Friday, October 19, 2007

Pauline Medrano becomes Principal for a Day

By Marisa Treviño of Latina Lista

Dallas City Councilwoman Pauline Medrano visits with second graders during Principal for a Day at the school named after her mother.

DALLAS — Dallas City Councilwoman, Pauline Medrano, is used to answering the hard questions from her constituents, but one question yesterday morning left her momentarily speechless: “When are you getting married?”

The question wasn’t hurled at the single politician from a local gossip-blogger, but rather from the inquiring mind of a 2nd grader at the Esperanza Hope Medrano Elementary School, where Medrano was participating in the 10th annual Dallas Independent School District’s Principal for a Day event.

School marquee announces Medrano’s visit.

The city of Dallas may know Medrano as City Council Representative for District 2 or as the only daughter in one of Dallas’ most famous civil rights advocate families or even as vice president of the Dallas Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, but yesterday Medrano seemed content to be just known as Ms. Medrano — Principal.

By the time I caught up with Medrano, she had already made the day’s announcements, greeted parents, been given the keys to the school, entrusted with the main instruments of communication among the faculty, walkie-talkies, and had a heart-to-heart with a 4th grader who “knew he did wrong” — all before 10:30 a.m.

She was also able to squeeze in a few aerobic moves during her visit to the aerobics class the school hosts for neighborhood parents.

But it was obvious that this Dallas-born Latina was most proud of her trailblazing mother, Esperanza, and the 8-year-old school built to honor her memory and the work she did in the Harry Hines neighborhood where the school sits.

“My mom was the self-proclaimed truant officer,” Medrano said. “Even after all her own kids were grown up, she would say, ‘All the kids in the neighborhood are my kids.’”

Medrano explained how her mother, who died 14 years ago, would continue to wait by the school bus stop every day as a sign of respect for the children and the bus driver — to let them know how much she valued education.

She would even reward those neighborhood children who had good report cards with free ice cream cones from the family’s store.

And those children who needed extra help with school assignments knew all they had to do was head to the Medrano’s family store where Mrs. Medrano, and one of her grown children, would tutor them.

It’s a legacy that the younger Medrano is keeping alive by teaching English as a Second Language, serving as a board member for the school’s Friends of Esperanza Hope Medrano Elementary School and taking every opportunity yesterday to tell the kids that they had a choice to make the right decisions when it came to their education and future.

But second graders being second graders, they like to give advice as much as receive it.

When Medrano finally confessed that she was not married, one little boy in the back of the group stood up and said, “You still have a chance — another two years.”

Pegasus News content partner: Latina Lista. You can find the main site for Latina Lista, which includes national news and views, podcasts, the store and more here.

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Comments

Michael Davis Verified

How cool is it to do something like this where the school is named after your Mom? I think it's a good program to get community leaders in front of the kids so they see a positive image in their lives.

12 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )