When a strip club's opening sparked fierce protests in this residential community, teacher Gregory Salcido used it to introduce his El Rancho High School history classes to the Bill of Rights.

When it was time to cover World War II, Mr. Salcido drew parallels between the rise of the Nazi party and the discontent that led to gang violence that killed a former student of his just a week before.

And when Salcido ran for Congress against a two-term incumbent in the Democratic primary race last month, his students got a first-hand look at the electoral process in the United States.

"They couldn't understand why I didn't win," he says. So he walked them through districting principles and the difference between primary and general elections.

Salcido salts his history classes with discussions about current events and community issues. He punctuates his sentences with "man" and "cool," and he never lets his students forget that he's one of them, a Pico Rivera boy who 15 years ago walked the same halls they do.

"It needs to be relevant to their lives, or it doesn't stick," says Salcido, who has taught history at his alma mater for six years.

Salcido is equally determined to challenge his students to think for themselves. That's why he says he doesn't hold back on relaying his own views on everything from war ("not a cool thing") to strip clubs. ("I don't want a strip club here as much as the next person, but they have a constitutional right to exist and the kids need to know that.")

Still, his off-textbook views have provoked more than one call from irate parents. "I've been in the principal's office a few times," Salcido admits. Julie Ellis, the school principal in question, confirms the visits but says there is little acrimony involved. "He's somewhat overzealous about his causes and beliefs, but he's willing to move off a position if an argument persuades him, and that's probably what I respect most about him."

Salcido's passion is what makes him an effective teacher, Ms. Ellis adds. "He is extremely proud of having been a product of El Rancho High and as such is a great role model for kids."

That passion led him to encourage his students to give something back to their community. A Pico Rivera City Council member for three years, Salcido took his turn as mayor this month.

One of his priorities during the year-long term is to bring more commerce to this working-class Latino community just east of Los Angeles. Between classes, Salcido meets with representatives from Krispy Kreme Doughnuts and fires off letters to brand-name book and music retailers, touting Pico Rivera's higher-than-average home ownership rate and fast-growing population of 65,000.

"I send them the numbers and say, 'Check this out. This is raw data. What are you waiting for?' " he says.

For now, Salcido calls a neighboring town to order books for his students that aren't available in the school library. His sophomores are reading "Rain of Gold," Victor Villaseñor's acclaimed 1991 saga about his family's immigration to southern California from Mexico.

Page: 1 | 2