The diversity at Harrisonburg High School results in the many languages that are spoken by students and their parents. So naturally, when Parent’s-Teacher conference day came, many students volunteered to translate for those parents who don’t speak or understand English. The students were assigned to public schools in the Harrisonburg area and went around to different rooms where they were needed. Principal Tracey Shaver held a pizza party on December 5 in appreciation of the volunteer students. The appreciation ceremony was held during all three lunches that day.

Students that volunteered helped interpret what teachers said to parents about their children. Languages that were needed were Spanish, Arabic, Russian,Kurdish, and Ukrainian. One student who volunteered, junior Noura Abdullah, did so to help families who knew Arabic but didn’t understand English.

“I went to Smithland middle school, and Skyline and Spots Wood elementary schools. It was fun and I helped interpret for anyone who needed help understanding English. I would go again,” Abdullah said.

Interpreting isn’t always easy though, and sometimes volunteers have to really be careful what they say so that they’re not misunderstood.

“There was actually one man who thought I was racist because he didn’t hear me correctly. That was terrifying,” Abdullah said.

Junior Vera Shindyapin also went to help out her community. She helped interpret English to Russian.

“I interpreted for a lot of families, but I also helped show people around the schools I was at,” Shindyapin said. She volunteered at Smithland Elementary and Skyline Middle School.

“I had a lot of fun and I would definitely do it again. Interpreting and volunteering helps build your resume and it’s really good for your community,” Shindyapin said.

HHS principle Tracey Shaver was attended all three lunch ceremonies to congratulate students on volunteering.

“Those student worked hard to meet the needs of our community. There are so many cultures here in the city and quite often parents are not familiar with English, so to be able to interpret for those families is really a positive thing,” Shaver said.

Jeremy Aldrich, the Harrisonburg City Public School System Foreign Language Coordinator, also attended the ceremony.

“Interpreting is really good for the families. These students did a great job in using their language skills to benefit others. Interpretation is a valuable skill to have and with the proper training, it can be used to help others,” Aldrich said.
Yolanda Blake, a home school liaison, contacted many students who were bilingual to ask if they could volunteer on Parent-Teacher conference day. She also trained students so that they could do their best when interpreting.

“The training orientation is informal, but it helps students understand the basics of interpretation. I tell students that everything they interpret is confidential and that they should be respectful when at the conferences” Blake said.

Many students attended the ceremonies and were glad to have helped their communities and their schools. Schools in the area were very appreciative of the volunteers and sent emails to Blake to thank her for the volunteer interpretation program.

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