Final night
Tonight, all the students reunited with their families for a dinner celebration. The younger students got the chance to show off the gallery to their parents, siblings and other relatives — a moment just as moving as the earlier public gallery, except this time including even more proud smiles and words of encouragement. Then everyone headed over to the Cat Cavern for the dinner.
I got to meet Delyla’s mom and dad, both of whom were strong in their support of the program and what it had done for their daughter. The entire Cat was filled with people, all there to see what the students had accomplished during camp. Several of the younger students performed skits they had learned in their drama class, including one about the horrors of dealing with acne — a problem all of them could empathize with.
The skits were followed by a group of students who read their poetry. The audience was rapt with attention as these youths poured their hearts out through their words. These weren’t amateur poems; they took on powerful topics such as terrorism, sexism, prejudice, violence and heritage. Their talent was beyond impressive.
The night ended with a slide show tribute to the seniors, showcasing photos of them when they started the program five years ago and photos of them today. Some of them had obviously grown up quite a bit; others looked much the same. But even if they hadn’t changed much physically, the changes in their maturity were immense. The seniors I met during this camp were bright, creative, unique, goal-oriented, striving for success. It will be exciting to see what happens to them in the next year.
Whenever a new visitor wandered in, one of the students marched right up to him or her and offered to give a tour. Then the students proudly took the visitor from station to station, pointing out the photographs they had taken, the poems they had crafted, the masks they had painted. At each station, the students made sure to single out their own works.
Except for a brief scare where poison oak was discovered, the students had a blast with the project. It was hard work — you can’t just pull ivy like you pick a flower; it requires you to remove the entire root structure — but they didn’t seem to mind. Several of them talked about the fun of being outdoors. I watched others connect with the college students leading the project, asking them questions about what their universities are like. Some complained about their hands being sore, but it didn’t stop them from pulling.
When I met Lupe today, I discovered that he is calm, laid back, easy-going. He told me about his parents, former migrant workers who sometimes recruited him to help with field work. He talked about how some of his uncles are “gangbangers,” and how his parents worried about the way he looked up to them.
But many of the essays also were difficult to read without feeling stunned or amazed at these students’ experiences. Like the essay about one Mexican-American boy’s experience facing discrimination. Or another student’s father dying and leaving her to take on more responsibilities than any 16-year-old should. Or most notably, one boy whose cocaine-addicted mother was in and out of jail, and whose alcoholic father drank instead of caring for him.
Outside the office, I sat and talked with Delyla Sablan-Bernard. She is a senior at Silverton High School who came to the United States about six years ago from Saipan. Delyla is Micronesian and very proud of her culture. She talks about the way many Islanders don’t find education important, or how they get married and have children when they are young instead of going on to college and a career.
Today was the first day of summer camp for the seniors and the first-year students. The morning started with everyone checking in at the Hatfield Fountain before moving into the dorm rooms where they will live for the next 10 days. Parents and students were eager — some were already waiting at the fountain at 8:30 a.m., despite not being able to check in until closer to 9 a.m.