Latest news with #Chaidez
Chicago Tribune
2 days ago
- Chicago Tribune
Column: Aurora police officer ‘set the bar' by making heroism a habit
Aurora Police Officer Gerardo Chaidez should be getting used to all the attention he's received since last year when he saved the lives of a West Aurora High School student and a young father from Texas in two near-fatal incidents six months apart. As if that isn't enough, in 2023, he was part of several officers who tried valiantly to rescue a driver who was unconscious and submerged in an icy retention pond off Eola Road. Chaidez is getting all sorts of accolades for these heroics, including a really cool photo of him on the January/February cover of Officer magazine and segments about his heroics on at least three Chicago TV stations. Among the impressive awards the 31-year-old Aurora police officer is also receiving are a couple of APD Medals of Valor, two Kane County Officer of the Year nominations and a Divisional Commendation Award. And most recently, he was honored by the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police at an Aurora City Council Committee of the Whole meeting earlier this month. But here's the title that might best sum up this humble hero: 'The Person You Want Coming Through the Door When Trouble Comes Calling.' That's because Chaidez seems to instinctively go into action, and does so in a calm and cool manner. Consider what Aurora Police Sgt. William Sullivan had to say about the seven-year APD patrol officer after he saved the West Aurora High School teen's life as she was being attacked by the family's dog. 'I feel that Officer Chaidez's actions set the bar at the APD for his quick thinking, rapid decision-making and calm professional demeanor,' Sullivan said. 'There was no hesitation in his actions and Officer Chaidez knew exactly what the job called for in the exact moment and delivered with precision.' Then there is this quote from his sergeant following the Texas incident that occurred while Chaidez was on an out-of-state vacation: 'Officer Chaidez has yet again set the bar for the entire department with his split-second decision-making.' I'll get to the details of those two compelling narratives shortly. But first, a quick summary of the retention pond tragedy, when he was part of a multi-officer response to a vehicle that had flipped and was submerged in the icy water on Jan. 31, 2023. Chaidez not only jumped into the pond and helped remove the unconscious man but alternated with another officer giving CPR to the victim until medics arrived. Unfortunately, the driver did not survive. But the outcome was far better for the 15-year-old Aurora girl who was being attacked by the family's dog, the upper part of her arm already shredded, when Chaidez arrived on the scene, officials said. 'I was not expecting what I saw,' he said of the horrific event, adding that the attack started in the home and continued as she ran outside, shoeless and coatless on the bitterly cold and dark evening of Jan. 19, 2024. 'I just acted on the moment,' Chaidez told me, recalling the dog's grip on the girl's upper right arm that was nearly torn from her body. 'Once you overthink a situation, valuable seconds are lost and that's when mistakes are made.' In seven seconds, according to police reports, the officer 'neutralized' the dog and began rendering aid to the girl who, Chaidez recalled, asked him to make sure and tell her family she loved them as she floated in and out of consciousness. Chaidez continued talking to the victim as his partner Officer Rudy Dereza applied a tourniquet and waited for the medics, who eventually took her to Mercy Medical Center, where she was treated before going on to a Chicago trauma hospital. He's not been in contact with the young victim or her family, but has heard she's doing 'good.' As is the motorcycle rider, whose leg was completely severed above the knee when a strong wind in Mitchell County, Texas, threw him into a guardrail on Highway 20 around 6 p.m. on July 27 of last year, officials said. There's no question this man would have died had Chaidez not been passing through Texas with his three brothers on their way home to Aurora from a vacation, according to officials. The youngest son of Jose and Socorro Chaidez was in the back seat asleep on that long drive when the accident occurred in front of their car. But the off-duty APD officer immediately jumped into action when awakened and raced to the side of the motorcycle driver, where he quickly pulled the victim to safety onto the shoulder of the highway. Chaidez said he stopped traffic – a semi driver made a big difference by parking his truck across both lanes – in order to safely render aid to the man, whose leg now lay about 50 feet away. As his brothers called 911, Chaidez shed his T-shirt and made an improvised tourniquet, later adding a belt in his effort to apply as much pressure as possible to the bleeding wound. The victim never lost consciousness, but realizing his dire situation, asked Chaidez to call his wife, who was home with their 5-month-old infant. Still applying as much pressure as he could to the leg, Chaidez said he retrieved the man's phone, punched in his password