The Lynbrook community is a melting pot of unique cultures, religions, nationalities, and backgrounds. Students from all over the world sit in LHS’s classrooms every day with thousands of stories untold and unknown to Lynbrook natives. Last year, Lynbrook implemented an evolved English New Language (ENL) program to the district, benefitting immigrant students and providing them with an opportunity to thrive in school, removing some of the barriers which were stunting their linguistic, and educational, growth. 

Social Studies Teacher Stephen LoCicero works alongside ENL Teacher Karen Smith, educating and striving to create a more comfortable environment for the students. “We understand it’s not just the academia,” said LoCicero. “It’s about the people. We make connections between the students’ personal experiences as immigrants in order to make them feel more comfortable in class and connect ideas of the English language versus the Spanish language.”  

The students’ first assignment of the year was to study colonialism in 17th century Jamestown, portraying the similarities between immigration in the 1600s to immigration in the 21st century. Smith and LoCicero explained that the ENL classes are designed to get all students involved and assess them on effort in group work and projects, rather than through traditionally structured scantron tests. Lessons are taught on a weekly basis, rather than daily, which limits the amount of material taught while allowing the students to dissect information in a way that they can best understand. “What may take someone in a Regents class two days, takes us a week,” LoCicero explained.

The need for this program had become a growing issue of concern within the community over the past several years. Previously, all ENL students were placed in traditional style classes: “They were drowning,” said LoCicero. Now, the growth of the ENL students under the guidance of an improved curriculum is astonishing to their teachers. “We have great admiration for their courage and determination,” exclaimed Smith. “I absolutely look forward to coming here each and every day.” LoCicero added, “It’s been the best experience of my life. We want everyone to understand that they’re just Lynbrook kids, the same as everyone else.”

Junior Jennireth Tomayo moved to America at the age of 13, one of five million refugees who have fled Venezuela in recent years to escape the crisis currently gripping the country. Venezuela is in the midst of extreme political, economic, and social unrest, fueled by the ever-increasing inflation, food shortages, and lack of medicine. Following the death of socialist President Hugo Chavez, the economy plummeted, and the country fell into decline. Years later, the once-successful country has not been able to recover and continues to struggle to feed its people, forcing thousands to immigrate elsewhere in hopes of a brighter future. “We didn’t have enough food,” Tomayo said. “We simply couldn’t buy food because there is none. There is no medicine, so many people die of malnutrition, and the economy is very bad.” 

Tomayo is now a motivated student in the thriving ENL program, as well as a member of the National Honors Society and National Art Honors Society. She recently represented the growing Lynbrook population of non-English speakers by presenting to the Board of Education, thanking them for their flexibility and support. Tomayo moved to America without any basic understanding of the English language. She now speaks fluent English, a skill that she attributes to the students and staff of LHS: 

“I learned with the help of the ENL program, and they give me so much support to understand things better. A lot of my classes are in English, so it’s easy to learn because you have to force yourself to speak English and interact with other kids. We also have special classes where we’re more comfortable with the other Spanish speaking students and can learn at the same level. Lynbrook understands that it’s hard for us to understand everything and that we have to process the information with more time. The fact that they give us this class and also extra time with tests like the Regents is a really good idea and is really helpful.”  Tomayo has big ideas for her future; she hopes to one day achieve the “American Dream,” to go to college and study design. 

Junior Nayo Dos Santos, another student from the ENL program, moved to Lynbrook from Brazil at the age of 15 because of a job opportunity for his mother. As a native Portuguese speaker, Dos Santos is currently the only non-Spanish speaker in the program. He plays defense for the Lynbrook boys’ varsity soccer team and, like his classmates, is also thriving under the modified ENL curriculum.

Dos Santos attended Catholic school in Brazil and shared that his “past life” was much more religious, although it is overall similar to life in America: “Since I didn’t speak English when I moved, it was kind of rough,” he said. “But within six months, I can understand English, and now I can speak. Thanks to the ENL program, I have improved a lot.” Dos Santos also plans to attend college after high school and hopes become an airplane pilot.

Senior Angel Gonzalez moved to Lynbrook at the age of 17 from Quetzaltenango, Guatemala. Now 20 years old, he is earning his high school degree while also maintaining a successful event planning business with his sister. Art Balloons Decorations (ABD) creates personalized gifts, such as balloon bouquets, and specializes in party decoration. Gonzalez said his best customer was New York Mets catcher Wilson Ramos, whom ABD decorated a party for last year. At LHS, Gonzalez is famous for surprising his classmates and teachers with the fun balloon decorations.

Gonzalez explained that he moved to Lynbrook because of the poor living conditions in Guatemala, especially the substandard education system. “In Guatemala,” he said, “you can’t have everything. The life there is expensive, and I’m not from a family with a lot of money. The school system is very poor – private schools cost money, and public schools are very bad. Here is different. You can have whatever you want.”

Gonzalez began to understand English last year but still finds it difficult to learn in his mainstream English-speaking classes. As a result, he spends his free periods and time after school reading novels in both the English and Spanish translation. “He has double the work of any other student here at LHS,” explained Smith. Like many of the ENL students, Gonzalez must translate all of his assignments, which eats up precious time and energy. Fortunately, the new program at LHS strives to relieve this excess academic pressure for foreign students by assimilating them into student body while also offering specialized classes. The curriculum is aimed to force students out of their comfort zone yet, according to Smith, “lower their affective filter – making them more comfortable, better speakers, and pushing them to take more risks.” 

Smith also runs the Culture Club, a new group at LHS that aspires to teach the Lynbrook community about other cultures and create an environment for all students to feel comfortable, united. Members of the club explore and celebrate the language, food, and music of a variety of cultures from around the world. They are encouraged to share their own traditions while learning about the diverse cultures of others.

LHS students are motivated to step outside of their comfort zones, meet new people, and take the opportunity to educate themselves about cultures from all parts of the globe. The new ENL program has proven to be a great success that will improve to change the lives of foreign students for the best, offering students a bright future and the proper education they so deserve.