Moving to a new school would be stressful for any student, but imagine being 10-year-old Ingrid Perez.
When Perez moved to Tyrone in December, she didn’t know anyone, didn’t speak any English, and was completely unfamiliar with U.S. school culture.
On top of that, unlike many urban and suburban school districts, there are very few non-English speaking students at Tyrone (just three-tenths of one percent of Tyrone’s population is foreign-born), so it is very uncommon for non-English speaking students to enroll in the school district.
So when Tyrone Middle School guidance counselor Matt Kimberlin learned that Perez, a Spanish-speaking student from Mexico, would soon join the TAMS fifth-grade class, he wanted to ensure she felt welcomed and make her transition to US school as seamless as possible.
“I was super worried because [Ingrid’s] primary language is Spanish and this is her first school in the United States,” said Kimberlin.
Like all school districts in Pennsylvania, Tyrone is required to have teachers trained to help English Language Learners (ELL). However, none of Tyrone’s ELL-certified teachers or staff are also fluent in Spanish.
Tyrone does have a teacher fluent in Spanish, but High School Spanish Teacher Holly Sechler has limited availability during the school day to help.
Kimberlin said that he also wanted Perez to be able to make a connection with someone closer to her age.
That’s when Tyrone High School sophomore Diego Montiel Bonilla stepped up.
Like Perez, Bonilla was raised in a Spanish-speaking household and came to Tyrone as an elementary student with limited English skills.
Bonilla said he was very grateful for his ELL teacher in elementary school, Miss Lauck, who helped him learn English quickly, but being the only student in his fourth-grade class who didn’t speak English was difficult.
So when Kimberlin reached out, Bonilla jumped at the opportunity to lend a helping hand and welcome Perez to the United States and Tyrone.
“I thought it would be nice, and whenever I moved in fourth grade nobody really did that for me so I wanted her to have that,” Bonilla said.
So on Perez’s first day at school, Bonilla spent over an hour translating between Perez, her family, the staff, and the teachers.
Bonilla gave her a tour of the building and helped make sure she had everything she needed.
“I was blown away [by Diego],” said Kimberlin, “It was so awesome. He made Ingrid feel comfortable and understood. For me, there was a weight lifted off my shoulders because I knew she felt comfortable with us.”
Perez has been improving her English every day and is very thankful for the help that Bonilla gave her during her first few days.
“I am doing well now and [Diego] helped me a lot. He helped me translate words so I could understand, and he walked me around the school and explained where the rooms and classes were. He was also helpful in showing my parents around the school,” said Perez, translated through Bonilla.
While Bonilla played a significant role in making Perez comfortable and helping her through her first few days, it is ELL teachers Kathy Beigle and Staci Greenleaf who work with her daily to improve her English.
Perez meets with Greenleaf first period and Beigle second period every day to work on her English.
Perez is not Beigle’s first ELL student, but she is the first student Beigle has taught with no previous English skills.
“My former ELL students all spoke English relatively well but when Ingrid first came here, she didn’t speak any [English]. We use Google Translate when needed, but [mostly] I just immerse her in the English language. That’s the best and quickest way to learn a new language,” Beigle said.
Beigle said she has enjoyed working with Perez.
“She is doing fantastic. She knows colors, days of the week, the months, numbers, and quite a few sight words. We’re currently working on parts of the body. Ingrid is always so happy and has a genuine curiosity to learn,” Beigle said.
Perez said that one of the things she likes most about Tyrone is the friends she has already made. Despite the language barrier, she and her new friends now know each other fairly well. When needed they communicate through Google Translate.
The students in her class have also taught Perez how to navigate her Chromebook, something else that is new to her.
“She is really fun person,” said Perez’s friend and classmate Ralynn Parsons. “She does dance moves which are hilarious, and lately she’s been pranking us too. For us not speaking the same language we have a bond and we are really close. And we don’t get to see each other often but when we do we hit it off the bat.”
TAMS student Maeve Walk said she is even spending some of her free time learning Spanish words and phrases.
“When I go home I try to watch a video every day to help me learn Spanish so I can talk to her,” Walk said.
At a small school like Tyrone, it can be difficult to create a safe environment for new students who don’t speak English and are not familiar with American culture, but with the help of people like sophomore Diego Bonilla, Tyrone’s teachers, and her middle school classmates, Perez is becoming comfortable in her new home and is constantly offering a bright smile throughout the halls.
