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'What you do today defines your future. It’s not your past' | Woodland school helping to curb gang violence

The City of Woodland is not the only agency trying to make an impact on gang violence in the city. Schools are doing their part to help make a change.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — In 2019, the City of Woodland had 31 confirmed shooting and four homicides. It was an uptick in violence that has crossed over to 2020 with four shootings. 

In a past interview, Woodland Mayor Rich Lansburgh said police officials have been able to tie the city’s increase in gun violence to gangs by tracing past homicides to gang activity.

To help tackle the issue, Woodland Police Chief Derrek Kaff revitalized the gang task force, which was originally formed in Yolo County in 1999. And, city leaders aren’t the only ones doing their part to help curve the violence.

Principal Gayelynn Gerhart from Cesar Chavez Community School is making changes to her school’s curriculum; giving her students a voice and helping them make a change.

Credit: Mayde Gomez

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 “We serve students that are referred to us by their district for primary truancy, credit deficiency, sometimes they may be on probation or have some behavior issues and we also serve students that have been expelled,” said Gerhart.

For many students, it could be their last chance to get back on track.  

 “What we say here is what you do today defines your future. It’s not your past,” Gerhart said.

She says building self-esteem is part of the solution to curb violence. To get there, she is changing what students learn.

 “We do everything with [a] social justice, culturally relevant theme. So, they look at novels and see themselves in the novel versus Romeo and Juliet as an example. So, still good literature but, now, the faces and the novels look like them and the story sounds like their story. So, they are willing to read,” Gerhart said.

18-year-old Kevin Coleman has been on probation for 3 years. He says losing his brother and two friends sent him down a dark path.

“I lost my brother at the age of 16, and I lost a couple of friends at the age of 15,” Coleman said.

With help from his family and the school, he is now getting ready to graduate.

“It was actually on my birthday; I didn’t have a home, and it was really hard,” Coleman said.

15-year-old Lizeth Tefolla Aguilar says having easy access to a counselor at school has made a difference in her life.

“I feel like I actually have an opportunity to make it. I believe in myself,” says Tefolla Aguilar.

She's part of a student task force, a task force whose goal is to get funding from the city for teen after-school programs in Woodland. She says violence stops when people start listening to the youth’s needs.

“They need to invest in the youth. We are trying to get more mentors around here,” says Tefolla Aguilar

Monica Robles is a teacher at Cesar Chavez Community School. She says not only does the city need after school programs for teens, but the community also needs to do their part too.

 “Parental involvement is highly encouraged is necessary in order for us to make systemic change,” said Robles.

Credit: Mayde Gomez

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WATCH ALSO: Woodland California Mayor and police chief talk gang violence in the city

 

 

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