By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism.
Area schools grapple with how to educate student refugees
0323immigration1
Gainesville High students Holyer Gomez Mendoza, and Lorena Baten Mejia, left, work with teacher Resurrecion Artley during her English for Speakers of Other Languages class last week. The two students are part of a growing population of refugees in the local school systems. Many come from Central America trying to escape violence there.
Holyer Gomez Mendoza crossed the choppy Rio Grande in a small boat before U.S. officials caught him and later decided to admit him to the country as a refugee. His home in Guatemala was full of violence, with drug trafficking and gangs of hitmen drawing in some his age. Now in Gainesville, the 17-year-old started attending the city’s high school in November after being educated through the ninth grade in his home country.