Valencia Newcomer School located in Phoenix, Arizona has international flags waving from the tops of each doorway, welcoming in the refugee children and allowing them a safe place to learn. These classes will teach these young kids English skills and classroom customs that many students here in America have been taught at a young age in order to succeed in a classroom setting. New environments are scary for most people and many of these children start off startled when first entering the school. But once becoming accustomed, they begin to learn the rights and the wrongs of the classroom along with making friends across many different cultures. It sounds like an amazing outcome for all of these students intermingling and learning about one another's cultures and customs. "This year's kindergarten through eighth-grade students come from 21 countries and speak 15 languages." The schools are popping up where local education officials have decided to create them and are located in Indianapolis, Houston, Fort Worth, Texas, Greensboro, North Carolina, and Providence, Rhode Island. Trump's order to refuse refugees from entering into America has of course decreased the amount of refugees that have been entering into our country. But, the refugees that do enter our country deserve attention and safety to get them into the groove of things here and I believe these schools are a great way to get them integrated and educated. Valencia has a handful of U.S. schools who have been taking in these refugee students and dedicate their time to helping them out. In regards to Trump's order, "There may be less, but they're still coming," says a teacher from Valencia. "And we have to be there for them, whether it's academically or getting them services like immunizations." The Arizona Department of Economic Security last year devoted $635,000 to help 1,026 school-aged refugees. I find these programs to be extremely beneficial to these young children because they're still growing mentally and intellectually and it's easier to teach a young child a new language than it is for a grown adult to learn. Additionally to educational services, the children are also provided social services that way they are able to vent about any previous trauma or hard feelings they have. All of these services are the building blocks to creating a successful and healthy individual in our country. It's hard for young kids to go through trauma and then be expected to adjust quickly to a new culture and a new way of living. "We want to provide them a space where they can get grounded, whenever they feel traumatized or whenever they remember something from the past," said Principle Moreno as she showed the school's peace garden. These schools are a magical place for these young individuals and they supply them with the necessities they need to thrive. It gives them hope that they've been lacking and allows them to create healthy relationships with faculty and other students their age.
https://apnews.com/ee60eb7fc0f646e58c194be8f9206dbd
By: Nicole Bellino
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