Explore culture, resilience, challenges and change in a suburban Sacramento high school, where many of the students speak a language other than English.
March 16, 2017 | Julia Mitric
After Encina Prep was flagged as a failing school, teachers and administrators re-designed the entire school day around a model known as Advocacy. Five years later, teachers say they see a stronger school community. But test scores remain flat.
March 3, 2017 | Andrew Nixon | Joanne Serrieh
Nineteen students make up Encina Preparatory High School’s varsity men’s soccer team. Four different languages are spoken by team members: Arabic, English, Spanish and Kinyarwanda, the language spoken in Rwanda. But, language isn't a barrier.
February 9, 2017 | Andrew Nixon
Encina High School's front desk receptionist speaks five languages. He uses all of them on a daily basis in his job. Haidar Ali Moradi says he's a member of the community and a refugee who is struggling to make a better life in America.
January 27, 2017 | Elizabeth Ramirez
An after-school program offered at Encina Preparatory High School allows students to learn a variety of subjects including robotics, cosmetology, weightlifting and cooking.
December 29, 2016 | Andrew Nixon
Take a walk through the halls of Encina Preparatory 6-12 School with Vice Principal Heidi Garner.
November 1, 2016 | Steve Milne
Encina Preparatory High School has one of the region’s highest dropout rates. Barely 1 in 2 graduate on time. But the school’s teachers, staff and a group of people known as “angels” are working to change that and finding success.
November 1, 2016 | Elizabeth Ramirez | Andrew Nixon
Jazmin Mortera Aguilar arrived from Mexico when she was 15 years old and enrolled in Encina High School. Her English Language Development class includes students who speak seven of the school's 21 languages. She is a quiet, confident leader.
November 1, 2016 | Malak Habbak
Ali Al Jayab was suspended for fighting five times in his first three years at Encina Preparatory High School. When he learned English, everything changed for this Iraqi teenager who always wanted to go to America.
