Team Journey heading to the Statehouse to launch their fall EL project on becoming an American.
7th and 8th grade students on Team Journey launched this semester’s Expeditionary Learning (EL) project on September 11, heading into the Statehouse for a naturalization ceremony. The team identified an authentic problem in their community – how hard it can be to become an American citizen. Through research and discussion the team found that there are several roadblocks to becoming American including: Time for study and classes, daycare, cost, and perhaps the hardest one of all, becoming proficient in English. Team Journey 7/8 are calling their project, Becoming An American: The Road to Citizenship.
The students’ work will take many forms over the next few weeks as they identify the barriers to becoming US citizens. They will consult with experts from the U.S.Committee for Refugees and Immigrants- Vermont, and legal aid from the Association of Africans Living in Vermont (AALV) and others.
As luck would have it, a 2018 Winooski alum was at the ceremony, becoming a US citizen. Exercising his right to participate in our democratic society, he immediately registered to vote. The parents of a Winooski student were also becoming citizens at the ceremony. Ler Der Star was able to join his classmates, and told us, “Yeah, I’m really excited!”
Winooski student Ler Der Star takes a picture of his parents who are participating in a naturalization ceremony on 9.11.19.
The Honorable William K. Sessions III specifically welcomed Winooski students during the ceremony. He shared that it was his 17th time presiding over a naturalization ceremony on September 11th – the anniversary of the terrorist attack against the United States. Judge Sessions poignantly noted during the ceremony, “We are a nation of immigrants.”