Kennewick schools want former students back

KENNEWICK — Gustavo Barraza gave up hope of ever becoming a police officer after he failed to earn enough credits to graduate with his Southridge High classmates two years ago.

He spent much of the next year at his parents’ home, without a job or a plan.

Then last August, two volunteers from the Kennewick School District stopped by to encourage him to finish his high school degree.

“I’m just sitting in my living room, watching TV, wondering what to do with my life, when they knocked on my door,” said Barraza, now 20. “They’re at my doorstep so there’s no excuse not to try it.”

Barraza since has earned his diploma and is studying criminal justice at Columbia Basin College.

Kennewick school officials said they want to create more success stories like Barraza’s, and starting today, will be visiting the homes of dropouts to get them back in school.

“It impacts their lives, their families’ lives, their children’s lives,” said Lorraine Cooper, school district spokeswoman. “Even with one (coming back) it’s worth the hours we spend out there.”

The “We Want You Back” campaign began last year based on Cooper’s recommendation. Volunteers visit the homes of former students who are at least 18 but still young enough that they wouldn’t necessarily feel out of place in a traditional or alternative high school.

Cooper said about a dozen volunteers last year talked with 10 of the 35 dropouts they identified and found.

Two students finished their high school credits at CBC High School Academy, which helps struggling students earn the final credits needed for graduation. Several others still are enrolled in the program.

Today, 24 volunteers will visit the last known addresses of 72 former students to try to convince them to return to the classroom.

“We’ve had quite a few volunteers from district staff step up,” Cooper said.

Leonor de Maldonado, the academy’s director, said there are varying reasons why students don’t graduate from high school but more often than not, they are only a few classes short of walking across the stage to receive their diploma.

She said it’s unfortunate that many dropouts often realize the importance of a high school education but are too embarrassed to return to their schools.

“It’s almost criminal to think there are other students wasting away,” she said. “You don’t need to feel like you’re rejected by the system.”

Barraza admits he didn’t work hard enough his freshman and sophomore years.

He desperately tried to catch up his junior and senior years but still was three credits short when graduation came around. He said he was too ashamed and discouraged to return.

But after the visit from the district volunteers, he signed up at the CBC High School Academy, taking courses in geometry, creative writing and government. He was finished by last December.

Friends called and congratulated him on his success, but Barraza decided he wasn’t finished. He signed up for college classes in the spring and is working toward his dream of being a police officer.

“As soon as I was done, I figured I was already moving,” he said. “I was so proud I did all this and am now a college student.”

School officials said the event isn’t as simple as just walking up to a former student’s door. The district doesn’t always know the latest address for the former student or the person may not be home when volunteers come calling.

Barraza plans to recruit some of his own relatives and friends to convince them to return to school like he did.

“They have nothing to lose; just give it a chance,” he said.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

A firefighter stands in silence before a panel bearing the names of L. John Regelbrugge and Kris Regelbrugge during the ten-year remembrance of the Oso landslide on Friday, March 22, 2024, at the Oso Landslide Memorial in Oso, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘Flood of emotions’ as Oso Landslide Memorial opens on 10th anniversary

Friends, family and first responders held a moment of silence at 10:37 a.m. at the new 2-acre memorial off Highway 530.

Julie Petersen poses for a photo with images of her sister Christina Jefferds and Jefferds’ grand daughter Sanoah Violet Huestis next to a memorial for Sanoah at her home on March 20, 2024 in Arlington, Washington. Peterson wears her sister’s favorite color and one of her bangles. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
‘It just all came down’: An oral history of the Oso mudslide

Ten years later, The Daily Herald spoke with dozens of people — first responders, family, survivors — touched by the deadliest slide in U.S. history.

Victims of the Oso mudslide on March 22, 2014. (Courtesy photos)
Remembering the 43 lives lost in the Oso mudslide

The slide wiped out a neighborhood along Highway 530 in 2014. “Even though you feel like you’re alone in your grief, you’re really not.”

Director Lucia Schmit, right, and Deputy Director Dara Salmon inside the Snohomish County Department of Emergency Management on Friday, March 8, 2024, in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
How Oso slide changed local emergency response ‘on virtually every level’

“In a decade, we have just really, really advanced,” through hard-earned lessons applied to the pandemic, floods and opioids.

Ron and Gail Thompson at their home on Monday, March 4, 2024 in Oso, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
In shadow of scarred Oso hillside, mudslide’s wounds still feel fresh

Locals reflected on living with grief and finding meaning in the wake of a catastrophe “nothing like you can ever imagine” in 2014.

Everett mall renderings from Brixton Capital. (Photo provided by the City of Everett)
Topgolf at the Everett Mall? Mayor’s hint still unconfirmed

After Cassie Franklin’s annual address, rumors circled about what “top” entertainment tenant could be landing at Everett Mall.

Everett
Everett man sentenced to 3 years of probation for mutilating animals

In 2022, neighbors reported Blayne Perez, 35, was shooting and torturing wildlife in north Everett.

Dorothy Crossman rides up on her bike to turn in her ballot  on Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2023 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Everett leaders plan to ask voters for property tax increase

City officials will spend weeks hammering out details of a ballot measure, as Everett faces a $12.6 million deficit.

Starbucks employee Zach Gabelein outside of the Mill Creek location where he works on Friday, Feb. 23, 2024 in Mill Creek, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Mill Creek Starbucks votes 21-1 to form union

“We obviously are kind of on the high of that win,” store bargaining delegate Zach Gabelein said.

Lynnwood police respond to a collision on highway 99 at 176 street SW. (Photo provided by Lynnwood Police)
Southbound lanes on Highway 99 reopen after crash

The crash, on Highway 99 at 176th Street SW, blocked traffic for over an hour. Traffic was diverted to 168th Street SW.

The view of Mountain Loop Mine out the window of a second floor classroom at Fairmount Elementary on Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
County: Everett mining yard violated order to halt work next to school

At least 10 reports accused OMA Construction of violating a stop-work order next to Fairmount Elementary. A judge will hear the case.

Imagine Children's Museum's incoming CEO, Elizabeth "Elee" Wood. (Photo provided by Imagine Children's Museum)
Imagine Children’s Museum in Everett to welcome new CEO

Nancy Johnson, who has led Imagine Children’s Museum in Everett for 25 years, will retire in June.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.