With an increase in Haitian students, translators bridge gaps

This article was originally published by Mirror Indy, and is republished through our partnership with Free Press Indiana.

By Darian Benson

Every morning before school, Websder Corneille greets students at the entrance of Promise Prep Elementary. It’s been a part of his daily routine since he started working at the eastside charter school last fall as a way to make parents of Haitian students feel more comfortable. 

“When they see me they know they see a fellow Haitian,” Corneille said. 

Corneille is the school’s Haitian Creole ESL interventionist. He helps students with math and reading, but he’s also the only member of the school’s staff that speaks Haitian Creole —  a language that about a third of the student body speaks. He spends a lot of time helping families communicate with the school and even social services.  

There’s a growing need in Indianapolis, especially on the east side, for positions like the one Corneille holds. Promise Prep Elementary is one of many schools that has a growing Haitian student population as people leave the Carribean nation following natural disasters and political instability. The Haitian Association of Indiana estimates anywhere between 20,000 and 30,000 Haitians now live in Indianapolis, with many residing on the east side because of the low cost of living and access to schools and jobs. 

Schools play an important role in helping students transition into society, said Dominique Dumornay case manager of the Haitian Association of Indiana. 

“Kids spend almost eight hours a day in school, so a lot of their waking hours are in school,” Dumornay said. “The schools play a tremendous role in the education, the socialization, the piece of helping students feel accepted.” 

Eliminating barriers

As director of student services for Lawrence Township Schools, Shawn Bush’s job is to eliminate barriers that might hinder a student’s ability to learn. 

“Any of those non-academic needs that students and families may have,” Bush said. “If we’re not able to provide direct support for those, then we likely hopefully have community partners that we work with that can help to meet those needs.”

Bush said language is a barrier for many families. She said Lawrence Township Schools went from a few hundred Haitian Creole-speaking families to several hundred in the past few years.

“We have a lot of Spanish-speaking families, but we also got a lot of Spanish-speaking staff,” Bush said. “It’s a lot more common to find someone to help you translate Spanish. Not so much with Haitian Creole.”

In December, the district hired Lunice Saint-Fort as the township’s Haitian Creole tutor and translator. Like Corneille, her job includes helping families communicate with the school, complete paperwork and translate documents.

Saint-Fort was born in Florida, but her parents immigrated from Haiti. She spent a lot of time in the country growing up and said that cultural knowledge plays an important role in her job.

“Sometimes you have to learn how to read between the lines, especially with some Haitian families,” Saint-Fort said, “where they may not disclose certain things to someone that may not be from the same culture.”

At Promise Prep, Corneille created a WhatsApp messaging group to help build trust with with Haitian Promise Prep families. He said the app creates a platform that makes communication easier.

“Sometimes I send a voice note because you know not everybody has the same level of literacy,” Corneille said. 

Connecting with their cultural roots

Many families from Haiti also are searching for a way to introduce their children to their cultural heritage. Corneille said many of his students were not born in Haiti or left there at an early age.

He said parents have told him it is important for their children to learn about their Haitian roots while living in the United States.

“It’s difficult when you are moving from place to place to develop the sense of identity or the sense of belonging that we are talking about,” Corneille said.

He said students want to feel connected to their Haitian heritage.

“Even when I’m addressing one of them in English, the answers are always in Haitian Creole,” Corneille said. “They want to learn about the country, they want to belong to a place, they want to belong to a country.”

Cornilelle tries to bring as much Haitian culture into the school as he can in order to help students learn about the country. Corneille organized a parade around the school with Haitian music the week leading up to Haitian Flag Day. Students also created a living wax museum, dressing up as famous and historical Haitian figures. A Haitian flag hangs in the lunchroom, and posters with facts from the wax museum line the hallways.

As the school year comes to an end, Corneille is looking to help other staff members learn Haitian Creole basics over the summer. He’s also hoping to help Haitian families stay connected and assist them in the school enrollment process. 

“We know what’s happening,” Corneille said. “We know how they came here and some of their struggles and if you’re able to help, it’s a blessing.”

The job can come with some long days. Corneille said his job isn’t over when the school day ends. 

“Even if I’m maybe having time off,” Corneille said, “if there is something like a kind of emergency, since I’m the one who’s speaking Haitian Creole, I have to reach out.” 

Mirror Indy reporter Darian Benson covers east Indianapolis. Contact her at 317-397-7262 or darian.benson@mirrorindy.org. Follow her on X @HelloImDarian.

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With an increase in Haitian students, translators bridge gaps was first posted on June 14, 2024 at 9:52 am.