A native of Venezuela, Magda M. came to the United States seven years ago. “In my home country I was an insurance broker for 43 years,” she says. It wasn’t long before the retiree was eager to begin fully engaging in her new American life. After hearing about the Literacy Council from a friend who...
Catherine Coundjeris’ love of words and writing has been a constant in her life, from her days teaching college students the art of writing to her decision to share her passion for literacy with students needing help learning the basics. “After moving to Frederick, I sought out the Literacy Council Of Frederick County in 2011,”...
We invite you to meet Patrik M., our featured student this month in our “Learner Spotlight”. Patrik M. came to the Unites States from Cameroon in January 2023. His mother-in-law introduced him to the Literacy Council of Frederick County in March 2023. He was matched with his tutor Cyndi M. and the two developed a special...
The Literacy Council has been quietly growing its English-language instruction to parents of children in Frederick County Title 1 elementary schools. Founded in 2017 with three schools, the Parent Literacy Program has now doubled the size of its reach to six schools, and last year, helped 70 parents learn how to speak, write, and read...
This summer, the book club at the Literacy Council met for three sessions and tackled the heartbreaking story of Christy Lefteri’s The Beekeeper of Aleppo. It was a fictional account of a husband and wife who as refugees from Syria experienced the horrifying circumstances of war, and yet maintained hope though their personal resilience, persistence,...
We invite you to meet Tetiana F., our featured student this month in our “Learner Spotlight”. Featured adult learners represent the Literacy Council’s programs, including authors from Reflections: Voices of English Learners, the Literacy Council’s literary magazine, as well as adult learners in other programs. Tetiana F. contributed her story to the sixth edition. My name...
We invite you to meet Emmanuel B., our featured student this month in our “Learner Spotlight”. Featured adult learners represent the Literacy Council’s programs, including authors from Reflections: Voices of English Learners, the Literacy Council’s literary magazine, as well as adult learners in other programs. Emmanuel contributed his story to the sixth edition. My name...
On March 23, Hilda Guadalupe “Lupita” M., realized a lifetime dream when she gained her American citizenship. She and her tutor, Gary Bennett, begin studying for the citizenship exam in February. The Literacy Council was instrumental in providing excellent study materials for the citizenship exam, including flash cards for the civics test and reading and...
The Literacy Council of Frederick County’s Workplace Literacy Program formally began in 2016 and has been a game-changer, helping people employed in area hospitality-service businesses improve their English-language proficiency. Its success has been recognized with awards and grants from business and government leaders. And in January, the Council brought to fruition another goal for this...
An expectant audience of Literacy Council adult learners, their families, event sponsors, volunteer tutors, staff and members of the Board of Directors came together for a Sixth Edition Book Launch event on February 22nd to celebrate the publication of the Literacy Council of Frederick County’s literary magazine, Reflections: Voices of English Learners. Sharon Jacko, Board...
