CRECE: CCSD introduces new language-learning program for high school students

With the recent growth of people immigrating to the United States, Georgia has seen a steady increase in its Spanish-speaking population, with Clarke County School District reflecting the rise. With the Hispanic population at Cedar being one of the largest demographics at 33%, Spanish has essentially become the school’s second language. Although a large portion of the Hispanic population at Cedar is bilingual, some students are new to the country and need transitional support to an American English-speaking school.

David Forker, CCSD’s coordinator for English Learning Language programs, noticed the students’ need for support. 

“For newly arrived high school age students, being in a big classroom, or even at the same building as all the other kids, can be incredibly overwhelming. They don’t know the language, they don’t know the process of the school. Research shows it’s good to have a space for them to be comfortable and not worry about all the other distractions, to focus on learning language, some content, and to help them get situated so that they can get on track,” Forker said. 

With the start of the 2024-25 school year, CCSD initiated CRECE (a word for growth in Spanish), a new program designed to help the transition of high school students who are new to the country to schooling in the states. Long term, CRECE aims to grow in enrollment and resources, potentially expanding to middle schools. 

“It’s set up for kids who are high school-age that don’t have any credits, so it’s to help them earn a couple high school credits, a content and an elective credit, while learning English. But if they’re brand new to U.S. schools and already have high school credits, it might not be the best option, because they may have already earned the credits that we offer,” Forker said. 

CRECE students from both  Cedar Shoals and Clarke Central High School attend Classic City High School for half the day and take two classes: foundations of algebra, which counts as a core-class credit, and communication skills, an English-focused class which earns an elective credit.

“There’s a lot of logistics in terms of transportation. We spent a year trying to find a location thinking about feeding kids lunch and breakfast. Fortunately, we were able to mirror the schedule and model that the Career Academy has in place in terms of when kids get their breakfast or lunch, what bus they take, and all those sorts of things,” Forker said. 

CRECE has already been making an impact for students at Cedar, helping them have a better time in the building than they would otherwise. 

“Every time I go into the classrooms, they’re working. They’re talking, their disposition, it looks like they’re happy to be at school and comfortable. Feedback from teachers as well: a teacher (at Cedar) said that many of the students come from CRECE to her ESOL class, and they’re all very excited to be in class and learning and participating, as opposed to a lot of times you see newcomer English learners will be kind of quiet in class and nervous and shy. I think we’re really helping to kind of get them out of that nervous space,” Forker said.

Not all teachers in general high school classes are bilingual or able to help non-English speaking students when they don’t understand material, making CRECE and other ESOL classes a much better learning space with teachers and peers who understand the students. 

Sebastian Perez-Garcia, a freshman at CRECE and Cedar Shoals who immigrated to the United States from Peru, noticed how the classes at CRECE made learning easier and more enjoyable.

“My science class is almost the same as my CRECE classes because the teacher knows Spanish and also helps us with English. But my other class is sometimes difficult because it is only in English. Since the majority of people speak English, no one ever translates for you,” Perez-Garcia said. 

In the CRECE communication skills class, designed around learning English both for educational purposes and social purposes, students tend to work in groups throughout the period and learn English through various daily assignments or group projects. 

“(At CRECE) we have to try and read it out loud in English. If we don’t know a word, we write it down in a notebook along with the word in Spanish and its meaning. This way, you learn a new word every time you don’t know it,” Perez-Garcia said. 

In the foundations of algebra class, students learn the language of math in English. Students who may have already learned the content previously in their home countries can now focus more on the language-learning aspect of the class. 

Paraprofessional Kelly Rodriguez, a math teacher from Colombia, has found that the subject naturally becomes harder when presented in a different language.

“Math is already difficult for some students, but it being taught in the language one speaks makes it easier. In this program, the students are starting with introduction to algebra, and I have noticed how it becomes much more difficult because they are learning the subject in a different language,” Rodriguez said. 

As the year progresses, Rodriguez has seen how much understanding the students have already gained. 

“At first I had to translate everything to Spanish, but I see how they are now able to understand the content and know the vocabulary in English. The program is providing them with a lot (of knowledge). I know that when they face a more challenging subject in math, they will have a more robust base understanding,” Rodriguez said.

Commonly, when children or teens immigrate to a new country with a completely different language and culture, they may feel shut off or lose some sense of self both academically and socially.  

“I want to take advanced classes, the problem is that I don’t know English one hundred percent, which makes it very difficult,” Perez-Garcia said. “It is difficult to regain your life. I had to do it when I left Venezuela, when I left Peru, and now that I’ve left Texas. It doesn’t just affect your academics but also disrupts your social life.” 

CRECE aims to not only help students learn English but to also assist them with building social and academic confidence as they adjust to a new environment. 

“Here, they have the opportunity to show their true abilities and what they know, because they still have the space to express themselves in Spanish. This helps them regain their sense of identity, and to realize that even here in the United States they can still demonstrate and show who they are,” Rodriguez said. 

Jenna Starnes, CRECE’s communications skills teacher and an ESOL teacher for the past 17 years, says that making sure students are comfortable and adjusted to American schools is an aspect of her job that is just as important as teaching English. 

“(Students) come in with lots of questions about school and just living in the United States, so I try to help support them. If they need any resources or those types of things, I try to help them with that as well. So, not just teaching English, but helping them acclimate to this country too,” Starnes said.

Christopher Perez-Ayala, a sophomore, finds that classes at CRECE are more enjoyable due to all the help and support from teachers. 

“Basically, here I feel more comfortable than at (Cedar), because there they only teach and you won’t understand what they’re saying. I have two English classes here at CRECE and I feel more comfortable here,” Perez-Ayala said.

CRECE is one of many programs in the United States that helps students coming into the country, but it is one of few in north Georgia. The program has been extremely successful so far, with both staff and students praising CRECE. CCSD will continue to provide this program for newcomers at Cedar and Central, and is hoping to increase the attendance and support new students. 

“I love working with these students, and seeing how much, in only about two months, they’ve grown already and their excitement for wanting to learn. I just love watching them grow,” Starnes said.