Sunday, January 19, 2025
W.T. Clarke Middle School celebrated Thanksgiving one day early last week, hosting an event catered for students learning English as a new language on Nov. 27.
Throughout the day, groups of students gathered at the school’s Home and Careers classroom during their lunch periods. The school’s English as a New Language instructors took the opportunity to explain one of America’s oldest traditions to the students before school was closed for Thanksgiving recess.
Principal Elizabeth Dowling oversaw the holiday program.
“This is our annual mini-Thanksgiving celebration for our English language learners of all different countries,” Dowling said. “We’re introducing them to this wonderful American holiday tradition and allowing them to experience different foods that we serve on Thanksgiving Day.”
The East Meadow school district hosts students from countries around the world, such as China, Ecuador, and Honduras. At W.T. Clarke Middle School, the ENL holiday program began about 10 years ago.
“They thought it would be a nice way to introduce them to such an important American holiday, and really get them assimilated to our culture, our foods and some of our beloved traditions,” Dowling said. “It’s a really great experience for them.”
Instructors cooked a Thanksgiving feast, provided popular board games and explained the cultural importance of the holiday — a time to express gratitude and bond with friends and family.
“This is a great way for our students to socialize and to practice their English language skills,” Dowling said. “We have some of our counselors here with translation devices, so the students can still participate, understand and be a part of the experience.
“They were playing Headbands, which is such a wonderful way for them to learn new words, and Guess Who,” she added. “They were not only engaging for fun, but these were also great ways to practice their English in a social setting.”
The food for the celebration was, in part, donated from the Long Beach-based eatery Swingbellys BBQ, who provided the turkey, mashed potatoes and cornbread stuffing. The school staff prepared sweet potatoes, corn, and vegetarian stuffing to accommodate different diets.
“We’re just so proud of our English language learners and the efforts they put in to really become a part of our school culture,” Dowling said. “We learn so much from them, about their cultures, and the diversity they bring to our school community, and we’re as grateful for them as they are for being a part of our school community.”
ENL Instructor Nicole Averso sees the holiday program as an opportunity to immerse students in their local community.
“As an ENL teacher, I think it’s really important to teach the students our language,” she said. “It’s also really important to foster their sense of community and belonging in a new place. Hosting allows our students to come together and celebrate a holiday that (some have) never celebrated before, bond and form a sense of community.”
The event is well received among newcomers and returning students, Averso said.
“It’s been great seeing them be more willing to try some of the foods that are new to them compared to last year, and the bonds that they formed with each other,” she said. “They’re enjoying themselves. They’re playing games, they’re chatting, they’re conversing.”
The Thanksgiving program is also designed to help students increase English language proficiency at home by filling out a form listing all the things they are thankful for, which they can share with their families.
“They can talk to everyone at home about what goes on at school, what they’re learning about, and a new cultural tradition in America that they can bring home to their families,” Averso said.
Eighth-grade ENL student Arlenis Jara participated in the school’s Thanksgiving program before and looks forward to it each year.
“This is so fun because we get to eat food and we get to hang out,” Jara said. “I also get to talk to my friends for a bit because I don’t really see them sometimes — so, it’s so fun to come here.”
