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The word hero has been minimized as it seems to be applied to anyone who safely crosses the street. But that doesn’t mean that they are not among us. Our second annual hero list is compiled for those whose good deeds have brought a spotlight to a cause, or made a difference, or will make an impact. A common thread is that most are teachers, either in the true sense that they work out of a classroom, or in the broader definition in that they are leaders who happen to teach. Within these profiles, you will discover the magic of how each changes the lives they touch. Reporting for this salute were Managing Editor Sandy Bennett, Executive Editor Craig Reem, Staff Writer Nayeli Pagaza, and intern Ashley Eliot. Erin Gruwell RESIDENCE: Long Beach FAMILY: The Freedom Writers and boyfriend Wing Lam, co-founder of Wahoo's Fish Taco HERO DEFINED: The teacher's life story is being made into a major motion picture starring Oscar winner Hilary Swank, to be released Jan. 12. Gruwell runs The Freedom Writers Foundation out of Cal State Long Beach; the nonprofit trains teachers and provides scholarships with the aim to prevent students from dropping out. Erin Gruwell, formerly of Newport Beach, has a story to tell that is so gratifyingly complicated that perhaps only a movie could make sense of it all. And one is being released this month. Paramount Pictures' "Freedom Writers," starring Hilary Swank; the two-time Oscar winner portrays the energetic, unapologetic 37-year-old Long Beach resident. Gruwell's story has more twists and turns than an episode of "Lost," she being a combination of heroic Jack and courageous Kate. Gruwell's story is, as a high school student might define it, just awesome. In 1992, the daughter of Angels' scout Steve Gruwell was graduating from UC Irvine with plans for law school. She had grown up in affluence, but soon saw the result of those who had not. The Los Angeles riots fueled by the Rodney King case caught her eye. A telecast showed a man and his 6-year-old son looting a store. She realized that to save that child, and others like him, she couldn't waste four years in law school; she had to act now. She chose Long Beach Wilson High to make a difference as a teacher because of its tremendous diversity. Her students were African-American, Latino, Asian, and they were divided. In 1993, she began a high school career that spanned five years in the high school classroom, but will last for more than a generation. In her second year, she was given 150 freshmen students - sons and daughters of single-parent households, many without much means, often moving from place to place, at risk in every way. They were referred to as "unteachable." The stylishly dressed teacher, who was warned by colleagues not to wear her fashionable pearl necklace into class because she would leave at the bell without it, turned the students into community models. Today, that class of now 25- and 26-year-olds includes teachers, doctors, lawyers, baseball player Sean Burroughs, social workers, and a theology student whose hero is Martin Luther King. They were inspired by Gruwell and real-life experiences that she forced upon them, to show how the human spirit can overcome the worst of circumstances, of evil, to instead survive and thrive. Her students read "Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl," and then met Miep Gies, who hid the Frank family. They saw "Schindler's List" and later met Steven Spielberg. They traveled to Washington, D.C., and went to the Lincoln Memorial and stood where Martin Luther King delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech. They visited Auschwitz. They wrote their own diaries, called themselves "Freedom Writers" in deference to the civil rights activists, the Freedom Riders. Their journals were published in 1999 and from that, Gruwell founded her foundation. And from that, a movie was scripted. Does she consider herself a hero? She responds: "I consider myself an advocate for kids." As for the film, which Gruwell has seen almost a dozen times: "The best word is surreal. I really wanted Hilary Swank; the fact that she got the role, she's a dead ringer for me. It's uncanny. She has my quirks and idiosyncrasies down...We genuinely like each other. More importantly, we really respect each other. She's a fighter." Gruwell counsels all to have faith in youth. "Believing in them is very important, and making things relevant. Kids have a great ability to tell when people are disingenuous. My students knew I was always...there for them. For a lot of people, they join a cause because it's the cause of the moment. For me, it was so much deeper than that; it was all-encompassing." As one observer who has seen the movie notes, it is a story of tremendous highs and lows. It is expected to pull on all the emotions. "I hope that people can see that there is hope, and second chances, and that they see themselves in this film," says Gruwell. "It's a story about equality and acceptance, and not just believing in tolerance, but practicing tolerance. It's universal." For more information on Gruwell's Freedom Writers Foundation: gruwellproject.org. - By Craig Reem Yesenia Velez RESIDENCE: Santa Ana FAMILY: