Valley schools embrace mariachi

By Emily Richmond

Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2008 | 2 a.m.

Aside from the occasional verbal sparring among members, Clark County School Board meetings aren’t known for riveting entertainment. In recent years, though, some impressive students have been invited to perform, including choral groups, orchestral ensembles and those ever-adorable elementary school tap dancers. But typically parents armed with video cameras make up the bulk of the appreciative audience.

On Thursday, however, as the strains of “Palabra de Hombre” wafted through the halls of the Greer Education Center on East Flamingo Road, the School Board’s meeting room quickly emptied into the foyer for the show.

The source of the vocals and instrumentals was a student mariachi ensemble under the direction of Monaco Middle School music teacher Ramiro Benavides. Nattily clad in traditional attire, the Honors Mariachi Ensemble showcased the top performers of Mexican folk music from throughout the district. The best musicians and vocalists districtwide auditioned to join the group.

Mariachi programs at district schools continue to gain popularity, and Monaco is no exception. Benavides has 240 students, up from fewer than 100 when he arrived three years ago. Playing mariachi music was traditionally reserved for males, but Monaco’s classes now have close to an equal number of boys and girls.

Teachers want to take the Honors Mariachi Ensemble to a competition in California this summer, but it will depend on how well fundraising efforts go, Benavides said.

He came to Clark County from Texas three years ago to begin his teaching career, and says he can’t imagine doing anything else.

Although most of his students are of Hispanic descent, there are also black, Hawaiian and non-Hispanic white students in the program.

“All of the students embrace it, no matter their background,” Benavides said. “They just love to play.”

•••

In a bid for greater accountability — and transparency — the School District’s new audit committee is looking for volunteers.

The brainchild of School Board President Mary Beth Scow, the appointed committee can make recommendations for improvements but has no administrative or policymaking authority. The committee will report to the School Board and operate independent of the superintendent’s office.

The purpose of the committee is to “provide a communication link between the external and internal auditors and the board” and “improve public trust in the honesty and integrity of its public officials,” according to its bylaws.

If those goals are to be met, the committee needs to have a budget and the authority to call for an audit whenever its members see fit, said state Sen. Bob Beers, R-Las Vegas.

“Internal controls don’t get tested on their own,” said Beers, one of the more persistent critics of the district’s fiscal operations. “After Enron, many large corporations have put independent audit committees in place. That’s the framework that should be applied for the nation’s fifth-largest school district.”

When asked whether he was interested in applying for the committee, Beers said he regretted that he didn’t have time to give to such an important assignment.

“I pretty much have one full-time hobby, which is serving in the Legislature,” said Beers, who runs the payroll company he owns.

Applications for the committee can be found online at ccsd.net. Committee members must be financial experts with the accompanying credentials. At least one member must have professional expertise in governmental accounting, according to the bylaws.

•••

Last week’s Sun story about a sharp increase in homeless students in Clark County drew dozens of calls from readers wanting to help.

The district’s Homeless Outreach Program for Education office can be reached at 855-6682. For more information about the Corps of Compassion, one of several area groups that collect and deliver backpacks of food for needy students to use over the weekend, visit jointhecorps.com. Family Promise, a nonprofit group that is also helping homeless students, can be reached at 638-8806.

The School District’s school-community partnership office, which matches area businesses interested in volunteer opportunities with schools in need, can be reached at 799-6560.