and number, then put him on speaker, knowing that if the man did not survive, 'I wanted to give him an opportunity to talk to his wife.' It was an emotional conversation that seemed to calm the man, and it did not end until Texas State Police arrived on the scene. Not surprisingly, when they learned this heroic passerby was a police officer, the response was 'good job … we're hiring.' But Chaidez, a 2012 graduate of East Aurora High School who spent two years as an officer with the Illinois Department of Corrections, is perfectly happy working for his hometown department. In April, however, he did return to Texas, where he was presented with yet another honor: The Texas Department of Public Safety's Director's Award. Which can't help but make the entire Aurora department proud. 'Despite all of Officer Chaidez's heroics, video evidence, and being praised by the Texas Highway Patrol, he credited the motorcycle driver's survival with the phone call to his wife,' Sgt. Sullivan noted. 'Through all of this, Office Chaidez remains completely humble and dedicated to the service of others.' For his part, words fail this reluctant hero when I asked specifically how he feels about being thrust into these life-and-death scenarios. 'I've always been pretty calm, even in stressful situations,' he finally said, noting that 'credit goes to God' for putting him where he needs to be. 'It's hard to explain. … I just do what I think is best in the moment.'
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
San Jose Middle School Offers College Class to 13-Year-Olds
This article was originally published in CalMatters. This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. By 2:45 p.m. the regular school day at August Boeger Middle School had already ended, but one class is about to start. More than 20 eighth graders drop their backpacks and settle into desks — not for extra credit but for college credit. These 13- and 14-year-old students in East San Jose are taking their first college course, an entry-level class on career planning. This middle school is one of the first in the state to offer a college-level course. In the coming years, the San Jose Evergreen Community College District wants all middle school students in this school district to be able to complete three college courses before they start high school, and soon, the district plans to offer other courses, such as sociology and ethnic studies, said Beatriz Chaidez, the chancellor for the community college district. Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter Middle schoolers have long been eligible to enroll in college classes in California, though only a few, high-achieving students actually do it. By offering a college class at a middle school — especially one in a high-poverty area — the community college district is looking to make that enrollment easier. The class is taught by a middle school staff member, and it's reserved exclusively for middle school students. But with so few programs, there is little research about whether students are benefitting, and the local faculty union is worried middle school students might not be ready. Chaidez disagrees. 'Navigating (college) as early as middle school is unheard of in their community,' she said. 'So when they experience success, it really motivates them to continue.' California is increasingly pushing high schools to offer community college classes directly to students during the regular school day, a set-up known as 'dual enrollment.' Unlike AP classes, which include expensive exams and are limited to certain subjects and high-performing students, these community college classes cover a range of topics and are open to all students. By 2030, California Community Colleges Chancellor Sonya Chiristian wants all high school students to graduate with at least four college courses completed. Chaidez wants to go further. She wants every local high school student to be able to complete about 20 college courses by the time they graduate — enough to earn an associate's degree. CalMatters reached out to the college district's faculty union, which was surprised to learn the district is offering classes at a middle school. 'This opens up some problems,' said Jessica Breheny, an English professor and the union's vice president. 'I'm sure there are 12-year-olds that are college-ready, but there are just less of them and it's less likely. Developmentally, they have other things going on.' Research shows that high schoolers who take college classes are more likely to attend college and graduate, but there's little research on how middle school students fare, said John Fink, a senior researcher at Columbia University's Community College Research Center. 