Photograph by Robert Scheer
Green Circle Director Dorothy Dorsay tells a story about being different.
By KATHERINE PETERSEN
When Alma Linares tells a group of youngsters about the "churkendoose," she shares the story from experience.
She's never set eyes on the imaginary bird--said to be part chicken, part turkey, part duck and part goose. But like the churkendoose, the Fremont High School junior said she was ridiculed as a child because she was different.
"When I was little, I was left out of some things because I was so small. I know what it feels like," she explained after a talk with students from San Miguel Elementary School.
Linares and 17 other students volunteer for Green Circle, a nonprofit program sponsored by the National Council of Christians and Jews (NCCJ). The purpose of Green Circle is to educate children about self-esteem and diversity issues. Linares says she relates well to the kids because she has little brothers and sisters.
"I felt like I was able to talk to them and teach them about Green Circle," she said.
Linares and her classmates were trained for the project in a leadership class at Fremont High School taught by English teacher Dan Cotton.
Dorothy Dorsay, director of Green Circle since 1981 (the program's first year in Santa Clara County), said the program gives young children a chance to interact with teenagers who care.
Dorsay, the only paid Green Circle employee in the county, normally recruits adults to do the program.
"The program helps kids get along better with one another. It helps them appreciate their own uniqueness and be respectful of that in others. If a child has a sister who's disabled, he shouldn't have to hide that," she said.
Cotton's leadership class focused on independence and connectedness. He wanted to help his students make ties with the community and with each other across ethnic, religious and other lines of diversity.
In addition to participating in the Green Circle program, the students in Cotton's class worked on organizing a canned-food drive for the homeless, made a video that dispels myths about Fremont being a "gang school" and conducted a survey on the sexual behavior and practices of Fremont High School students.
"We tried to cultivate (an) atmosphere of communication and openness," he said.
The Fremont High students generated a lot of excitement at San Miguel even before they got there.
"They are great role models in ways that adults can't be. And they look like the kids, because the diversity of our students mirrors the image of their classrooms," Cotton said.
Sarah Prescott, a Fremont junior, agreed that elementary school children look up to high school students, partially because they're "cool."
At first, she was nervous the kids would "throw stuff" at her and not even listen.
"The kids really responded well. One little boy said his family went to In-N-Out Burger and he was really upset when they didn't bring him one. I really felt for him because he looked so sad," she said.
The Fremont students tried to reassure kids that it is okay to be different.
"Some of the kids shared that they couldn't go on rides at Great America because they were too small, and that was unfair," said Linares, who admits she was skeptical about the program before she began teaching the kids.
"Then I started realizing that it makes a difference in kids' lives. They were understanding what I'm saying, and it brought my hopes up." she said.
This article appeared in the Sunnyvale Sun, February 5, 1997.
©1997 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.