Socatsee’s growing ESOL/ML program helps students from various backgrounds improve their English-speaking skills.
The school currently has about 350 MLs (Multilingual Learners) in the ESOL program. Twenty different languages are represented in school, said ESOL Department Head Ms. Deanna Futrell.

“The most popular are Spanish, Portuguese and Vietnamese,” she said, “and we have several students from Central America who speak indigenous languages in addition to Spanish.”
The school’s four ESOL teachers try to help ML students feel comfortable in the classroom and learn English as quickly as possible.
“We help students when they first come from another country to get acclimated into the school system,” Ms. Futrell said.
Mr. Francisco Ghere, one of the ML teachers and Socastee’s Teacher of the Year, said he works with his ESOL students to help them communicate better.
“I want to help my students to get better language proficiency,” he said.
When a student whose first language is not English enrolls in the school district, they take a test to see what their English language proficiency level is. They can place anywhere from a level 1 to level 6. Based on their level, they are placed in a certain level ESOL class in addition to their other classes.
“Once they’re placed in a class, we have books, a curriculum, and a pacing guide to start with things like greetings like other foreign language classes,” Ms. Futrell said.
After a student reaches Level 4, they are taken out of the separate ESOL class, but continue to be monitored and receive accommodations in their classes if necessary.
ML students come from all over with differing backgrounds, said Mr. Ghere, who taught in Mexico and was a state coordinator for his school district’s bilingual program before coming to Socastee. Some people don’t realize Spanish-speakers come from various countries with different cultures, he said.
“You get to talk to people from Peru, Colombia, Honduras, Guatemala, and even though we speak Spanish, we have different customs,” Mr. Ghere said. “We do things differently — our food, the way we dress, music that we listen to, the things that we do at our house.”

Ms. Futrell says it is rewarding to see students improve and grow throughout the year.
“Sometimes it’s hard in the very beginning when they come … but students start to become acclimated and become comfortable with asking questions in class.”

Senior Aisha Sahraoui, whose first language is Arabic, has been in the ESOL program since coming to Socastee after living in Algeria. She is especially grateful for ESOL teacher Ms. Madison Ketschek.

“I really had trouble talking to people … but my teachers really helped me, and [Ms Ketschek] used to even sit with me for lunch.”