On May 25th, 2010, MSA-Reseda hosted Los Angeles County Sheriff Leroy Baca at a luncheon that culminated another successful year at Magnolia Schools.  Teachers, parents, and students were treated to a wide range of insightful and motivational commentary as Sheriff Baca shared stories from his own life, asked students about their experiences with responsibility, and most importantly, gave students important topics to think about as they progressed through their young lives.

The luncheon began with an address from the C.E.O. of Magnolia Schools, Suleyman Bahceci, Ph.D.  Dr. Bahceci gave a little background about Sheriff Baca, and set the stage for Baca’s keynote address.  To an enthusiastic round of applause, Sheriff Baca then stepped in front of the microphone and immediately addressed the students seated in front of him. 

The theme of Sheriff Baca’s address was personal responsibility.  As a segue to this point, he asked students which careers they wished to hold when they became adults, and what sorts of responsibilities these careers would require.  He then asked for some volunteers to speak about the responsibilities they currently have within their households.  He went on to explain that the link between responsibility as a young person and responsibility as an adult is strong; he said that the more one is prepared for challenges and responsibilities as a student, the more one will be ready for the positive and negative aspects of adult life. 

Next Sheriff Baca shared some anecdotes about responsibility from his own life.  He shared a story about how he first started a savings account, and how, from this account, he purchased his first life insurance plan.  He explained that this financial responsibility as a child set the foundation for further responsibility as an adult.  When he came to work at the Sheriff’s department, he was able to cash out the life insurance plan he started as a child to put a down payment on house for him and his new wife.   The personal responsibility as a child had paid off later in life.  “The art of responsible living leads to great success,” Baca said.  “It’s all about the love of being a responsible human being.”

When Sheriff Baca was finished with his motivation address, students asked questions about the road he took to his current place in society and the challenges he faces as a sheriff.  Baca further emphasized an importance for loving one’s job and for loving learning, a point that surely resounded with Magnolia students. 

Before the luncheon, Dr. Bahceci explained the reason for such an event: “Looking back on the academic year, we have much to celebrate.  We are meeting the needs of families who often don’t have access to a good education and we are proud of our successes and look forward to more.”  Sheriff Baca’s address to the students of MSA-1 is just another example of how Magnolia Schools are going above and beyond to fulfill the needs of their students.