Searingtown kindergarten teacher Gulnoor Khwaja grew up in a multicultural home where her family spoke Farsi, Uzbeki and Urdu. Growing up communicating in three languages defined Mrs. Khwaja's global view and inspired her to bring that cultural connection to school where she is beautifully represented on the Language Board. Reading teacher Stefanie Vespoli and school social worker Kathy Wong coordinated the Language Board this year to support a culturally responsive approach of welcoming and affirming our students and families, a district-wide priority.

The Language Board at Searingtown highlights the incredible cultural diversity of the “Scottie” community by shining a spotlight on the astounding number of native languages spoken by our families. In all, there are 33 languages listed on the board with the names of some of the staff members and students who speak them written underneath.

Languages listed on the board are as diverse at the Herricks population, ranging from Bangla, Cantonese and Farci to Tibetan, Turkish and Urdu. Many of our students speak these languages at home while they focus on their English literacy at school.

But language is more than just a way to communicate. Language creates a global connection, a bridge that connects communities, highlights the cultural diversity, encourages empathy and reinforces our responsibility as global citizens.

There is also a profound academic benefit to learning a second language as our Herricks Director of World Languages Francesco Fratto reminds us. “Research shows that when kids are bilingual, they are stronger academically. Learning a second language, or a third, changes the way your brain works when you're young.” Mr. Fratto encourages families to speak their native languages in the home so their children can develop strong speaking and comprehension skills that will help them in all aspects of their education, including their English language lessons.

The students who are listed on the Language Board are proud to display their cultural heritage.

First grader Ziva Kamdar speaks Hindi with her parents and is always excited to see her friends' names on the Language Board.

Marita Johny, a second grader who speaks Malayalam, one of over 120 languages spoken in India, believes that sharing your language brings people together and helps make them more comfortable at school.

Third grader Mehran Hussain speaks both Bangla and English at home and thinks it's important to keep practicing both languages because it’s good for your brain.

Fourth grader Leon Ahmed was born in Slovakia and speaks not only speaks Slovak, but also Bangla, the language of his grandparents who are from Bangladesh.

Jessica Liu, a fifth grader, speaks Mandarin Chinese and hopes to learn Spanish since she sees how helpful knowing other languages can be in life.

These are just a few of the hundreds of students listed on the Language Board who bring their rich cultural heritage to school every day.

Herricks is proud to feature the Searingtown Language Board and is thankful to all the educators and students who share their languages with pride! Our schools are richer for their diversity, and it creates a space for all to connect, learn and grow.