May 1, 2023
Jill Smith, the Community Learning Center Institute Resource Coordinator at the Academy of World Languages, hosted a reception for 6th-8th grade students and their families on April 27 in celebration of their tremendous achievement in foreign language proficiency. Almost half of the middle school students earned high school foreign language credit towards their high school diploma. Nine of the students earned enough credits to enter high school at the Advanced Placement level.
The Community Learning Center Institute has been the lead agency at the Academy of World Languages since 2010 and Smith has been the Resource Coordinator from the start. She has led the development of the Schiff Wellness Center at AWL, a $2.5 million health complex which includes a comprehensive primary health clinic, dental center, and vision center as well as a MindPeace mindfulness room and community space. Other on-site partners include a full-time team of mental health therapists, a full-time after school enrichment program, and a Family Engagement Director through the Heartfelt Tidbits agency.
Located in the city center, the Academy of World Languages is a city-wide magnet school which offers instruction in Arabic, Chinese, Japanese and Chinese. The fifth language is English as a Second Language as AWL has attracted enrollment from refugees and immigrants from more than 40 countries.