School Program Uses Friendly Mixing, Mingling to Break Down Stereotypes

It was four hours Tuesday that wouldn’t change the world.

But it was a chance to try and break down ethnic and economic stereotypes--even if just a little--for 120 students from six San Diego-area junior high and middle schools who met for a field day at Marston Middle School in Clairemont.

The students paired up with peers from different schools to talk about themselves, to play volleyball and tug-of-war, to eat peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches, and perhaps even exchange phone numbers with someone from outside their own neighborhood.

“We’re trying to learn about each other,” said Horacio Aguilar of Marston, who, with classmates Richard Vinh and Jaspher Mercado, talked with Fernando Lopez and Huy Nguy of Mann Middle School in East San Diego about the fear of war in the Persian Gulf.

“It’s a good idea,” Rafell Jones of Mann volunteered. “You get to know people so, if you see them on the streets later, you say hello, you learn how to communicate with others.”

Chris Granados of Wilson Middle School in East San Diego found that students from Standley and Marston were “not so different, but pretty normal like everyone else” even though he envied them a little for not having “as many gang members” as Wilson does affecting their campus climate.

Not that the mixing came easily for everyone, given the time constraints and the natural reluctance of budding teen-agers to venture beyond established friendships.

“Sure, there’s apprehension for the students, but at least this allows them to get together on a positive note,” said Gary Rollins, a city schools race-human relations specialist who helped plan the event.

The so-called “Star” field day resulted from brainstorming last year by a couple of middle-school principals searching for a way to get kids from different parts of the city together. Although several weeklong programs encourage that effort during elementary years--culminating with a week of camping on Palomar Mountain during the sixth grade--there are no similar inter-school programs at the secondary level.

“Maybe it’s only one teeny-weeny step we do, but it’s still worthwhile in pursuing a goal of having kids get together,” said Kearny High Principal Mike Lorch, who helped start the program last year while at Correia Junior High.

Marston Principal Michelle Marcus said she noticed how student gang members always seem to know gang members from other city schools.

“So we thought, why not try to set up some sort of positive network between students in schools based on those with good citizenship or other positive values,” she said.

Each school selected 20 students from intramural athletics or other school activities. And many found something in common with counterparts from other campuses, whether talking about movies, security at their schools or teachers they don’t like.

Or, as Kasia Kubiak of Roosevelt Junior High and Han Huy of Mann did, just laughing about not having to go to class for the day.