"Compañeros," "Encuentros," and ESL Classes at STM

"Compañeros," "Encuentros," and ESL Classes at STM

As part of St. Thomas More’s Strategic Plan under the Fostering Unity initiative, the parish has begun offering Spanish classes for adults. This program is called “Compañeros.” The word in Spanish has a broad range of meanings including classmates, friends, pals and colleagues. There are also a monthly “Encuentros,” which are opportunities for the English and Spanish-speaking communities to chat with each other. Three groups of beginner and intermediate Spanish classes both in the mornings and evenings began in March and will run through May. Parishioners hoping to grow their Spanish skills in order to better communicate with their Hispanic fellows are participating in these classes. Jean Billman, a parishioner and former St. Thomas More Upper School faculty, teaches the morning classes. Alexandra Romero, Deacon Luis Royo’s wife, also an experienced elementary teacher in the bilingual program at Carrboro elementary, teaches the evening class. St. Thomas More also offers space to Durham Tech in order to offer English as a Second Language classes to the community which is host to four classes per week.

Some of the students have commented as follows:

From ESL:

Hi, my name is Yuan, and I’m a student attending ESL classes at St Thomas More. This is a good school. I’ve never had (something like) this. It’s great, I love it. The teacher is awesome, and her name is Barbara. I will keep coming to this classes next time again.

“I am very proud to be part of the blessings provided by our St. Thomas More Church. ESL (English as a second language) gives us the opportunity to learn the language and share with people from several nationalities, culture, and custom. I also feel blessed to have Mrs. Barbara as a teacher; she is wonderful, patient, and understanding. She teaches us with dedication, and is very professional. I Thank you God for His generosity, and abundant blessings to our parish as it open the doors to all people who need to learn.”
Amelia

From Compañeros:

“The morning beginning Spanish class has been an enjoyable way to start learning Spanish” Cheryl

“A Spanish class with Jean Billman as the teacher is a wonderful experience! I have never learned so much in three classes. We all want to have Spanish II with her. She keeps us focused, and entertained. Jean is a superb teacher! We are blessed to have her.” Marilyn

“The intermediate class is lively, interesting, and effective at helping us listen and SPEAK. Adult classmates who want to learn so as to help create a more integrated parish are also a good support and good fun.”

“Great fun and I’m learning a lot! Yo aprendo español! The time just shoots by because the class is so interesting. “Juana” is a super teacher!
Bob (intermediate level)

“I have found the Spanish classes to be both beneficial and enjoyable. It has been several years since I received formal Spanish instruction and I have retained only a limited vocabulary and understanding of Spanish grammar. The nearly complete immersion approach of teaching has lead me to remember much more than I realized I had retained. These Spanish lessons have already shown their worth in my private, work, and church life. I strongly recommend these classes to all individuals looking to develop or home their Spanish speaking abilities”
Joe

“I’m so grateful to have the opportunity to take theses Spanish classes here at St Thomas More. The teacher is so wonderful and understanding of my beginner level of the language. I hope more people will take advantage of this wonderful program”
Lisa.

“Spanish class – lots of fun – used different formats to teach. Great, fun teacher. Six students is very comfortable and friendly. “

“This has been a fun and educational way to bring our parish community closer together. Thanks for this opportunity”

Some comments for teachers are:

Jean says: “Classes are a fun way to learn the Spanish language and to meet others who want to do the same. The small class size facilitates conversation.”

Alexandra says: “I really enjoy Compañeros Spanish classes with people from St Thomas More because they are just amazing and very eager to learn not only Spanish language, but also Hispanic culture”

Jennifer de Lima, also a former St. Thomas More and Chapel Hill Schools Spanish teacher, has helped coordinate this effort and leads the monthly Encuentros. These are “Meetup” style events to bring together native Spanish speakers and the English speaking community members and help them practice their English and Spanish. These informal gatherings include ice breakers, conversation activities and a brief cultural topic. We hope these Encuentros will grow to include numbers of Hispanic and Anglo parishioners spending time together in order to build bridges across the St. Thomas More community. The participants in these events have commented on how good it is to get together briefly in a fun environment and to push their conversational skills. They have enjoyed meeting fellow parishioners they didn’t know before.

Upcoming dates for Encuentros are April 3^rd, May 15^th and June 5^th in from 12:30-1:30pm in the St. Anthony room in the parish center! Anyone is welcome to come meet and greet fellow parishioners and help to grow this initiative. Jennifer de Lima says it is one of the most enjoyable things she gets to do. “I love getting different people together and seeing how much they enjoy learning new phrases and words from the experience and from talking to new fellow parishioners. I encourage people to step out of their comfort zones and use this as a step to get involved in something truly bridge-forming! Several years ago when we did this we had some beautiful moments between fellow parishioners and we want to repeat that wonderful experience and continuing growing this initiative.”