Some kids wonder what their parents do at work, and many parents wonder what we do in school and what activities we have. Rachel Torres has been helping parents for over 38 years, by getting them involved in what students are able to do and what they need to graduate from high school.
Her first 11 years were as instructional aide, then she spent five years running a computer lab, and 21 years as comminity liaison. Torres used to work with parents by going to their house and talking about what goes on, but as time went by she held meetings in the closest elementary to make it easier for parents to attend. Now she holds weekly meetings with the parents and they meet between 10 and 12 in the morning on Wednesdays. She calls different guest speakers and lets them learn about how and why they do school activities, such as prom and homecoming.
But it’s not all about that anymore, a lot has changed. Now she doesn’t just focus on the students’ lives but on the parents’ lives as well. She touches on what goes on in their daily lives, such as if they see a dead cat in the street who do they call, or if a branch has fallen and is blocking the road who do you call? She also lets the parents know how to access their school website and see their son’s or daughter’s absences, tardies, school work, and grades. Sometimes she does personal calls for teachers saying their son or daughter has improved or has done a good job.
Many parents support their kids by going to their games, but not many go to the meetings to see how they can support them in school. “It takes a long time to get a connection for them to trust me,” said Torres. Some students aren’t able to go to some activities because the parents don’t know what goes on in the activities and don’t trust it. “The purpose to this is to make them understand the purpose to student success,” said Torres.
She doesn’t only help parents; she has also done so much for the community. Back in 1996 Acosta Plaza was being criticized for being bad for the community and Torres, who used to live there, got offended, so she pulled up the list of seniors who went to Alisal, graduated, and were accepted to a two or four-year college. This showed the community that Acosta Plaza wasn’t a bad neighborhood and she and the students were featured on the front page of The Californian. In 2008, she was given several awards, the most important being the Monterey County Commission on the Status of Women. She was very happy and delighted with the reward. The award was established by the board of the supervisors in 1974 in to eliminate sex discrimination and prejudice.
Torres has been helping both the community and the school, making them better for all concerned. “I enjoy making a difference with the community because the end result are the successes of the people,” said Torres. “It’s really hitting home with the alumni day we’re doing because of all the people who’ve gone on to become doctors, lawyers, teachers, businessmen.”
For all the time she has put in over all her years at Alisal, many ask her when she’s going to retire. “I’m not going anywhere, I enjoy what I do,” she said, “and I will keep on until I feel that I’m not making a difference.”