By Valeria Fernandez

The Arizona Republic - Phoenix Republic

April 8, 2009

PHOENIX - Maria -Luisa Paredes couldn't just sit still at home when she retired eight years ago from South Mountain High School. After 40 years in education she needed to do what came naturally: teach.

Paredes, 71, volunteers three times a week in Valley View Elementary School in south Phoenix as the supervisor of the Young Readers Reading Program. The class helps first to third graders who speak English as a second language by exposing them to reading and writing activities.

Paredes' community service underscores that age shouldn't matter when it comes to volunteering.

"Maria's work is one of the building blocks for having a caring community and school," said Principal John Wann.

On a Thursday afternoon Paredes' presence is felt inside a classroom.

"Come on everybody, participate," Paredes said to a group of third-graders as teacher Ana Jimenez asked questions about a story.

For Paredes this is a way to make a difference on the life of students "from the bottom up."

"I want them to grow up to be leaders and successful professionals," she said.

The program has about 25 students annually. Children who are falling behind on reading and writing are selected by the teachers to participate.

When Adriana Isabel Hernandez started taking this class three years ago, she spoke little English. Her family had just moved from Veracruz, Mexico.

"Mrs. Paredes is so nice, she tells us not to be nervous with the tests," said Hernandez, 9, in English.

About 90 percent of the 650 students in the school are Latinos and 40 percent are classified as English-language learners.

Paredes, who speaks English and Spanish, has played a role in bridging immigrant families with the school.

Born in Sonora, Mexico, she moved to Tucson with her family when she was a teen. She holds a master's degree in Spanish and chaired the foreign language department at South Mountain High School for several decades.

"For her, the school is like a family," said Anna Anderson; one of the teachers in the program.

Paredes is a very active volunteer, said Anderson. When teachers are absent she takes over the classroom. Last year during one of Paredes proudest moments she organized a celebration when eight of her students passed the AIMS.

Paredes began as a volunteer after meeting Wann and some of his students during a protest against Proposition 203, a measure requiring English immersion.

She joined the protesters who camped outside the state Capitol for a week. "I felt I wanted to do more," she said.

In summer 2001 the opportunity came up. Arizona Public Service Co. donated $5,000 to the League of United Latin American Citizens, or LULAC, to start a literacy program in the school. Wann thought Paredes would be a perfect fit.

"This might be called the LULAC program, but is truly hers," said Rafael Peralta,71, a retired counselor from Phoenix Union High School who knows Parades.