Sachem Schools Sponsor ESL Festival

Approximately 65 ESL students and their families recently attended the ESL Community Festival, an event held to showcase the resources available to ESL students and their families through the Sachem Central School District and the community.

The district currently employs 11 English as a Second Language (ESL) teachers throughout the district, which serves 15 schools and a population of 175 ESL students. Each year, Sachem invites its multicultural ESL community to come together and celebrate their wonderful diversity, according to a statement from the school district.

Representatives from community organizations and institutions were there to provide valuable information to help the community integrate and succeed. Debbie Venezuela, a bilingual social worker, and Damaris Sampayo of the Eastern Suffolk BOCES Migrant Worker Group were on hand at the event to provide information on other programs that support newcomers. Suffolk County Community College promoted the English classes they offer for beginners, as well as college level courses to help ESL students on their way to a college diploma.

The Sachem Public Library offered an international reading corner with books in other languages.