Friday, March 31, 2000
N.Ky. welcomes Hispanic families
BY PHILLIP PINA
The Cincinnati Enquirer
FLORENCE — Florence Elementary is catching the wave of Hispanic newcomers to the Tristate.
Boone County Hispanics increased 98 percent from 1990 to 1998, the Census Bureau estimates, one of the biggest increases in the region.
The percentage of Hispanic students has risen from about 1 percent to nearly 9 percent the past two years at Florence Elementary.
Last week, there were 39 Hispanic children enrolled, most in the younger elementary grades and another family was expected to enroll soon.
For the family of 5-year-old Guadalupe Fernandez, which moved here about three years ago, the school has been a link to their community.
The key is Gilberto Esparza.
He's diligently translated forms into Spanish so parents may enroll their children. He's helped newcomers find apartments and medical care. He serves as an interpreter whenever language is a barrier. And for the children, Mr. Esparza's hugs let them know they are welcomed at Florence Elementary.
“He's been great,” said Guadalupe's father, Roberto Fernandez. He and his family moved to Northern Kentucky from the San Fernando Valley in California. Mr. Esparza has helped him and his neighbors settle in, and their children fit in.
The number of Hispanics in Greater Cincinnati is climbing. In the 13-county metropolitan region that spreads into three states, there were 9,506 Hispanics in 1990. The Census Bureau projects that has grown to 13,214 Hispanics by 1998.
Put into perspective, Hispanics represent only 0.7 percent of the 1.95 million residents of metropolitan Cincinnati. Still, the increase over the decade is 39 percent.
Factoring in the possibility some of the immigrants are avoiding public notice and the law, some estimates put the number of Hispanics in 2000 to around 30,000.
Steve Sievers, a planner with the Hamilton County Regional Planning Commission who works with demographics, says that may be a little high.
Over the past decade, the Tristate has seen Mexican restaurants sprout up in shopping plazas. Some churches now have Spanish services.
And schools have had to find ways to teach children who often do not speak the same language as their instructor.
“It's not easy. And it takes a lot of practice,” said William Menz, a teacher at Cincinnati's Academy of World Languages.
He uses drawings, hand gestures and anything he can think of to help youngsters learn a topic as well as English. The school has students from 35 countries. Sometimes there may be children from 10 backgrounds in one class, all speaking different languages.
There has been a slight increase in Hispanic students the past year, said Academy Principal Anthony Mazzei. According to the census, schools may see a bigger influx.
Among age groups, some of the biggest increases in Hispanics were for those age 9 and younger throughout Hamilton County.
Across the Ohio River at Florence Elementary, the Hispanic influence is already being felt.
To adjust, that school sought ways to make sure the new students were getting a good education.
It watches for issues to address should differing cultures lead to problems. Staff members were encouraged to use the student diversity to improve understanding among the children.
Florence Elementary has an En glish as a Second Language class to help the new students catch up. Mr. Esparza was hired as a behavioral intervention technician and serves as the school's main link to the Hispanic community growing around it.
Mr. Esparza moved to the Tristate in 1989 after serving in the U.S. Navy. He grew up one of 14 children in Laredo, Texas.
At 42, he expects to graduate from Northern Kentucky University this year. He would be the first college graduate in his family.
It is through his church, Florence Baptist, that he started reaching out. He went to college to improve his life. He wants to make sure others get that same opportunity.
Mr. Esparza visits Hispanic families who have moved into the region seeking better jobs. He wants them to know there are people like them here and resources to help them succeed.
He met the Fernandez family more than a year ago. They had moved to Florence so Mr. Fernandez could work in a nearby factory. In California, where a large Hispanic population flourishes, Spanish is widely spoken. In Cincinnati, English is a necessity.
Mr. Fernandez, from Mexico, has lived in the United States 18 years. He struggles with English but daughter Guadalupe and her 6-year-old brother Jesus have easily adjusted. Jesus is in the first grade, Guadalupe is in kindergarten.
One recent day, Mr. Fernandez walked his daughter up to her classroom. In the commotion of a busy school hallway, the shy Guadalupe clung to her father's arm, her eyes twinkling and lips smiling.
“Isn't she just beautiful?” Mr. Esparza asked.
And as passing students offered “high-fives” and big hugs to Mr. Esparza, she walked in and took her seat among her classmates, still smiling.
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