ELL News Headlines

Devora Guerrero, a coronavirus outreach volunteer in Montgomery County, Md., saw five family members, including her grandmother, get the virus last year. She herself tested positive in December - and despite it all, Guerrero was afraid to get the vaccine. The 23-year-old's friends had nearly convinced her that the vaccine was not safe - but then she met Abuelina.

They waited with bated breath, hoping the moment for when all the hard work of practicing and performing their speeches had finally paid off — and it did, despite a global pandemic. "I watched them in their final round as they were competing in front of the computer, and I was just crying just because I was so happy, because I knew what that meant for them," said Corin Serrano, coach of Santa Ana High School's speech team.

As the night falls on Christmas Eve, most American children are headed to bed in hopes seeing what Santa dropped off during the night. For many families in the Latinx, Hispanic and Filipino community, the party is already underway, with tamales, adobo, lechón and pancit on deck. Nochebuena, which translates to "the good night," is a yearly holiday in which certain communities celebrate Christmas on the night of Dec. 24 rather than Dec. 25. While the traditions and celebrations of the night can vary based on culture and region, a common theme persists: it's about being together. 

PBS is celebrating throughout December with a line-up of Holiday Classics and new specials. The brand-new Alma’s Way special will help viewers everywhere celebrate two very important holidays for many Latino families – Nochebuena and Three Kings Day. And any animated holiday celebration wouldn’t be complete without the classics from Peanuts, Arthur, Wild Kratts, Curious George, The Cat in the Hat, Peg + Cat, Nature Cat, and Let’s Go Luna (check local listings).

The Omicron variant is sweeping the United States just as most school systems are heading into a weeklong (or more) winter break. And while there’s still a lot we don’t know about Omicron, we do know it has surpassed Delta as the main source of new cases and it is the most contagious variant yet. It poses the greatest risk to people who are not vaccinated against COVID-19. And though it is showing a heartier resistance to the vaccines than earlier variants, people who are fully vaccinated and who’ve also received a booster are less likely to be infected and experience serious illness.

American Indians in Children's Literature offers a review of "The Sea in Winter," written by Christine Day and published by Native imprint Heartdrum.

Mina Stanekzai, 8, strapped on a princess backpack, slipped on her pink shoes that light up when she walks, and — her leg still injured from a suicide bomb — bounced out of her aunt’s Northern Virginia apartment for her first day of school in America.

Stephon Sanders is a soft-spoken 16-year-old Black teenager in Tampa, Florida, who loves playing basketball and video games like Fortnite and Apex Legends, and who can often be found in an athletic jacket and basketball shorts. He also happens to be the founder and chief executive officer of a successful mobile entertainment business, Street Gamez, that can amp up any party with a 32-foot, $55,000 trailer full of video game consoles for up to 28 players. He plans to add a $45,000 mobile gaming bus staffed by a second crew and move beyond the Tampa area to serve North and South Carolina.

Georgeanne Warnock knows what it’s like to be a teacher but, until recently, she didn’t know what it was like to be a teacher working during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Terrell, Texas, superintendent, a former English teacher, recently added herself to her district’s pool of substitute teachers, and she’s taken to TikTok to share the challenges, frustrations, and fresh ideas she’s encountered.

It's 4:30 in the afternoon, and the fall colors in the trees are glowing as the sun drops low over the sprawling, historic campus of Grimsley High School in Greensboro, N.C. Dozens of students are waiting outside the cafeteria. One of them is sophomore Dreshon Robinson. He wants to be a music engineer someday. He loves Adele and Bruno Mars. But right now, he's working evenings in a restaurant. And Monday through Thursday after school, he comes to Grimsley High school's "learning hub."