A visit to Frank del Olmo Elementary on Career Day
Last February, I wrote about my visit to Frank del Olmo Elementary, located on the outskirts of Historic Filipinotown northeast of downtown Los Angeles. The occasion was the 20th anniversary of the death of its namesake, the legendary Times columnist and masthead editor whom this paper and city swore we would never forget when he tragically passed away of a heart attack at just 55 — and then we mostly did.
That columna ended with an invitation from Frank del Olmo Elementary's assistant principal to return on their career day later that spring to speak to students about my predecessor and my own career. I gladly accepted. I love speaking before crowds, but especially to elementary school students, many who have the same story as me at their age: a child of working class immigrants with dreams as huge as Clifford the Big Red Dog.
My talks to two classes last year must've gone well, because I returned to the school's career day last Wednesday.
The office staff remembered me when I signed in, and school principal Rania Nahle greeted me in a rec room while other guest speakers arrived. Some grabbed breakfast burritos and cookies that the school brought in as a gracias for spending our morning with their young scholars. 'We celebrated Frank's birthday last week!' Nahle excitedly told me, mentioning how students learned about who he was, and some classes even did projects to honor him.
She gave us guest speakers — accountants, police officers, nurses — some encouraging words, then off we went to our half-hour lectures. My first stop: the first-grade class of Ms. Slayton.
I started my chat by asking if anyone knew who Frank del Olmo was, and I'm happy to report that not only did they nod their heads yes, they also got the big points about him right. A writer. A dad. A hero. Looking on from behind Ms. Slayton's desk were paper cutouts the students had made of Del Olmo, complete with his trademark thick-framed glasses, full mustache and proud smile.
The class passed around my copy of an anthology of Del Olmo's best columns as I talked about who Frank was and how I try to follow in his footsteps by writing about more than just Latinos. Although covering the city's biggest ethnic group — one that almost every student before me belonged to — is especially important, of course, a writer is more than just the group they belong to, I told them.
When I speak, I usually zip through my thoughts and leave the last 10 minutes or so to audience questions.
That wasn't going to happen with this group.
Their hands were raised from start to finish, and they were unsparing in their queries. What did I want to be when I was their age? (Something that involved a lot of reading.) How much did I make? (A trillion-billion dollars.) Am I scared when I do my job? (Who isn't?)
Hey, Times bosses: We need to hire these first-graders for our politics team.
The students at Ms. Blanc's fifth-grade class were initially more muted, befitting that awkward year when boys and girls are too busy taking the first psychological and physiological steps toward adulthood to fully express themselves before a stranger. But they paid attention to every word I said, and the question-and-answer session was smart, gravitating more to how I do my job (on call 24/7, like a firefighter) and what do I hope to do with it (comfort the afflicted, afflict the comfortable).
Really, the biggest difference between the two classes was what animated them the most: the first-graders were especially excited when I mentioned I wanted to write about the new 'Lilo and & Stitch' movie, while the fifth-graders were ecstatic that I have written about Dodger superstar Shohei Ohtani.
I would have loved to speak to more classes, but I had my own columnas to chase. Like I told Principal Nahle and the staffer who escorted me back to the school's entrance though, I'm available to speak to Frank del Olmo Elementary for career day every year they'll have me.
I'm sure Frank would proud of us all.
Barbara says, 'Mill Valley.'Tami says, 'San Diego.'
Email us at essentialcalifornia@latimes.com, and your response might appear in the newsletter this week.
Today's great photo is from Times photographer Carlin Stiehl at the Port of Los Angeles during a Fleet Week event that featured tours of active-duty military ships as well as aircraft flyovers and military displays and demonstrations of equipment.
Gustavo Arellano, metro columnistKevinisha Walker, multiplatform editorAndrew Campa, Sunday writerKarim Doumar, head of newsletters
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