Single HERO DEFINED: Velez is the director of diversity at Orange County United Way. Growing up, Yesenia Velez was very aware that minorities battle language and socioeconomic boundaries that prevent them from fulfilling the American Dream, but her family's ability to overcome these obstacles have inspired her to help others become economically self-sufficient as well. "It is difficult for recent migrants to assimilate and make enough money to be able to afford housing and other assets," says Velez, who works for Orange County United Way. As diversity director, Velez reaches out to Latino families and low-income single women in heavily poor areas within Santa Ana and Costa Mesa. Under her supervision, Somos Familia and Women's Empowerment Portfolio projects have flourished as families engage in workshops that are bilingual and bicultural. "As the daughter of a Mexican immigrant, I know that many things are done differently in Latin America than they are done here," says Velez. "I show Latinos how gaining credit can be used to their advantage and necessary for buying a car and owning a home." But, the biggest accomplishment has been the Free Tax Days course offered through Somos Familia. It helps families who earn $37,000 or less per year access the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), and receive a refundable federal income tax credit. This year, she was able to give back a record-breaking amount of money to numerous families. "With the help of our partnership with Legal Aid Society of Orange and the city of Santa Ana, we were able to host two-free tax preparation days and help 160 families receive $237,000 of Earned Income Tax Credit," she says. Next year, her goal is to tap into $1 million of earned income tax credit to help 550 families. "I know this can be done because the community wants to see Latinos thrive since they are the future," says Velez. "I believe immigrants also come (to the U.S.) because they want to attain economic independence and I can help them get there." - By Nayeli Pagaza Charles Salter Jr. RESIDENCE: Mission Viejo FAMILY: Wife Tammy; and three children from a prior marriage, Charles III, 23, Chavon-Lauren, 21, Philip, 13 HERO DEFINED: The principal of Aliso Niguel High School in Aliso Viejo took a stand against inappropriate behavior by banning school dances. In an era of increasing tolerance about inappropriate behavior among youth - where, more and more, just about anything is considered a go - Charles Salter Jr. took a stand that clearly said, "Not at my school." On Sept. 9, the Aliso Niguel High School principal sent an email to his students' parents. Its title: "No More Dancing." His memo has caught the attention of school administrators and parents nationwide, prompting a wave of change locally and afar. Lights have been turned up at school dances; the style of music, switched; and schools are being more definitive on what is and isn't acceptable at school dances. "This is a time when the silent majority woke up and said something. That's why this became a big deal," he says. "The silent majority are those parents who care about their kids, who care about what's happening. They stood up and said, 'You know what, this is exactly right. This is not what kids should be doing.'" Salter unexpectedly landed in the media spotlight after banning all dances following a jungle-themed back-to-school dance held during the first week of the school year. Despite several prior conversations with students and parents, girls arrived inappropriately dressed. Many teens had been drinking beforehand. And students continued to freak dance, a style of dance that has become progressively graphic over the years. Characterized by thrusting and gyrating hips, the dance is often referred to as "simulated sex." While Aliso Niguel High School students are being used as the example, the style of dance is occurring on campuses across the country. The culprit, says Salter, is the media. "The kids listen to the rap music; they see the music videos and how they are dancing," he says. "So it becomes very, very challenging to teach them that maybe this is not the way when they are seeing it so frequently in the media." Through a partnership between the school and parents, Salter is determined to counter these messages sent by the media. A committee, made up of five parents, five students and three administrators, has been charged with coming up with a resolution to bring back the school's dances. In the meantime, as Salter noted in a follow-up email, "...when one is making a change, there is going to be some discomfort... However, I believe that we will end up in a much better place when the pain has subsided, a place in which all of us will be better and a higher standard reached." -By Sandy Bennett EDITOR'S NOTE: On Nov. 28, Principal Charles Salter Jr. announced that the dances will resume as long as students abide by a new set of rules established by the committee. Cynthia Randall RESIDENCE: Aliso Viejo FAMILY: Husband Josh HERO DEFINED: An oncology nurse whose efforts extend beyond the hospital walls. A sense of gratitude and fondness fills Cynthia Randall as she talks of the nurses who cared for her father during a one-month hospital stay. They cared