Olympic competition with a South Colonie twist

Students smile in front of pyramid of stacked cups
Participating students in the South Colonie Central School District’s English as a New Language (ENL) program are taking the opportunity this summer to participate in their own Olympic-style competition.

Beginning this week, athletes representing countries from across the globe will gather in Tokyo, Japan to prepare for competition in the Summer Olympic Games. Every four years, we are provided the opportunity to view our fellow countrymen and women compete at the highest level on a worldwide stage. The Olympic Games allows everyone the ability to gather and watch athletes reach their competitive milestones, showcase their athletic attributes on the international stage, represent sportsmanship, while showing pride in their personal/team achievement and love for their respective countries. It’s truly a magical time and one that delivers unique and special stories that not only highlight the Olympic athletes and participating countries, but illustrates the special purpose of the Olympic Games:  to cultivate human beings, through sport, and contribute to world peace.

However, it doesn’t just occur on the world stage. This summer, students in the South Colonie Central School District’s English as a New Language (ENL) program are taking this opportunity to participate in their own Olympic-style competition and we’re here to document their spirit and determination to complete STEM and literacy-based “Olympic” events. The ENL program provides instructional support to English Language Learners (ELLs), or students whose primary language is not English, and who demonstrate eligibility for ENL services. To learn more about the program, visit here

The following images highlight elementary and middle school students participating in the Summer ENL Boost program, as they seek to continue building English proficiency skills. The students are guided by Mrs. April Mlambi, Mrs. Ilyse Levine and Mrs. Sally Ward. Through interactive activities, participating students are learning about the Olympics, from their origins in ancient Greece to the modern games in Japan.

Let’s go for the gold South Colonie!!