Carlos Veliz and Marco Gomez stood on the stage in business suits, speaking in Spanish. Their audience wasn’t a group of entrepreneurs, but an eager bunch of kids sitting cross-legged on the gym floor at Liberty Elementary School in Marysville.
"How many of you understood every word?" asked Heidi Johnsen, Liberty’s principal. A good number of hands shot up.
"How many of you were thinking ‘That’s kind of cool’ but had no idea what they were talking about?" Johnsen said. "This is what children from another country deal with in school six hours a day."
Veliz is president of Professional CAD Services Inc., an Everett engineering and design firm. Gomez owns the local chain of La Hacienda Mexican restaurants.
At a school assembly on Tuesday, they presented Liberty with $1,250 for bilingual reading kits. The kits, English and Spanish translations of children’s book and cassette tapes, are used by students whose parents speak little or no English. Eight cassette recorders were donated by Wal-Mart.
Johnsen wanted to provide the kits to Hispanic families but couldn’t because of Marysville School District budget constraints.
Then Veliz learned of the need.
"I spoke to local Latino business owners, and instantly the business leaders came together," he said.
"We cannot allow today’s diverse students to be left behind while our local school systems struggle to provide the necessary materials," said Veliz, who has no children in the beleaguered district, which rode out a 49-day teachers strike last fall.
The business contacts came through Marysville Parents for Higher Student Achievement. The group didn’t support the teachers union during the strike, but backed former superintendent Linda Whitehead.
Julie Aff, a leader of the parents group, said Tuesday was a day for healing and giving.
Aff’s group gave the school 300 new books, valued at more than $1,500, to be used as rewards for students who fulfill the home reading requirement of the school’s Success for All reading program.
The wiggly audience gasped with delight when Aff unveiled other gifts — two bikes, one a boy’s model and one a girl’s. Children with perfect attendance records will be entered in a drawing for the bikes.
"We want to show you we’re proud of the jobs your teachers are doing, and proud you’ve made a commitment to read each night," Aff said. "And we want to give you motivation for attendance. Children who attend school every day get much better grades."
From kindergartners up front to fifth graders in the back rows, the kids were listening.
Liberty has 420 students, 65 percent of them eligible for free or reduced-price lunches, Johnsen said. There are 42 Hispanic families in the school.
Johnsen was pleased that Veliz and Gomez made a connection with the school.
"We want our Spanish-speaking children to see people who have come from their countries and are business leaders. Carlos came from Mexico," she said of Veliz. "I like them to have that vision and hope, but I can’t be that person for them. I don’t even speak Spanish."
Another group also emerged during the rancorous strike, Accountability and Integrity for Marysville Schools, or AIMS, which supported the striking teachers and criticized district administrators.
"We are encouraging people to give their time — any volunteer time they are able to," said Teri Tyo, who is active in AIMS. "We’re hoping to hold a community event that highlights exciting programs and the ongoing commitment our classroom teachers put forth for our students.
"Our children’s education is everybody’s concern," Tyo said. "Knowing that adults care enough to give even 20 minutes is important for children."
After such bitterness last fall, it’s good to hear similar messages from the opposing groups. The kids matter the most.
"We’re moving on," said Johnsen, the principal. "Let’s get at what we’re about, educating every child."
Columnist Julie Muhlstein: 425-339-3460 or
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