Photograph by Robert Scheer
Andreas Calderon (center), who once ran with gangs, now runs with the Sunnyvale Alliance soccer club.
By KATHERINE PETERSEN
Andreas Calderon, a sophomore at Homestead High School, turned his back on a life of gangs and returned to soccer, the game he loves.
He played on Homestead's varsity soccer team this year and in the Sunnyvale Alliance League on the 16-and-under team.
Calderon received a Teen Recognition Award April 4 for his accomplishments and contributions to the community.
More than 150 people, including parents, teens, school administrators and city officials, attended the third annual recognition banquet at which Sunnyvale's Department of Parks and Recreation handed out 26 recognition awards to teens and local businesses.
"We recognized teens, businesses and adults for their contributions for the betterment and enhancement of teen programs in Sunnyvale," said Kelvin Fontano, liaison to the Teen Advisory Council for the Parks and Recreation Department.
The city's 11-member Teen Advisory Council selected the winners from nominations that came from schools, businesses, church organizations and the city's Chamber of Commerce.
Haidee Foust-Whitmore, an assistant principal at Homestead who asked Calderon to write his own nomination, said he has a special place in her heart because he succeeded in changing his life.
"He was one of the kids who started in the Parallels program, for at-risk ninth-graders who had failed over half their classes freshman year," she said.
Teachers got together and tried to give the students a "new start" and incentives to stay in school, she said.
For Calderon, participating on the soccer team was the incentive. Calderon spent 30 days in juvenile hall after getting into a fight on campus, which required an ambulance to take the victim to the hospital.
"I was up to no good," Calderon said. "I wanted to see a different side of me. I tried it and decided it wasn't right."
Calderon started to follow in some of his relatives' footsteps by getting involved with gangs, but it didn't last too long.
"After spending a month in juvenile hall, I started to realize it wasn't worth seeing family all hurt. I kind of realized, but I was still dumb when I came out and did the same things for a while," he said.
When he began playing soccer again, his grades became more important to him for his sports eligibility.
"I had to make a choice. It was either being committed to the game I love or committed to the gang, which is like a full-time job," he said. "Which one is going to take me somewhere? The sport is."
He's much happier now and able to look back on what he's been through. "You have to be there for your gang--all or nothing. I was trying to be someone I wasn't," he said.
Calderon hopes to play soccer for Santa Clara University when he graduates. Calderon has played soccer on and off since he was 6 years old.
"I like the trips and the teamwork. Going to practice every day helps me keep occupied," he said.
Calderon would picture playing soccer for Santa Clara every time his friends would try to coax him into getting into trouble, which helped him focus on his goal.
"Anybody can change the way they are if they have a goal. You just picture the goal in your head before you do bad things. It's not worth losing it all in a couple seconds," he said.
Tim Andrews and Blake Williams of Homestead High School were also recognized for their work with merchants at Loehmann's Plaza to cut down on complaints about teens hanging out there. They developed a system whereby students are warned by yellow or red flags flying over campus if there have been recent complaints. A green flag flying over Loehmann's signals that students are free to go there.
The Parks and Recreation Department also recognized the Sunnyvale Rotary, the Sunrise Rotary, the San Jose Sports Authority, the Golden State Warriors and Paramount's Great America at the banquet.
This article appeared in the Sunnyvale Sun, April 16, 1997.
©1997 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.