‘So eager’: Utah refugees, immigrants prep for new school year

MILLCREEK, Utah — As Utah schools start opening their doors for the 2024-25 school year, one contingent of students — newcomers from abroad — faces an extra set of obstacles in making the adjustment to the classroom.

Not only do refugees and immigrants potentially face a language barrier, still mastering English, they also have to contend with a new, different culture. In a bid to help ease the transition, Utah Refugee Connection helped spearhead a backpack and school supply giveaway last week for refugee families that drew students originally from Afghanistan, Ukraine, South Sudan, Burundi and other countries.

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“My hope from this event is to give them opportunities to show who they really are,” said Amy Dott Harmer, executive director of the nonprofit refugee advocacy group. That is, if they don’t have to worry about some of the basics of schooling — supplies — they can put more attention on academics and reaching their full potential.

The Utah International Charter School in Millcreek, meantime, which caters to refugees, will be offering its 250 or so students a completely new school building, new for them anyway. The charter school, starting its 12th year, has moved into the old Millcreek Elementary School building in Millcreek, which gives it more space than the old Salt Lake City site.

The extra square footage will allow for expansion of offerings, including, perhaps, the addition of a student resource center and a pantry. The facility is also more secure and offers more natural lighting, said Tessa Scheffler, the school operations coordinator. More generally, the school offers a place where refugees and immigrant students new to the United States can thrive.

Read the full story from KSL.com here.