WATFORD CITY, N.D. (AP) - Rocio Casanova-Wurzer is a lifeline for new families in North Dakota’s oil patch.
She started in November as a bilingual family liaison for McKenzie County School District No. 1. Her position is somewhat unique in North Dakota schools. She provides Spanish translation and support services for families of the Watford City-area school district, helping them navigate through and acclimate to the school system.
She has helped with parent-teacher meetings, activity registration, vaccination appointments, even family notifications to schools, the Bismarck Tribune reported.
“Something as simple as ’My son is not going to be able to attend school today, he’s sick,’” she said.
Casanova-Wurzer’s family arrived three years ago in Watford City, where her husband works in the oil industry and her son attends high school. She studied architecture in Mexico and previously translated for American and European clients of a Mexico construction business.
She is one of eight full-time staff of the school district’s English learner program. She says her services have been well received by parents who don’t speak English and want to communicate with teachers or school staff about their children’s grades, conduct or activities.
“They feel in a way a relief to have somebody that speaks their language and can communicate their needs to the school,” she said.
’Bringing them into the fold’
Watford City and other western North Dakota school districts have seen ballooning enrollment correlated with the Bakken oil boom, which brought thousands of new workers and families to the state.
Superintendent Steve Holen said the district has a 2019-20 enrollment of about 1,850 students in grades K-12. That’s an exponential increase over the last decade, when enrollment began to skyrocket from about 600 students.
The district built and opened a new high school in 2016 and is building a new elementary school set to open this fall. Enrollment projections for 2020-21 put the school district over 2,000 students.
English learner students in the district have increased along with school enrollment, from under 100 in the 2015 and 2016 fall semesters to 230 now, according to figures from Holen. That’s about 12% of the student body.
More than 200 of the district’s English learner students speak Spanish as their first language, but the English learner program serves students of 12 other languages, including Tagalog, Thai and Mandarin Chinese.
The liaison position came about as a “hybrid” to meet the need for English learners at the same time the school district hired social workers who evolved into family facilitators as a resource for all students, according to Holen.
He said the liaison position is for more than translation, but is to help students and families grow comfortable with the school district and build relationships.
“We just felt it was kind of a proactive approach, a little bit, to bringing them into the fold because they’re a major part of our school district and we wanted to make sure they felt wanted and appreciated,” Holen said.
’Connecting with families’
The district’s school board approved the position at the recommendation of school administration.
English Learner Coordinator Mari Rasmussen said the school district conducts annual assessments for English skills. Holen said the English learner program includes four teachers, three aides and the liaison.
“Our focus is to support students in becoming proficient in English so that they can be successful in the classroom,” Rasmussen said.
School Board President Pam Ramage said the liaison role is all about the goal of inclusiveness and welcoming new residents to the community. She noted the school district also has a new multicultural club for students of all grade levels and their families to share refreshments and visit with each other.
“I think it’s great that we’ve become a very diverse community, and that brings in a lot of new opportunities for understanding one another’s cultural differences and perhaps your life experiences,” Ramage said.
Watford City High School Principal Randy Cranston said Casanova-Wurzer has done a good job of “bridging that gap” between the schools and non-English-speaking families new to the district.
“I think all of us still have some work to do in regards to making sure that we’re using her to her abilities and making sure that we’re connecting with the families, still,” Cranston said.
Similar roles?
Casanova-Wurzer’s position is somewhat unique compared to larger school districts in North Dakota.
Fargo Public Schools does not have a position similar to bilingual family liaison. But it contracts for translation services if needed for families, has bilingual English learner paraeducators and has social workers who work with English learner families, district spokeswoman AnnMarie Campbell said.
North Dakota’s largest school district, Bismarck Public Schools, employs 28 interpreters/translators who are on call for families needing help with registration, teacher notifications, and meetings and school events. English Learner Coordinator Wendy Sanderson said all the district’s interpreters go through an orientation process before beginning their work with families.
Bismarck has interpreters for 24 languages but is seeking additional interpreters for Chuukese, Marshallese, Vietnamese, Liberian English and Thai, Sanderson said. Bismarck Public Schools has 367 students in its English learner program and 37 on its monitoring list for the academic progress of students who have left the program. Bismarck Public Schools has 13,304 K-12 students.
Mandan Public Schools does not have a position similar to bilingual family liaison, according to district spokeswoman Jessica Petrick. But the role is part of a grant request from the district to North Dakota’s Department of Public Instruction. Petrick said the district hopes to have the position available next year.
Mandan Public Schools has 3,933 K-12 students, 115 of whom are English learners who collectively speak 12 languages, Petrick said. The district also employs a number of English learner teachers and paraeducators in its elementary, middle and high schools.
Casanova-Wurzer said word of mouth and parent nights have helped spread the word of her services. She has regular hours but sometimes answers calls in the early morning and at night.
“I don’t mind it,” she said. “It gives me a sense of being helpful to people.”
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