The Privilege of Walking
Author:
Magali Aguado, Fabiola Cardenas
Every high school freshman dreams of earning a
diploma. Unfortunately, at Watsonville High School,
about 20 percent of the freshmen will never make it to
their senior year. And of those who become seniors,
more than 10 percent will not graduate. When we first
thought of doing this story, we believed the low
graduation rate and high dropout rates had to do with
the lack of resources available for students. We
wanted to know who was to blame, so we interviewed
students and counselors to try and figure out why
students are being held back from the privilege of
walking.
Surprisingly, after interviewing several students and
counselors from Watsonville and Aptos High, we found
out that lack of resources might not be the problem.
There are many resources offered to students to help
them graduate. It isn’t clear why students are not
taking advantage of the resources. It could be a lack
of awareness, a lack of support or because they do not
apply themselves. It is clear that students need to
take initiative on their own and seize control of
their education and future.
With only six regular counselors at a campus of 3,500
students, it is not easy to reach every single
student. Counselors at Watsonville High School would
like to provide more one-on-one time, but each
counselor is in charge of at least 500 students. Out
of the 3,500 students at Watsonville High,
approximately 82 percent are classified as being from
migrant families. Some think this may contribute to
the high dropout and low graduation rates.
A lot of the migrant students don’t finish high school
because they go back and forth from their hometown in
Mexico, or they are unsettled and keep moving from one
place to another which negatively affects their
education. Another challenge for the migrant
population is to acquire the verbal and written skill
level necessary to complete academic classes in a
language which is not their first, or which they don’t
know at all.
There are also those students who give up, either
academically or personally. “Many students quit
because they need to feel they’re part of something
and they don’t get that,” says Aptos High School
Guidance Counselor Blanca Baltazar-Beltrán. She says
that many of the students she has seen drop out of
high school are those students who do not get involved
in extracurricular activities, whether it’s sports,
clubs, or any other school-related activity.
“There is no blame to the students,” says Watsonville
High School Guidance Counselor Luis J. Medina. “There
are a lot of students who either give up or do not
apply themselves, and it is not because they’re not
smart. They are. They just need extra support and need
to be more responsible. And that is where we, as
counselors, come in.”
Regardless of the existing programs and alternatives
available for students; counselors from both Aptos and
Watsonville High schools say they are working on some
changes and new programs that they hope will
eventually have a positive effect on students’
academic achievements.
Watsonville High School, the counseling department is
trying to achieve a closer relationship with students
and eventually share what Medina calls the “ideal
relationship.” He wants students to feel confident
about coming in to talk to a counselor, “not only when
we call them in, but regularly,” he says. “Whether it
is to share their concerns, doubts, comments or happy
times.”
Watsonville High School has also planned, but not yet
begun, a mandatory tutoring program to prepare
students to for the new “High School Exit Exam.”
Although a lot of people think this test is unfair for
English language learners, passing this new exam is
currently a requirement for graduation. Some see this
test as yet another challenge for students to overcome
in order to gain the privilege of walking.
At Aptos High School, Baltazar-Beltrán and other
counselors are working with a new program
called “Proyecto Xotchil.” This program includes about
20 girls who meet weekly for tutoring, counseling and
just to hang out. They also have monthly parent
meetings and go on field trips. Each one of the girls
has a female mentor from the community who acts as a
role model. The mentors are all professionals:
doctors, lawyers, teachers and others. Baltazar-
Beltrán says, “These mentors give the girls personal
and academic support and they do it in a fun way. It
is something the girls like to do and it helps them
believe in themselves.”
When we started looking into the low graduation rate,
we were looking for someone or something to blame. We
discovered it isn’t that simple. Everyone has a part
to play. The students are not solely to blame. The
counselors are not solely to blame, and there are
resources available. The key is getting the word out
about available resources and teamwork. It is all
about teamwork. Baltazar-Beltrán says, “If we work
together, we can do it.”
But, the only way to secure success is for the student
to have a goal of his or her own. Despite the fact
that each Watsonville High School counselor must
divide a limited amount of time and attention among
500 students, despite their best intentions; and
despite the large number of resources available, the
final decisions and responsibilities will always fall
to the student.
Medina has the final word. “My main goal as a
counselor is to help that student have a goal of their
own. It doesn’t matter if it is to go to a local
college, to the university, or anything else. As long
as they have a goal to pursue, they will go on.”