Students honored for English skills

Nearly 50 students in Pierce Joint Unified School District were recognized Thursday for their leap from learning English as a second language to speaking it fluently.

At the fourth annual “reclassification ceremony,” parents gathered in the Pierce High School auditorium to watch their children receive a framed award honoring their mastery of the English language.

Qualifying for the award is no easy task, said Donna Green, English Learner Services Coordinator for the district and English Language Development teacher for elementary school students. Students had to meet specific criteria to be reclassified as fluent in English, including meeting goals on California Standards Test, obtaining parental approval, having recommendations from a teacher and the Student Success Team, passing the High School Exit Exam if applicable and scoring well in the CELDT tests involving reading, speaking, writing and listening, Green said.

“These children have proven they are proficient at speaking English,” she said.

Many parents at the ceremony spoke little English, and teachers addressed them in Spanish throughout the ceremony. Cynthia Ramos, 14, is a student at Lloyd G. Johnson Junior High School and said her parents are Spanish speakers but they were proud of her for mastering English. She has attended Pierce schools since kindergarten, she said, but had “trouble in English.”

“Reclassified” students from Arbuckle Elementary School include: Jaqueline Ambriz, Sergio Saavedra Cano, Diego Serrano, Sandra Mondragon, Monserrat Padilla, Isabel Tapia, Ariana Piaz Villanueva, Gisell Hernandez, Ailed Gomez, Michael Paniagua, Cynthia Dorantes, Adriana Gonzalez, Lisette Camberos, Alejandra Cano, Ramiro Hernandez, Angel Munoz, Oscar Ambriz, Karla Herrera, Jose Del Toro, Erica Ruiz-Medina, Alegandro Saavedra, Maricela Jauregui, Jacquelin Ambriz-Medina, Berenice Velasquez, Isabel Barba, Monica Jimenez and Fernando Saavedra.

Lloyd G. Johnson Junior High School: Paul Kim, Isidro Mendez, Cynthia Ramos, Rafael Velazquez, Alfredo Rodriguez, Juan Gallardo, Jonathan Rodriquez-Sandoval, Leobardo Perez, Daniel Mendoza, Maria Orduno and Dayana Ambriz.

Pierce High School: Nancy Cabrera, Julian Hernandez, Priscilla Lomeli, Antonio Oregel, Yajaira Rocha, Jorge Romero, Arianna Rubio and Angel Villa.

Contact Allison White at 934-6800 or awhite@tcnpress.com.