McAuliffe Elementary helps needy families

McAuliffe principal Cynthia West likes to think that her teachers and staff do more than help raise children's test scores.

A good example of this is the school's food closet. Started last year, the closet has been invaluable to a school that draws from both a racially and socio-economically diverse community in the Princedale area of Dale City.

According to the school profile on the county school system Web site, the school's population is more than a third Hispanic and a quarter black. Many of these students saw the effects of the foreclosure crisis firsthand.

Every year, the school's student government organizes a canned food drive for the needy around Thanksgiv-ing. But it was apparent after the new year that the need was still there, said West.

In January, a little girl went up to her teacher and asked her if she had a snack because she was hungry. When West heard about the family, the administration responded by purchasing the family groceries.

"When I saw this, I said 'Wait a minute, she's not the only one.'"

West said the group Parents as Educational Partners, whose mission is to empower Spanish speaking families be-come more involved with the school, has played a vital role in the school's food closet.

For the last six years, the PEP program have provided parents with English as Second Language classes in the eve-nings and familiarized them with the school system in general.

At the end of the year, they hold graduations for the parents, caps and gowns and all.

PEP organizer Kelly Cox said it's good to catch the parents when their children are young. And West said the more the school system can do for the students and their families, the better the educational outcome will be.

"By providing support to the families, the children then get some of their needs met," West said. "If they come to the school hungry or without coats,they are not comfortable and they aren't ready to learn."

West recalled a student who had gotten into trouble last spring and was called to the office. During the meeting, the administrators determined that the child needed material assistance. She ended up leaving with a bag of food and clothing.

This made the mother extremely grateful.

"Even though it was an uncomfortable situation and the child had been in a little bit of a scrape, when she [mother] left, she hugged me and thanked me and said, 'I love your school.' I told her 'It's not our school, it's your school.'"

Staff writer Kipp Hanley can be reached at 703-878-8062.