ASPIRE students 'brighten' Ranchos youth center

Douglas County's ASPIRE students are quickly becoming known for their artistic prowess.

Six months after creating a memorial mural in front of the Carson Valley Museum & Cultural Center, the students were at it again on Thursday beautifying the interior walls of Tahoe Youth & Family Services Drop-In Center in the Gardnerville Ranchos.

"We've wanted to do something for awhile - we just had some posters on the wall and wanted to make it feel more like home for some of our teens," said Pedro Sanchez, Tahoe Youth outreach assistant. "The kids (ASPIRE students) really made it their own. They all came in one day, showed their ideas, and we just loved them."

Some of the students produced original artwork for the project. Others helped sketch and paint the symbols and quotations designed to represent teens and the choices they face.

"There are always two choices. Two paths to take. One is easy and its only reward is that it is easy," one quotation said.

"Integrity is doing the right thing for the right reason, even when no one is looking," read another.

Sanchez said reaction to the project already has been positive.

"A lot of the regular kids who come in every day look at the walls and love it; they think it's a lot better than before," Sanchez said. "It definitely brightens up the room and makes it more colorful. I'm really pleased with the students. They showed a lot of pride in their work."

Around 26 strong this year, ASPIRE is the Douglas County School District's alternative education program for secondary students. Located at Pau-Wa-Lu Middle School, the program's acronym stands for All Students Pursuing Integrity, Responsibility and Education.

"One of our ambitions is to serve the community, and we saw this as another opportunity to serve," said ASPIRE teacher Miki Trujillo.

Tahoe Youth & Family Services Gardnerville Ranchos Drop-In Center is located at 791-B Tillman Lane. Sanchez said it's a place for youth to play games, watch movies, surf the Internet, listen to music, hang out with friends or just relax.

The center offers basic necessities for runaway and homeless youth ages 11-24, including clothing, food, laundry services, state IDs, hygiene supplies and emergency shelter for those 18 or younger.

Sanchez said the Ranchos center also sees a variety of youth who are not homeless, but just want a place to hang out, meet with friends or be around caring adults.

The center is open 2 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, and noon to 5 p.m. Thursday. Parents are welcome and can check out the center's MySpace page at myspace.com/tyfsdic. Call 782-4202 for more information.