Tiburcio Vasquez School In California Named After Bandido Ignites Controversy
By GOSIA WOZNIACKA 01/01/13 01:17 PM ET EST 
FRESNO, Calif. -- Scaffolding climbs the walls of the new elementary school in Salinas, an agricultural city celebrated as John Steinbeck's birthplace but plagued by gang violence.
Although still under construction, the school is already embroiled in controversy because the school board decided to name it after Tiburcio Vasquez, one of the state's most notorious Old West bandidos.
Critics say he was a 19th century outlaw who robbed and terrorized Californians before he was convicted and hanged for murder. They say naming a school after him glorifies crime.
In a city where two-thirds of residents are Latino, some Mexican-Americans say Vasquez was defending his land, culture and Spanish-speaking community from greedy white settlers who overran the state in pursuit of Manifest Destiny and gold.
Naming a school after Vasquez symbolizes opposition to discrimination and is an act
Why STEM Education & Minority Achievement are Interlinked
By Hope Gillette, VoxxiEconomists agree – science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education is critical to the future success of the United States.
Yet even at the K-12 level, these subjects are not being given the emphasis they deserve. According to a Huffington Post blog by Stephen M. Coan, president of the Sea Research Foundation, early education has focused primarily on reading and basic math, ignoring the importance of advanced STEM education.
“For those who stay in school, most flock to non-STEM tracks because these subjects turned them off at an early age. To prepare students for the workforce or higher education, schools must better advance STEM interest