Willow Glen Resident

Education

Willow Glen students want lights to aid campus safety

By Mayra Flores De Marcotte

A dozen Willow Glen High School juniors are involved in a service project that would enhance campus lighting.

The teens are part of Youth Reaction Corps, an Arizona-based organization that partners with school districts and the Pat Tillman Foundation.

"Our goal is to educate, empower and invest in young children," says Youth Reaction Corps executive director Courtney Klein. "We want them to realize that they are capable of making social change."

The organization is a student-driven one, Klein says. Students at the high school level join the organization through their leadership classes. From there, the students put together a proposal for a project, survey the community or school, and present their findings, along with a proposed budget to the organization and the school district in order to receive up to $1,000 toward their project. If the project needs more than $1,000, students need to raise tbe remaining funds through sponsorships or donations.

The Willow Glen High School group named its project "Lighting the Way."

At the winter conference in January, the students presented their project to the San Jose Unified School District board and Youth Reaction Corps officials.

The students said the project aimed to prevent vandalism at the school and provide safety for students, staff and members of the community who use the campus. Better safety was the recurring theme when students surveyed the community.

"We want to set up lights along Varsity Lane, which cuts through the heart of the school," says project manager Maria Florissa Sy.

Varsity Lane goes past the classrooms, offices, gymnasium and the parking lots.

The darkness around campus, especially during construction, can lead to accidents, she says.

"A community member told us that she tripped because she couldn't see in the dark," Maria says. "She told us she has never recovered."

"The area is prone to accidents," says group member Audrey Rose Padilla. "People can't see in front of them while they walk. They don't feel safe and secure in their own neighborhoods."

Assistant project manager Connie Burgos says she hopes the project will act as a deterrent for crime and vandals.

"No one goes somewhere that's well lit to do vandalism," Connie says.

The district's proposal for stadium lighting will be a model the group will use to assess neighborhood concerns.

The group will talk to district electricians to obtain fair estimates on the cost of the work and advise for placement of the lights, Maria says.

"This project is for the whole community," Maria says. "It touches almost everybody that uses the campus."

The group is tentatively planning to have everything mapped out by summer.

"After that, we can look at this part of the project as done," Maria says. "This way, next year we could spread out and add lighting to other parts of the neighborhood in need such as Franquette Avenue and Lincoln Court."

The school will benefit in other ways.

The added lights would improve the appearance of the school, says high school ASB community service chairman and sophomore Michael Sanchez. "The school will just look better."

This is a project where the school and the community can team up, he says.

One community member at the conference agreed.

"I walk my dog through the high school and use the facility for running," says Mark McKinney, who lives near the high school. "This is a perfect program for the community to work with the students and help them become community leaders."

The group is looking for volunteers, sponsors and donations for the lighting project. For more information or to make a donation, contact Beth Lauck at 408.535.6330, ext. 538.