'Nationally, and in most states, this is very, very rare, and in many states this is not allowed.' Instead, he said the focus is typically on enrolling more 10th, 11th and 12th graders in college courses. About 10% of California's high school students took a community college class in the 2021-22 school year, according to an analysis by professors at UC Davis using the most recent data. California's community college system doesn't track how many middle school students take college courses. So far, the Mount Pleasant Elementary School District, which includes August Boeger Middle School, offers only one college course, called 'Career Planning,' and it's almost indistinguishable from any other class on its campus. The college course is taught in a regular middle school classroom, and the professor, Oscar Lamas, already works at the middle school, where he's a counselor. Perhaps the only noticeable difference is the timing: The middle school day ends at 2:30 p.m. and Lamas' course starts at 2:45. He's paid separately by the community college to teach the course. Career Planning helps students learn about career paths, practice resume-writing and learn psychological theories related to professional success. A governing board of college district professors, known as the Academic Senate, sets the objectives for each college course, but Lamas has broad discretion in teaching it. The Academic Senate responsible for setting the parameters of Lamas' course did not respond to multiple requests for comment. The dean of the community college's counseling department, Victor Garza, refused an interview request from CalMatters but issued a written statement. Garza said the middle school class is akin to other dual enrollment courses, which maintain the college's 'academic rigor.' 'Some adjustments might be needed to cater to the unique needs and experiences' of students, he added. On a Thursday before spring break, Lamas tries to make his class more fun by breaking the students into five teams to play a Jeopardy-style quiz game on the topic of the day, Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. Natalie Mendoza, 14, becomes the default spokesperson of her team, named the 'Tacos R Us Club,' but she answers the first question wrong, putting her team back 300 points and prompting her classmates to burst into chatter and analyze their mistakes. As part of the class, she has to study a career, write a short essay about it and present it at a career fair. She picked intellectual property law. 'A lot of people say I'm assertive,' she said. 'I think that's a really good trait for a lawyer, and I think it'd be fun to fight for people who have created stuff.' Natalie said she'd be the first in her family to attend college but she's already planning to go and has a few schools in mind, including UC Berkeley and San Jose State. If she does attend one of those schools, her grade in this counseling class would be part of her official college transcript. Breheny, with the union, said she's concerned about the quality of the classes, especially once the college district begins teaching other subjects, such as ethnic studies. 'Faculty designed their courses for adult learners,' Breheny said. An ethnic studies class may cover topics such as sexual violence and genocide, she added — topics that may be difficult to convey to a middle schooler. 'Some of the material assumes a certain knowledge about the world, about politics, which you may not have at 11, 12, 13 years old.' August Boeger Middle School sits at the base of the Diablo Range mountains, tucked between the ranch-style homes and strip malls that color East San Jose. Teachers and staff greet each other with mucho gusto instead of hello. All around the open-air campus, murals tell the story of the region's multi-cultural heritage, especially its Mexican and Chicano roots. That celebration of culture is a direct response to a history of adversity, Lamas said. 'East San Jose has always been a marginalized, disadvantaged environment.' As a result, schools in the community contend with education disparities, he said, such as a high dropout rate and a high teen pregnancy rate. Offering a college class to these middle school students allows them to 'see a possibility for their future that doesn't exist within these walls here' and can inspire them to reach for a higher goal, said Marisa Peña, a school advisor. Male students, Black and Latino students and students from rural areas are underrepresented in the community college courses offered at California's school districts. California lawmakers have signed numerous bills in the hopes of expanding access but certain regions in the state, such as Los Angeles, enroll a higher percentage of students. Natalie said she hopes to continue taking college courses when she starts at Mount Pleasant High School this fall, which is just around the corner from her middle school. But her options are limited. Mount Pleasant High School offers just three community college courses, which serve about 10% of the school's roughly 1,000 students, said Kyle Kleckner, the school district's director of instructional services. All of the classes are in 'multimedia' studies, he said, which teaches students how to create their own podcasts or YouTube channels, along with other digital marketing skills. Although Mount Pleasant High School's dual enrollment is about on par with the state average, it trails other districts in the region. Less than 20 miles away, at high schools in the Milpitas Unified School District, roughly 25% of students enrolled in a community college class in 2021-22, according to the UC Davis analysis. Part of the dual enrollment challenge is finding qualified college professors who are willing and able to work at a high school or middle school. Existing middle and high school teachers are allowed to teach college courses but they have to meet the qualifications, which usually include a master's degree in the area of instruction. Most of California's high school and middle school instructors lack a master's degree, according to a study by the Public Policy Institute of California. 