Bishop Amat High School - Tusitala Yearbook (La Puente, CA)

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202 Organizations Joy Found In Teaching Every Tuesday, Wednes- day, and Thursday during sixth and seventh periods, a group of students traveled to Delhaven Learning Center for the developmentally dis- abled in La Puente. These students were members of the Christian Service class. They often escaped notice due to the fact that they were absent from campus at least two hours per week. Three different groups as- sisted in activities at Delha- ven. Each group was as- signed to a different day of the week. These students were involved in expanding the horizons of the residents at Delhaven, most of whom were between the ages of eighteen and thirty. The vol- unteers helped them to per- form activities such as arts and crafts, which were a ma- jor part of the instructional Decorating Christmas cards is a fun project for Rebecca Reyes and her friend to share. The trick was to provide learning experiences that were fun as well. activities. The students helped the residents to cre- ate Christmas ornaments as well as other seasonal pro- jects and assisted in the preparation of arts and crafts for an open house presenta- tion. Other activities includ- ed sewing, gardening, cook- ing, and aerobics. Volunteers were a key part of the success of all of the activities since residents needed much su- pervision. Students who attended Delhaven for Christian Ser- vice activities had various motives for their participa- tion. Most were inspired by a desire to assist those with learning disabilities. Delha- ven volunteers quickly real- ized the value of every hu- man being. They saw that each person had special tal- ents unique to that individ- ual. They were grateful for the opportunity to share God's love with others. Christian Service provided an opportunity for one to ap- preciate individual worth and to thereby gain an un- derstanding of the relation- ships among people. Junior Patricia Brown embodied this idea when she stated, They fthe residents of Del- havenj are teaching me something, too. It also con- firmed the belief that every- one has worth. No matter what their capacity, they af- fect people in different ways. Most of the students en- joyed performing Christian Service at Delhaven. They found that it was satisfying to help young adults to put their abilities to work. The students were pleased to see the results of their efforts to make others happy. Sorting buttons holds a challenge for junior Roxanne Beltran and her special friend. Activities were avail- able on different levels.

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The primary way Friend .o Friend expressed itis mes- rage was through presenta- ,ions given to other schools. 3ecause Bishop Amat was .he only Catholic, private school involved in the pro- gram, they concentrated on :he Catholic grammar schools in the area. At each Jresentation, members per- Formed skits and spoke on :he topic of drugs and alco- aol. Presentations are fun out it takes courage to stand ip in front of an audience and say Tm drug free!', stated Adrienne Tolle. Friend to Friend was an organization for anyone who realized the value of life and wished to express to others that life without drugs and alcohol could be absolutely wonderful. Service Breeds Assurance Located not far from the school on Tonopah Street in La Puente was a small school for the physically and men- tally disabled. It was a fairly new addition to the Chris- tian service scene. Though not as well known as other projects of the Christian Ser- vice Program, Tonopah was nonetheless every bit as im- portant. What counted was that it helped people, it did not matter how many. Twice a week, Christian Service students traveled to Tonopah School to help the people there in working with the disabled students. Though technically an ele- mentary school, Tonopah's students ranged from be- tween five and twenty years of age, with varying degrees of mental and physical handicaps which had to be taught using different meth- ods. Christian Service workers aided these students in learning basic educational skills as well as helping them perform physical activities and exercises. They taught the disabled in simple memorization and recall, such as identifying colors, numbers, and the alphabet. They were also taught addi- tion and subtraction, and were challenged by such things as picture games and puzzles. Physical activities included playing in a romp- er-like room and exercising on jungle gym and trampo- lines. This provided a festive atmosphere as well as learn- ing opportunities. The Chris- tian Service workers encour- aged and taught the disabled to exercise, for it was impor- tant in maintaining a healthy state of mind as well as a healthy body. Working at Tonopah was not easy. Christian Service members had to work with each disabled student indi- vidually and know his or her personality, needs, and what specifically it took to moti- vate the students. It took lots of patience, understanding and compassion for these students to work with the handicapped, but it was worth it. I got a lot out of Tonopah, said junior Rob- ert Elder, I learned to see life the way they fthe disa- bledl see it, and I learned to really care. e-...fir Peers Serve One For those who felt de- pressed or lonely land that's just about everyone at one time or anotheri Peer Con- nection was there to help. This was a ministry group of young people organized to help other students cope with their problems when they felt they had no one else to turn to. After all who bet- ter to understand teenagers and their problems than oth- er teenagers who face the same problems. The goals of Peer Connec- tion were to have students reach out to one another in true friendship and to let others know there was al- ways someone who would lis- ten to them and care about them. I joined Peer Connec- tion because I know how it feels to need someone to talk to and I wanted to be there to help others, stated junior Joe Roybal. In the summer of 1984, Peer Connection was born under the direction of Mr. Anthony Victoria and Ms. Ellen Ybarra who conducted the training process once a week for 13 weeks. During these sessions, interested students were taught how to better communicate and lis- ten to others. Ms. Ybarra commented, The training that the students received was something that could be used in everyday life. Every- one, regardless of age, should learn the skills of communi- cation and how to be a good listener. Peer Connection members had a special relationship be- cause of the intimacy shared Another within the meetings. Because such conversations were kept confidential, members of Peer Connection, as well as the students they helped, de- veloped a bond of trust and friendship. Members were usually available before school, at break, and after school in the Campus Ministry room. In cases of emergency they could even be called out of class if necessary. Ministers in Peer Connec- tion were not there to solve individual's problems, they were there to listen and help others help themselves to solve their own problems. This is necessary to mature emotionally and grow as a person. Christian Service 20

