Drive anywhere around Knoxville today and chances are you will see evidence of the growing Hispanic community. 

According to the Migration Policy Institute, Tennessee's immigrant population grew 169 percent from 1990-2000. From 2000-2007, it grew 56.9 percent, the majority of those being Latin American.

You can see it in stores selling imported products. You can smell it in the air, with restaurants serving tacos, tortas, ropa vieja and paella.  

Most interestingly, however, you can see it in the local schools. The 2006 figures indicate 2.3 percent of Knox County students are Hispanic (that's about 1,272 people). It isn't quite near the percentage of Lenoir City (with 12.5 percent)* or Hamblen County (with 10 percent)* school districts, but one school in particular shows that gap may be closing.

* 2005 numbers from knoxnews.com

Lonsdale: The New Face of Knox County Schools?

Lonsdale Elementary School is an example of the growing Hispanic community in Knox County. A high percentage of 32.18 represents the school's Hispanic population. In 2006, that percentage was 18.6. The school, as a result, utilizes two English as Second Language teachers, a full-time interpreter, volunteers, student interns and Susan Bryant, a full-time social worker assigned to the school as part of the Project Grad program. 

Bryant explains that the school has a large number of children who are in the ESL classes. Most are Hispanic she says, though a growing number come from East Africa. Both she and Hannah Haslam, the interpreter assigned to Lonsdale, say that the majority of the school's Hispanic population is of Guatemalan origin.

New community, new challenges

Bryant explains that most of the Hispanic families who have students at Lonsdale come from the same area in Guatemala, a village called San Rafael, near Huehuetenango. As a result, many families knew one another before coming to Knoxville.

"They're in clans almost, in families," said Bryant. "They come that way and they stay that way."

Haslam, who has gotten to know most of the families very well, explains that the community has really maintained the Guatemalan culture that they have brought with them.  They are retaining the native dialect Kanjobal, a non-written language, and Spanish.  Bryant explains that the English capabilities of the students can vary quite a bit.

"It depends on where they're coming from, what language they spoke, whether it was a written language or not," Bryant says.  "It also depends on whether they have brothers and sisters."

Bryant says that the students only get English exposure at home with siblings who have already had experience with English, as their parents usually do not have good Spanish skills.

"When we're speaking Spanish to them [the parents], at best, we're speaking second language to second language," Bryant says.  "It can be a lot like putting puzzle pieces together."  "When we're speaking Spanish to them, at best, we're speaking second language to second language."
- Susan Bryant

They do have programs to help students overcome linguistic barriers.  Having ESL teachers is one of those.  Another program available is called Kinderboost, which allows children who might not meet the normal kindergarten requirements to catch up.

"They spend a year in Kinderboost and then go on into regular kindergarten," Haslam says.  "The kids learn a lot of English then, before they start learning to read, which is good."

Haslam says that the number of kids who have to go through Kinderboost has decreased a lot, and Bryant also notes an increased proficiency in students' language skills.

"More and more are coming better prepared.  We have a lot of students who test out of the ESL services by the third grade," Bryant says.  "They have average functioning and don't always need that extra help."

Bryant explains that some of the Hispanic students are older when they start kindergarten and that they are held back until language skills improve.

Getting parents involved

Haslam says that involvement is necessary because it is harder for the kids to learn when they do not have any help at home.  Getting them involved comes with its own difficulties.

"Don't think that families don't want to be involved.  They are just limited in their ability to be involved," Bryant says.

One very important key to getting them involved is trust, she says.  One particular incident helped her build a relationship with the community. 

A local man was on the verge of deportation and his wife approached Bryant for assistance. Bryant then went to the immigration office to serve as the man's advocate. 

"Legal status is all over the map.  We don't ask that," Bryant says.  "The public school system is committed to educating every child in America.  It doesn't matter if you were born here or if your parents were." "The public school system is committed to educating every child in America.  It doesn't matter if you were born here or if your parents were."
- Susan Bryant

In order to get families more involved, the school regularly has events to involve the community.  Many times they have dinners where the families are invited to cook.

"Even though they cannot sit down and read a book with their child, they are here every time the doors are open," Bryant says.  "There is no question in my mind that they are extremely committed, and they value education very highly.  That's because they have to pay for it in Guatemala, and most of the families here could not afford it in Guatemala."

The Lonsdale Community Today

Recent data is indicating that the influx of immigrants has slowed due to the poor economy and stricter immigration controls.  Lonsdale's community, however, does not seem to be going anywhere.

Haslam notes that the Guatemalans have stayed where they have their established community, and that other groups, like Mexicans, tend to come and go. 

Bryant adds that these families are in many ways better off here, despite the difficulties that they face.

"Being poor here is nothing like being poor there," Bryant says.  "The difference in the poverty is tremendous."

Despite that difference, poverty in the Lonsdale community is still also an obstacle that students and families have to face.  The school tries to do what they can to help them out.

"We make an effort to provide things that they need, through programs like Angel Tree, and getting them blankets and things like that," Bryant says.

They have also brought in other ministries, such as Fellowship Church, to help provide for their students and families.  The church ensures that every Hispanic child in the school receives something through the Angel Tree program.

The new faces have not always been met with kindness in the neighborhood.  Bryant explains that there has been some prejudice, even harassment and a few instances of violence toward them.  She says she is also concerned about legal issues that might arise in the future, but despite that, she will not change her opinion.

"I will always understand and support them."

UT and Knoxville's Hispanic community

With a large number of UT's student population coming from Knox County and other surrounding communities, one might wonder if the university will reflect the growth in the Hispanic population.  It might be too soon to tell, and there are some challenges to face first.

Bryant works with Project Grad, an organization that helps students get into college by providing scholarships to students who attend a Project Grad school and complete high school.  The program has seen a 300 percent increase in graduation rates.  For Lonsdale's children it is a bit more complicated.

"College is an issue at this point," Bryant says.  "If these kids don't have social security numbers, they can't get in.  We have scholarships for kids who can't use them."

She also points out that many of the children's families are unable to afford college even with the Project Grad scholarships.  However, a new program called College Access may help to lower the hurdles by assisting with applying to schools, finding other scholarships and following student progress at the university level.

Some other organizations also want to help with the college obstacle.  HOLA, Knoxville's oldest Hispanic non-profit organization, is hoping to soon be able to provide scholarships.

Though it is too soon to tell how children like those at Lonsdale will fare in college, UT's small, but growing Hispanic presence might offer a clue.

UT currently has two student organizations, the Latin American Student Organization and Lambda Theta Alpha, a Latin sorority, that represent the population.

Aristides Armas, president of LASO and a native of Havana, Cuba, explains that the organization is not just about serving the university's Latinos.

"Our mission is to integrate all the Latino students, but to also celebrate culture and serve the university through cultural education," Armas explains.  "We're not here only for Latinos, we're here for anybody who wants to learn more about our heritage."

Armas says that although UT's actual Hispanic population might not be as big as those in Texas, Florida or California, they do get plenty of involvement from both Hispanic and non-Hispanic students.

Sara Atiles, who runs SalsaKnox, Knoxville's first and only Latin dance company, has noted that most of her dance students are from UT.

"We're just now getting more and more Latinos," Atiles says.  "They saw that the Americans were dancing better than them."

Currently, students from the U.S., Puerto Rico, Mexico, Colombia, Panama, Uruguay, Paraguay, Cuba and Peru are represented in both organizations.  Both LASO and Lambda Theta Alpha have sponsored cultural events, along with organizations like HOLA and SalsaKnox, to bring the university and Knoxville community, Hispanic and non-Hispanic alike, together.