The halls and classrooms of a school are expected to be empty in the evening, but Ray Chavez, the principal of Apollo Middle School, envisions a school that opens its doors after classes end.
Sept. 7 marked the beginning of the Apollo Community School, located at 265 W. Nebraska St. in Sunnyside Unified School District.
The community school is open Monday through Thursday from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. While the school is intended to educate families of students, all community members are welcome to attend.
The main goal of the school is to educate community members and families. Through this education, the community weaves a tighter support system for students in a lower socioeconomic area.
The public has free access to Apollo’s computers and wireless Internet.
“I always come on the nights when I have to type up a paper for class,” Mikaela Acosta, an eighth grader at Apollo, said. “It’s a quiet place where I can concentrate.”
Apollo plans to start an adult technology class that will teach computer skills that support children’s education and provide them with the capabilities to be competitive in today’s job market.
The accessibility makes the school attractive for both students and adults.
“There are other community centers around here, but they’re either too far away or too crowded,” Ismael Echeverria, an eighth grader at Apollo, said.
The first phase of the school includes opening the library and fitness room. These locations will host group fitness classes and social events in the future.
Chavez will also open classrooms with courses like English language support and the “College Academy for Parents,” a course that will educate parents on how to help their children attain a college education.
Other plans include opening a gym for basketball and volleyball games. Chavez said he expects more phases to be added and he hopes to see the project continue to grow.
Apollo recently joined the Coalition for Community Schools, an organization comprised of 5,000 schools worldwide.
While the community school is not a new concept in other cities, Apollo is the first of its kind in Tucson.
Chavez’s idea is based off of a model in Chicago that also encourages families to become more involved with their child’s education.
“If a student sees Dad taking a class in the evening and Nana participating in a fitness class, while she is getting tutored in the library, then the student sees that what happens in the school is important,” Chavez said.
Phi Delta Kappa, a professional education association, conducted a poll showing that 70 percent of Americans blame societal factors for the achievement gap and dropout rates.
Community schools address these factors, which include family circumstances, poverty and health problems.
Chavez has already created a number of partnerships with local organizations like the Literacy for Life Coalition and local police.
Officer Patrick Pina has already noticed a significant change in the school’s environment. Off-duty officers like Pina visit Apollo in order to be visible to the students.
“We want students to know that we’re also here to support them and not to just get them in trouble,” Pina said.
The school has made it a mission to have every student attend a university. This expectation is important because many people do not expect higher education for our students, Chavez said.
Staff members wear shirts with “P.A.S.F.U.E.” on the front, which stands for “preparing all students for university enrollment.”
“People are always putting us down because we’re from South Tucson, and they don’t expect anything from us,” said Samantha Loustaunau, an eighth grader at Apollo. “I want to prove people wrong.”
Since the announcement of the community school opening, a number of community members have already contacted Chavez about wanting to make a contribution.
Engineers have volunteered to tutor in math and science, local astronomers have offered to hold stargazing events and harpists from Venezuela have expressed interest in performing a concert, Chavez said.
The planning of the community school began when the school sent home surveys to parents to see what kind of programs were desired. The selected programs were then announced in a letter that was sent to the parents with their students’ AIMS scores.
A wellness grant from the University of Arizona and YMCA initially funded the project, but the school received more funding from Sunnyside Unified School District.
District funding comes from the civic fund, which will pay for a site coordinator, fitness room coordinator, and security and fitness equipment.
Chavez believes that providing students with a community of support is the key to success and the school already has the facilities and materials needed to do so. The resources now just need to be put to use.
