Dolores Huerta Prep High Begins Anew

By John Norton, The Pueblo Chieftain, Colo.

Sep. 5–A two-word phrase popular among the speakers at Tuesday morning’s opening of Dolores Huerta Preparatory High was “welcome home.”

For the more than 500 students who no longer will be using the modular buildings across 18th Street, it was the first day in a new, 52,000-square-foot complex of classrooms, labs and athletic facilities.

Most important, though, was the visit from the woman for whom the school was named, the co-founder of the United Farm Workers union and a former teacher.

Speaking to the gathering of high school students, their younger classmates from Cesar Chavez Academy across the street, parents and supporters, Dolores Huerta praised the founders of the school, Lawrence and Annette Hernandez, for their vision.

“Education is the No. 1 issue in this country according to the politicians, but when it comes to giving out the money for education they’re never there,” she said.

Referring to Sen. Hillary Clinton’s book, “It Takes a Village,” Huerta said, “It takes a whole community to educate a child.

“So many of our children are not getting an education. So many of our children are not graduating. That’s a danger not only to this country but to the world because this nation is in a position of leadership.”

She also said that youngsters are not learning about the contributions of immigrants to building the nation or “what labor unions have done to make this country a better place.”

Speaking directly to the high school students, the woman who raised 11 children in poverty also urged them to concentrate on getting their education. She received a round of applause after saying, “Let’s wait ’til we graduate from college before we have kids.”

Hernandez praised a number of people for their work on getting the new school built, including his wife and Tanya Quintana, director of operations.

Both Cesar Chavez Academy and DHPH are chartered by Pueblo City Schools. While the preschool through eighth-grade academy uses the old Hyde Park Elementary School, still owned by the district, the high school is owned by the Cesar Chavez School Network and was paid for by a bond issued by the Colorado Educational and Cultural Facilities Authority.

During the opening ceremony, Hernandez said, “This is the first school built in Pueblo without a single penny of support from the local school district or a local bond issue.”

He also cited “tremendous opposition from people who did not believe your children had a right to this kind of education.”

Both schools have registered high test scores and the high school has agreements with Pueblo Community College, Colorado State University-Pueblo and now Colorado Technical University that allows high school students to earn college credit.

The school district and what has grown into the Cesar Chavez network have been at odds since the first charter was issued and have fought over $900,000 the school board authorized and then rescinded several years ago when the high school was chartered.

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Copyright (c) 2007, The Pueblo Chieftain, Colo.

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