By Hannah Devanny & Zachary Silverstein
Oleksii Pasichniak is one of 85 Ukrainian students at Philadelphia Performing Arts Charter School. The high school sophomore came to the United States three years ago because of the Russia-Ukraine war.
Far Pasichniak, the transition hasn’t exactly been smooth sailing.
“It’s the language and a lot of different cultures and different opportunities for everybody,” he said.
Playing soccer has helped him and other Ukrainian students at this school improve their English and meet new friends.
Damon Bennett is the school’s English Language Coordinator. He is the point person for students whose primary language is not English. Bennett said he loves that students feel they can lean on him for support while creating a comfortable atmosphere.
“I think that the sort of intimacy I have with them, and their families to an extent, is something I really enjoy about this job,” Bennett said.
The school also offers a dual enrollment college program called IDeATE for students starting in 11th grade. Upon completion, they earn an Associate of Arts degree when they graduate.
They also offer classes where students can learn career skills that will set them up for after graduation, like the school’s “café class.”
Cafe Vine is ran by students taking the cafe class elective. While students are getting their education, they’re also gaining real restaurant experience.
The students in the café class run a real, fully functioning cafe called Cafe Vine, run by Eli Gutierrez.
“This is my eighth or ninth year doing this program,” Gutierrez explains. “It’s been super successful, and it allows students to have business skills and to have cafe training and entrepreneurship in every aspect that comes with owning and running a cafe.”
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