KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Students are dealing with so much at school, in their neighborhoods and at home.
For some students at J.C. Harmon High School in Argentine, those pressures can get heavy.
"Not a lot of times they can see themselves doing certain things or having a future for themselves, and I think it's important to give them hope," sophomore Trinity Escobar said.
Escobar wants to be a part of positive change. She's joining the Harmon Outreach Team, a group that English teacher Margie Ramirez recently started with her colleagues.
"There's a lot of things that people may look at Argentine or KCK and have negative connotations about, but there's a rich history here," Ramirez said. "And really being able to help the kids understand that history and to be proud, to continue being proud of the neighborhoods they come from."
With that pride in mind, the Harmon Outreach Team will enlist community organizations and businesses to give support to families where they can.
"I feel like being in it helps me feel in control. It helps me feel like I'm helping my peers and helping other students feel like they have a voice and control of their own future and lives," Escobar said.
Over the spring and summer, the Kansas City, Kansas, school district has suffered devastating losses. Several students, mostly Latino boys, have been shot and killed.
Cristian Ramos-Quezada, 18, who would have been a senior at Harmon, is one of those victims. He was shot and killed around 12:45 a.m. on Aug. 25 in the 900 block of South 11th Street. Another teen was also shot but survived. Police have not named any suspects.
On May 18, someone shot and killed Jesus Abarca, 17, near 11th Street and Metropolitan Ave. He also would have been a senior at Harmon. Police do not have any suspects in his case, either.
On Aug. 22, Vincent Vega, 18, was shot and killed just down the street from Harmon near the Berkshire Village Townhomes. He had gone to Turner High School.
The question now is how the community can ease the lasting effects of violence.
"We're a microcosm of society as a whole, and so we have to see how it impacts our students and what kind of services they need to better get through all of that," Ramirez said.
Manuela Rizo is the school receptionist. She's also a mother of four, with one currently attending Harmon, and an alumna. She encourages parents to do their part also.
"We definitely need parent involvement," Rizo said. "These kids need to know they have a community of family, that we're all here to help each other."
Ramirez said the group is working to hold a virtual resource fair to connect students to the organizations they find.
The group's goal is to identify a key issue in their community. Students will spend time researching the issue, and at the end of the year they will lead a workshop to talk about what they learned and how to move forward in a positive direction.
"I think the students here, especially me, I think we deserve to feel good and we deserve to feel safe and we deserve a future as much as any other kid," Escobar said.
The school is looking for businesses and organizations to join the Outreach Team. Anyone interested can sign up by going online.
The group is working to set up its own website.
