logo
Howard Library's Project Literacy celebrates dozens who learned English, obtained citizenship, earned high school diploma

Howard Library's Project Literacy celebrates dozens who learned English, obtained citizenship, earned high school diploma

Yahoo7 hours ago

When she came to America from Guatemala 38 years ago, Susana Rodriguez didn't know how to read — not even in her native language of Spanish. But after two years in the Howard County Library System's Project Literacy program, Rodriguez can now speak, read and write proficiently in English.
Rodriguez was one of about 50 adult English language learners who were celebrated Thursday at Miller Branch Library for receiving a National External High School Diploma, or obtaining American citizenship, or successfully completing the Project Literacy program.
Founded in Howard County in 1987, Project Literacy offers free classes and one-on-one tutoring sessions to help students learn English, obtain citizenship, improve work skills or receive a high school diploma .
President and CEO of Howard County Library System Tonya Aikens said more than 13,000 English language learners have participated in the 'life-changing' program.
'There's never a dry eye at every single graduation,' Aikens said. 'It's just incredible to hear the sacrifice that these adults are making.'
The program's graduation is paid for by the Friends and Foundation of HCLS, board member and Treasurer Ellen Flynn Giles said. The Friends group is a nonprofit organization with a mission to support Howard County libraries.
'This is a real milestone that's not simply a ceremony — it's a crowning achievement,' Flynn Giles said. 'It's a mark of their mental commitment and dedication. Most people were taking these classes at night after working during the day.'
Lakeisha Hancock said she moved to Columbia with her four kids — Kira, Maurice, Diamond, and Jamal — to give them the best education she could so they could be successful. The former Baltimore City resident hadn't yet finished high school, so she joined the Project Literacy program. On Thursday she celebrated earning the National External High School Diploma.
Hancock said setting an example for her children was her primary reason for completing the diploma — she wanted her children to know that 'they could do it, too' despite any obstacles they may encounter, and that 'the sky's the limit.'
Thirteen other honorees received diplomas:
Marco Tulio Benitez
Jose Martin Contreras
Carmelita Findlay Jacobs
Kisha Lyne Kelly
Yeonhee Kim
Varsha Makwana
Anderson Osmin Diaz Martinez
Arturo Ernesto Martinez
Norma Molina
Michael Pettengill
Johnny Trejo-Garcia
Rania Refaat Abdelhafez Shaban
Mike Minsup Shin
The program is run by volunteers, Aikens said, who all have bachelor's degrees and choose to give their time each week to work one-on-one with students.
Nancy Schear, Rodriguez's tutor, said she worked with Rodriguez on every aspect of learning the English language, from learning her ABCs for the first time to being able to write and send texts without any assistance to her two daughters, one of whom is a nurse in Columbia and one of whom is a student at a Baltimore university.
Each tutor who had a student in attendance was also recognized at the ceremony for the time they volunteered. More than half the tutors celebrated multiple students who were graduating.
Cindy Fitzpatrick, Hancock's coach, said there were no obstacles that could sway Hancock's determination to finish the program, calling her a 'superhero.'
'Perseverance is not just a skill, it's an art,' Hancock said. 'And because of that one word, we are the Class of 2025.'
Have a news tip? Contact Kat Mauser at kmauser@baltsun.com.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

How much the average American would pay for some peace and quiet
How much the average American would pay for some peace and quiet

New York Post

time3 hours ago

  • New York Post

How much the average American would pay for some peace and quiet

The average American would pay $2,521 for a day of peace and quiet — while parents would pay $1,147 more. That's according to a new survey of 2,000 Americans (30% of whom are parents), which explored the importance of quality time to recharge and the barriers to getting enough of it. Results showed the average respondent only gets 9.5 hours per month to themselves with the biggest barriers being family obligations (50%), work commitments (32%) and financial constraints (24%). 8 The average American would pay $2,521 for a day of peace and quiet — while parents would pay $1,147 more. SWNS 8 The most frequent barriers to getting an adequate amount of sleep is work, commitments, and financial constraints. SWNS Social obligations (22%) and guilt for finally getting free time (13%) were also listed as reasons respondents don't get the alone time they crave. A little over half of respondents (53%) said they need more alone time than they're currently getting. And the lengths respondents said they'll go to were surprising. Nearly 38% of respondents admit to lying to a partner, friends or family in order to get some time to themselves. 8 The average person claims they needs more alone time than they are currently getting. fizkes – The most common lie shared among participants was 'I'm not feeling well' (54%), followed by 'I have a lot of work to do' (40%), 'I have a headache' (33%), 'I have an appointment' (33%) and 'My phone's about to die, so I can't talk' (32%). 8 Out of 2,000 respondents, the average hours people get to themselves is only 9.5 per month. SWNS 8 Often times people will lie to lie to their partner, family, or friends, just to get some alone time. SWNS The survey, conducted by Talker Research on behalf of Apple Vacations, pinpointed the dollar amount people attribute to certain elements of relaxation and found the average parent polled values a lazy morning to themselves at $325. It's no wonder then that people would be willing to pay an average of $339.8 for just one extra hour of sleep. And the feeling extends to vacations, with 40% of respondents saying they've booked a trip specifically for peace and quiet. 8 The price people are willing to pay for an extra our of sleep is an average #339.8. SWNS 8 According to parents, a lazy morning to themselves is valued at $325. SWNS 'In a world where silence feels like a luxury, it's clear people aren't just craving quiet,' said Dana Studebaker, Vice President of Marketing, Consumer Brands, Apple Vacations. 'They're willing to invest in it. Everyone deserves moments that are truly their own.' How would respondents spend this precious, uninterrupted time alone? One in six said they'd be happy doing anything as long as it wasn't a chore or obligation. And one in eight said they'd want to binge TV or movies (13%) or spend the day at the beach (12%). 8 How people spend their precious time alone varies. Antonioguillem – Interestingly, two-thirds agreed (66%) that visiting family does not count as a restful vacation. 'When people are willing to spend hundreds — or even thousands — just for a little peace and quiet, it says a lot about how rare true rest has become,' added Michael Lowery, Head of Global Consumer Brands, Apple Vacations. 'Sometimes the most valuable thing you can give yourself is time without expectation.' Survey methodology: Talker Research surveyed 2,000 Americans (18+ who traveled in the past 12 months); the survey was commissioned by Apple Vacations and administered and conducted online by Talker Research between April 22 – April 28, 2025.

