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Community members, students and concerned residents are set to protest a decision by El Paso ISD to put the district’s bus hub on the historic South El Paso campus.

Familias Unidas del Chamizal (Chamizal Families United) announced the rally against the installation of the bus hub at Bowie High School, at San Marcial & Paisano Street for 4 pm on Tuesday, May 1st.

Organizers say that EPISD has “made a decision to establish its central operations hub with more than 120 school buses, butane and gasoline station and repair center at Bowie High School.”

Via a news release, they add that, “Bowie High School students are already disproportionately exposed to toxic and hazardous pollutants emitted by maquila semi-trucks and international bridge traffic.”

Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid, on behalf of Familias Unidas del Chamizal members have filed a Civil Rights Title VI complaint to stop the construction of the bus hub. They contend that, “In El Paso, no other school has a transportation center on their campus.”

The groups further contends that “EPISD did not conduct the proper impact study, they have hired contractors to begin the destruction of the 1949 Bowie High School state champions historic baseball field, to replace it with the facility.”

The group’s news release adds:

According to the City, their ordinance does not permit a transportation facility, as proposed by EPISD,  inside the Bowie campus’ property, next to the football and practice field. However, EPISD claims that it is exempt from all regulations because of a state law.

Families United goes on to say, “It is our view that they are misinterpreting the state law because exemptions are granted only if it furthers education and does not endanger the public health of the students. Why has the state granted an exemption that puts the health and security of our student in danger?”

Earlier this month, the EPISD Board of Trustees approved the contract for the construction of the bus hub at Bowie.  The funds will come from a 2007 bond, which had initially allocated just over $5 million for the project; but now will cost closer to $11 million.

At the time of the contract award, district officials told several media outlets that they had not received a copy of the complaint, but maintained that it was not a ‘discriminatory issue’ as there were three other hubs spread throughout the city.

According to the group, Bowie students are asking that – instead of the bus barn – the district build “an innovative green cultural arts learning center that would address the existing academic problems, preserve the green area, the history of the 1949 baseball team, and other important history of the Bowie alumni.”

WHAT: Rally Against the Bus Hub at Bowie

WHEN: Tuesday, May 1, 2018 at 4pm

WHERE: In front of Bowie High School, San Marcial & Paisano Street

HOUSTON –  To help train youth to become educators and advocates for tobacco policy change, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) School of Public Health in El Paso is partnering with El Paso Independent School District high schools to create an innovative new program.

As part of its A Smoke Free Paso del Norte initiative, the Paso del Norte Health Foundation awarded UTHealth School of Public Health nearly $150,000 to implement Youth Advocating for Policy EXecution (APEX). The unique program will teach youth how to advocate for policy changes that will reduce tobacco use among adults, prevent tobacco use among youth and reduce exposure to secondhand smoke.

The program, which begins in August, will start at three schools: Bowie High School, Chapin High School and Austin High School. The program may be expanded to include more schools in the future.

“We’re helping to train the next generation of policy advocates and helping foster long-term leadership and career development,” said Louis Brown, Ph.D., the program’s leader and assistant professor in the Department of Health Promotion and Behavioral Sciences at UTHealth School of Public Health in El Paso. “Most policy change initiatives are adult-driven and don’t involve youth. Youth APEX is not the standard paradigm. Instead, this is a paradigm shift.”

The program will operate as an after-school club at each school, allowing students to participate in five different policy and environmental initiatives throughout the school year. A campus coordinator at each school will recruit students and collaborate with UTHealth staff in trainings, as well as in the implementation of tobacco control activities.

The first activity will be retailer compliance checks, which will focus on enforcing the policies that are already in place to reduce the purchase of tobacco products by individuals under the age of 18. The compliance checks will be conducted in collaboration with the El Paso Department of Public Health and Aliviane, Inc., a nonprofit organization that provides behavioral health, treatment and recovery services.

For the next project, students will work on promoting the adoption of smoke-free apartment complexes.

