When Camila Tenorio first stepped into Trigg County High School as a sophomore this year, she was in a foreign country, surrounded by a foreign language. She understood very little.
A native of Columbia, South America, she and her family immigrated here post-COVID, and have made this area their home. Spanish is her principle tongue, and her English was once broken and undeveloped.
However — thanks to junior Sadie Utter, Spanish teacher Maureen Llarena, the district’s Chief Information Officer Rory Fundora, and a host of others — those early language and learning barriers are slowly melting into oblivion.
And they may just help several others change their lives.
Earlier this week, the young tandem and fast friends privately shared their shared Student Technology Leadership Program project “Open Minds, Open Arms.” It’s a fully-functioning, easily navigable Google website aimed at providing online resources for students, teachers, faculty and staff seeking English as a Second Language materials for the classroom.
So poignant, so poised is the plan and presentation, the duo qualified for the STLP State Championships, which are convening this week in downtown Lexington.
In this preview, Utter said it was obvious early on how much help Tenorio needed. Sometimes painfully so.
But it didn’t come down to just bullying. Utter said she immediately realized just how little people of Trigg County understood about the challenges of others immigrating to a small, rural community, and that — frankly — people had very little empathy or patience for ESL students “trying their best to communicate and adjust.”
Enter the guidance of Llarena, Fundora and others like Counselor Janay Futrell, who have continued to nurture, shepherd and foster this relationship. Llarena specifically started developing equal homework for the two, dubbing Tenorio’s in English, and Utter’s in Spanish. And for awhile, they only managed to speak through Google Translator or competent adults.
Utter said a questionnaire was then developed by Tenorio and delivered to TCHS teachers who had experienced ESL students in class. It was also sent to other foreign exchange and ESL students in the district, and its derivations were then used to contact other professional resources, like the International Student Services department of Austin Peay State University.
Tenorio and Utter noted there were some … surprising results … and from there, this website only continues to evolve, take shape and grow.
Fundora said the project has already born fruit for the district.
One can visit their website and gain a full scope of their idea at bit.ly/openmindsopenarms.
FULL PRESENTATION:
