On Friday, Dec. 15, Russellville JR/SR High held its first English as a Second Language (ESL) Exiting Awards ceremony in deGraffenried Auditorium.
Mrs. Griselda Vargas, District ESL Instructor with Russellville Independent Schools, announced six students exited the ESL program for Russellville. These students have displayed a mastery of the English language to such a degree that they are no longer in need of the full services of the ESL program from RISD.
The following students achieved a composite score of at least 4.5: Robin Tran, 6th grade; Kylie Vera, 7th grade; Janeth Pacheco Ramirez, 8th grade; Magdalena Ramirez, 9th grade; Guadalupe Ramirez, 10th grade; and Juan Carlos Valenzuela Pineda, 11th grade.
Assistant Principal Cameron Jackson presented their certificates.
The Logan County Swim team joined the celebration to encourage fellow swim team member, Lupe Ramirez.
Principal Ben Bruni stated the tremendous accomplishment of these students is certainly cause to celebrate as each of these students is now considered fully bilingual, a lifeskill that firmly sets them in a position for success in today’s multicultural professional job market.