This year at I.S. 238, the STRONG (Supporting Transition Resilience of Newcomer Groups) program was implemented to support students who are newly arrived to the United States. In collaboration with an ELL classroom teacher, the 10-week curriculum was thoughtfully adapted to meet the needs of a diverse group of 15 students representing multiple countries, languages, and cultural backgrounds.
The program created a dedicated space for students to process their transition experiences, build resilience, and strengthen their sense of belonging within the school community. As the cohort progressed, clear connections emerged between students’ prior experiences and their academic engagement and social adjustment at school.
Following the completion of the first cohort, program outcomes and key observations were shared with school leadership. This led to a full professional development session for teachers, guidance counselors, and administrators who work closely with multilingual learners. The presentation deepened staff understanding of the unique challenges newcomer students may face and offered concrete, trauma-informed strategies to better support them in the classroom.
The impact has extended beyond the group itself. Teachers reflected on ways to foster safer, more inclusive classroom environments, and schoolwide practices began to shift—including daily announcements now delivered in both English and Spanish to promote greater accessibility and belonging.
The successful implementation of STRONG at I.S. 238 highlights the power of intentional, culturally responsive mental health programming—not only in strengthening student resilience, but in equipping educators with the insight and tools to better serve their communities.
