Moms building bridges at Highland High for refugee, immigrant students

Moms building bridges at Highland High for refugee, immigrant students

(Mary Richards, KSL NewsRadio)


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SALT LAKE CITY — A group of mothers at Highland High School wanted to volunteer their time, but they were surprised by the principal’s assignment: he wanted them to help the growing number of refugee and immigrant students.

Now these mothers’ efforts are slowly changing lives and attitudes.

The parent volunteers — Lisa Thornton, Deirdre Straight, Mindi Rich and Natalie Connolly — organized a cultural exchange on Thursdays during the two lunch hours for students of all different backgrounds.

On a recent Thursday, Straight was putting out giant pages of a map on the floor as an activity for them to do.

She said playing games and practicing English has led to friendships among the students.

“We want this to eventually be an extracurricular activity or club, where refugee and immigrant students will have opportunities for leadership roles,” Straight said.

They also help in the ESL and English Language Development classes, working in small groups within two to four students.

Thornton’s daughter recently changed classes at the semester break and thought she didn’t know anyone in her new class until she recognized one of the refugee students from the Thursday exchange activities.

“She went and sat by him, and now they are good friends," Thornton said. "Wherever they are in school, they find each other."

The moms set up a way for other parents to volunteer for an hour or so as well.

“Parents come in the one time, and they are converted," Straight said. "They love the kids, and they feel like they learn a lot from them. They then go back and sign up for more time slots."

The group said they want these efforts to last beyond their time at Highland High.

“You see these things on the news, and our kids are going to school with kids who have been through these things," Mindi Rich said. "I like that they can connect with other kids who have so much to offer with what experiences they have been through."

“I hope our kids see you can help, and here’s how to do it, so in every setting they will be helpers,” Thornton said.

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