By Kate Reardon
Herald Writer
EVERETT — Besides English, the most popular language spoken by students in the Everett School District is Russian, followed by Spanish.
In fact, nearly 975 of the district’s 18,400 students are taking classes in English as a second language.
Understanding that kind of diversity and how the community needs to deal with it is behind a number of forums that are being planned in coming months.
The forums, an offspring of the Mayor’s Diversity Roundtable, will be a place for community members to learn about how people from various cultures connect with the greater community. A focus on public education comes partly because nearly 30 languages are spoken in Everett schools.
Only seven languages are spoken by employees of the district, said Molly Ringo, director of the district’s human resources department.
The round table is a group that has met to explore diversity issues, said Dale Preboski, a spokeswoman for the city.
Preboski said the hope is that the forums will provide a venue for people to learn about and explore diversity issues. Another forum, focusing on immigration issues, may be scheduled for March, Preboski said, and other ideas for future forums are being considered.
Kathleen Gutierrez, a program director with Everett schools, said she felt lucky in that as a little girl her grandmother read to her in Spanish. She hopes many students who are taking English as a second language will have the same opportunities to hang on to their native languages.
"We want them to learn English, but not at the risk of them losing their own language and culture," she said.
Preboski said upcoming forums will include interpreters for those who aren’t fluent in English.
"Our challenge is to bring new faces to the table," Preboski said.
The first diversity forum included interpreters for those who speak Russian, Spanish, Vietnamese and Arabic.
About 50 people were at the forum at an elementary school in northeast Everett this week. They learned more about the school district’s stance on health care, language programs, employment opportunities and meal programs.
Some audience members asked questions about dropout rates and attendance policies. Two audience members said they wanted their children to attend Everett schools vs. other schools because of the diverse student population.
The forum was sponsored by the city, school district and Refugee and Immigrant Forum, a group that helps connect immigrants with the community.
You can call Herald Writer Kate Reardon at 425-339-3455 or send
e-mail to reardon@heraldnet.com.
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