Hispanic and Latinx educators from Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools got together at the Career Center on Tuesday afternoon for the first meeting of the district’s Progresa affinity group.
Progresa is a program for the district’s Hispanic employees that focuses on celebrating, empowering, and advocating for Hispanic populations, both in schools and in their wider community. Sponsored through a grant from the Wallace Foundation, district leaders hope that the affinity group will lift up ideas from educators whose voices aren’t always heard so that they can make stronger connections with students.
“Being represented counts and being represented matters,” said Career Center Principal Nancy Martinez. “We want to empower you and support you. We want you to know that you have an army behind you.”
At the inaugural meeting, which was conducted almost entirely in Spanish, dozens of participants introduced themselves to colleagues from around the district, heard about upcoming professional development opportunities, and shared their ideas about how to improve things.
Mount Tabor High School Assistant Principal Janet Materdo was delighted by the thoughtful proposals that arose, including more cooperation among parent and family engagement coordinators and English fluency classes for international teachers to help with earning certifications.
“Every person in this room has a desire to make our schools a better place for our kids,” Materdo said. “We can really feel their excitement.”
Participants left looking forward to more opportunities to work together. Some of them were surprised to learn how many Hispanic and Spanish-speaking employees the district had, and visiting Progresa helped satisfy a need for a space to share their thoughts. Progresa is designed to be a hub for fellowship, and the early returns have been encouraging.
“My heart is full,” said Chief of Schools Dr. Timisha Barnes-Jones. “What I feel in this room is community.”