OchoTEEN

OchoTEEN started as a series of radio pieces about the members of one fourth-grade class in Chicago many years later, the year the former classmates turn 18. But it´s turned into stories about them and their larger peer group in Chicago and in Mexico. The stories are reported and produced by the students themselves and by their former fourth grade teacher, NPR radio producer Melissa Giraud.

OchoTEEN´s series editor is the uncommon Julie Subrin. We had help at critical moments from consulting editor and muse, Katie Davis. Neenah Ellis and Julia McEvoy edited the piece Lizandra is College-Bound for the Chicago Matters series. Professors Deborah Cohen, Javier Guerrero, and Juan Mora-Torrres provided key insights about the Northern Mexico and its immigrants to Chicago. Marcia and Sandra Soto of Durango Unido were also generous with time and information.

We´d also like to thank WRTE 90.5 FM, the extraordinary, Chicago, Spanish/English youth station that operates just blocks away from Orozco Academy, the elementary school where the original OchoTEENs met and were classmates. Former General Manager Jorge Valdivia was generous with ideas and facilities. Current GM and Duranguense, Silvia Rivera, has been a friend and considerable resource. Thanks also to La Femme producer, Irene Tostado, for her help in the studio.

These stories really started at Orozco Academy in 1994 when a determined and talented principal, Rebecca de los Reyes, took a chance on a new 4th grade teacher, Melissa Giraud. Thanks to Rebecca and to teachers Carmen Aguilar, Rita Avila, Gila Hernandez, Alicia Song, and Rosa Visinaiz for their mentorship then and continued friendship and support. Also to Orozcan faculty past and present: Coralia Barraza, Silvia Garcia, Franscisco Mendosa, and Carolyn Serren.

But most instrumental to OchoTEEN are the former Orozcans who were once Melissa Giraud's fourth grade students. They are in their late teens and twenties now but started to tape these stories when they were all around 18. Their generosity, insight and willingness to open up their lives to questions and microphones made our lives more interesting and made OchoTEEN possible. Thanks to the young reporters who have taped so far: Lizandra Nevarez, Coco Rodriguez, Oscar Sanchez, Grisel Murillo, Oscar Gutierrez, Maria Barbosa, Paulina Camacho, Elva Garcia and Saul Flores. And thanks to all of Orozco´s "Gifted, Bilingual" Class of 1999 and Class of 2000. We'd like to thank them individually and, of course, alphabetically!

The Orozco Class of 1999 includes: Rocio Alcantar, Maria Barbosa, Janet Calderon, Paulina Camacho, Abril (April C.) Casco, Pearl Cervantes, Carlos De La Torre, Abril (April D.) Delgado, Elva Garcia, Flor Gomez, Marta Gonzalez, Rudy Guerrero, Oscar (Oscar G.) Gutierrez, Alejandro (Alex H.) Hernandez, Alma Martinez, Jesse Martinez, Yoiza Melosio, Grisel Murillo, Lizandra Nevarez, Jenny Ramirez, Wendy Ramirez, Jeovanna Rico, Alejandro (Alex R.) Rodriguez, Socorro (Coco) Rodriguez, Elliot Romano, Gabriela Romero, Oscar (Oscar S.) Sanchez and Adriana Vega.

The Orozco Class of 2000 includes: Lizbeth Aguirre, Mayra Avila, Erica Barraza, Rosa Brito, Wili Cardoso, Homero Castellanos, Jorge (Jorge C.) Covarrubias, Christina Cruz, Dalia Garcia, Nicolas Gonzalez, Leslie Guevara, Mario Hernandez, Vanessa Herrera, Arcelia Jimenez, Leticia Leon, Diana Manzanares, Cecilia (Cessy) Medina, Lizette Mercado, Viviana Meza, Jorge (Jorge M.) Monroy, Cynthia Montejano, Eladio Montenegro, Jose Luis O´Campo, Jackie Olivares, Antelmo Quintero, Rafael Ramirez, Bruno Riquelme, Roberto Rios, Diana Rodriguez, Raquel Santacruz, Verenice Santana, Theodore Torres, Gilberto Vargas and Gabriel Zavala.