Case Stories
Lena Merrill Community Learning Center
Saratoga School

Jacob

Jacob was a 4th grader who transferred to Saratoga from another school at the beginning of the school year. Jacob’s file was very thick, with numerous documents describing serious behavioral incidents that necessitated physical restraint and intervention. This arrived at our office with other information describing the traumatic brain injury that Jacob sustained years earlier, and the severe reading disability that he has.
Jacob and his family were welcomed at Saratoga, and they were all anxious for a fresh start for Jacob. The beginning of the school year was rough with Jacob. He frequently refused to follow directions, and he ran away from the school on a regular basis. In the after school classroom, Jacob became easily frustrated and disruptive whenever the activity involved reading.
We focused on literacy with Jacob, and let him know that his behavior outbursts would not deter us from our mission. His family joined our book club, One Book-One Family, that meets monthly to discuss the books read during the month, eat dinner, and receive books for the next month. Through this experience, family reading time was structured into his evenings.
We noticed that Jacob had an interest in dogs, and he liked to tell us about his dog. So, we decided to bring in a very special little dog that is a foster-dog in the CLC site supervisor’s home. We introduced this dog to Jacob, and told him that the dog likes to be read to. Jacob readily agreed to read to the dog, and after a few sessions, he was reading lengthy stories to the dog and stopping to show her the pictures in the books. He went home to tell his mother about the experiences he was having reading to the dog, and she was amazed. She asked the site supervisor, “Who would have thought that such a simple thing could have this kind of impact on Jacob’s reading?”
Through his experiences with the family book club and reading to the dog at the CLC, Jacob’s reading fluency and confidence increased.
We all rejoiced in Jacob’s success. As his confidence increased, his negative behaviors decreased. Jacob still has a long road ahead, but his progress is a testament to the value in addressing literacy in non-traditional ways.

Ahstin

Ahstin and his sister came to Saratoga School two years ago. They arrived as dirty, scared, angry children who had seen too much of the worst in humanity. Where other children had known warmth and security, love and protection, Ahstin and his siblings had lived a life of insecurity, abuse, neglect, and poverty.
A recent divorce in the family resulted in the children and their mother moving to Lincoln to start a new life. Their mother worked several jobs to support the family, and they still could only afford to live in substandard housing.
Ahstin and his sister lied, stole, and caused problems with their peers. BUT...their mother loved them and knew that placing them in a structured after school program would increase their chances of success in school.
With a combination of structure, quality academic activities, and consistent expectations and consequences, the staff at the CLC began to see underneath Ahstin's tough exterior. What they found was a very intelligent, sweet boy who really wanted to please the adults in his life. Soon, the teachers in the after school program were saying that they just LOVE Ahstin, and never want to lose him.
Also, Ahstin's mother frequently turned to the CLC for help with the various issues that impacted her family. In time, she and the children viewed the CLC as a safe place to go for help.
One late winter Friday afternoon, Ahstin's mother rushed breathlessly into the CLC office and asked for help. It seems that she had rented a mobile home that did not have working water. She and the children had lived in it all week, using a bucket in the living room as a toilet, and going without baths, tooth brushing, and other daily functions requiring water. As the weekend approached, she said that the landlord had told her he couldn't get to the water problem until Monday. She was very concerned because she was working 12-hour days at her weekend jobs, and her children would be without water all weekend while she was at work. With a few phone calls to agencies that partner with the CLC's, the mother's problem was addressed and corrected. The city had laws and a system in place to deal with situations like this one, but the mother required help in learning how to navigate the system.
At Christmas, the mother shopped at our Santa Store, where she and other parents who live in poverty were invited to shop for new toys, clothes, and other gift items for pennies-on-the-dollar. She even took home a beautiful Christmas tree and lights that were donated by the Optimist Club. As she left the Santa Store, Ahstin's mom said, "You will never know how much this means to our family.".... And she began to sob.
Even though Ahstin's mother could get the children into any daycare setting, she chose the CLC after school program because she recognized its value to the children.
A scared, dirty, and poor family was embraced by the loving arms of the CLC, and they have found a home at Saratoga School.

