Almost a century ago, my Spanish speaking grandmother demanded that her firstborn attend school with the “gringos” rather than having him work in the fields as most Mexican-American children did. My grandmother wasn’t formally educated, nor did she speak much English; however, she understood the power of an education. Thanks to her tenacity and courage, education became a Flores family value, though never easily attainable. A few decades later, my father was the first of his family to earn a bachelor’s degree, in large part due to the G.I. bill. Another 30 years later, my sister became the first in our family to attain a master’s degree.
According to The Education Trust, only 5.9% of Latina women earn a graduate degree and 26.6% earn a college degree; 4.5% of Latino men earn a graduate degree and 20.7% earn a college degree. Here in Utah, that number is even lower — 24.1% of Latinas and 19.9% of Latinos graduate from college. Many of Millcreek Elementary School’s Hispanic families could experience these same difficulties, but under the leadership of our new principal Amber Clayton, Millcreek is improving in all areas and our students are showing positive academic growth.
At Millcreek, about 50% of our students are minorities, 34% are Hispanic, and several Latin American countries are represented by our faculty. Thanks to the dedicated staff, the robust PTA, the strong community, and the effective leadership of Ms. Clayton, Millcreek’s students are held to high expectations, they’re pushed to excel, and they’re part of a diverse community that aims to break the aforementioned cycles of low achievement.
Schools in our country are failing Hispanic students, but Millcreek is not. Yet here we are at the end of Hispanic Heritage Month and the Granite School District is quietly and quickly moving to close this successful and diverse elementary school. On Nov. 1, Granite School District School Board members will cast their initial vote on whether to close Millcreek and halt all of its progress.
Millcreek is a place where upward mobility is possible; it is a place where Spanish is proudly spoken, and it is a place where people of color are accepted. All are welcome at Millcreek. Let’s urge the board to keep the doors to this school, our community, our casa, open.
April D. Flores, Salt Lake City
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