Star Students

Antonio is a kindergarten student with a charming personality. His enthusiasm
is always contagious. He enjoys making jokes with his classmates. During the
last four months he has enjoyed his time in class. Antonio has improved the
way he colors; he has learned how to trace numbers and how to work neatly.
He always has his homework done on time. One of his goals is to learn to read
soon. Antonio is a great student, and he is enjoying his time in the
New DAWN program.

The ENL Program would like to recognize Edit Martinez as a Star Student! Edit is
enrolled in our Thursday night beginning ENL class. Edit makes coming to class a
priority despite the other demands on her time. She has maintained perfect
attendance throughout the 2004-05 school year! Edit is a perfect example of the kind
of student LEAP is looking for!

Edit knew no English whatsoever when she joined the Beginning ENL class at
Ligonier Elementary. She had worked as a secretary in Mexico, but her lack of
English language skills prevented her from pursuing similar employment in
America. According to her instructor, Edit has shown remarkable growth, and now
serves as a peer tutor for other students in her class.

Edit’s goal is to pursue a secretarial position in the Ligonier community. On the
previous quarterly testing period, Edit moved up two levels on her test. She will
soon be moving from the beginning class to our intermediate class.
Congratulations Edit on your hard work and success!

The star student at the Noble County Learning Center is Seth Waring. Seth is a 4th
grader at St. Mary’s School in Avilla. His attendance is wonderful and his success is
due to his hard work and perseverance. According to his tutor, Susan Curtis, Seth’s
smile lights up the Learning Center and touches the hearts of people around him.

Seth attends our program consistently and contributes a great deal to each tutoring
session. He is attentive and determined. His teacher, Mrs. Bailey, said she noticed
improvement in Seth’s math, handwriting, and language. Mrs. Bailey also mentioned
that Seth is a very helpful student. In the Learning Center he never gives up, no matter
how hard the task. He has a positive attitude, regardless of what is occurring around
him. He is interested in learning, whether it’s in an area that does or does not
necessarily interest him. On top of everything else, he has a great family who always
supports him.

We’d like to tell Seth that he is doing a fantastic job as he works through this year of
school. Thank you for your hard work. You are a student that we all enjoy being
around and helping. As you look to the future, keep your goals in mind because we
know that you will achieve whatever you set your sights on. Congratulations on being
our star student!

Gania is one of our model Even Start Family Learning Program students. She has
maintained above 95% attendance in our five day per week program while raising six
children, which is quite an accomplishment. She started the program last March,
and over the past nine months she has shown gains in her ability to speak English.

Even Start implemented a new curriculum this year, and Gania is the first student to
test out of the beginning level. She was very excited during the month of October
when she learned how to count money. She now has a new sense of independence
when shopping.

Gania’s youngest son is involved in our preschool program and has also shown
growth. When Abraham started, he would not speak in class but has now started
speaking in English. He tends to whisper but is continuing to speak new words and
gain confidence in the classroom. Overall, this family is motivated and enjoys being
involved in the Even Start Family Learning Program.