“The students will survey residents about their views on smoke-free housing,” said Brown. “Our plan is to collect the data and share it with property owners to help them consider the pros and cons of smoke-free housing.”

Other activities in the program will include a social media campaign and collective action aimed at encouraging pharmacies to stop selling tobacco.

In the final phase of the program, students will write letters to Texas state senators and representatives advocating to raise the minimum age required to purchase tobacco products to 21.

“We often see youth as part of the problem instead of the solution. They are often underestimated because people don’t see the possibilities,” Brown said. “This is an important public health issue and youth have a powerful voice that is uniquely capable of attracting media attention, garnering sympathy and swaying public opinion.”

The six EPISD campuses that received Improvement Required last year are now rated as Met Standard in the 2016 Accountability Ratings released by the Texas Education Agency Monday.

The six schools that improved their rating from Improvement Required to Met standard are Guillen and Terrace Hills middle schools as well as Burnet, Rusk, Schuster and Stanton elementary schools.

Ratings show all but two El Paso Independent School District campuses received the Met Standard rating – the highest given by the TEA – based on testing scores and other guidelines.

EPISD plans to appeal the rating of Bowie High School and the College, Career and Technology Academy based on an internal review that seems to indicate that both schools could have earned a higher rating than they received.

“Our students keep showing improvement thanks to the high-quality teaching that is happening throughout EPISD. Nowhere is it more apparent than in those six schools that improved their ratings this year,” Superintendent Juan Cabrera said. “We also continue work the data we were provided to make sure that our schools receive the rating they deserve given their hard work and their results.”

A review of figures for Bowie and CCTA indicate that the test results for both schools were close to the Met Standard level. The District is therefore asking the state to re-assess the ratings for both campuses.

Ivonne Durant, EPISD’s deputy superintendent for academics and school leadership, said there’s reason to believe both Bowie and CCTA earned high-enough scores to be rated Met Standards, and hopes the state review of both campuses will mean a reverse of their current rating.

“EPISD has adopted several new initiatives that look to challenge students to learn in ways that are challenging and forward thinking. Those initiatives already have created better learning environments,” Durant said. “Our desire in filing this appeal for Bowie and CCTA is to accurately reflect student performance in those two campuses.”

A small Bowie band emerged with top ratings in UIL at the Marching Competition in the fall and Concert and Sight Reading Competition last month – the first time in more than a decade the band earned a First Division rating.

This performance by the Bears is another sign that the Bowie High School Band is experiencing a sort of renaissance that is bringing back a storied tradition of having outstanding music programs at the South Side school.

“The Bowie Band under Jasmine Torres’ leadership and vision has been able to accomplish some amazing things in just a short period of time,” said Michael Phillips, director of Fine Arts. “Ms. Torres does not see a small number of students as a detriment but as a positive. Every student is held to a high standard of accountability.”

It’s then quite appropriate that students sometimes play the “Rocky” theme song on their own before band class: “Trying hard now…Getting strong now…Won’t be long now.”

“Last year, there was a lot of improvement,” Torres said. “We were definitely taking our first steps to putting us on the map, but we weren’t quite there.”

In the fall of 2014, the band had 19 students – most with little to no music experience – and a brand new director one year out of graduating from UTEP. Torres’ first steps were to institute systems to give the program more structure and a true chance for success.

“It made going into this year easier,” she said. “The kids knew what to expect and what was expected of them. They came back improved.”

Students could feel the higher expectations set by their band director and fell in line. Today, the band has 26 members. In marching season a flag corps was added, boosting the band to 30 members.

“I see us growing bigger and becoming more successful,” said sophomore Kevin Nino, who had limited experience playing the baritone last year when he joined the band. “We’ve progressed a lot because of the help of Miss Torres.”

Freshman Alexis Chavez, a clarinet player, was leery about joining the band at first, but Torres helped convince her to try it.

“It’s worth not getting the extra hour of sleep to come in everyday,” Chavez said.

