Sophomore Cindy Hernandez arrived in the United States not knowing any English. Just one year later she has improved her pronunciation. Hernandez is just one of the many students in Language Academy.
Language Academy is for students who do not know the English language and are new to the country. Learning a new language is hard enough, but the students have to adjust to high school life as well.
Cindy Edwards, the Language Academy reading teacher, says that one of the major issues is the time frame.
“They don’t know that school is every day and hat you have to be on time,” said Mrs. Edwards.
Before school started, the Language Academy had an orientation to make sure the students knew where to go. Once the students get to school, the goal is to get them through their first day, including eating in the cafeteria. The teachers have to make sure the students understand the lunchroom procedures.
“You have to select a certain meal rather than take one of everything,” said Mrs. Edwards.
Jeanie Nance, the English teacher for Language Academy, took the students down to the cafeteria to show them where to get in line, where to pay, and where to sit.
In addition to educating them on lunchroom procedures, the students were given placement tests to make sure that they were compatible and on the same level as students currently in their grade level.
“It’s like a one-room schoolhouse. We have a 14-year-old and a 20-year-old. You really don’t know the difference,” said Mrs. Edwards.
Being in this “one-room schoolhouse” situation allows the teachers to address academic issues and social issues. Some Language Academy students are making the transition from school in a foreign country to a high school in the United States. Learning about the culture helps make the transition easier.
For example, some of the students have never heard of a pep rally. Sophomore Ran Laibwij had never heard of a pep rally until he came to Har-Ber, but he ended up liking them. His favorite part during the pep rally is when the school sings the alma mater. The cheerleaders and choir members taught the students the alma mater.
“I feel happy to sing it because my teacher said I sing good,” said Laibwij.
Despite the Language Academy’s efforts to teach the students about high school and its culture, the academy often functions as community of its own. Other than the occasional interaction with clubs, there isn’t much interaction with other students outside of Language Academy.
“They date within the Language Academy,” said Jana McVay, the US History teacher for Language Academy. “Rarely do they find good friends outside the Language Academy.”
Within the academy, students develop social skills as well as language skills. And these skills allow for their growth in and out of the high school setting.
“It’s empowering when we give them language,” said Mrs. Nance. “It gives them confidence to enter into our country.”