Covid fears keep many Latino kids out of classrooms
For the past year, 13-year-old twins Ariel Jr. and Abraham Osorio have logged on to their online classes from their parents flower shop. Ariel nestles in a corner among flowers, bows and stuffed animals. Abraham sets up on a small table in the back, where his dad used to work trimming flowers and keeping the books.
It s not ideal for learning: It s loud. It s cramped. It s bustling with people. Still, when the twins mother, Graciela Osorio, recently had the chance to send her kids back to Brightwood Elementary in Monterey Park, California, she decided against it.
Gotta be the shoes: Brightwood School students in Springfield receive Nikes in memory of ‘sneakerhead’ Peyton Smith
Updated Apr 15, 2021;
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SPRINGFIELD Besides a quality education and balanced meals every day, some students have other needs that can often go unnoticed, like shoes that fit just right and haven’t been handed down from siblings or cousins.
“We often see children who have to share shoes with their siblings or will wear the same pair of shoes year after year even if they are worn out. There is definitely a need for some of our families,” said Jose Escribano, principal at Brightwood Elementary in Springfield.
Former students remember him as a teacher who had a New York accent and high expectations. I m not going to lie, he was tough, said former student Alisa Van-Truong. He was tough because he wanted you to be the best.
A former member of the Army Reserves, Glick always came to school dressed in his best. He would come to school every day, his starched shirt, creases in his slacks, Yee said. Shirt and tie every single day.
In Glick s classroom, each row of desks had its own assigned military letter and one team captain. That was done to encourage friendly competition between the students, Van-Truong said.