Thursday, January 17, 2008
Sulekha got to express how she feels about modesty, purity and freedom – and the scarf she wears – to her classmates at Lemon Grove Middle School.
“I proudly pull it over my hair,” she told more than 130 school officials, teachers, Somali students and their parents at a Lemon Grove School District event last week. “Knowing when I wear it, I am free.”
The community-building event at San Miguel Elementary School in Lemon Grove was one of the district's first formal efforts to reach out to the growing Somali population at its eight schools. Lemon Grove Middle School Principal Ambler Moss gave a speech in Somali. The event was scheduled around Muslim prayer times. Somali food, including sambusa, a meat pastry, was served.
But at Saturday's event, Somali students took center stage.
“It's nice that people want to understand what is going on with us,” said Deequa El-Amin, 11.
District officials invited parents to get more involved in their children's education by participating in an advisory group for Somali families and taking classes to learn how to help children do well in school.
Much of the event's discussion focused on the district's efforts to help Somali students become fluent in English. About 125 of the district's 4,000 students are Somali.
“We hope these families develop a sense of comfort participating in the American school experience,” said Ernest Anastos, superintendent of the Lemon Grove School District.
Walter Lam, president of the San Diego-based Alliance for African Assistance, said the large turnout of school officials and teachers indicated to him that the district is serious about helping Somalis.
“Please take advantage of this opportunity,” Lam urged the Somali parents. “The greatest gift anyone can give to your children is the gift of an education.”
While the region's largest concentration of Somalis is in San Diego's City Heights, many families have moved or settled in Lemon Grove because of its more affordable housing.
Falis Budul, one of the few Somali parents at the Saturday event who spoke English, said she isn't surprised that many Somalis wanted to get more involved at their children's schools.
“Somali parents are willing to learn. They are willing to participate if they know that the people in charge are open to helping,” said Budul, who works for Horn of Africa, a community-based organization in San Diego that works closely with Somali refugees.
Sulekha's sister, Salma Ugas, 22, is a district instructional assistant and a key participant in its bridge-building efforts. On Saturday, Ugas translated the hopes and concerns of many of the parents who attended.
“They want to get involved in their kids' lives,” Ugas said. “They feel teachers sometimes don't communicate with them because of the language barrier. But they want to hear from them not just when they're failing but when they are doing well.”
Lam praised the district's efforts to reach out to a refugee population that has endured hardships.
“To understand where they are coming from you have to understand what they went through to get here,” Lam said.
“They have fled persecution from their country. Some have not had any schooling. This is all new to them.”
Source: SignOnSanDiego, Jan. 17, 2008