Author: Tammy Lane • First Posted: Thursday, October 30, 2008

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American kids at Cassidy Elementary often pair up with the refugees and immigrants in chorus as music helps bridge the language barrier.

Sweet laughter forms a united backdrop as children from around the world join in song in the Cassidy Elementary chorus room. Outside near the playground, other multicultural kids blend in with the homegrown crowd as they all practice dance steps together.

Moving easily among the groups is 9-year-old Olivia St. Peter, a sort of goodwill ambassador who embraces refugee and immigrant children who settle in Lexington.

“Even if they have just one friend, it would make them feel so happy – like they’re wanted in this country,” she says.

Olivia is accustomed to other cultures; she says she’s met German, Arabic and French actors through her parents’ work in drama and theater. “I’m one of those people who likes lots of international people,” says the bright, outgoing fourth-grader.

A transplant from Richmond, Va., she also remembers what it was like being the new kid and can relate to the newcomers at Cassidy.

“If I were across the sea, I’d be scared. Would anyone open up to me and appreciate me?” she said. “I know how they feel. But it’s a little bit worse for them because they don’t know any English, and it’s hard for them to make friends.”

That’s where FACE Time comes in. Cassidy’s English as a Second Language teacher, in conjunction with the Community Leadership Development Department at the University of Kentucky, has created this support program to give refugees and immigrants in grades 3-5 a safe place to build community and adjust to their new life in the United States. The eight-week afterschool program, which wrapped up this week, will be offered again in the spring.

The ESL children gather for two hours on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday afternoons for homework sessions, reading and math reinforcement, and cultural appreciation lessons. During chorus and dance, they’re mixed in with American students.

Many of the Americans pair up with the immigrants and refugees to ease their transition. Olivia has taken special interest in two girls from Baghdad: Ledya Sbeih and Zahara Sadiq.

“It’s rewarding for me to meet new people and new friends,” Olivia said, “and I’ve learned a few things about their culture.”

She recalled how Ledya and Zahara missed out on some fun this past summer. “They wouldn’t go to 4H camp because in their culture, young girls aren’t allowed to go away overnight,” she explained.

Olivia uses everyday opportunities to help her new friends fit in and learn their way. One time, Ledya drew a picture but didn’t know the English word for “elephant.” “I told her the sun, the sky, the grass … so I wrote the word ‘elephant’ on the back of the page,” recalled Olivia, who might want to be an environmentalist or maybe a teacher when she grows up.

Her father, Rick, spoke highly of Olivia’s multicultural experience at school. “The world is getting smaller every day, and the more we can reach across borders in the classroom, the better off we all will be,” St. Peter said.

Jill Blackman, Cassidy’s Family Resource Center coordinator, and Aminata Cairo, a UK anthropology professor, have been instrumental in developing FACE (Families And Communities Educating), which also helps build a network for the kids’ families.

“Developing the community in the apartment complexes where they live is huge,” said ESL teacher Diane Sumney, who noted Cassidy now has students from such diverse places as Africa, France, Iraq, China, Japan, Honduras and Mexico. “We assume all the refugee and immigrant parents know each other, but they don’t. No. 1, they are at work all the time. And No. 2, they didn’t know each other to begin with. … The community did not know each other, nor had they learned to rely on each other for help.”

Sumney sees FACE, which launched last February, paying off in the neighborhoods and at school. For instance, the children are more willing to ask a neighbor for homework help. “They all share so much more now because they’re no longer afraid of each other,” Sumney said.

“We stress over and over and over again: We are family. We have to create a community. We have to.”

Olivia said she’d like for others in the Cassidy community to get more involved with the refugees and immigrants – and not be afraid or judgmental.

“I would encourage them to open up to these new students and families. There are really interesting things you can learn,” she said. “You can learn a lot about people, maybe even in just one day.”

Coming up:

A FACE Time celebration, wrapping up this fall’s eight-week afterschool program, is set for 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Sunday Nov. 2 at Cassidy Elementary School, 1125 Tates Creek Road; (859) 381-3018. There will be food, music and opportunities to share and build community. Everyone is welcome.