Immigrant students acclimate to life in Rockford with help of Midway Village Museum
A partnership with Rockford Public Schools and a grant from the Kjellstrom Family Foundation will enable 120 students from East High School and Lincoln Middle School to visit Midway Village over the course of two days, beginning May 13th.
A costumed guide will lead them through activity stations, and language interpreters will be on hand for those who don't speak English.
A centerpiece of the program is the Museum's Victorian Village and the 'Many Faces, One Community' exhibit, which explores many generations of immigrants to Rockford since the 1830s.
The Newcomers pilot program will also introduce students to exhibits on the founding of Rockford, the Rockford Peaches, local manufacturing, the history of the Sock Monkey, and the role Camp Grant played in World War II.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBS News
26 minutes ago
- CBS News
Family, friends remember veteran Ray Firmani, a Delaware hometown hero: "He's going to be missed"
He's been called a Delaware treasure. Ray Firmani, a World War II veteran who served his country and community, died at 103. "He's going to be missed. I'm still getting my head around him not going to be around," said Mitch Topal, Firmani's friend and biographer. Firmani called Delaware home for nearly a century and was one of the state's longest living World War II veterans. "Ray was an incredible man. He spread goodwill everywhere he went and he made friends everywhere he went," Topal said. Firmani was born on September 19, 1921, to Italian immigrants. He graduated from Wilmington High School before enlisting and served our country in World War II in the U.S. Army Air Corps as a B-17 pilot. He completed 25 bombing missions over Germany and France, many times leading his crew. "Most of these missions were eight to 12 hours long, going into Germany dropping bombs on a target, turning around, coming back," Topal said. "I probably got to know him better than anybody because I chronicled his life; I was his biographer." Topal captured Firmani's heroism and life story in his book, "Against All Odds: The Ray Firmani Story." After the war, Firmani had a family. He was an award-winning photographer and worked with the DuPont Company until his retirement in 1986. "He was a very private man. We didn't learn about his military experiences until the book came out. We were very surprised," said Melody Firmani, Firmani's daughter-in-law. Melody Firmani described her father-in-law as a good dad who was loved by many people in his community. "What struck me is he taught himself everything. In his 80s, he taught himself how to use a computer. He had no technological background; he learned by reading," Melody Firmani said. CBS News Philadelphia talked with the 103-year-old nearly two months ago when former President Biden was in Wilmington for a Memorial Day event. "Maybe I'll see you for my birthday," Firmani joked. Firmani has been inducted into the Delaware Aviation Hall of Fame; he was honored by the Town of Elsmere as a hometown hero, and a scholarship has been started in his name at Delaware Technical Community College. Delaware Gov. Matt Meyer ordered flags to be flown at half-staff until Monday to honor Firmani's lifetime of service. Meyer released the following statement on Firmani's passing: "Ray Firmani was a true Delawarean who served his community and his country with honor. He was a part of the fabric of Elsmere and counseled generations of Delaware leaders. If we are indeed a state of neighbors, then Ray Firmani set the bar that we should all aspire to reach. Lauren and I are sending our deepest condolences and prayers to his entire family and everyone who called Ray a friend. His life was long, but his memory will last even longer." "He put his mark on so many people, thousands of people, and everyone he met, he became instant friends with; he's just that kind of a guy," Topal said.
Time Business News
an hour ago
- Time Business News
English as an Additional Language
The EAL Academy is one of the leading providers in the UK and internationally of courses, training, and consultancy for teachers' working with English as an additional language (EAL) learners. They are also often to referred to as multilingual learners (MLLs). In an educational context, the term 'EAL learner' can be broadly defined as a student or pupil for whom English is an additional language to their native language, and for whom support is required to assist them in becoming proficient in English and enabling them to thrive in an English-speaking environment. As the needs of these EAL learners can be very diverse, the EAL Academy offers a range of approaches to assist teachers and schools in meeting the needs of their EAL learners. Perhaps the most popular of the EAL Academy's offerings are the short 12-15 hour online EAL courses for teachers working with EAL learners. These interactive and tutored courses are suitable for subject and class teachers as well as those taking the lead in EAL in their school. They are based on the needs and experiences of teachers working with EAL learners and relate directly to the everyday situations teachers encounter. EAL beginners in the mainstream classroom addr esses the full range of beginners in English from those with no prior schooling to those with strong literacy skills in their mother tongue and offers teachers a blueprint for integrating these EAL learners into the classroom. The course – EAL and SEND: cracking the conundrum –assists teachers in distinguishing between those learners with language needs from those with special educational needs, offering teachers appropriate assessment procedures and guidance on provision for those where there may be an overlap. The course, Early years and diversity, focusses on how teachers can best develop the English of multilingual learners in the early years of schooling to reflect the diversity of the communities from which they come. There are courses which focus more on the teacher and the role played within the school. Perhaps one of the most popular courses is aimed at teaching assistants who are often tasked with more responsibility for the EAL learners in a classroom. The course aims