'We have graduation requirements that students have to accomplish,' Kleckner said. 'The trick is finding that community college course that also fulfills those requirements and also finding a teacher who can teach it.' He said Mount Pleasant High School is committed to expanding the number of college courses but noted that it's smaller and therefore has fewer teachers who meet the requirements to teach a college course. In turn, many college professors lack experience teaching children, said Breheny, who teaches at San Jose City College. 'We have had some problems already with dual enrollment where faculty have gone to different (high schools) to teach and have dealt with classroom management issues that they wouldn't have in a college course.' In one case, she said a college faculty member saw bullying in a high school classroom but didn't feel equipped to respond. Lamas has a master's degree, which is required for most school counselors. He's gentle with the middle school students in his class, occasionally awarding points in the Jeopardy game even when the answer isn't perfect. Lamas had two quiz games planned that day, each one covering a different topic, but the first game took up almost all of the class time. He ends class by taking questions about the upcoming final project. Although spring break is minutes away, the students sit still through the final minutes, except for the occasional joke and bursts of laughter. Not a single phone was in sight. Once class ends, however, chatter ensues, the students pull out their phones, and staff escort them to the parking lot. While they may be taking a college course, they still must wait for their parents to pick them up. This article was originally published on CalMatters and was republished under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives license.
Associated Press
14-05-2025
- General
- Associated Press
Can middle schoolers handle college? This California school is finding out
By 2:45 p.m. the regular school day at August Boeger Middle School had already ended, but one class is about to start. More than 20 eighth graders drop their backpacks and settle into desks — not for extra credit but for college credit. These 13- and 14-year-old students in East San Jose are taking their first college course, an entry-level class on career planning. This middle school is one of the first in California to offer a college-level course. In the coming years, the San Jose Evergreen Community College District wants all middle school students in this school district to be able to complete three college courses before they start high school, and soon, the district plans to offer other courses, such as sociology and ethnic studies, said Beatriz Chaidez, the chancellor for the community college district. Middle schoolers have long been eligible to enroll in college classes in California, though only a few, high-achieving students actually do it. By offering a college class at a middle school — especially one in a high-poverty area — the community college district is looking to make that enrollment easier. The class is taught by a middle school staff member, and it's reserved exclusively for middle school students. But with so few programs, there is little research about whether students are benefitting, and the local faculty union is worried middle school students might not be ready. Chaidez disagrees. 'Navigating (college) as early as middle school is unheard of in their community,' she said. 'So when they experience success, it really motivates them to continue.' California is increasingly pushing high schools to offer community college classes directly to students during the regular school day, a set-up known as 'dual enrollment.' Unlike AP classes, which include expensive exams and are limited to certain subjects and high-performing students, these community college classes cover a range of topics and are open to all students. By 2030, California Community Colleges Chancellor Sonya Chiristian wants all high school students to graduate with at least four college courses completed. Chaidez wants to go further. She wants every local high school student to be able to complete about 20 college courses by the time they graduate — enough to earn an associate's degree. CalMatters reached out to the college district's faculty union, which was surprised to learn the district is offering classes at a middle school. 'This opens up some problems,' said Jessica Breheny, an English professor and the union's vice president. 'I'm sure there are 12-year-olds that are college-ready, but there are just less of them and it's less likely. Developmentally, they have other things going on.' Research shows that high schoolers who take college classes are more likely to attend college and graduate, but there's little research on how middle school students fare, said John Fink, a senior researcher at Columbia University's Community College Research Center. 