READERS RESPOND

AT ISSUE: The Shalimar Learning Center, an after-school tutoring

program in Costa Mesa, closed its doors this month after residents

demonstrated to protest the firing of Maria Alvarez. The center’s future

is in question.

Shouldn’t the question be: What does the community want?

It seems like the community has spoken. They want the center with

Maria Alvarez. Shalimar was started years ago to meet the needs of the

community. Perhaps the staff needs to change the rules to continue to

meet the community’s needs instead of firing Maria and thus having to

shut the center down.

It is very disheartening to me that Randy Barth has tried so hard to

discredit Maria, both through newspaper quotes and a long letter he sent

out to Shalimar supporters.

I’ve known Maria for years through St. Joachim and Shalimar, and to

suggest that she “puts herself above the well being of the children” or

that she would “incite the parents” in a “frightening protest” seems the

farthest from the truth.

It’s sad that there is a difference of philosophies, but it seems even

sadder that the staff “feels threatened” by the same community it serves.

What does that tell you about the rapport and respect the staff has with

the children and mothers they work with? It makes me doubt Randy Barth’s

comment in his letter that “we are committed to serving children better

than ever.”

MARY CAPPELLINI

Newport Beach

As an educator, I am disappointed to hear of Shalimar Learning

Center’s closure. As a person who cares about children, I also question

the motives of Maria Alvarez.

Why wasn’t she more willing to work with the center on the children’s

behalf. You can’t do a responsible job with 300 children and disregard

the scheduling required to make it successful. Children understand

waiting their turn; it’s part of school. Parents understand scheduling;

it’s part of life.

Why is Maria getting all the support for not understanding this and

disregarding the scheduling necessary for an effective tutoring program?

MIKE BARNETT

Costa Mesa

I’m an educator and I’ve also been a volunteer at Shalimar, and I’ve

come to deeply admire Maria Alvarez. Everybody in the neighborhood loves

her. I cannot believe she’s being so cruelly treated.

In no way did she start a protest. The people Maria has worked with

are the most loving, wonderful people. They appreciate how the center and

Maria has cleaned up the street and made it a safe and wonderful place.

And to act like this is a big plot against them and to act like Maria

had started it is very, very wrong.

I just cannot explain the many wonderful things she had done, and to

top it all off I think they wanted to change the nature of the Shalimar,

which had been a refuge for children, a place started by a church they

could come to after school. Now why the church gave it over to this

organization, I don’t know, but they did and this organization wants to

come in and sort of apply corporate techniques or whatever.

But it was just doing such a marvelous job. Everyone loved it, and to

me it’s just incredible that here’s something good. It’s just so

disillusioning. I think there’s a certain amount of strange emotions

going on in this and I hope that somehow Shalimar can be saved.

MARTHA SARKISSIAN

Newport Beach

It is sad to think that the actions of a few members of our community

can affect the rest of us.

I want to make it clear that not all of the resident of the Shalimar

neighborhood agree with the way some people protested last Tuesday. I

feel embarrassed for their actions. And I would like to say to the staff

and volunteers:

Thank you for all the work and generosity that you’ve shown us. I hope

and pray that you continue the vision you once had. A lot of our children

have benefited from the help they have received from you. Several of the

kids who started at the center have now gone on to college. And I

strongly believe that the center has made the difference in their lives.

I would also like to thank Maria Alvarez for being a strong voice in

the community. I strongly respect her for that, and I just hope that we

can all find a solution.

Otherwise, the ones who would ultimately suffer will be the children

of our neighborhood.

EVA MARIN

Costa Mesa

I was sad when I read that Maria Alvarez was fired last week from her

job at the Shalimar Learning Center. My understanding is that she

actually started that learning center.

However, as a volunteer at the Noah Project Learning Center in Santa

Ana (which is also supported by Think Together), I appreciate the

necessity of providing an environment in which the students can learn. If

the director of the center cannot provide such an environment due to

excessive noise or too many students crowded into a confined space, then

I, for one, would not be donating my time at that center.

I understand that these centers are provided to help students improve

their academic learning with the expectation that better schooling leads

to better job skills and therefore to an opportunity to achieve a more

financially secure life. For millions of Americans, this has been the

formula for achieving a better life. The fact that this formula works in

this country is one of the great advantages of being an American.

If the center at Shalimar was so successful that they couldn’t handle

all the students, then some hard choices had to be made. If Maria and

some of the parents don’t agree with the choice that Randy Barth had to

make, then maybe they could look for other sources of financial support

and add another apartment or two to their center, thereby relieving the

overcrowded environment.

PAUL KELLY

Costa Mesa