Madison O’Neill

Assistant Principal Ms. Patricia Durham and Ms. Zhijing Fan present the ELAC meeting to the audience to learn about options after high school. Ms. Fan advises her students on how to be more comfortable speaking English as they graduate. “Start being more active to speak in front of the public,” Fan said. “I would suggest them to relax and then be in a natural, neutral tone and just to show and express themselves.”

On Wednesday, April 17, English Language Development (ELD) students and their family members attended the English Learner Advisory Committee (ELAC) meeting to celebrate their students’ successes for being reclassified. 

This ELAC meeting was held in the Ayala High School library and led by ELD teacher Ms. Zhijing Fan and Assistant Principal Ms. Patricia Durham. The meeting started off with informing the audience about state testing which is occurring this month for juniors. They also went on to talk about the requirements for the students after high school, including information about college and future careers. 

After this, it was time for the celebration. The students were rewarded with awards and recognition at the meeting to show that all of their hard work paid off. It was shown that 30 students were reclassified, 11 students are graduating in 2024, 12 students reached academic achievement, 19 students had perfect attendance, seven students had the best ELD club attendance, three students had the best class participation, and five students had great progress. There were also students that were rewarded for following the three B’s which included one student for being responsible, five students for being respectful, and one student being safe. Ms. Fan, Ms. Durham, and the students’ parents were beyond proud of their achievements. 

“I was proud of my students, especially for students who reclassified and who got recognized [for their] academic achievement,” Fan said. “For those students, they have been doing great work consistently so they will be able to reclassify as a big plus throughout the year.” 

The best part about being reclassified is that it can help the students reach their other dreams and goals. Many of these students work beyond hard to make sure that their dreams can become a reality. 

“I always wanted to study art because I want to get an art major in college,” English learning student Xinning He (12) said. “I do a lot of things like 2D design or AP drawing design to match that major.”

Throughout this process, the ELD students learned a lot, including improving their English skills. To do this, the students had to be very focused and concentrated on their goals so they could get to where they wanted to be. 

“I think I learned a lot since [I was] focusing myself and my mind,” English learning student Jiang Chan (12) said.

As the final ELAC meeting comes to an end, it is evident that the work that the students have put in to achieve their goals are definitely not going unnoticed. No matter what their dreams or goals are, every student deserves to be recognized. 

“Well, everyone should be recognized if they make an effort to complete their school year with accomplishment,” Fan said. “So everyone should be [recognized] and then ELD is part of Ayala High School, they’re part of us, so they need to be recognized.”