for her mom, too, a mother of four who became a widow at age 42. Their lasting touch, and her mother's teachings, continue to inspire Randall today. The Aliso Viejo resident, who was 15 years old and living in Miami when her father died of pancreatic cancer, has helped other families in similar situations for nearly 20 years. Most recently she served two years in the oncology department at St. Joseph Hospital in Orange, where among her many duties she gave blood transfusions and chemotherapy treatments to cancer patients. In between, she comforted and educated their families. "It's really the quality of life, that's what really matters," she says. "My goal in nursing is just really to take care of as many patients as I can and not necessarily just give them chemotherapy, but touch them in ways as a human being that will help them feel as normal as they can as they're going through their therapy." Her most heroic works, though, extend beyond the hospital walls. While caring for cancer patients at Jackson Memorial Hospital, an indigent hospital in Miami, Randall made visits to her patients' homes to check on and care for their wounds. For those unable to fill their prescription, she called pharmaceutical representatives to obtain samples for their use. And while at St. Joseph, she worked with a local radio station to fulfill a wish of one of her dying patients. In August, she and the deejay drove to her patient's Riverside home and presented the 58-year-old-woman with two tickets to a Shikara concert at the Staples Center - one for the woman, the other for her daughter. "My mother always used to tell us that we should always give a helping hand to somebody who needs it and never expect that person to do something in return," she says. "We need to pay back what we get and it doesn't have to be with the same person." - By Sandy Bennett Fred Lammers RESIDENCE: Huntington Beach FAMILY: Wife Chris; daughter Beth, 25, and son Greg, 23 HERO DEFINED: Lammers is a water polo, swim coach and biology teacher at Valley High School in Santa Ana. Swim coach Fred Lammers never gives up. At Valley High School, he is known to go an extra lap and wait outside the classrooms of students who repeatedly skip practice in order to ensure they learn the value of discipline and commitment in their lives. It is no surprise that this 30-year veteran teacher was granted the Orange County High School Teacher of the Year Award in 2006 in recognition for his passion to students. Lammers begins his long day at 4:30 a.m., rides his bike eight miles to a community pool, located near his school in Santa Ana. He teaches kids not only the breaststroke, but how to overcome life's obstacles, like the ones he faces. Currently, the determined teacher is fighting to persuade private investors to donate funds for a pool to be built at his public school. "I wish more community leaders would get together in getting added sports in lower-income areas," said Lammers. "Student-athletes gain self-confidence, commitment and team skills that cannot be learned inside a classroom." Lammers' work is also challenged as 95% of students are Latino and 45% are English language learners. He has overcome this barrier by obtaining a CLAD and SADIE certification to teach bilingual students and volunteering time to reach his immigrant-student and parent population. "Many Latino parents have two jobs and they are raising young children, so it is hard for them to pay as much attention as another parent could from a more affluent neighborhood with more time and resources," says Lammers, who has planned booster and recognition activities for parents to attend after school. Though Lammers has an extensive swim training background, he has also been challenged with teaching many of his high school athletes how to swim. "I take anyone who wants to join; I only expect them to give their personal best. It is a type of positive addiction for me when I motivate, teach, and mature high school students." Whether he is teaching swimming, biology or health, Lammers' humorous and positive take brings alumni back to school. "It is nice to see old students of mine encourage the younger ones and put in practice what they learned here," he says. - By Nayeli Pagaza Sandra Barrett RESIDENCE: Newport Beach FAMILY: Single HERO DEFINED: Barrett is a third-grade teacher at Betsy Ross Elementary School in Anaheim. Although Sandra Barrett had the option to work in the higher-end community of Newport Beach where she resides, the third-grade instructor chose instead to teach at a less-privileged K-12 school in Anaheim where some students suffer from homelessness and instability. "I wanted to go to a school where I could make a deeper impact," says Barrett, who has been teaching at Betsy Ross Elementary for seven years. The Title 1 school has a majority of students living at risk of low-socioeconomic status and 92% of children are bused to receive better quality education. (Title 1 provides specific support to help improve academic achievement.) Because 88% of the student body is English language-learners, Barrett has accommodated her curriculum into five levels of reading comprehension. "You have to have class management because you work with all children simultaneously