Just like Nino and Chavez, band members are committed to their craft and see the gains the band has made in the short time they have been involved..

“We are the heart of the school,” Nino said. “We have the most pride.”

He especially likes the band’s job of cheering on their team during football season. “We’re helping our team to win when we are on the field,” he said.

Their commitment to learning and improving in the band room is obvious.

“The kids have a lot more pride because they know exactly where they started and the behind-the-scenes to get here,” Torres said. “It takes a committed student to be here at 6:30 a.m. every morning. They know all those sacrifices meant something. They stand a lot taller.”

Principal Michael Warmack beams with pride talking about the Bowie band.

“Getting the students into band was just the first step,” he said. “Ms. Torres has also worked hard with students throughout the year preparing them for competitions. Add to this, several of our alumni associations have also come through with donations which enabled us to hire band-techs, mostly college students, to work with our students in small groups.”

The band techs have helped refine the students talent on their individual instruments.

“Most of our students are not financially able to take private lessons and the extra help they receive at school makes a huge difference in their confidence, ability, and sound,” Warmack said.

Warmack’s goal for Bowie is to have 100 percent of the student body participate in an extra curricular activity such as band.

“Engaged students are better students academically and they are better students in terms of discipline,” he said. “They bring a pride back to Bowie that will make future students want to attend Bowie High School. We hope to continue the growth and success next year.”

Music and instruments are the tools to any band class but teaching work ethic is key to building the band.

“Our circumstances don’t mean anything,” Torres said. “Yes, there are limits but not excuses. You need insane, relentless work ethic.”

Torres has already seen this “insane, relentless work ethic” in her students.

“They’ve become more passionate, more proactive, more desiring to help,” she said. “What I see in them makes me really proud that band has been a tool to teach them this. I’m humbled to be their teacher. They have taught me more than they realize.”

The sounds of “Besame Mucho” fill Bowie High School teacher Darrel Downey’s classroom minutes before the bell rings for his next class.

A handful of students on strings and a squeeze box kept the melody going as students wandered in for their next class.

Most of the students were among the 16 Bowie mariachis who travelled last week to San Antonio for the first UIL Mariachi State Festival – an experience that further united them and gave them their first-ever plane ride.

“It was a tremendous honor for us,” Downey said. “The judges loved our singers and trumpet player. They fell in love with everything.”

The young group, which was only re-launched two and a half years ago, felt a sense of pride and achievement with their Division II rating.

“We had a good response from the crowd,” Downey said. “They were saying ‘otra, otra’ (encore, encore) but we were only allowed to do 10 minutes.”

For the students, the trip outside of El Paso – hotel stay, airplane, hospitality, a visit to the Alamo and the Riverwalk – made the competition extraordinarily special.

“It was the most amazing experience I’ve ever had,” senior Aurora Guerrero said. “It was my first time in an airplane. It was scary but cool to be in airplane.”

Coming from a family of singers, the mariachi tradition is in Guerrero’s blood. She joined the Osos Orgullosos to keep the mariachi tradition and culture alive.

“I feel a lot of emotions when I sing,” she said. “When you talk, it’s not the same. You get all your emotions out when you sing.”

Senior Victorio Tecomahua enjoyed the entire trip but knows the learning experience will take him and his fellow mariachis to the next level.

“We learned so much at the competition,” he said. “It taught us how we can improve.”

Tecomahua wasn’t initially drawn to mariachi music. As a guitar player, he was invited to play but he didn’t like the music.

“Then I started feeling the music and I started liking it,” said Tecomahua, who is also an apprentice for the Paso del Norte Mariachis. “Our group is so unique. We help each other. We’re more than a group, we’re like a family.”

Junior Emily Sosa also loves their bond and the music they make together. The violinist and first year mariachi got involved to carry on a family tradition started by her mother, a singer.

“What I notice most is when we play the music, we are playing from the heart,” she said. “You have to feel the music, the notes, everything.”