Kids speak out on safety issues in Carpentersville
Could a class of Carpentersville fifth graders be smarter than some elected officials in the village?
Jana Davis' fifth grade class from Lakewood Elementary School presented the village board with a proposal last week to make the village a better and safer place for families to live.
The class of mostly 11-year-olds suggested establishing a Neighborhood Watch Program, expanding the police department's Strengthening Families Program ˆ- Familias Fuertes - and increasing hours of operation at the Centro de Informacion.
Many of the children shared personal stories of how gangs, graffiti and violence leave them scared to play outside of their homes or at the local park.
In a letter to trustees, Marco Rios wrote of how gang members have turned his once-quiet neighborhood near Perry Elementary School into a war zone.
"I don't like my neighborhood. I have been living there for two years. Now I am seeing gang-bangers through my neighborhood," Marco wrote.
He said his neighborhood used to be calm and quiet.
"But this summer I am going to be scared to be using my bike in the streets. I am scared to go to the stop sign and come back. How do I know if I might get shot or get stolen by someone that I don't know?
The class surmised that expanding the programs would benefit the village and its large Spanish-speaking population. More than 40 percent of the village's population is Hispanic.
In a letter, Davis wrote that providing non-English speaking residents with the tools to succeed and integrate is beneficial to the village.
"I think that a joint effort is needed between the village and its residents to reach out to the Spanish-speaking immigrants," Davis wrote. "This will most likely in turn promote more participation and pride in the village where they have chosen to make their home."
Davis continued: "Americans have many things at their fingertips: computers, fax, cell phones, and the English language," she wrote. "When you don't have these, you need resources in your native language to help you so that you can still be a contributing member of society. If someone new to a city does not feel welcome, they are not about to give back to their community."
Carpentersville's fire chief, John Schuldt, is among the most highly qualified fire officers in the world.
At Tuesday's village board meeting, trustees and staff recognized their fire fighting leader for his completion of the U.S. Fire Administration's National Fire Academy's Executive Fire Officer Program.
The four-year course, which includes applied research, falls under the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Administration.
According to the Fire Administration's Web site, the program is designed to provide senior officers and others in leadership roles with tools to transform organizations from reactive to proactive, to reflect the diversity of a community and to value research and its application to the profession.
Only 45 chiefs are selected to undertake the program each year and Schuldt said there are about 2,000 senior officers worldwide who have completed the course.
Larissa Chinwah covers Carpentersville, East Dundee and West Dundee. To reach her, call (847) 931-5722, or e-mail lchinwah@dailyherald.com.