The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Kids share, adults plan for Puerto Rico families
Local Latino and school officials are creating a plan to help Puerto Rican families displaced by Hurricane Maria to relocate to Lorain County.
After a forum Oct. 12 of Latino students explaining their feelings about recent disasters in Puerto Rico, with hurricanes and Mexico, with earth quakes, General Johnnie Wilson Middle School Principal Bryan Hilko said families are on their way to Lorain County.
Hilko learned through Victor Leandry, executive director of El Centro at 2800 Pearl Ave. in Lorain, that up to 15 families already have relocated to Lorain.
Leandry is working with seven of those families, Hilko said.
But as transportation becomes available, more families are expected, he said.
The forum included Omaris Villegas, 13, an eighth-grade student at General Johnnie Wilson, 2700 Washington St. in Lorain, Jarnel Matos, 11, and Camila Ortiz.
Ariana Leandry and Kelvin Torres, both juniors at Lorain High School, served as moderators.
The recent national disasters impacted the community of
Lorain in many ways, Ariana said.
Omaris arrived about a year ago in Lorain.
She studied English on the island before she came.
While she felt excited to practice her English in Ohio, she misses her many friends.
People in Caguas, Puerto Rico, where she lived, are starving, Omaris said, and she hasn’t heard from a friend she has known since kindergarten.
“I’m worried about my grandmother,” Omaris said. “She lives there. When I asked my dad, he said, ‘She’s living better than you.’”
The plight of people on Puerto Rico stayed in the back of her mind while she attended school, Omaris said, but resurfaced when she arrived home and heard updates from her parents.
“It does affect me a lot when I eat, because I’m eating and there are people who don’t have any food or water,” she said. “They’re starving, but I’m eating and I can’t do anything.”
Camila said she was born on Puerto Rico, and moved to Ohio at age six.
“I don’t remember that place because I was little when I left,” she said. “But I love that place.
“What I remember most about Puerto Rico is my family and all the traditions we had. Life was very fun on Puerto Rico. I was a kid back then. Our family was always together.”
Camila said her grandparents and aunts and other family members remain in Puerto Rico.
“I miss them a lot,” she said. “And I’m worried about them there.”
Jarnel was born on Puerto Rico in 2005 and he said he moved to Ohio in 2014.
“In Puerto Rico, we don’t celebrate Christmas,” he said. “We celebrate different cultural things.
“We go to church. We go to parties. We party with our friends. We make good choices of people we trust. We don’t trust strangers. In Puerto Rico, there are a lot of gunshots when you live in apartments.”
Jarnel said he has not heard how his family members are on the island.
Camila said her mother told her about Hurricane Maria’s hitting Puerto Rico.
“I was worried,” Camila said. “When things happen to our family, it’s always better to be together.
“But we’re far away. I couldn’t talk to them.”
Leandry and Hilko said the event at General Johnnie Wilson was important for adults to hear feelings and ideas from young people.
“This is the type of event we need to promote more,” Leandry said. “Kids see the adults. They need to talk about their feelings.”
Hilko said the school celebrated Hispanic Heritage month with many activities.
“The most important voice we have in schools is the student voice, to hear them and to hear their stories,” he said. “The lack of communication with loved ones weighed on their minds. It was huge for us.”
Leandry is working with district administrators to create a plan of action regarding how the schools can help families relocate to Lorain, Hilko said.
The middle school collected items for the families this week, he said. In the past two days, six families have arrived.
“They are expecting an increase in that, but because of transportation issues, they haven’t come yet,” Hilko said. “Once transportation becomes more readily available, they expect a large influx in the city, which is why El Centro and Lorain City Schools met to develop an action plan.”
“The most important voice we have in schools is the student voice, to hear them and to hear their stories.” — Bryan Hilko, General Johnnie Wilson Middle School principal