Opinion: How My California Middle School Uses Glyphs to Teach English Learners to Read
Opinion: How My California Middle School Uses Glyphs to Teach English Learners to Read

Yahoo

time3 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Opinion: How My California Middle School Uses Glyphs to Teach English Learners to Read

In the agricultural regions of California's San Joaquin Valley, schools like Firebaugh Middle School are surrounded by fields. But many of Firebaugh's students struggle to read that word. If they were to see 'field' on the board, they would likely pronounce it as 'filed,' a reflection of their unfamiliarity with the varied pronunciations in English. Firebaugh's student body is 98% Hispanic, and about 30% of its 530 sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders are designated as English learners. Based on diagnostic testing, administrators know many of them have limited or nonexistent phonics skills. In some cases, the students did not attend elementary school and lack the basics of literacy even in their primary language. Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter If you think of reading as an equation with specific components, you might assume reading instruction is straightforward. But as with any equation, there are variables, and English learners have many of them, from Individualized Education Programs to a diversity of home languages that makes it difficult for teachers to find a starting point for reading instruction. Any supplemental instruction educators provide must be flexible enough to account for those individual differences. This is hard enough at the elementary level, but in middle school, students do not merely need to know how to read; they need to know how to read well, so they can comprehend information, analyze it and synthesize it. But in most middle schools, educators likely do not have comprehensive training in supporting basic reading development. While they may have picked up some strategies, their job and focus is to teach a single subject‚ not literacy. I'm a perfect example. I was a history major, and I am credentialed in social science. I was trained to teach ancient civilizations, modern government and economics, and everything in between — but not reading. Related Time is also a limiting factor. At Firebaugh, students rotate through a seven-period school day. Teachers cannot adapt their schedules the way elementary educators can, making it challenging to spend extra time catching up students who are not reading at grade level. We had attempted many approaches to improving literacy at Firebaugh. We added English language development classes. Educators tried to emphasize reading strategies and target specific students who were two or more grade levels behind in literacy. However, none of these efforts proved effective. Along the way, we realized many students needed pieces of the reading equation that we did not know they needed, such as decoding words. Then, we discovered an unusual approach to adolescent literacy that uses glyphs as a resource to foster reading fluency and boost comprehension for English learners. The system consists of 21 glyphs, or diacritical marks, that function as a pronunciation guide for each word. These marks (think accents or umlauts) are widely used in languages other than English to aid with pronunciation and comprehension. The system indicates which letters make their usual sound, which make a different-than-usual sound and which are silent. It also denotes syllable breaks. We implemented this glyph approach for English learners who had no experience sounding out words. In the first stage of implementation, students worked with teachers to learn the glyphs and complete core skill-building activities. In the second stage, the diacriticals — which are available for more than 100,000 words — were integrated into students' daily reading practice to build fluency and comprehension. With the markups, words like 'field' and 'filed,' for example, were no longer a problem.

Munitions depot explosion at Kadena Air Base leaves four injured
Munitions depot explosion at Kadena Air Base leaves four injured

Yahoo

time3 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Munitions depot explosion at Kadena Air Base leaves four injured

Four members of Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force were injured after a munition exploded on Kadena Air Base on Monday. The Air Force's 18th Wing, based out of Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, confirmed that an explosion occurred at a munitions storage site on the northern side of the base. No U.S. personnel were injured and local authorities said that there is no risk of further explosions, according to the U.S. Air Force and Kyodo News. Members of the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force were working in the munitions storage area, managed by the Okinawa Prefectural Government, when one item exploded, leaving four Japanese troops injured. According to Japanese media, the explosion happened while JSDF members were preparing to safely dispose of an unexploded ordnance. Per reports, the depot is a temporary storage spot, mainly used for leftover unexploded munitions from World War II. Okinawa was heavily bombed during World War II, as part of the U.S. military's campaign to capture the island in 1945. 80 years later and Japanese and American authorities continue to locate and dispose of unexploded ordnance, with more than 2,000 tons of munitions taken out. This is a developing story. A Marine Corps reply-all email apocalypse has an incredible real-life ending Army shuts down its sole active-duty information operations command Army plans to close more than 20 base museums in major reduction Former Green Beret nominated to top Pentagon position to oversee special ops The Navy's new recruiting commercial puts the 'dirt wars' in the past

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store