April was a busy month

I saw two (good) events at Alisal Community School in the month of April that I've never experienced anywhere else. One was a pep rally for the California State Tests (CST) held at the beginning of May. The other was Children's Day.

First up: The Pep Rally. Every classroom made posters with motivational messages, like "I will rock the CST" or "Do your Best on the Test." At 1pm, all the students lined up with no semblance or order on the blacktop outside the school. Teachers and staff gave every kid a helium balloon, either yellow or black in honor of the school's colors. They were marched towards the infield of the track, where a DJ was blasting Black-Eyed Peas and Shakira hits. The 5th and 6th grade cheerleaders led the school in cuteness and pep. The principal, Ms. Armenta, led the school in dancing with awkward school-appropriate hip movements (which is hard for Latina girls, even if they're only 5 years old) and frightening love. Some of the more intense young men decided to try out their breakdance moves on the grass, with varying degrees of injury and success. One little first grade boy was so overwhelmed by the festivities that he prostrated himself into a defense curl, on top of a manhole, and hid his head from the enthusiastic noise and Californian sunshine.

Possibly the most touching was the chanting, started by the 4th graders at the request of Ms. Armenta. She encouraged each grade to come up with a cheer, and the 4th graders chose the famous "Sí se puede" (or "Yes we can," the motto of the United Farm Workers coined by César Chávez). Yelled from a grassy field in the Salad Capital of America- Chávez's own soapbox and stomping grounds-the passion of that cheer carried beyond the test in the coming weeks. The kids yelled the chant in words understood more clearly than most of the ones that they would see on the fast-approaching CST. I've never felt as connected to the strength and passion of the Mexican people than I did at that moment. Their parents might be working hard in the fields, and now their children work just as hard, if not harder, in the classroom.