application, use technology, and so forth. Becoming part of the community also confers advantages, should they have the opportunity to become U.S. residents.

In that first year, the Family Center's monthly attendance averaged 75–100 parents. Today we have grown to over 350 visitors a month and have gotten even more innovative in how we use community connections and staff. Community partners, such as Phi Delta Kappa, assist with school activities and grant-writing. We offer classes such as:

• Quilting, scrapbooking, and crocheting, taught by teacher volunteers
• Sewing
• Parenting skills
• Safety, taught by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department

I also realized that our parents were hungry for cultural celebrations, such as a Christmas Posada or Cinco de Mayo—whether they were from Mexico, Cuba, Africa, or Nepal. Celebrating such holidays produced a sense of belonging and a connection to a rich cultural past, even as families look to the future. Because our parents now feel more comfortable at school, many help with our various festivals, fundraising, and clerical duties and volunteer for events such as picture day.

Our funds are still very limited, but with the right networking skills in the community and the enthusiasm of families and staff, the Dean Petersen Family Center will continue to thrive behind the glittery lights of the Las Vegas Strip. Today, our Las Vegas illuminations are the shining and bright faces of our parents and students coming to a school that makes them feel welcome and empowered.

Alana P. Rico is an English language learning specialist at Dean Peterson Elementary School in Las Vegas, Nev.

ASCD Express, Vol. 5, No. 21. Copyright 2010 by ASCD. All rights reserved. Visit www.ascd.org/ascdexpress.