Cape Henlopen High student announcements support Latino population

Roberto Narvaez Escobar looked into the camera. 

A beaming green screen wall loomed over him as he adjusted the small microphone clinging to his red T-shirt collar on a recent morning. The lit “on air” sign beamed above the TV studio door as he rapidly revised his script one last time. 

Miranda Vasquez-Vergel, the production director, darted toward Narvaez Escobar to make final adjustments on his mic and take the script tablet away. She then walked back behind the cluster of cameras and waited for the countdown to begin.

Near Vasquez-Vergel, a producer sporting a Hawaiian shirt and tie silently counted the broadcast down. The producer thrust his hands toward Narvaez Escobar, counting down from five with his fingers before pointing at him. 

The broadcast had begun. 

“Yo soy Roberto y bienvenidos al reportaje de Cape,” Narvaez Escobar excitedly said as he introduced himself and the Cape Report to the rolling cameras. 

Narvaez Escobar had been pulled out of geometry class only minutes before his greeting.

The 16-year-old was an anchor for a student broadcast team that produces Spanish morning announcements at Cape Henlopen High School in Lewes. The 10-person team was formed in 2023 in an effort to embrace the school’s rapidly growing multilingual learner community, made up of students who speak multiple languages and may need help learning English.

Many students may have recently migrated to Delaware and are in need of Spanish-language resources. The Spanish broadcast team briefs students on the daily happenings of high school, ranging from lunch menu offerings to yearbook and prom ticket sales. 

“People did need it and people did want it, but it’s like ‘Quines somos nosotros para preguntarles,’” Vasquez-Vergel said in a mixture of English and Spanish, meaning “Who are we to ask them?”

“Everybody realized that there was a need for it,” she added. 

The number of multilingual learners (MLLs) at the school has more than doubled in the past few years, according to Jessica Hazzard, assistant principal at Cape Henlopen High School. This year, there are roughly 150 MLL students out of the nearly 2,000 total students enrolled at the school. 

MLL students made up 10% of the total student population in Delaware with 75% of them speaking Spanish at home in 2022, according to the Rodel Foundation, a state nonprofit that works on education policy. Sussex County saw 84% growth in MLL students from 2016 to 2022.

“We just want to make everyone feel included,” said Alexandria Espinoza, broadcast anchor for the team and secretary for the school’s Latin American Student Organization. 

“The announcements in Spanish are really helpful for (new Spanish speaking students) and I think that’s what we’re trying to achieve.”

Fulfilling a need

A whiteboard caked in doodles and scribbles stood behind a few members of the Spanish broadcast team as they watched Narvaez Escobar speak about an upcoming art show on the broadcast. Lisa Williams, school social worker and Latin American Student Organization (LASO) advisor, watched along with them. 

“It’s very important for the students to see someone that looks like them, speaks their language,” Williams said. “That’s key for this broadcasting program.”

Vasquez-Vergel, LASO president, translates the announcement scripts during her first period audio, radio, and video engineering class. She then helps set up to have the space ready for the Spanish language anchors.

The Spanish broadcasts air every other day with about 10 being completed in 2023. 

Vasquez-Vergel serves as a production director during the broadcasts to make sure they run smoothly and any directions the production team has are translated to the anchors, if they don’t fluently speak English. 

Bruce Leibu, Vasquez-Vergel’s engineering class teacher who runs the broadcast process, has seen great results from the Spanish announcements. The effort reduces a sense of isolation among Spanish speaking students by communicating in their language and speaking about their culture, opening a new avenue for inclusion, he said. 

“We’re a school community and we need to be able to communicate to everyone in the school,” Leibu said. “We’re saying, ‘Yeah, we’re a family and we know that this is something you need.’”

Membership in the school’s LASO club has skyrocketed since the announcements began. The club went from roughly 25 students following the COVID-19 pandemic to 197 in 2024.

 The club helps multilingual students at the school by providing translation, multilingual tours and weekly tutoring support. Members translate documents and announcements regarding student activities, such as spirit week.

Every Thursday evening, members help take care of children at the adult literacy program at Milton Elementary School. Students play soccer, build Legos or teach arts and crafts to children as their parents take English classes indoors. 

“These kids are change agents,” said Estefania Becker, Spanish teacher and LASO advisor.    “They are not only making positive changes in the school, but also in the community.”

In the studio, the cameras soon stopped rolling and the “on air” sign simmered down. The Spanish segment would soon be edited and packaged. 

The broadcast team gathered their belongings and walked out of the studio to brace the coursing river of students navigating the hallways toward their next class. 

The broadcast would air the next day. Everyone would know what’s for lunch.