to give them the skills and knowledge needed to support those new to is a course specifically for primary teachers, one for secondary teachers, and for science teachers. The EAL Academy also offers a 6-month extended online course – Supporting the learning of pupils with EAL in multicultural settings. This course is aimed at teachers who want a more in-depth approach or wish to take the lead in EAL within their school. This course gives teachers access to a breadth of resources not easily available elsewhere. The course is tutored and interactive, giving the participants the chance to learn from a real-life peer group, sharing knowledge and experiences collaboratively. In some situations, it may be more appropriate for the EAL Academy to offer in-house support or consultancy, or in-house training for the school as a whole. This approach has worked particularly well for international schools with a diverse and multicultural student population. The training is planned in collaboration with the EAL lead, the headteacher, or the school as a whole, and will concentrate on the specific areas of need within the school. In some cases, with direct support from the EAL Academy, the school will adapt the EAL Academy's online courses, tailoring them to for their teachers, and targeting the content to the specific needs of their learners and situation. The EAL Academy has some case studies and examples of where this has been superbly successful. The jewel in the EAL Academy's crown is its Quality Mark award. Many schools are already effective in meeting the needs of their EAL learners but know that there is also room for improvement. The Academy works with such schools to assess the work they are currently doing for their EAL learners and advise on areas where there is room for improvement. The schools undergoing this EAL award always report that it has been highly beneficial for the pupils and the school as a whole. In fact, many of the schools undergoing the Quality Mark are very happy and proud to share their experience with others. The EAL Academy runs termly webinars, bringing these teachers into the webinar to talk about their experiences in front of an audience of classroom teachers, EAL leads, headteachers, and more. These webinars are hugely incentivising and very popular. Such a programme as the EAL Academy delivers can only be achieved with a team of truly highflyers! These consultants, trainers,and serving teachers have collectively trained and worked in classrooms with thousands of teachers in hundreds of schools in over 30 countries across four continents. Individually, each team member draws on extensive experience, works with academic rigour, and is driven by compassion. Underpinning all of the EAL Academy's training and consultancy is the belief – tried and tested – that EAL learners do best when they are included in the mainstream classroom rather than set aside to work on separate activities. Best practice is at the root of the EAL Academy's approach and what is good for an EAL learner is good for all learners and the whole school benefits. TIME BUSINESS NEWS
Newsweek
8 hours ago
- Newsweek
Fluent English Speaker Needed for Full-Time Paid Job Looking After Cheetahs
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. In a remote stretch of the Zambezi Valley in Mozambique, Africa, a team of wildlife conservationists are hiring for a job they call "a once in a lifetime opportunity." The Panyame Cheetah Project, based in the vast 210,000-hectare Panyame Wildlife Conservancy, is looking for a full-time Cheetah Monitor to live deep in the bush and be involved in tracking, feeding and safeguarding the fastest land animals on Earth. The job role is no desk job, involving rugged daily treks through Jesse bush and riverine forest, telemetry-based tracking across the cheetah territory—all while living off-grid in a bush camp on the banks of the Zambezi River. "This is real conservation in action," Panyame Cheetah Project said on social media, urging candidates with data skills, fitness, and a passion for wildlife to apply. "From feeding cheetahs in the bomas to tracking them across 210,000 hectares... We're looking for a committed, hands-on field assistant." A file photo of a cheetah lounging in the wild. A file photo of a cheetah lounging in the from this, the project encouraged applications from far and wide, adding: "If you're passionate about wildlife and ready for a life in the bush, apply now." The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list has listed the cheetah as a threatened species since 2021. With an estimated population of 6,517 mature animals in the wild, their numbers are decreasing. The threats to cheetahs are varied, from hunting and trapping to residential development and wildfire risks. Founded in 1993, the Panyame Wildlife Conservancy supports four of Africa's "Big Five" species. The job will require collaboration with anti-poaching units, helicopter-assisted tracking, and an ability to manage large datasets using EarthRanger and Microsoft Excel. While English fluency is a must, Portuguese and Shona speakers may have an edge. More than anything, however, Panyame is looking for someone who thrives in isolation and is willing to trade creature comforts for conservation impact. The job has captured plenty of attention online after Panyame shared the job posting on their Instagram page last week. It's amassed thousands of likes, and in the comments, people shared thoughts from well-placed jokes to amazement at the unique role. "What happened to the last employees?" said one commenter. While another wrote: "Do they respond to pspspsps?" One Instagram user joked: "Work from home available?? I'll take cheetah's to my home." Meanwhile many people longed for the idea of the one-of-a-kind job. "In another life perhaps. What an amazing opportunity!" wrote one commenter. Applications for the role are still currently open and available via a Google form here. While the salary for the role hasn't been confirmed, replying to a comment on the Instagram post, the Panyame Conservancy said: "The salary will be dependent on the successful applicants experience and qualifications." Newsweek reached out to The Panyame Cheetah Project via email for comment.
