Newcomer Academy shoots for inclusion
In an event that included sports, culture, community and belonging, the NPHS Newcomers Academy, which are students who have come from different countries seeking better education and exposure to new cultures, hosted Thousand Oaks High School in the NPHS stadium for their first ever matches on Friday, May 16. There was an eight versus eight girls game and a 11 versus 11 boys game with a half-time performance featuring students who did not participate in the competition. The newcomer students competed against one another not only for competition, but also to create unity and resilience.
NPHS social worker Celia Ortiz worked to organize the games, giving the multilingual learner [MLL] students an opportunity to get involved in NPHS sports. “I wanted to provide them an opportunity to continue to play the sport that they play, the sport that they love. I decided that I wanted to start a team with my multilingual learners, and I reviewed it and went over it with the admin, and they were on board,” Ortiz said. This event worked to foster an integration opportunity for all MLL students to participate in school activities.
Senior and captain of the boys’ team Erick Jacobo prepared the team for the inaugural boys’ MLL soccer game at NPHS. As captain, Jacobo’s main goals were keeping the team focused, alive with energy and motivated during the game. Through this experience, Jacobo met many new people and stated he created many valuable friendships. Jacobo argued that the tight-knit community built through these games was an essential factor in the event’s success. “Everything was a great experience, especially the friendships I’ve made. It’s something unique, something that has never been given to us before,” Jacobo said.
Evelyn Castro, senior captain on the girls’ team, expressed how the experience gave her an opportunity to be a part of the school. “I joined the team because I was excited to get the chance to be a part of a school activity,” Castro said. The game allowed Castro to make many friends while also learning numerous new techniques and strategies. “I learned news skills that I didn’t think I could do before,” Castro said.
Overall, several participants and organizers have described the event as a huge success. Many families, friends, staff and community members came and cheered on the MLL student athletes participating in the games. “I also just want to [mention] what a great community we have. We’ve had a lot of people who have come out and truly supported this event from day one. They’ve given donations from soccer cleats to balls to equipment, also the uniforms. So I’m so thankful for everyone that has been supporting, supportive of this event, and I’m just really excited that all this could happen,” Ortiz said.
