No Book for This
Immigrant Story
Class Observes Politics And Path to Citizenship
During a federal citizenship ceremony, Fairuz Maggio, left, a student at Herndon High School, leads a group in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.
(Photos By Bill O'leary -- The Washington Post)
By Michael Alison Chandler
Friday, December 5, 2008; B01
For a political science class this fall,
The event at a government building in Merrifield was a capstone to a series of lively discussions in teacher Douglas Graney's class on an issue that has shaped its town's politics and, for many students, personal histories. The class learned about the complexities of immigration politics and the drama of the journey to citizenship.
"It was inspiring," Jhoanne Montano, 18, said after
the ceremony. Her parents, Bolivian immigrants, have spent years building a
successful business in the
Herndon drew national attention in 2005 when local officials approved spending public money to build a job center for day laborers. Widespread protests ensued as critics said the money would be spent to help illegal immigrants. The mayor and town council members who supported the center were ousted in the next election, and the new town leaders closed the center.
What the Herndon High class witnessed yesterday was a daily
routine. From October 2007 through September, more than 1 million people
nationwide became naturalized citizens. About 26,000 of them processed their
applications at the Washington District office for U.S.
Citizenship and Immigration Services, based in
The class added elements to a well-rehearsed program, an experience immigration officials said could benefit more students. The soon-to-be new citizens filled rows of black plastic chairs. While their relatives clicked cameras, they repeated an oath, pledged allegiance to the flag and watched a video with a message from President Bush and images of national monuments, shorelines and hard-hat workers.
They also heard two students perform "America the Beautiful" on flute and guitar as well as a lilting, a cappella version of "The Star-Spangled Banner," and a student gave a speech about America's motto.
Herndon High School student Jennifer Chuon, 17, sings "The Star-Spangled Banner."
"We all have a story. It's a story of immigration to a
great land, whether it be us directly or our ancestors. . . . Even though we
come from different places, look different and have different faiths, we are now
all Americans, and
Sarah Taylor, district director for U.S. Citizenship and
Immigration Services, said she hopes to welcome more student groups to watch or
participate in a naturalization ceremony. She has already reached out to her
daughter's school, Robert
Frost Middle in
"Many of us who were born here take our citizenship for
granted,"
"We didn't have to do anything to become a citizen. We were just born here," agreed student Carrie Kurtz, 17. The lengthy process of applying for citizenship "says a lot about their dedication," she said, and their "love of country."
"It actually gave me goose bumps," student Hilary
Lesnoski, 17, said. She charted her family's journey from
News reports have showcased turmoil over the day-labor center, but several students said that until now they had few opportunities in school to reflect on what was happening and to hear each other's views.
The class also debated related issues considered in Congress in recent years, including whether to build a fence on the border with Mexico and whether English should be the country's official language. The class visited Rep. Jose E. Serrano (D-N.Y.) and asked him about his positions.
They also prepared for the naturalization ceremony by taking their own practice citizenship tests. After the ceremony, Graney's course will move on to lessons on patriotism, he said. Now that they have covered "who gets to be an American," the teacher said he wants to talk about what "it means to be an American."