School For A New World

Appropriately located directly across the East River from the United Nations, The Newcomers School in Long Island City is a living experiment in providing an Academy for New Americans. Queens served as the first home of the fledgling U.N. between 1946 and 1950. In the decades since, the borough has become the home for an unprecedented wave of immigrants. Newcomers High School, therefore, has a unique role in bringing the children of those immigrants into the American experience.
The school consists of students, grades nine to 12, who speak approximately 40 different languages. It opened in September of 1995, and was created to provide immigrant students with an academic program geared to achieving excellence by responding to their unique needs. Those needs are, in particular, the acquisition of the English language, learning about many different customs and cultures, and assimilating into new and strange surroundings.
"Kids have to learn English in order to be successful," said the schools principal Lourdes Burrows, "but at the same time you have to nurture their background and culture."
Bilingual study is the key ingredient for the success of the school. While multilingual teachers teach math, social studies, and science in English and other languages, socialization and assimilation are achieved only through English. "We are a very strong advocate of the bilingual method for teaching the content, the thrust of the lesson," added Burrows, "but our students must learn English."
The library serves as the passageway to the process of assimilation, socialization, and democracy. The school works with each student to identify their abilities, strengths, needs, interests, and then offer programs to meet those needs. " Our orientation program, I believe, is a key to our success," says Burrows. "It is how we assist newcomers coming into a new world.
"There is a three-day program with strong emphasis on the everyday survival tools that we take for granted, such as how to use a subway map, how to survive in a new environment, how to achieve good study habits, how to read a program card, and something as simple as how to get around the school building. It was found that by providing students with these lessons together with the help of the bilingual approach, they felt welcomed, understood and empowered. Fears are dissipated and education is able to continue," Burrows said.
Another vital function takes place in the library. Students at Newcomers soon become comfortable in their new environment and are anxious to help. They meet and greet new arrivals in the library, find friends from their native country and ease them into strange surroundings.
One student Richard tells of leaving his friends in Columbia. "I was sad when I left. I felt strange when I came here, but then I made friends. My first friend was a teacher, a man. He made me feel accepted and comfortable."
Mariana is here for only five months. It hasnt been easy for her. "I am from Brazil," she says. "I thought everything was going to be perfect here, easy. I never met anyone from a different culture. Relationships are different, customs are different. My mother and brother are my support when I am sad. Now, I am adjusting."
The library also serves as an invaluable source of information for the orientation program. Commitment and respect for students and their cultural background is a well-established practice, such as the signs posted in different languages at the entrance.
Jimmy is from Greece, and joins in that philosophy. He believes that, "if you give respect, you will get respect. If you are not angry with people, they wont be angry with you." Students are part of the book selection process, and do research on different countries, the environment, health, biographies, and a multitude of subjects necessary for a well-rounded education.
Fun is a key element to learning at Newcomers. "You have to create a school in which everybody can express themselves. We have a strong program in music, art, sports, and a great band," Burrows proudly relates. "We just feel that sometimes kids have talent that they never thought they had." She tells a moving story about a young lady from Korea who thought she could never draw. Thanks to the expertise of the art department, she is now a creative and talented artist, who has also learned that whenever she has a problem, she draws. Hossen is a soccer player from Morocco. He was in the quarter finals and was featured in the news media as a major player.
The student government, lead by Diana Cabot, is a tribute to the democratic process. "We not only have dances and do community service," says Cabot, "we have the power to speak up and communicate." The student body at Newcomers is zealous about the value of bi-lingual education and has recently written numerous letters to Schools Chancellor Harold O. Levy, appealing to him to recognize its importance. A poignant plea by Nikita Liamzin, summarizes the popular feeling among students and teachers. "As you can see, bilingual education is very important in both the academic and moral accomplishments of our students and all immigrants in general. If bilingual education were eliminated, the existence of our school, the anchor for immigrants of New York, would be in great danger. By taking bilingual education away, you take away our spirit and our hope."
The Newcomers School: An Academy for New Americans has given new meaning to the immigrant experience. Those fleeing from poverty and from religious and political persecution in their homelands are offered a unique opportunity to learn, through commitment and determination, freedom from want, freedom to worship, freedom from fear, and freedom of speech. They are fulfilling the American dream.