News Details

April 2025

A classroom on the second floor of Ben Davis High School looks like most others in the building, but with a few distinguishing features.

Small, colorful flags representing a host of countries from around the world hang from the classroom’s ceiling. Students use translation tools as they work through lessons on their Chromebooks. Their teachers find creative ways to communicate and connect with their students in the midst of the many different home languages these students speak.

“Every year, multilingual learners start their educational journey in the United States,” said Jennifer Moore, teacher at Ben Davis. “And more and more of them come to U.S. schools as high school students.”

That can be a challenging time to make the transition to any new school, let alone one in a new country. That reality prompted Ms. Moore to apply for a Wayne Township Education Foundation grant to fund a program called “Welcoming Our Newcomers.” She received that grant, and the program is underway.

“These students are tasked with understanding an unfamiliar school system while learning the English language and earning high school graduation credits,” Ms. Moore said. “In addition, they face intense cultural differences, and many times, separation from members of their family.”

The “Welcoming Our Newcomers” program combines a class for students who’ve been in the country for less than one year with resources to help these students and their parents navigate the high school landscape more successfully. Ms. Moore oversees the activities in the classroom in partnership with her Ben Davis colleague Enid Claxon.

“The classroom serves as a bridge between students’ way of schooling in their home country to our high school expectations,” said Ms. Moore. “The room allows for flexible seating and places for students to relax, but it also provides physical tools that assist with organization and understanding the expectations of the American school system.”

Engaging the parents of Ben Davis’ newcomer students is an important part of the program as well. Students’ families receive information on a number of topics and tools important to their students’ school life, including the district’s electronic communication platform called ParentSquare.

“We hope creating a safe space will encourage our students to embrace their school community more quickly,” said Ms. Moore. “And we hope this sense of belonging will then be demonstrated through greater classroom and community involvement.”

ABOUT THE WAYNE TOWNSHIP EDUCATION FOUNDATION
The Wayne Township Education Foundation (WTEF) provides community leadership to enrich, engage, and stimulate teaching and learning in the Metropolitan School District of Wayne Township. WTEF accomplishes this by supporting school programs and resources, while recognizing excellence among students and staff. To learn more about WTEF and/or establishing a named, designated fund, call 317-988-7966, visit wtef.wayne.k12.in.us, or follow us on Facebook or Twitter @WayneTwpEdFound.