'Nationally, and in most states, this is very, very rare, and in many states this is not allowed.' Instead, he said the focus is typically on enrolling more 10th, 11th and 12th graders in college courses. A college-level course, with a few middle school games About 10% of California's high school students took a community college class in the 2021-22 school year, according to an analysis by professors at UC Davis using the most recent data. California's community college system doesn't track how many middle school students take college courses. So far, the Mount Pleasant Elementary School District, which includes August Boeger Middle School, offers only one college course, called 'Career Planning,' and it's almost indistinguishable from any other class on its campus. The college course is taught in a regular middle school classroom, and the professor, Oscar Lamas, already works at the middle school, where he's a counselor. Perhaps the only noticeable difference is the timing: The middle school day ends at 2:30 p.m. and Lamas' course starts at 2:45. He's paid separately by the community college to teach the course. Career Planning helps students learn about career paths, practice resume-writing and learn psychological theories related to professional success. A governing board of college district professors, known as the Academic Senate, sets the objectives for each college course, but Lamas has broad discretion in teaching it. The Academic Senate responsible for setting the parameters of Lamas' course did not respond to multiple requests for comment. The dean of the community college's counseling department, Victor Garza, refused an interview request from CalMatters but issued a written statement. Garza said the middle school class is akin to other dual enrollment courses, which maintain the college's 'academic rigor.' 'Some adjustments might be needed to cater to the unique needs and experiences' of students, he added. On a Thursday before spring break, Lamas tries to make his class more fun by breaking the students into five teams to play a Jeopardy-style quiz game on the topic of the day, Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. Natalie Mendoza, 14, becomes the default spokesperson of her team, named the 'Tacos R Us Club,' but she answers the first question wrong, putting her team back 300 points and prompting her classmates to burst into chatter and analyze their mistakes. As part of the class, she has to study a career, write a short essay about it and present it at a career fair. She picked intellectual property law. 'A lot of people say I'm assertive,' she said. 'I think that's a really good trait for a lawyer, and I think it'd be fun to fight for people who have created stuff.' Natalie said she'd be the first in her family to attend college but she's already planning to go and has a few schools in mind, including UC Berkeley and San Jose State. If she does attend one of those schools, her grade in this counseling class would be part of her official college transcript. Breheny, with the union, said she's concerned about the quality of the classes, especially once the college district begins teaching other subjects, such as ethnic studies. 'Faculty designed their courses for adult learners,' Breheny said. An ethnic studies class may cover topics such as sexual violence and genocide, she added — topics that may be difficult to convey to a middle schooler. 'Some of the material assumes a certain knowledge about the world, about politics, which you may not have at 11, 12, 13 years old.' High schools offer few dual enrollment classes August Boeger Middle School sits at the base of the Diablo Range mountains, tucked between the ranch-style homes and strip malls that color East San Jose. Teachers and staff greet each other with mucho gusto instead of hello. All around the open-air campus, murals tell the story of the region's multi-cultural heritage, especially its Mexican and Chicano roots. That celebration of culture is a direct response to a history of adversity, Lamas said. 'East San Jose has always been a marginalized, disadvantaged environment.' As a result, schools in the community contend with education disparities, he said, such as a high dropout rate and a high teen pregnancy rate. Offering a college class to these middle school students allows them to 'see a possibility for their future that doesn't exist within these walls here' and can inspire them to reach for a higher goal, said Marisa Peña, a school advisor. Male students, Black and Latino students and students from rural areas are underrepresented in the community college courses offered at California's school districts. California lawmakers have signed numerous bills in the hopes of expanding access but certain regions in the state, such as Los Angeles, enroll a higher percentage of students. Natalie said she hopes to continue taking college courses when she starts at Mount Pleasant High School this fall, which is just around the corner from her middle school. But her