Oscar Hernandez

Where does a sense of community pride come from? As a member of this community for the last 34 years …There is no question that my heart belongs to Fillmore. I have always loved the feel of this “small town”. Recently, thanks to the teenagers (of all ages) I realized what it is about this community that makes it my home. We have some amazing young adults, A prime example is a boy whose name is Oscar Hernandez. A large boy for his age of 13, almost 6ft. tall and in the 7th grade. Oscar has a very gentle spirit, as I have observed him during lunch time, he watches out for the smaller classmates. Such as if a ball is coming their way he would intercept it so they are not harmed. Or if he sees a classmate wandering off he will with out being told, gently guide them back to where they need to be. He also attends our after school program, one day he expressed to me a desire to play basketball. When it came time for tryouts I encouraged him to try out. He kept saying he wanted to but was so scared and nervous, but he did it! While I was watching him during the tryouts, I realized he really had no knowledge of the game. He was running and watching the other boys and learning as he went. On a water break, I asked him “have you ever played basketball? Or watched it on T.V.?” He said “No, he just liked to throw baskets.” I was amazed that he was picking it up as he went. The more seasoned boys took him in and were guiding him where to be and what to do next. One particular boy I remember was Michael Stump. Oscar didn’t make the team and was very disappointed. The city of Fillmore still had openings for their signups. An email was sent out to all the teachers at the Middle school, the money came in that day.

He was put on a team coached by R.J. Stump and Keith Gurrola. In support of Oscar I went to every game along with his mother, it was a blast! The first game you could tell he was a little green (so to say), but by the next couple of weeks he was blossoming right along. All the boys were incredible. I loved watching them all pat each other on their backs, giving high fives even when they missed a shot. Helping each other get up from a fall, or shouting “Hey good job”. Their team came in second place, and Oscar was picked along with two other boys, Adrian Gonzales and Eric Diaz for an all star game. Oscar and his team mates won with a 20 point lead! We are all so proud of him and all the boys. A very special thanks to his coaches and all the boys for a great season. Also thanks to the teachers and staff that supported Oscar. It touched my heart to see this boy excel and have such a good time. We have some pretty awesome kids!