Golden Avenue School Celebrates Cesar Chavez Day of Service

Students, parents, staff and other community members celebrated the Cesar Chavez Day of Service by working on a variety of projects at on Saturday.

About 70 volunteers helped construct garden boxes and backpack racks, paint murals and columns, maintain gardens and plant new plants.

“Today is such a very special day because this is a day when the school transforms,” said Principal Rick Oser to the volunteers during lunch. “From this point on, the school’s never the same.”

This is the third year the school has held its Cesar Chavez Day of Service in honor of Cesar Chavez Day, which is observed each year on March 31.

During the inaugural event, volunteers created the school’s Peace Garden, a parklike garden near the front office, and painted murals. Now, the school has three gardens and multiple murals throughout the campus.

“It brings the community into the school,” Oser said. "It really makes the school part of the community, so it’s not just a place to go, and it’s their school."

Jaleh Browder and her fourth-grade son Sebastian Browder worked on landscaping projects.

“I brought him out here to just remind him of the importance of giving back to your community and to remind him that the future starts with him,” Jaleh Browder said. “If he doesn’t take care of the environment that he’s responsible for creating around him for the rest of his life, then he won’t have the kind of life that he wants to see for his future.”

Sebastian Browder said he participated because he wanted to keep the campus and community clean.

“I had fun sweating,” he said.

Wil Bighom and his fourth-grade son also volunteered at the school. Bighom said he has been a parent volunteer since his child was in the first grade.

“It’s just a tradition of giving back to the community,” said Bighom, who is retired from the U.S. Navy. “I was in the military and I served our country for 29 years. I feel like I’m still doing the same thing where I’m helping forge a future for future leaders. I’m still supporting my country by bringing up these new leaders. The future is theirs.”

PTA President Emma Rios, as well as her husband, daughter and son worked on a variety of projects, too.

Emma Rios said she loves the sense of community at Golden Avenue Elementary School.

“Everyone is excited to celebrate Cesar Chavez Day,” she said.

Her 17-year-old daughter, Karla Rios, attended the school when she was younger. The Helix Charter High School junior said she enjoys volunteering at the school her younger brother now attends.

“This school brings me a lot of memories from when I was younger,” she said. “I would like for the kids that are now here to have more than what I had when I went here.”

Karla Rios was among the volunteers who helped paint two new murals. One of the murals consists of a blue sky and green grass with the words “believe,” “succeed” and “achieve.” The other is a yellow background with multicolored handprints of the students and other volunteers. There are names of careers near the handprints on the mural, as well as the message, “You are the creator of your destiny.”

Volunteers worked from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. They were treated to lunch and a ballet folklórico performance.  

Superintendent Ernest Anastos said Golden Avenue Elementary School consistently includes the community in school events and activities.

He attributed the school's success to student and family involvement. He explained the school’s Academic Performance Index increased 35 points to an API of 804 last year.

“It’s just an enormous indication of how engaged the community is in learning,” Anastos said.

"I’m just really proud of the whole community, because everything that’s happening here is a community activity," Anastos said.