DENVER — More than 2,400 migrant children have started school in Denver since July. Bryant-Webster Dual Language School has taken nearly 100 of those kids.
Their teachers and staff members are making adjustments to accommodate these new students, from changing lesson plans to finding more furniture and desks.
"The vast majority of them are coming from Venezuela and their stories are remarkable," said Brian Clark, principal at Bryant-Webster.
Clark said throughout the year, the number of students new to this country attending his school has multiplied.
"So when we first came, it was really exciting to see 'oh, we have 20, we have 30 new students.' And then as it became 40, 50, 60, 80, 90 new students, then it was a little more like 'OK, now what are we going to do?'" teacher Alex Nelson said.
As a bilingual school, for most kids, class is half English, half Spanish. That's helping to ease these new students into a new school.
"I think a lot of families really appreciate that their students are able to do learning without having to try and figure out English all day, so that's been really nice," Nelson said. "I would say they also really do want their children to learn English so that they can participate in everything that they need to here."
Like their new students, teachers and staff here are adjusting, too. Nelson said the few staff members who aren't fluent in Spanish are learning.
"They're translating their lesson plans and their curriculum materials so their students aren't just sitting there basically not being able to do anything during their class time. And they're making sure that they're meeting their students' needs even if they don't speak Spanish fluently. So there's a lot of additional planning that's been happening," Nelson said.
After the trauma many of these kids experienced getting to Denver, the help Bryant-Webster is offering stretches beyond lesson plans.
"For some students, additional mental health supports and services have really benefitted. And luckily, we have an excellent mental health team here who has really stepped up and formed support groups for students who have experienced similar traumas in their process in arriving here," Nelson said. “And also some of the traumas they experience even when they’re here looking for housing or can’t find it. That housing issue has been a big challenge this year both on the staff mental health and also the students’ mental health.”
Halfway through the school year, Clark said the flow of new students hasn't slowed.
"I would say maybe about five students a week," he said.
So they're borrowing desks and rearranging furniture around the district to make it work.
"We are preparing to fill every seat in the building," he said.
But that can make planning for next year tricky.
"It's hard to know how many students we're going to have," Clark said.
Still, that won't stop the staff at Bryant-Webster from continuing to adjust, change and make room for every new addition here as their new students make Denver their home.
"Even though it's been hard for everybody, they're rising to the occasion and that's been awesome," Nelson said.
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