Raven

Raven is a Navajo child who attends Saratoga School. She lives with her father and her grandmother. Raven is always well dressed and is very obviously well loved. However, her father works nights and has very little contact with the school, and her grandmother was at one time very mistrusting of the school. Raven's father and grandmother both want Raven to have the academic advantage of participating in an after school enrichment program, and she has attended the program all three years of its existence.
When Raven was in third grade, she stopped doing her schoolwork during the day program. She was lethargic and uncooperative in the classroom. The teachers asked the CLC staff to support their efforts by having Raven spend some time each afternoon completing work she did not complete during the day. They attempted to communicate their concerns to the grandmother, but got no support from her.
For over a year, the grandmother came each day to pick up Raven from the after school program, never spoke to us, and went back home. Then one day, we brought some white mice to the office. That day, Grandma stopped to look in the cage, and she shyly asked us what was in the cage. We told her about the mice, and for the first time she smiled and watched as the little mice crawled out of their house in the cage.
Each day after that we made a point of saying "hello" to the grandmother. And, she began to respond by saying "hello" to us.
Then one day, the CLC site supervisor asked what Native American tribe the grandmother belonged to. Grandma replied, " I am Navajo."
From there, we discussed the famous Navajo Wind talkers from WWII, and before long Grandma was proudly telling us many things about her people.
Another year has passed since those first talks with Grandma, and short, tentative conversations have led to a caring relationship between the CLC staff and the family, punctuated by occasional hand-squeezes, pats on the back, and gentle hugs.
Other changes were noticed...the father who NEVER came to school before felt comfortable stopping by the CLC office to check on things from time to time. Though always humble, Grandma was no longer shy. She clearly valued the CLC, its programs, and its staff. And best of all, Raven began focusing on her schoolwork. The relationship that developed between the CLC and the family clearly communicated to Raven that her family considered school a high priority. And, the CLC communicated to the family that they are important...their culture is important...and their history is important.

Davarrius

Davarrius enrolled in Saratoga School in the fall of 2003. He moved to this neighborhood with his father, his father’s girlfriend, and various stepsiblings. Although only in first grade, Davarrius was already a seasoned behavioral “artist”, whose medium was physical and verbal disruption that impacted the entire school at times. The family unit was also in distress, with 5 mouths to feed, a baby on the way, and unemployment. A relationship was established with Davarrius’s father and his girlfriend, and both adults appeared to be very concerned and also supportive of our efforts to modify some of Davarrius’s more inappropriate behaviors.
A consistent behavior plan was put in place, and was adhered to by staff and parents. In time, Davarrius’s behavior outbursts decreased in frequency, duration, and intensity. He began to make friends and benefit from the instruction in the after school program. The CLC staff also tried to wrap other services around the family to help them cope with the issues that weighed so heavily on them.
With a baby on the way, our Early Childhood Outreach worker visited the father’s girlfriend with a Welcome Baby basket of baby supplies, books, and brochures about family services available in the community.
The family also joined the family book club, One Book-One Family, and they faithfully attended the club each month. The children enjoyed the books, and the parents were able to meet other parents in the neighborhood who attended the book club.
The parents want the very best for their children, and so enrolled the school-aged children in the CLC after school program at Saratoga. And, during the school vacation weeks, the parents again recognized the advantages of their children participating in programming at the school.
When Christmas approached, one could easily see the stress on the faces of the parents as they realized that Christmas would be very limited this year at their house. Davarrius’s father soon found a job as a waiter, and the father’s girlfriend started an educational program at the Community College. They were determined to make a better life for their children.
The CLC staff believes in giving people a hand-up rather than a handout, and the parents were invited to shop at the Santa Store at the school. This store offered parents the opportunity to purchase toys, clothes, and other gift items for their children for pennies-on-the-dollar. Davarrius’s father and his girlfriend made some careful and wise purchases at the Santa Store, ensuring that their children would not feel forgotten on Christmas.
As our partnership with the parents continues to grow, they trust the school more in their decisions about the best programming for Davarrius and his stepbrother. So much more can be accomplished when a close partnership like this one exists.

