Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
As Hispanics gather to celebrate Cinco De Mayo today, they'll be doing more than just cheering their heritage.
They'll be celebrating a growing presence in Kosciusko County.
Whereas 10 years ago, the area population was much more homogenous, Spanish-speaking people now are a common sight in much of the county, especially Milford and Warsaw.
While Kosciusko County's population continues to grow at a fast pace (from 65,000 in 1990 to 69,800 in 1996), Hispanics are believed to be the fastest growing segment. In 1990, the U.S. Census Bureau recorded 1,228 people in the county of Hispanic origin. But other reports on area school enrollment indicate the number of Hispanics in parts of the county has nearly doubled from 1991 to 1996.
The number of Hispanics enrolled at Warsaw Community Schools rose within two years from about 60 to 160 students, according to Wendy Long, who oversees the English as a second language program.
Tippecanoe Valley Schools has seen its number of Hispanic students rise, while Wawasee's enrollment has been steady.
Christina is part of that growing population. She and her husband and their two sons moved to Warsaw from Arizona eight months ago on the advice of her brother-in-law, who arrived in Warsaw from Arizona two years ago.
The attraction was the same for all.
"Good jobs and it's a small town," said Christina, who declined to give her last name.
She works at Warsaw Coil and her husband works at Dalton Foundries.
Christina said it's taken time to get used to the lack of widespread bilingual services common in Arizona. And there is a sense that not everyone accepts them.
"We went to the movies and everyone kept staring at us and we were in this big line and my kids kept asking, 'Why are they looking at us?' " she said. "After a while, you get used to it. It's not as bad as it was before."
Yet there are signs the community is embracing its new residents who are apparently eager to call Warsaw home.
A second Spanish store in Warsaw, El Pasadita, opened this year at the corner of North Detroit and Main streets. It specializes in freshly cooked authentic meals and groceries, along with books, magazines and music.
Two years ago, anyone wanting to celebrate Cinco De Mayo had to travel to South Bend or further. On Sunday, more than 2,000 people gathered in Central Park for the second annual fiesta.
Today, Akron School celebrates a full day of activities centering on the Hispanic culture and history.
In many ways, the community as a whole appears to be reaching out to Hispanics.
Various agencies, including American Red Cross and Warsaw Housing Authority, provide literature in Spanish.
Possibly the biggest impact is seen in area schools, which must cope with trying to teach children who speak little or no English.
Akron hired an English as a second language teacher this year. Warsaw has had an ESL coordinator and in the past few years has added five teaching assistants whose primary duty is ESL.
Educators working with Hispanics are often faced with the challenge of teaching students a new language and keeping them up to speed with peers in other subjects.
"It's a real challenge," said Akron principal Brett Boggs, whose school has 19 Hispanic students.
MedPark, specializing in alcohol, drug and individual counseling, has a Spanish-speaking counselor on staff in Warsaw.
Bridging the potential communication gap is a key factor in helping Hispanics who might have a problem to overcome, said Acsa Carvajal, the MedPark counselor.
"The need is there, espcially when somebody comes from one culture," Carvajal said.
"Unfortunately, one way people try to cope with the situation is by using alcohol and drugs," she said.
A community support group for Hispanics suffering from alcohol or drug abuse meets at the 24-Hour Club on Center Street in Warsaw, she said. The meetings started a few weeks ago and attract about half a dozen people.
Warsaw, Winona Lake and Milford police departments have hired Spanish-speaking officers in recent years. Kosciusko County Sheriff's Department doesn't have any bilingual officers, but relies on other departments and occasionally inmates to translate, according to Sheriff Al Rovenstine.
Some of the department's officers are taking classes to learn basic Spanish, he said.
The city of Warsaw, which initiated interest in Cinco De Mayo last year through park activities director Denise Beno, is now looking at cultural diversity issues.
Beno attended two recent seminars focusing on the issue and forwarded information to the mayor's office this week for future consideration.
The lack of interaction with other cultures, she said, sometimes creates an atmosphere in which subtle or outright acts of insensitivity can occur.
By addressing those issues now, community leaders could halt problems before they grow, she said.
"We need to be progressive," she said.
