May we help you?
Hohokam greets parents with water and assistance cards
Hohokam Middle School may be located in the desert, but folks there are not about to let a dry spell set in at their school.
Ray Silvas and his son, Hohokam sixth-grader Rene, receive a water bottle and card from Hohokam intervention specialist, Eddie Rios.
On the first day of school, Aug. 11, several staff members met parents in their vehicle in the parking lot, offering them bottles of water and a card with information offering to help them with their children's needs.
It's part of the effort at Hohokam, 7400 S. Settler Road, to present a welcoming atmosphere and promote understanding and cooperation between staff and parents. They plan to keep handing out the bottles and cards on Mondays or at least on alternating Mondays.
Hohokam in-house sustension teacher, Frank Perez, hands a water bottle and card to Rick Evans, whose daughter Jessica Nave, is a Hohokam sixth-grader.
Principal John Michel decided to try the idea after he received a bottle of water at a Rancho Sahuarita intersection south of Tucson. Plus, Frank Perez, the in-house suspension teacher, said he liked greeting parents outside when he was a Safford Magnet Middle School monitor.
Parents have been surprised and happy to be greeted in their vehicles and receive the cooling drink because they're usually hot, said Intervention Specialist Eddie Rios. "We give them the water and the card and we get a big smile," he said. "It shows we care. It starts a conversation and it's an invitation to them to talk to us." During the conversation Perez, Rios and Intervention Specialist Ricky Torres find out Hohokam students' interests, such as volleyball or joining clubs.
"The bottom line is, anything we can assist you with, we will do," Perez said. Last year, staff greeted parents with fliers about AIMS tests and offers of assistance.
Ray Silvas, who arrived on campus with his sixth-grade son, Rene, said getting the water bottle and card was nice. "It shows they're helpful and they care about us," he said. "They want everyone to know what's going on."
Rick Evans, whose daughter, Jessica Nave, is a sixth-grader, appreciated the water and card also, especially since he recently moved to Tucson and is still getting acclimated. He joked that when someone approached him with water and the card, he thought he was in trouble for parking in front of the school, where he was waiting for his fiancée to come out. Perez handed him a second bottle when he said he was dehydrated.
So far, Hohokam staff has given out 30 36-bottle cases of water. Donations have come from Food City, Circle K, parents and teachers. In the future, Rios said Hohokam will sponsor fundraisers, where they will sell water to purchase more bottles of water. "The water keeps revolving," he said. "It's a good marketing thing for us."