Spotlight on Oakland International High School

In Honduran Youth Finds Welcome Mat at Oakland School Designed for Immigrants, the New York Times chronicles the story of Lester. At 14, Lester came to the United States from Honduras to join his mother and siblings.

Having survived the journey (marked by train rides, smugglers, and lack of food), Lester now attends Oakland International High School. The mission of this unique Bay Area school is “to provide quality alternative education for recently arrived immigrant students in English language acquisition and in preparation for college.” In operation since August 2007, The Oakland International High School has just 100 students per grade. It provides students with rigorous academic content while simulateously working on improving their reading, writing, and speaking in English.

Be sure to check out the photo essay accompanying the NYT article: “Building a New Life.”

-KitJ