Garden City ? Eric De La Rosa is excited to go to school every day.

Eric De La Rosa heads the Discovery Program at Kenneth Henderson Middle School. Through the program, students learn life skills and lessons involving dignity and respect.

De La Rosa, who teaches the Discovery Program at Kenneth Henderson Middle School, said teaching allows him to interact with kids and keeps him young.

He originally wanted to go into business in college but realized that he wanted to be around kids, so he decided to go into teaching.

“I love the interaction. They give me energy,” De La Rosa said. “I’m excited to be here every day.”

De La Rosa has 45 kids in the Discovery Program in four classes, and also teaches a class called GenY Technology, where he teaches kids how to use computer applications such as Photoshop and PowerPoint, along with other programs.

The Discovery Program teaches life skills including how to work in groups, how to communicate effectively, anger management, and how to cultivate dignity and respect, De La Rosa said.

De La Rosa said the Discovery Program is a program he believes in and a program that makes a difference in the middle school students’ lives.

Part of the curriculum is to teach the kids how to give back to the community, De La Rosa said. Last year, students in the program started to recycle, something that was continued this year.

De La Rosa said he wanted something different for the kids this year, and came up with the idea to refurbish old bicycles that were donated to give away to kids. The kids in the Discovery Program spend time during class fixing old bicycles and replacing tires and chains on the bikes, De La Rosa said, with the bikes propped up on the tables in his classroom at Kenneth Henderson Middle School.

Four bikes have already been refurbished and completed, and De La Rosa said he hopes to have another four bicycles finished soon.

Once the bikes are done, they will be given away to elementary aged children in USD 457.

De La Rosa said he’s still working on the details, but the elementary kids will write an essay on why they should win the bicycle and the Discovery Program kids will judge the essays and decide who wins the bicycles.

“They’re excited about it. They want to be involved,” De La Rosa said, adding that his students are excited to do something positive for the community.

The bikes will be given away, De La Rosa said, after his students judge the essays and select who the winners will be.

De La Rosa is from Garden City and went to school at St. Dominic, Kenneth Henderson and Garden City High School. He also graduated from Garden City Community College and worked at USD 457 while he was in college.

De La Rosa wrestled in high school and college. He also coaches soccer at Kenneth Henderson and is a former wrestling coach at Garden City High School.

He said he wanted to start coaching because of his high school wrestling coach, Rocky Welton. His classroom at Kenneth Henderson is filled with posters with positive and motivational phrases, and behind his desk he hangs up pictures of his students that they give him.

“I continue to tell myself that I love what I do. I love teaching,” he said.