Teranga Academy Students Celebrate Moving Up!

Teranga Academy Bowling Green showcased the potential for success and integration for immigrant students with a Moving Up Ceremony on Wednesday, May 22nd. Seventy-nine students have "moved up" to either level 2 or 3 coursework and 15 students have completed all three levels of coursework and now advance to Bowling Green Junior High, Bowling Green High School, or graduate BGHS.

Teranga Academy Bowling Green opened in August 2022 and has been designed in partnership with the Fugees Family, Inc. to support teens and their families who are new to the United States and to American schools. Teranga Academy is an English immersion program, focused on transitioning to a new country with trauma-informed practices and culturally responsive teaching.

All Teranga Academy students are new to the United States, are multilingual, and have had their formal education interrupted. The students, ages 11-18, are enrolled in one of three levels for up to three years in the program, and are supported as newcomers, but have learning scaffolded to be on track to graduate from high school with same-age peers.

There is no shame in being a beginner, especially when learning a new language.

Level One students are working to reach at least a second grade proficiency level in reading, writing, math and the English Language. Level Two are working to reach a 5th grade proficiency, and Level Three students are striving for an 8th or 9th grade proficiency and transitioning to Bowling Green Junior High or BGHS.

As schools across the country are facing significant challenges with an increasing number of immigrant students: language barriers, cultural integration, and limited resources, Bowling Green’s Teranga Academy humanizes the challenges and is becoming a beacon of hope and model for the nation.