Wyoming — Lisa DeMaagd has spent countless hours over more than two decades helping students and families new to the U.S. settle in Michigan and become part of their new schools.
From teaching newcomers how to use the bus system and get a library card, to seeing students climb the dunes for the first time or experience their first snowfall, it’s an honor to be a part of helping navigate their new communities, she said.
DeMaagd, who served as the district’s English Learner Program coordinator for about 10 years, was recently named director of multilingual programming at Wyoming Public Schools, a new position.
DeMaagd has gotten to know many families as their children have gone through the district. She has attended quinceañeras and naturalization ceremonies. She has watched many students cross the stage to receive high school diplomas and launch into their post-secondary lives.
“Each year, we hold an international dinner on an evening at a home basketball game,” she said. “Our families get a taste of American culture through a Friday night basketball game, but we also get the opportunity to have them share with us about their food, culture and traditions.”
Along the way — between all the big moments, milestones and dinners — she has helped thousands of students not just learn to speak, but also to listen, read and write in English.
“I am so proud of the work we have done to develop our program for our multilingual learners,” she said. “Within the classroom, we know how important it is to carry high standards for our students to set them up for future success.”
‘The goal is that we elevate our student experience so that (EL) students just feel a part of Wyoming — that they are proud to be a Wolf.’
— Lisa DeMaagd, director of multilingual programming
Merging EL and Core Instruction
DeMaagd began her career 23 years ago in Wyoming Public Schools at the former Taft Elementary as a student teacher and then as a teacher in a K-5 EL program. She later taught an extended day, at-risk kindergarten for WPS before transitioning into the coordinator role.
In Wyoming, languages constantly merge, she said. About 25% — or between 950 and 1,000 students — are English learners, meaning their first language is not English and they qualify for EL services, as determined through testing. More than 30 languages are represented in classrooms with 25 EL teachers and paraprofessionals serving students.
“When you look at the population that we serve, it felt like a natural connection that they would create a director’s position for multilingual programs,” DeMaagd said.
As director, DeMaagd will continue to work to integrate EL instruction into the K-12 system. The district is also continuing to train teachers, grow instructional practices and facilitate family involvement.
“What I’m excited about is a bigger opportunity to work with building leadership, to work more directly with our teachers and to continue to build a district system that integrates best practices for servicing multilingual learners and their families,” she said.
Over the years, DeMaagd has helped shape EL programs. She helped start the high school newcomer program 10 years ago, and has led efforts to offer core classes for EL students. In EL biology, for example, students receive targeted English instruction while learning science. The focus is on vocabulary, academic language and lots of visual cues.
“Our beginning learners need more intensive English language development, but you can’t do that outside of also learning academic language, school language and school content at the same time,” DeMaagd explained.
Giving a Voice to EL Students
The district has also worked with School Wide English Learning through TESOL since 2018 to integrate what English learning looks like school-wide. The partnership has led to a vision that elevates the staff’s expertise around language learning to embed best practices into all aspects of a student’s day.
“The best practices we learned through that, I would say, would even help our gen-ed students use their voice in the classroom, be more active listeners, read and write with purpose,” she said. “These are things that any student needs, but they gave us strategies to really facilitate that for students that also speak other languages.”
EL teachers said DeMaagd has provided them with tools and clarity so they can teach with confidence.
“It’s hard to put Lisa’s impact on the district into words because it’s so far-reaching,” said Wyoming High School EL teacher Jessica Trentham. “Her passion for her work with multilingual learners is evident in everything she takes on in her role. She works tirelessly in her effort to make sure Wyoming gives multilingual learners the absolute best educational opportunities to set them up for future success.”
Added Wyoming Intermediate School EL teacher Becky Bing: “I see Lisa continuing to shape EL programming by building strong systems, supporting teachers in meaningful ways and keeping multilingual learners at the center of the work.”
The overarching mission, DeMaagd said, is to help students thrive in school and beyond, while always having a place to belong.
“The goal is that we elevate our student experience so that (EL) students just feel a part of Wyoming, that they are proud to be a Wolf, that they know how to have access to a basketball game or a football game on a Friday night — that they feel like this is their community and not that their program or identity is separate from who we are as a district,” she said.
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