The Boys

The boys have attended Saratoga since preschool. They are now in 3rd and 5th grade. Both boys have struggled with issues throughout their elementary school years, due to numerous family problems. Their mother abuses drugs and alcohol. She cannot maintain employment, and the family is heavily impacted by poverty. The mother has damaged her relationship with the day program staff, and so decided to develop one with the after school staff. This relationship is often strained because it is difficult for the staff to accept the many ways the boys are hurt by their mother’s actions: they have lived in a car for short periods of time; they have had their utilities shut off for lack of payment; they have been severely neglected when their mother is affected by drugs or alcohol.
However, the CLC staff has made a connection with the mother, and has tried to assist her whenever possible.
When her car broke down, she said she couldn’t get the boys to school until her car was fixed, and she asked for our help. Through a partnership with Southeast High School, the mother’s car was fixed for a minimal cost. When the boys did not have beds or other furniture, we found furniture for them. When the utilities were shut off, we connected the mother with the contacts needed to resolve the problem. When the mother was angry with the school bus drivers, the CLC staff listened to her cry and vent about her frustrations. When the Santa Store opened at Christmas time, the mother was encouraged to shop there to purchase toys and clothes for her boys for pennies-on-the-dollar. We helped her select, carry, and even gift wrap items purchased.

This seemed like a mother who would always “take”, and never “give back”.
Then…the CLC staff decided to start a Community Garden Project. Knowing that this would be a huge work-in-progress for years, the CLC site supervisor sent out requests for materials and volunteers. Most of the responses for donations came from Saratoga staff members and local businesses.
Then one day, their mother, very enthused and jubilant, came to the CLC office, arms loaded with tomato cages, a 100-foot hose, a sprinkler, and numerous packets of seeds.
She said, “I am so excited! This is something I can do! I know EVERYTHING there is to know about gardening! I want to help!”
She will be a wonderful helper in the garden throughout and summer and fall. And the staff all learned a valuable lesson from the boys’ mother…even people who seem to be only “takers” may have much to offer, if we take the time to learn their strengths, their hobbies, and their desires. Their mother WANTED to help and contribute to the community…she just did not know how. Once we found her strength, she became a valuable asset to our program.

The Somas

The Soma family moved to the Saratoga neighborhood in the Fall of 2003. The father, is single-parenting a 2-year old, a 5-year old, a 6-year old, and a 7-year old. It is clear that the children are loved, because they are joyful and kind and they are loved by adults and peers at school. The issues surrounding this family stem from extreme poverty. Although the children are bathed and dressed in clean hand-me-down clothing, they and their home are infested with lice.
Other issues include utilities being shut off for lack of payment during the winter and inadequate warm clothing.
The CLC Site Supervisor participates in a student assistance and review committee at the school. Each week, the committee (consisting of the assistant principal, a behavior health therapist from a partner agency, the school nurse, the early childhood outreach coordinator, the resource officer, the school social worker, and the CLC Site Supervisor) meets to discuss families and children in crisis and they access resources to address the families’ needs. The Somas were frequently discussed at these meetings during the year, and eventually the authorities were notified about the utility shut-off.
Mr. Soma came to school very upset about our notifying the authorities, and the school social worker told him, “Think of this as a visit to the emergency room. We are gathering the needed resources to take care of your family.”
After that, the father was our “partner”. He realized that we care about him and his children, and he worked with us to address his family’s needs.
He enrolled the family in the One Book-One Family book club, and they attended each month throughout the school year. He enrolled the children in the after school program at the school, even though he was home during those after school times. He recognized the value of an enrichment program for his children, and he pursued it for them.
At Christmas, the father shopped at the Santa Store, carefully selecting gifts for each of his children. He attended school functions and events, including Open House, the school’s 110th Anniversary Celebration, parent-teacher conferences, and numerous other events. He accepted food and gift donations at Christmas and Thanksgiving from a club at Southeast High School that “sponsored” the family for the holidays.
I think that Mr. Soma is glad that he made that trip to the “emergency room”.

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