in improving their scores by the end of the school year," says Barrett. To further boost reading levels for underperforming children, she volunteers in a collaborative community program with Anaheim YMCA as Anaheim Achieves literacy coach and works during intersession at her year-round school. Barrett has become so involved in each student's behavioral or academic needs that she developed a student outreach committee for all students. This way, she is able to target the core of a student's problems, especially when she learns one of them is suffering a family trauma, like having a parent in jail. "I did not grow up with nearly as many struggles, but I try to show them what things they should be thankful for," says Barrett. "I try to make things fun for them and exciting because kids pick up everything that is positive or negative." She also plans programs where parents are more active in school. "Many parents (at Betsy Ross) are Latino immigrants and intimidated to speak English, but I provide after-school science nights that are fun and great ice breakers," says Barrett. "I also have parents come in and work with me in cutting and stapling papers so they are involved in their child's education." As far as her students' future: "I have them look at the clock every day where I placed their expected college graduation date to be 2020. I want them to know that college is a goal they need to reach and not an option for them." - By Nayeli Pagaza Rae Douglas RESIDENCE: Mission Viejo FAMILY: Husband Peter; son Sean, 35, and daughter-in-law Katie, daughter Amber, 32, and son-in-law Anthony; and four grandsons, ranging in age from 8 weeks to 6 years old HERO DEFINED: Douglas, director of Fairmont Private Schools Citron campus in Anaheim, works with the school's teachers, students and parents to ensure a positive and successful start. Rae Douglas understands the value of preschool and kindergarten and of those who teach our youngest students. "This is the foundation; this is where it's built," she says. "If you can't develop that love for learning or that love for coming to school every day, the learning is not going to happen." As director of Fairmont Private Schools Citron campus in Anaheim, which serves 143 preschool and kindergarten students, Douglas works with teachers, students and parents to ensure a positive and successful start. Among her efforts, she makes sure that students are placed in the right class, that teachers are teaching to the curriculum and that parents are comfortable leaving their child. The environment she has created is one that is both stimulating and warm. Colorful artwork adorns every wall and parents can be found interacting in the hallways. Recently, several helped to prepare the passageways for a book fair. Such involvement is encouraged by Douglas, who believes that "great things start happening" when the school and home work together as a team. Throughout the years, Douglas' efforts and loving touch have impacted hundreds of students, successfully preparing them for a long and competitive journey in school while fostering a love and thirst for learning. Rae, who emigrated from New Zealand with her husband and two children in 1979, has been working with preschoolers and kindergartners for more than 30 years - 18 of which have been as a director or assistant director at Fairmont. "I always say to my kindergarten teachers, 'a child never forgets their kindergarten teacher, ever,'" she says. "There's something magical about their kindergarten year. - By Sandy Bennett Bill Sumner RESIDENCE: Irvine FAMILY: His father; three brothers; and four sisters HERO DEFINED: He is in his 24th year as Corona del Mar High School's cross country and track and field coach. His teams have won eight state championships in cross country and 14 CIF championships in either that sport or track and field, including most recently with the girls cross country team. Two national titles have come in distance medley relay; he has coached 29 Olympic Trials champions and standout students who have earned college scholarships, including Stanford runner Annie St. Geme. He is race director of this month's OC Marathon, for which more than $400,000 is raised annually for 11 Orange County-based nonprofits (information on the Jan. 7 race: OCMarathon.com). Bill Sumner could talk all day long about the wins his Newport Beach-based high school has amassed, the fact that his cross country teams have qualified for the state finals 20 straight years - a record - or how everyone calls him a great coach. But, like great youth coaches, he concentrates more on the character of the heart than the swiftness of the legs. "You have to understand what winning is," Sumner, 59, says. "If he's getting straight Ds and you get him up to a couple of Cs, that's a champ." Winning, he says, "is about making progress." OC Family Magazine is always in the hunt for coaches who understand that winning is about succeeding in life, and that sports is a way station to getting there. Some coaches get that; Sumner certainly does. One could argue that Sumner has it easy, that many of Orange County's best runners yearn to attend the school and run for him. But sports lore is littered with athletes who never lived up to