ESL Graduation – Spring 2019

For I was a stranger and you welcomed me

The Spring Semester of English as a Second Language (ESL) concluded on May 23rd. SJV would like to congratulate our 70 graduates and their families.
It is always encouraging to see how these students, from all walks of life, work hard and strive incessantly to improve their lives by learning English. The camaraderie among the groups and the respect and affection towards their teachers is also remarkable. As any of the ESL teachers would tell you, it is also a very gratifying and humbling experience for them. They often ’walk’ with their students up through the levels until their final graduation.
Did you know? Some of the benefits of ESL classes include an increase in community participation, improvement in family life, increased opportunities in education and employment, and ultimately, self-sufficiency.
We would also like to acknowledge our very talented and dedicated ESL Teachers, Substitute Teachers and ESL Advisory Team members who volunteered their time and talents this semester. Pictured at bottom left are: Back Row: Mary Rouse, Suzie Williams, Frank Pattee, Jasmin Olea, Vivian Kearney, Pam Davis, Pat Guzman, Lelia Buerger, Jose Carlos Gonzalez & John Sehn; Front Row: Paul Dolan, Jim Hughes and John Collingwood. Not pictured are Charisse Magsipok and Marina Gonzalez. We thank all of our volunteer teachers for welcoming the stranger among us and making such a difference in their students’ lives!
The next semester of ESL begins on August 20th. If you’re interested in teaching, please contact Glorivel at 281.497.4434. No experience is necessary and you do not need to speak Spanish or any language other than English. Training will be provided.