ASU members from Crestwood High School repair Van Houten Park.

DEARBORN HEIGHTS — Summer is still in the air, but that hasn’t stopped students in the Arab Student Union (ASU) at Crestwood High School from dedicating their services to the city.

Van Houten Park, located on Silvery Lane, had fallen into disrepair in recent years, with graffiti and foul language written on equipment, as well as broken zip lines and ripped mats under damaged tire swings on the playground.

Enter the ASU students, who contacted the Parks and Recreation Department and asked if they could offer their services to repair much of the park.

ASU founder Mohamed Hojaj, who graduated last spring, told The AANews that the organization was looking for a project to take on during the summer. He noticed that the park he’d frequently visited as a child had deteriorated 

“We were trying to figure out a way to give back to the community,” Hojaj said. “I brought up the idea of Van Houten park because I grew up playing there as a kid. That had an attachment to me, so we chose that area.”

Kenneth P. Grybel, director of the Parks and Recreation Department, said he had already reached out to local community organizations to assist in repairing the park, but those plans had folded. He then got an unexpected call from the ASU.

“It’s quite honestly amazing how this thing came together,” Grybel said. “I got a phone call from them, expressing interest in doing something. And without hesitation, they took it on. Within a week, they were on site and they performed the work meticulously.”

Hojaj said the project was expected to take three days. Wood needed to be restored and surfaces need to be repainted or  re-sanded. However, a group of about 25-30 students from the ASU— and its sister organization at Fordson— were able to get the project done in just one day.

“The park has been there forever,” Hojaj said. “Some of us had an attachment to it. It’s great that ASU did it because the park had served our youth for so long. It was time to restore it and put it in its original state.”

Grybel said he was surprised to see the professional manner in which the group of students conducted themselves. 

“With youth groups sometimes, there could be some horseplay,” he said. “But they were focused on the project and they accomplished it. I commend them for a job well done.”

Nada Berry, a local parent whose son is a sophomore at Crestwood and a member of the ASU, said parents should encourage their kids to get involved with community outreach efforts. 

“They are really trying to make the community a better place for all,” she said. “Wherever they see their assistance is needed, they are willing to do it.”

The efforts follow in the wake of a controversial start for the ASU earlier this year, when the organization went through a rigorous approval process involving the school board and faculty members of the high school.

The district passed a moratorium more than a decade ago that prohibited starting new student groups, due to budgeting issues. However, students at Crestwood were finally able to override that measure by stressing the importance of an ASU in order to combat stereotypes and bigotry that had been sweeping the election year rhetoric. The Arab American population had also been significantly growing in recent years.

Once the group was approved, tensions continued to escalate after students violated school rules and distributed fliers of ASU’s first meeting by placing them in lockers and plastering them on the school’s walls. 

But now it seems members are ready to put the past behind them and head into the new school year with a positive outlook.

The group plans to elect a new president this fall and partake in the election season by promoting voter turnout during the general election. Hojaj said the group will be in good hands as he heads off to New York University this fall.

“We have a lot of things planned for the future,” Hojaj said. “We are more politically active and we are hopeful the new president and active members of ASU can form a great bond with the administration and principal.”