options are limited. Mount Pleasant High School offers just three community college courses, which serve about 10% of the school's roughly 1,000 students, said Kyle Kleckner, the school district's director of instructional services. All of the classes are in 'multimedia' studies, he said, which teaches students how to create their own podcasts or YouTube channels, along with other digital marketing skills. Although Mount Pleasant High School's dual enrollment is about on par with the state average, it trails other districts in the region. Less than 20 miles away, at high schools in the Milpitas Unified School District, roughly 25% of students enrolled in a community college class in 2021-22, according to the UC Davis analysis. Finding professors to teach middle school Part of the dual enrollment challenge is finding qualified college professors who are willing and able to work at a high school or middle school. Existing middle and high school teachers are allowed to teach college courses but they have to meet the qualifications, which usually include a master's degree in the area of instruction. Most of California's high school and middle school instructors lack a master's degree, according to a study by the Public Policy Institute of California. 'We have graduation requirements that students have to accomplish,' Kleckner said. 'The trick is finding that community college course that also fulfills those requirements and also finding a teacher who can teach it.' He said Mount Pleasant High School is committed to expanding the number of college courses but noted that it's smaller and therefore has fewer teachers who meet the requirements to teach a college course. In turn, many college professors lack experience teaching children, said Breheny, who teaches at San Jose City College. 'We have had some problems already with dual enrollment where faculty have gone to different (high schools) to teach and have dealt with classroom management issues that they wouldn't have in a college course.' In one case, she said a college faculty member saw bullying in a high school classroom but didn't feel equipped to respond. Lamas has a master's degree, which is required for most school counselors. He's gentle with the middle school students in his class, occasionally awarding points in the Jeopardy game even when the answer isn't perfect. Lamas had two quiz games planned that day, each one covering a different topic, but the first game took up almost all of the class time. He ends class by taking questions about the upcoming final project. Although spring break is minutes away, the students sit still through the final minutes, except for the occasional joke and bursts of laughter. Not a single phone was in sight. Once class ends, however, chatter ensues, the students pull out their phones, and staff escort them to the parking lot. While they may be taking a college course, they still must wait for their parents to pick them up. ___ This story was originally published by CalMatters and distributed through a partnership with The Associated Press.
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Yahoo
Man arrested near Baker in two-state shooting rampage
Authorities arrested a man who they allege fired at and wounded multiple people while on a two-state shooting rampage that ended Tuesday morning near the California desert town of Baker. The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department announced in a statement that deputies had detained Antonio Chaidez, who allegedly fired a gun at multiple locations through unincorporated county areas near the California-Nevada border, injuring several people. Deputies first found a man about 2:30 a.m. who they believed was shot in his car while sleeping. He was located off Cima Road, not far from the Halloran Springs area, according to the statement, which didn't disclose the man's condition. Authorities could not immediately be reached to explain how they became aware of the injured victim or how Chaidez might be connected to the shooting. Roughly 10 minutes later, deputies responded to another shooting, this time at the Chevron gas station in Baker. Read more: L.A. County sheriff's deputy shoots man in West Hollywood Authorities allege Chaidez fired several rounds inside the gas station through a back door and hit a clerk. He also is alleged to have shot into two parked big rigs, hitting one of the drivers. All three victims were taken to local hospitals. Their status is unknown. Deputies said Chaidez was driving a black truck and spotted his vehicle heading south on the 15 Freeway. They pursued him near Afton Road and arrested him, without incident, about 20 miles away. The California Highway Patrol alleges Chaidez was involved in a shooting rampage that began in Blue Diamond, Nev., continued into Jean, Nev., and ended near Baker. A spokesperson with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department confirmed that it is aware of the arrest. The department also confirmed that it is in contact with the Clark County Sheriff's Department to see if Chaidez is involved with a separate shooting incident in which there were no injuries. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
