A flood of lively music seeps out of the S-wing, a usually quiet corner of campus.

Following the trail of the lively melody tinged with Hispanic flavor, one finds S-8 rumbling. The floor shakes and the room trembles as students partner up in a flurry of quick movements that are reminiscent of a forgotten age of dance.

As a dancer throws his partner too forcefully, Diana Ordaz, dance instructor, rushes to the side of the couple and playfully reprimands the smirking male. “I know you’re strong but woah, woah!”

Ritmo Caliente (“hot rhythm” in Spanish) is one of the many activities operated by El Concilio in the King’s Court After-school Program. Describing themselves as a dance group that specializes in different traditions from reggaeton and cumbia to folklórico and bachata, Ordaz and the students are adamant in reversing the popular belief that they are limited to one particular style. “We don’t just do salsa.”

The group is led by sibling instructors, Diana and Rafael Ordaz, who were hired by the King’s Court to teach cultural dances to interested students. Meanwhile, across campus, students are lining up in front of L-3 to sign-in for the King’s Court. 

Angel Jimenez, a program director from El Concilio, makes his rounds observing various activities and emphasizes the importance of student involvement. “Students came up with the name ‘King’s Court,’” Jimenez said. “We didn’t want to just call it ‘after-school program.’ ”

El Concilio, a non-profit organization originally founded to benefit the Hispanic community, partnered with Stockton Unified School District to create extracurricular pursuits for students at Stagg. According to Jimenez, it strives “to provide students with academic support and cultural enrichment” and have been doing so for two years on campus at Stagg. 

Through funding from El Concilio and other grants, the King’s Court is determined to remain here for at least four years. “I would love for this program to continue because it’s something people can enjoy instead of sitting at home being bored,” Maricela Mendoza, junior, said.

Once students receive a stamp on their hand at L-3, they are able to attend any course they want weekly from 2:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. and 12:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. on minimum days. “I like (the King’s Court) because it helps us stay off the streets from gangs, fights, and things we’re not supposed to be doing,” Reuben Suchil, senior, said.

For males desiring moral development, El Concilio’s oldest and first program on campus, El Joven Noble (“Noble Young Man”), under Sean Barras, teaches young men to live honorably. 

In the realm of the visual and performing arts, the King’s Court has a cultural literature class, a gospel choir, and an art class taught by retired Franklin teacher Raoul Mora. Jimenez and his staff reasoned that “we have a lot of taggers (on campus) so why don’t we direct that focus? Let’s help them develop that into art.” Senior Erica Heyne enjoys studying design fundamentals like shading and contouring in Mora’s class. “The class helps better my art and allows me to graduate on time.”

The King’s Court operates APEX, a program for credit recovery, in the library and tutoring in different subjects. In fact, most of the courses provided by the King’s Court, except for Ritmo Caliente and gospel choir, can be used as a seventh period class for garnering elective credit. Students merely have to register with their counselors to do so. 

As he travels across campus after school, Jimenez greets students and hands out bus passes and snacks. He says that part of the King’s Court’s purpose is to serve struggling students and so they’re working on preparing Christmas food baskets for them. In order to allow students to feel comfortable, all the King’s Court staff members are sociable. Freshman Edward Heitman sees how the King’s Court staff helps students with social issues. “If you’re stuck, they can help you with problems.” 

“I think it helps that staff talk to students,” Jimenez said. “It’s really the key to our program.” Jimenez encourages anyone to participate in their activities and that students should “take ownership of the program and give us ideas.”