the potential, who never really did well in anything. In contrast, he says he probably receives more than 300 calls a year from alum - people just checking in, saying thanks. That includes the athlete who was at risk of not graduating one year, and today is a schoolteacher. The alum list soon will include Sarah Cummings, the state and CIF cross country champion this year who has been accepted to Princeton. Sumner pays particular attention to freshmen, to see how devoted they are as they await their turn. "If you are prepared when your opportunity shows up, to take advantage of it, then you have a chance. That works in all walks of life." His sports, then, are not cross country and track, Sumner says. They are "Life 1A." "It's not about running, it's about what you put into the deal. It's about moving forward." Sumner, a longtime marathoner who continues to train with his teams, says he will coach for as long as the work is fun. Rule No. 1, for himself and his athletes: "Just try." He says he doesn't push anybody, but rather either leads, or pulls. No yelling, no screaming, just trying. In 2005, his 10,000th athlete went through his high school program. - By Craig Reem Kathy Leedom RESIDENCE: San Juan Capistrano FAMILY: Daughter Kelsey, 20 HERO DEFINED: Leedom is a sixth-grade math teacher at St. Margaret's Episcopal School in San Juan Capistrano who is integrating humor into her teaching methods to lighten the everyday load from students. As a swarm of students moves to the next class, Kathy Leedom, a sixth-grade math teacher at St. Margaret's Episcopal School in San Juan Capistrano, stands outside to welcome them. When they see Leedom, they exclaim as if on cue: "Hi, Mrs. Leedom!" Usually, excitement thins when it's the middle of the school day and the next class is math, yet Leedom, incorporating humor into her teaching, has found a way to keep kids wanting more. She uses the gift of laughter. "You need to have a sense of humor because math is so dry," she says. "We do a lot of laughing because I want the students to know I'm human. I want them to know that I care about them." A USC graduate, Leedom has been teaching at St. Margaret's for 24 years. She worked the fifth grade until four years ago when she wanted a change and decided to give sixth grade a try. Whether it is integrating her love for football or showing the class a funny email to set the mood, Leedom lives up to the inspirational quotes posted over the walls of her room. One in particular was an answer on a past test: "For success, attitude is as important as ability." "There's so much stress and pressure in the world and even just at our own little school, some of these kids feel stress all around their lives - sports, academics - and it's important to me that they know you have to enjoy life," she says. "I want them to feel good about themselves." Leedom's positive attitude and overall persona is contagious. When meeting her for the first time, a huge smile sweeps across her face and bright eyes bring comfort. It's no wonder that students flock to greet her with a friendly and excited hello. -By Ashley Eliot Evan Jacobsen RESIDENCE: Laguna Niguel FAMILY: Mom Edie, dad Donald; sisters Tara, 21, and Laura, 19 HERO DEFINED: Jacobsen, founder of Summit7 Foundation, is on his way to becoming the youngest person to climb the seven tallest summits of the world, with four more to go. He is raising money to build homes in poor areas near the peaks. Traveling and scaling the tallest peaks of the world, at 16 years old, Evan Jacobsen, founder of the Summit7 Foundation, is determined be the youngest person in history to climb the seven highest summits on earth. A sophomore at San Clemente High School, Jacobsen started Summit7 Foundation in June 2006 after traveling to different countries on his venture to set a world record. He witnessed the poverty and dismay of Tanzania and Russia after successfully completing the climb to the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro and Mt. Elbrus. Jacobsen took action and united with Habitat for Humanity International to develop this California nonprofit organization to raise money for building homes in poor areas near the peaks. "Gypsy ladies went right up to us begging for money," he says. "We drove through valleys and the apartment buildings were wiped out and abandoned. It made me feel grateful yet mad at myself for not doing anything before and not knowing about this." Last summer, the teen raised enough money to build two houses in Tanzania. He's not only becoming a hero in Orange County but around the globe. It took about 15 hours to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro, having a challenge with weather; at Mt. Elbrus, it took three tries to get to the summit; and most recently he scaled Mt. Kosciusko, Australia with his family in December. He became interested in mountain climbing while a Boy Scout. At age 10, he hiked Mt. San Jacinto (10,800 ft.) in Palm Springs. "After I did my mountain climbing schooling in Washington, I was in my dad's library reading the book "Seven Summits" by Dick Bass - the first person to summit all seven peaks in a years time. It fascinated me." - By Ashley Eliot |
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