LOUISVILLE, Ky. — No matter what language a child speaks, the Jefferson County Public School (JCPS) system makes the effort to give them a full education.
For the growing Spanish-speaking population in Louisville, an interpreter's aid to education is a moment that matters to them.
At Fairdale High School language is no barrier for students.
In history teacher Karen Brangers’ classroom you’ll hear lessons in English, but softly in the background you can also hear a student interpreter give Spanish translations.
Senior student Brenda Hernandez Reyes is one of the many multilingual students at FHS who helps their peers not fluent in English learn their daily lesson.
“I really help make an impact on their lives,” Reyes said.
Brangers also takes the extra effort to ensure words on the digital learning board are in both English and another language her multilingual students speak.
“I could not do this without Brenda,” Brangers said. “I’m going to miss her when she graduates and goes away.”
Reyes credits her Hispanic roots for her bilingual tongue.
“My family is from Mexico,” Reyes said. “My mom is from Oaxaca and my dad is from Hidalgo.”
The senior was born and raised in Louisville she’s taking the opportunity to help new Hispanic students earn their diploma.
"It’s just a really good sense of satisfaction to see them happy,” Reyes said. “I still talk to them so it's not just in the classroom. It's like through the halls or in the cafeteria sometimes.”
“It allows me to go at a pace where they're not so bored because she can actually explain something,” Brangers said. “So, if they're confused, I can say 'Hey come over here and explain this.'”
JCPS shared data which shows that by the end of last school year, just under 20,000 new students were enrolled in the school district who either spoke a different language or moved from a different country.
Jill Handley, assistant superintendent for multilingual learners for JCPS, said there are over 150 languages spoken on their campuses.
“Our top languages though are Spanish, Kinyarwanda, Arabic, Somali, Nepali and Swahili,” said Handley.
Newcomer Academy is another JCPS campus that focuses on multilingual students.
“Kentucky is in fact one of only three states that over the last 20 years has seen over a 400% increase in multilingual learners,” Handley said.
JCPS said if all the multilingual learners were a school of their own it would be the fourth largest district within the state.
“This is like my 15th or 16th year here at Fairdale,” Brangers said. “It used to be every once and awhile you would have one or two (multilingual) students. Two at the most, but since the pandemic it is...I mean this class has over 20 multilingual students. We actually have students from Guatemala, Mexico, Puerto Rico, a large population from Cuba.”
Reyes isn't the only student interpreter at FHS.
“My parents are Cuban I’ve spoken Spanish at home a lot,” said senior Yoan Diaz Guerra. “I talk to other Cubans around here, and I feel like it feels good for other students when they see people from their own countries.
“My family is from Mexico, Tamaulipas,” said senior Alexa Maldonado. “I just know the people coming here at high school are coming from another country. Coming from Newcomer Academy, they don't know English that well so I just want them to be in the same position that I was in back in elementary.”
Once she graduates, Reyes wants to take her skills to adults in her community.
“Because I know there are still a lot of adults that have trouble knowing how to pay their bills or pay rent because it is in English,” Reyes said.
The three seniors are part of a growing generation of students who will become the Derby City's next leaders in multiple languages.
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