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Students instill Spirit The Christrian Service program offered the students a way to participate in ser- vice within the community and follow the example initi- ated by Christ to serve oth- ers. One of the various pro- grams offered to students in their sophomore through senior year was to volunteer at Lanterman State Hospi- tal. Taking place every first and third Sunday of each month, fifteen to twenty stu- dents went to Lanterman State Hospital in christian love to escort the develop- mentally disabled to Mass and help them participate in the liturgy. Lanterman State Hospital located in Pomona is funded by the state for the treat- ment of those who are devel- opmentally disabled due to Downs Syndrome. This fa- cility offered care for those who were severely or pro- foundly retarded and there fore could not provide suffi- cient care for themselves. At the hospital, around the clock care was provided by qualified and caring nurses and physicians. Senior Diem Pham, an ac- tive participant stated, I en- joyed going to Lanterman because it offered me a way to share myself with those who are less fortunate. Since I didn't have a job and there- fore couldn't donate money to the church, Lanterman was the perfect way to help the people of Christ. It gave an opportunity to share the Christian faith. The participants of the program met at school on the first and third Sundays, ar- ranged carpools and drove over together. Upon arriving at the facility, the volunteers went to the various units where the patients were waiting. Each student took one patient and escorted them to Mass. They sang along with the patients, clapped their hands and did everything possible to create a mood of happiness. At the time of petitions, the pa- tients often would offer their own petitions held as impor- tant to them. According to participating students, Lanterman re- minded them to be grateful for what God had granted them. Senior Zulma Sanchez commented, I obtained a feeling of satisfaction and achieved something special and unique just by donating three hours twice a month. After going just once, I couldn't wait to go again. Just seeing the patients' faces light up because of our presence was enough to make us want to come back every Sunday. Sharing Promotes Trust What better way to spend a Saturday morning than showing others that you care? The second and forth Saturday of each month, stu- dents volunteered their time to do just that at MacLaren Hall children center in El Monte. This was a facility that cared for children with such problems as abandonment, abuse, delinquency, drug and alcohal problems, or other such legal situations that left them homeless. The age range covered all children from infancy to late teens, and their time of residency depended on their situation. Volunteer visits consisted of two parts. The first part took place in the gymnasium where either a Mass or a liturgy service was celebrated depending on the avilability of a priest. The duties of the volunteers included setting up the chairs for the congregation twhich varied in size from week to weekl and small al- tar as well as decorating it, leading the singing involved in the service, and cleaning up the gymnasium at the conclusion of the service. Next the volunteers vis- ited the nursery, where the babies and toddlers resided. Students assisted the Mac- Laren employees at doing one of two jobs. Part of the group stayed in the nursery and played with the younger babies while the others went to a small play area outside the nursery and played and talked with the older chil- dren. MacLaren Hall was just one of the major Christian service activities offered to all students. When asked why she chose to go, junior Sonia Morales explained, I liked going to MacLaren Hall because it gave the kids a chance to communicate with people outside of their environment and let them know somebody cared about them. This service activity was a good way to learn to appreci- ate the benefits most of us take for granted-a home, a family, and friends. For the kids at MacLaren Hall, these things were sometimes miss- ing in their lives. It was the job of the volunteers to re- store in the children a cer- tain element of trust in soci- ety and renewed self-assur- ance and give them a good role model. Christian Service 203