Upcoming International Day with our Rough Riders

International Day is on March 30th, Roosevelt will be celebrating our student body’s 20+
countries in the Atrium during both first and second lunches. 

If you are interested in participating in the International Day festivities, NAF Director Julian Hipkins would be more than happy to direct you towards getting a booth or performance set up.  

“The thought was we could kind of move towards the end of the year with a high, a celebration,” Julian Hipkins said. 

While planning with the foreign services teacher, Ms. Dema, and culinary arts teacher Chef Wiggins, Hipkins wanted international day to be “a raw pure celebration of who we are.” 

He wants students to feel more comfortable sharing their diverse cultures and getting to know more about their friends and classmates. “I might have known which country they came from, but I didn’t know the background, you know, behind the story, and some of the had quite a dangerous journey to the United States,” Hipkins said. 

Hipkins wants to shine light on just how unique the students and staff are here at Roosevelt. “The majority of people at school are Black and brown people but we all come from different, backgrounds, countries, languages and cultures.” 

Alongside International Day, we also have different academies within Roosevelt that cater to students who may not speak English or are coming from another country. 

The two different academies are Dual language and the International Academy. 

Eliana Quintin, A Dual language and international academy educator, explains. “In the international academy there are kids whose first language is other than English. It could be Spanish, or it could be any other language. So, these kids have different classes in English, but most of these classes are especially designed for them to learn this second language,” she said. 

At Roosevelt there are many exchange students. These students participate in classes that help them further expand their English and gain the knowledge they need for their future. 

Quintin also explains, “The dual language is different because in these classes there are kids that are bilingual. They know English and they know Spanish. However, they take 2 classes in Spanish and then two other classes in English.” 

Bilingual students get the opportunity to expand their communication skills in both of their fluent languages and gain a biliteracy seal on their graduation certificate. For this, the students must pass both English and Spanish exams. 

There are currently about 350 kids enrolled in both academies that are from many places around the world. Look forward to March 30th to experience a new culture.