Feature News

Refugee students 'Rise and Shine'

Summer program at Curley Notre Dame helps them learn English, get used to life in U.S.

Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Marlene Quaroni - Florida Catholic

MARLENE QUARONI | FC Surrounding a kiddie pool filled with boats they made that are native to their country are, from left, on the floor: Jessica Blanchard, 16, Zavier Antela, 16, Justice Russell, 13, Celine Wassaf, 15, Gabrielle Russell, 10, and Randy Schutt, 16; on table: Jack Antoine, 15, and Matthew Lamy, 15. The project was done after they took an Everglades airboat ride. They also created animal figurines representing Everglades wild life.

MIAMI — In his poem, “My Country ‘Tis of Thee,” Matthew Lamy, 15, remembered how vendors sold griot, a pork dish, in the streets every Saturday. He remembered the sounds of beating drums in the mountains.

“Haiti, I love you. I will never forget you,” he wrote.

“Matthew used the past tense,” said Fernande Russell, science teacher at Archbishop Curley-Notre Dame and director of RYSE, Refugee Youth Succeeding in Education, a summer program offered at the high school. “It seems that it was hard for him to bring back memories of his life in Haiti.”

On April 6, Lamy, an earthquake survivor, arrived in Miami with his brother, 11, and sister, 13. They are living with their aunt. Their mother remained behind in Haiti. Lamy, whose nickname is Chico, learned to speak English at his school in Port-au-Prince. Next year, he’ll be a sophomore at Curley Notre Dame.

The five-week RYSE program started out with 27 students but ended with 15.

“Some weren’t ready to deal with the changes in their lives,” said Russell.

As part of the program, students wrote poems similar to Lamy’s based on memories of their countries.

“I told them to find their country’s national bird and national tree,” said Russell. “They drew pictures and wrote poetry around those symbols.”

A $15,000 federal grant provided through Miami-Dade County Public Schools’ Division of Bilingual Education and World Languages funded the RYSE program. Now in its third year, its mission is to strengthen the English skills of newly arrived immigrant students through a variety of class and field experiences. Students are exposed to and develop skills in science, literature, art, and culture through a variety of hands-on and documenting experiences in the areas of poetry, writing, science, visual arts, and web development.

Although the program has helped the newly arrived youngsters, it’s in jeopardy for next year.

“Federal funding is ending,” said Russell. “We will have to find funds to continue this program next year.”

To help the newly arrived students, American-born students whose parents came from mainly Caribbean countries took part in a program titled Project RYSE and Shine: Second Nature, which corresponded with a science and nature theme.

COURTESY PHOTO Celine Wassaf decorates an ocean-inspired puppet.

“The most important thing is that youngsters become comfortable with their environment,” said Russell. “We belong to a multicultural world. But it’s still important to hold on to your culture.”

In addition to class experience, the students took several field trips, including an Everglades airboat ride, a visit to the Fort Lauderdale Museum of Discovery and Science, a Duck Tour (amphibious bus) of Miami Beach, and visits to The Kampong-National Tropical Botanical Garden and the Venetian Pool. The students created artwork centered around their field trips.

“Traveling throughout Dade and Broward the students got to know the area,” said Russell. “They learned to assimilate with other students from other cultures in the program including Haitians, Cubans, Mexicans, Nicaraguans, Dominicans, Lebanese, Bahamians, Jamaicans and Colombians. Although Miami is a new place for them, they learn that it’s no different from the old place they came from.”

As part of the program, students created two short videos, one done by girls and the other by boys, entitled, “Coming to America.” The videos depict the comical and insightful experiences shared by students who are recently arrived in the United States.

In the girls’ video, a Haitian teenager argues with her strict Haitian mother who tells her to come right home after school.

“She’s so Haitian,” the teenage girl tells her Hispanic friend. “Doesn’t my mother understand that I’m an American teenager?”

Russell commended the students for the work they did in the program.

“I’m proud of your outstanding work,” she said. “Rise and Shiners, you’re all winners.”

COURTESY PHOTO Jesus Vazquez, Matthew Lamy and Chris Estrada prepare drawings inspired by a visit to The Kampong-National Tropical Botanical Garden.