http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/ne ... 703645.php

Thursday, October 6, 2005

Linking Latinos and schools
Former teacher earns trust of Spanish-speaking parents.

By FERMIN LEAL
The Orange County Register

Amparo Ames has frequently been confused as the principal at schools where she's worked.

For many immigrant parents in Newport-Mesa Unified, Ames is often the only face they know and trust. She's someone who shows them how to fill out free-lunch forms, translates during meetings with teachers and explains standardized tests.

Ames is the community facilitator for Newport-Mesa, the official liaison between the school district and its Spanish-speaking parents.

For the past 16 years, Ames has worked in one of Orange County's most Hispanic communities, helping parents become familiar with this country's educational system.

The former schoolteacher in Mexico City also serves as an advocate for immigrant families so they know their rights as parents, arming countless numbers with the tools they need to ensure their children succeed in school.

"When I see parents I've worked with start bragging about how well their children are doing in school, I feel so fulfilled," she said. "That's what it's always been about for me, helping children."

Ames also heads a team of 19 other facilitators who are each assigned to a school in the district. Together they translate into Spanish all district policies, correspondences and other information about school issues relevant to parents. They also translate for parents during back-to-school nights, teacher conferences and School Board meetings.

Immigrant parents are often reluctant to become involved in their children's education because they don't understand the language, or they are worried about their legal status, said Ames, a native of Mexico who moved to this country more than 20 years ago.

"We make it easier for them to approach teachers and principals," Ames said. "The best way for students to do well in school is for parents to be right there with them."

Susan Astarita, the district's superintendent of elementary education, said attendance at PTA meetings at many schools has grown in recent years from just a handful of parents to 200 to 300 people because of outreach by Ames.

Ames and her staff also seek donations from private businesses and nonprofit groups for school supplies, clothes and even Christmas presents for needy students.

She works predominantly on the Westside of Costa Mesa, an area where some schools have 80 percent of students still learning English and 90 percent of students who come from low-income families.

Parents even approach Ames with problems not related to the classroom. She regularly comes across cases of domestic abuse, homeless families or illnesses where parents are reluctant to talk to police or other authorities.

For many parents, she is the first or only link between them and schools or government at any level.

Claudia Flores, who met Ames 10 years ago while Flores was a student at Ensign Intermediate, said that Ames' warm personality allows parents to feel comfortable.

"She has such a huge heart, not only for what she does, but also for the people she works with," said Flores, who now works for Ames as a facilitator at Costa Mesa High. "She approaches everything and everyone with a big smile."

When Costa Mesa parent Marisol Hernandez's daughter struggled academically at Ensign, Ames helped her teacher explain what assignments she had missed and in what subjects she had fallen behind.

"I knew my daughter wasn't doing well, but I didn't understand what she needed to do to get better," Hernandez said. "Thank God for Amparo. She really went out of her way to help."

Stories like those are the most rewarding for Ames.

"This job is what I've always wanted to do with my life," she said. "It's been a fantastic journey and I'm looking forward to what's next."