SE Valley Times

Antonella Parra Gonzalez, a third-grade student at Harris Elementary School, has been recognized with the Arizona English Learner Students Success Story Award. This accolade is presented by the Arizona Department of Education’s Office of English Language Acquisition Services (OELAS) and highlights the achievements of English Learner (EL) students who show significant progress in both English language proficiency and academic performance.

Having arrived in the United States from Venezuela in early 2023, Antonella started her educational journey at Harris Elementary with limited knowledge of English. At that time, she scored at the pre-emergent level on her AZELLA placement test. Through dedication and a strong work ethic, she quickly advanced in learning.

“She has a really good work ethic. She listens, she asks questions, she always tries her best, and she's very serious about her schoolwork and her learning,” said Lisa Earl, an English Language Specialist at Harris Elementary. “She doesn’t stop learning when she leaves school. She takes work home with her and continues to learn on her own.”

Antonella's commitment resulted in earning a Proficient score on the AZELLA reassessment as a second grader. Within one year of beginning school in the U.S., she became proficient across all areas of English language acquisition: listening, reading, writing, and speaking.

“Now, as a third grader, Antonella continues to shine. She goes out of her way to support her peers, whether they are new to the class or still working on their English language development. Her kindness, empathy and leadership are truly inspiring,” added Lisa Earl.

Gilbert Public Schools offers programs for English Language Learners (ELL) across its 39 schools. More information about these programs can be found at GilbertSchools.net/Teaching-Learning/English-Language-Learners.