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SOCIETY OF STUDENTS
Nearly forty
gangs claim the Boyle Heights neighborhood in East LA as home turf.
Beginning in elementary school, students who work hard are ridiculed
by their peers and labeled a 'school girl' or a 'school boy'. The
district's one high school has more than 5,000 students and a graduation
rate of 58%.
Can one more gang, this one started by a teacher, counteract the
negative influences? Four years ago teacher Janis Hiura and her class
created SOS -Society of Students--at Breed Street Elementary, in the
heart of Boyle Heights. Using unique lingo and rituals, SOS tries
to give its 1st through 5th grade members the skills they need to
survive in the community and in school.
We take a look at this remarkable gang of kids.
produced by Tira Grey |
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VIEWER
COMMENTS |
"Excellent
report on an excellent program. My sister who teaches
elementary school in a very poor rural area in Southern
Illinois was very excited to learn more about this program."-
Doug Caldwell, Kirkwood, MO
"I would like to find out more about Janis Hiura's
SOS program in Boyle Heights and how it might be replicated
in other schools."
-Amanda Mecke, CT
"This was a facinating story and I would very
much like to know more about the approach that Janis
Hiura is using. Thank you for this inspiring story."
-Susan Onofrio, Huntingtown, MD
"This report on SOS at Breeden Elementary
made me hopeful that programs like this can change the
culture of the kids and the schools. I'd like to know
if the program is spreading to other schools and if
there will be a report on the support it is getting
now and how it is spreading, if it is. As a lawyer and
mediator I am wondering if the students are being taught
some form of Alternative Dispute Resolution and, if
so, how that is going." -Rona Feit, Washington,
D.C. |
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Original
Airdate: April 4, 2005 |
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