Aloha High Students Create Community with New Student Resource Center
Any Aloha High School student in need can easily access resources at the new, student-run Student Resource Center. Thanks to the dedication of Aloha Student Action Counsel (ASAC), student volunteers, and individuals in the community, Aloha High School’s student resource center opened on May 1.
Modeled after the 15th Night program founded in Eugene, Aloha High’s in-school student-run resource center is the first of its kind in the Beaverton School District. Decorated with string lights and decorative rugs found on online “buy nothing” groups, the resource center creates a welcoming atmosphere for all students.
Before the resource center, Aloha High social worker Joel Brown says available supplies for students at the school were limited and difficult to access. Now, there are organized racks of shirts, pants, jackets, shoes, school supplies and more permanently set up in the lunch area where students can swing by and pick up what they need free of charge.
In preparation to opening the center, Brown says donations come from in-school clothing drives, local churches and individuals in the community.
In preparation for opening the center, Brown says donations come from in-school clothing drives, local churches, and individuals in the community. The Columbia Rethread program also donates Columbia’s returned items which Brown says are very high quality and that the coats are helpful for winter time.
In addition to whatever is on the racks at the center, Aloha High has 100 individuals in the community called ‘Community Responders’ signed up to respond to message alerts anytime there is a specific or urgent need such as clothing in a specific size or items like air mattresses.
The students are responsible for making the resource center such a success with their enthusiasm, involvement and creativity.
“The first week they opened, students were so excited,” says Aloha High social worker Julia Brodie. While Brodie and Brown help supervise on the project, they say the students are responsible for making the resource center such a success with their enthusiasm, involvement and creativity.
Brodie says one of the unique ideas ASAC students have brought to the center is their themed outfits each week. ASAC students use donated clothes to display an outfit on the mannequin. It’s a popular feature on the ASAC’s social media and during school.
ASAC’s goal is to reduce the impacts of homelessness on Aloha High students so they can better participate in academic and extracurricular activities.
ASAC’s goal is to reduce the impacts of homelessness on Aloha High students so they can better participate in academic and extracurricular activities. The impacts go beyond needing for physical items like food and clothes.
They say making the center open to all students the center reduces the feelings of shame a student in need may have and instead provides a sense of autonomy and belonging. “We are trying to eliminate the stigma of people ‘needing things,’” Brodie says. “Everyone has needs and we’re just meeting everyone’s needs.”
Some students “don’t want to talk about what they are going through to get the help that they need, they just want to go get the help they need without talking about it.”
Mel, a Senior and ASAC member who regularly volunteers at the resource center, says that some students “don’t want to talk about what they are going through to get the help that they need, they just want to go get the help they need without talking about it.”
The center is especially important to Mel because of her own past experiences. When she first moved to the area in her Freshman year, she says she had only one set of clothes. Trying to get extra sets of clothes was a difficult process. “It sucked,” Mel says, but now “seeing people get what they need is pretty cool.”
Vicky, an Aloha High Sophomore, came by the center on Friday and found a shirt she liked. She says when the center first opened at the beginning of May, she saw so many people going in she wondered “y’all gotta pay for this or what?” Vicky says that it brought a positive vibe to the school and that anyone who needs something can just come get it.
“Everybody comes in here,” Mel added, and even though her circumstances have changed, “I come in here […] to get stuff that I need sometimes. And it’s for everybody. Not just one person.”
Aloha High School has the highest needs in the Beaverton School District with 200 or more students experiencing some kind of challenge with homelessness.
Aloha High School has the highest needs in the Beaverton School District. More than 200 out of 1,650 Aloha High students are experiencing some kind of challenge with homelessness - approximately 12% of the student population. Being considered ‘homeless’ can apply to students living in their car or ‘couch surfing’ without permanent space to call their own.
Students may be facing other challenges as well and need the center’s extra help. Brodie says that students who came as refugees were excited to see the center after arriving in the United States with very little.
ASAC invites more of the community to be a part of their work as they hope to expand. While there will be a break over the summer, donations are welcome starting in August for the new school year. Donations can include men’s and women’s clothing (brand-new or lightly used), hygiene products, school supplies, non-perishable food, and shoes.
“The Aloha community is amazing,” Brodie says. “From the churches that are willing to work with us, the fact that we have 100 community responders tells you everything you need to know about this community.”
“The Aloha community is amazing,” Brodie says. “From the churches that are willing to work with us, the fact that we have 100 community responders tells you everything you need to know about this community.”
More Info: