Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Mama and Papa Jaguars are liking having a second set of parents at school

Gianni Breland & Suzanne Strosser Desert Pines High School

Christopher DeVargas

Gianni Breland, a student at Desert Pines High School, stands with his Mama Jaguar, Suzanne Strosser, a teacher at Desert Pines, on Thursday Oct. 2, 2014.

Suzanne Strosser will never forget the moment she became a Mama Jaguar.

The Desert Pines High School special education teacher was headed to class on the second day of school when senior Gianni Breland asked if she would select him for the school’s Mama and Papa Jaguar Program.

Normally, teachers select a student-athlete to support during the season. So it meant a lot to Strosser that Breland reversed the process and reached out to her. It meant the rapport and respect they had developed during Breland’s junior year had carried over. He trusted her.

“I said yes, of course,” Strosser said. “I didn’t know what was involved, but I was pretty proud about that. I had to go and tell my supervisor.”

From then on she has served as Breland’s in-school parent. Every home game, teachers in the program bring goodie bags for their students — or Baby Jags, as they’re known — make signs for them and attend their games when possible.

It’s a way for teachers to bond with students outside of class, and for students at the inner-city school to receive support they might not get at home.

“You just show them that there is somebody else out there who cares,” said Samantha Kelly, a Desert Pines teacher and program organizer. “It’s another way to show the kids that we’re here for you.”

The program debuted in 2010. It serves an important function at a school where the majority of students come from low-income households.

Most teachers go beyond the standard goodie bags. They become the student’s school mentor, checking in on their classes and grades and teasing them in the hallway.

It’s difficult to quantify the impact, but principal Tim Stephens has noticed it keeps students focused on classes year-round, not just during sports season. Sometimes, the teacher ends up being the one who walks with the student on Senior Night.

“My deep inner belief is that absolutely it makes a difference when you pump them up and let them know that you’re there for them,” Stephens said.

Kelly, who organizes the program, makes it her mission to ensure that every varsity student has a teacher so no one is left out. She still receives texts from her former Baby Jag, Jeremiah Poutasi, now a left tackle at the University of Utah.

“It meant a lot to have teachers there who actually know you and support you on the field and off the field,” Poutasi said.

Strosser had big plans for a recent football game, including picking up Breland's favorite lunch — a Panda Express pick-two plate with lo mein, walnut shrimp and orange chicken.

Breland said that although all the athletes love to brag about the food they get from their teachers, it’s the day-to-day involvement from Strosser that has meant the most to him. Every day she asks how he’s doing, if he’s keeping his grades up.

While his parents are supportive and attend his games as well, it’s nice having a teacher who cares.

“It helps me stay focused, knowing somebody is on me all the time, making sure I have my work done,” he said.

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