Arts part of Chavez legacy at school named in his honor
By
Record Staff Writer
STOCKTON – In celebrating the man for whom it was named, Cesar Chavez High School students created an assembly Thursday morning that spread dual messages.
On what would have been his 84th birthday, there was the explicit message of social justice that Cesar Chavez scattered like seeds in a field.
And there was the implicit message of the integral role of the arts in education as exemplified by Chavez students who displayed their many and varied talents.
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President declares March 31 as Cesar Chavez Day
President Barack Obama declared March 31 as Cesar Chavez Day, honoring the late farm worker activist on his birthday. Obama signed the proclamation Wednesday, saying "Chavez’s legacy provides lessons from which all Americans can learn."
Before Wednesday’s proclamation, California was among 10 states that already commemorated Cesar Chavez Day.
— The Associated Press
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"We are important because of the work we do," Chavez said in a recorded speech that was part of a five-minute video created by students at his namesake high school. "We are human beings who sweat and sacrifice to bring food to the tables of millions and millions of people across America and around the world."
Chavez, himself a farm worker, was a central figure in organizing field laborers nearly half a century ago. He organized the National Farm Workers Association – later the United Farm Workers – with Stockton-raised Dolores Huerta, who will celebrate her 81st birthday April 10.
As Chavez’s words filled the gym Thursday, it was natural for thoughts to drift to the 17-year-old field worker from Mexico who died in the heat in a Farmington vineyard three years ago. But this was also a day of celebration on a melting-pot campus where nearly half of the 2,300 students have Latino roots.
One of those students, the 17-year-old Mexico-born daughter of immigrants, organized the assembly.
"(Chavez) did a lot for our community," the student, senior Erendira Trejo, said of the late farm labor leader. "A lot of people followed him and still follow him today."
Trejo spent her morning introducing various performers: the acclaimed Chavez High mariachi band, the school’s drum line percussionists and winter guard, and a ballet folklorico group that included a current Chavez student and an alum.
Performing arts have been a centerpiece of the Chavez High program since the school opened in 2005. The school’s small learning communities include one focused on the arts and another that includes offerings on multimedia.
Principal Will Nelson said arts programs keep students "busy, off the streets and focused." He said those who are involved tend to get better grades.
Virtually all school events these days occur in the shadow of the dire condition of educational funding in California. The arts are threatened by funding cuts, Nelson acknowledged, but he said parents and students have worked hard to maintain the programs that have developed since Chavez opened.
"Our kids and our parents have really, really stepped up and tried to the best of their ability to fundraise and do other things to allow these kids to still have the opportunity to compete and participate in all kinds of events," Nelson said.
He added that Chavez students have been sharing their artistic talents with students at K-8 schools and will do so increasingly with budget cuts expected to result in significant reductions in programs at the elementary campuses.
"We have great kids here that can teach them drama, teach them music and teach them art," Nelson said. "Our goal is to keep going, keep trucking. It’s good for our school, for our community and for our kids."
Contact reporter Roger Phillips at (209) 546-8299 or rphillips@recordnet.com. Visit his blog at recordnet.com/phillipsblog.