Remember
the 80s when English as a Second Language students were
relegated to the two small self-contained rooms next to the
office? Well, times have changed at Nottingham for English
Language Learners. We have over 190 ESL students this year,
which doesn’t include the many current students who were
previously in ESL. The halls echo with over 25 different
languages from Albanian, Arabic, Bosnian and Burmese to Kirundi,
Karen, Mai Mai, Pashto and Spanish. The majority of the students
come as refugees to our area; Syracuse is one of the longest
running refugee relocation centers in the US. Most recent
arrivals to the area include Chin and Karen from Burma and
Thailand, Somali Bantu from camps in Kenya, Bhutanese via Nepal
and Kirundi speakers from Burundi and Tanzania. We have four
levels of English classes with content courses that are
sheltered for the first two years. Eventually, these English
learners must pass the five NY State Regents required to
graduate--a daunting task for some who arrive with very little
English! We are always looking for volunteers or connections in
the community. Contact me at zkinney@scsd.us if you are
interested.
by Zoe Kinney (‘85)
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