Front Row: Franchesca Sanchez, Elizabeth Rosario-Harris Middle Row: Jomar Medero Montanez, Arlene Lopez-Matias, Joel Martinez, Hongwei Zhang Back Row: Jovian Rosa, Xaymarie Carrasquillo Monge, John Rosario Negron Missing from photo: Carlos Baez Morales, Jockshuan Carmona, Selena Garcia Gonzalez, Luis Garcia Torres, Wildalys Hernandez Colon, Yalitza Melo and Marlin Rodriguez P-J photo by Jordan W. Patterson

“I’m going to miss high school,” were the words of a Jamestown High School student a week away from graduation.

The sentiment is common for students who are about to leave the institution they’ve spent almost their entire lives with. But the student uttering the common phrase was not just any student. This particular JHS grad was an ENL student, or a student learning English as a New Language.

The classification for students who are learning English as they traverse high school has many names. Often, the category is also referred to as English Language Learners (ELL) or English as a Second Language (ESL).

While the program is known as ENL, the students are commonly referred to as ELLs or just “English Learners.” For these students, learning English on top of their curriculum, the likelihood of graduating on time or graduating at all decreases with the extra obstacle added to their daily lives.

In 2017, 63% of ENL students graduated compared to the total graduation rate of 82% nationally, according to a National Public Radio review of Department of Education data. In New York state, ENL students fared much worse with only 37% of them graduating compared the state’s total graduation rate of 78%.

So for Arlene Lopex-Matias and her fellow ENL students, to be able to miss high school after graduating was not guaranteed when they enrolled at Jamestown.

“They fought the fight,” said Debbie Oakes, ENL teacher, ahead of commencement.

“They persevered. This week, as they graduate from Jamestown High School, they should be extremely proud of their accomplishments.”

JHS students who received a diploma this year who were in the ENL program when they graduated or were at one time include Carlos Baez Morales, Selena Garcia, Gonzalez, Luis Garcia Torres, Marlin Rodriguez, John Rosario Negron, Elizabeth Rosario Harris, Jockshuan Carmona, Xaymarie Carrqasquillo, Lopez-Matias, Joel Martinez, Jomar Modero Montanez, Yalitza Melo, Jovian Rosa, Franchesca Sanchez and Hongwei Zhang.

“We want to stress to these students and their families the value of being bilingual,” Oakes said. “These students are role models for future students, demonstrating the value of improving their English while continuing to build on their literacy skills in their native languages. Jamestown High School could not be more proud of these graduating seniors.”

Lopez-Matias, the student who said she’s going to miss high school, moved to the U.S. in 2010. And now, she plans to attend Jamestown Community College to become a registered nurse.

Many of these students, while not all of them, come from Spanish speaking countries with some even being born in the country. Hongwei Zhang who graduated Friday, is originally from China and plans to pursue a degree in engineering at JCC in the fall.

While all of them are different and have various plans going forward, all of them had nothing but positive things to say about Jamestown’s ENL program – specifically the teachers who were described as “helpful.”

“I like the teachers who are on you to succeed because it’s for your own good,” said Carrasquillo.

Another student, Montanez, said what benefited him the most was the dedication of the Jamestown teachers.

“What helped me with ENL is having helpful teachers willing to take the time to help me learn English and make me feel equal to everyone else in school,” he said.

Many of the sentiments shared by the other students mirrored the depiction of the “helpful” teachers.

“High school can be stressful and the ENL teachers working with me one-on-one helped,” said Rosario-Harris, another ELL student.

Some of the students that graduated Friday, and were at one point in the ENL program, will be attending college, entering the workforce or even considering joining the military.

Whichever path they choose, Connie Foster, JPS coordinator of world languages, said the road to graduation wasn’t easy.

“It is difficult,” Foster said. “If you can imagine being a student coming here from another country or another land … coming here to a new environment where everything is in English. Not only do they have to learn the English language to be able to get around, they have to learn their studies to be able to pass their Regents exams, and they’re not exempt.”

The Jamestown Public Schools District has an estimated 220 students in the ENL program, she said. The high school averages around 60 students who are classified as ELL students at a given time in all four grade levels.

Despite the language barrier, among other things, the ELL students who hadn’t returned home yet walked across the Chautauqua Institution Amphitheater stage to receive their diploma. Dressed in the ceremonial cap and gown, the students could now begin to miss high school.