UCLA Grant to Help ENL Students at Elmsford's High School

Students in the Alexander Hamilton Jr./Sr. High School whose first language is not English will benefit from a $15,000 grant that the school recently received from UCLA Project ExcEL, an initiative that comes out of the University of California, Los Angeles Center X.

The project, which is geared toward transforming educators’ approach to working with English as a New Language learners, will allow the school to spend the grant money on comprehensive coaching and professional development for the school’s mainstream teachers, as well as ensuring that each ENL student makes significant academic gains based on their participation in small learning communities.

In the future, the school will be partnering with local community agencies and other establishments to provide a wider range of support for students and their families.

Too often, students whose first language is not English struggle with various subjects and often fall behind. AHHS Principal Joseph Engelhardt said this grant will help close that gap.

"After working with Renie Avery and the Project X Team in the past, I knew it would be a perfect fit for Hamilton,” said Mr. Engelhardt. “I am excited about our partnership and the wonderful opportunities for our ENL students. “

Mr. Engelhardt said the school’s ENL teachers, Erica Carrasquillo and Veronica Cronin, have “hit the ground running with Project ExcEL.”

“With a vision towards providing a rich educational experience for our school community, they have already worked hard and created an interdisciplinary thematic unit for our ENL students. This approach will allow our students to connect major themes across the different content areas."