Hope of a Billion Foundation Update – Impacting Multilingual Learners at Viewmont High School

A couple of months ago, we received a special message from Carly Maloney, the 2024 Utah Teacher of the Year, who had watched the film “Black Ice” by On with her students. Mrs. Maloney teaches a course called English Language Development, which consists of multilingual learners who have recently moved to Utah.

There are 6 languages spoken in her classroom (Spanish, Portuguese, Swahili, Samoan, Pashto, and English). These amazing students are navigating a new school, a new state, and, for many, a new country. She invited us to visit her school with our Power of Resilience School program, and last week, it turned into an incredible event at Viewmont High School in Bountiful, Utah with their multilingual learners. What was planned to be 30 students turned into over 150 kids aged 14-17!

We delved into essential life principles like daring to dream, stepping out of your comfort zone, believing in yourself, working hard, and never giving up. Through engaging activities and hands-on demonstrations, including movement and teamwork, we ignited a spark in each and every one of those 150+ students. They were thrilled to receive a copy of the Black Ice comic book, serving as a reminder to pursue their dreams and inspire their communities.

The highlight was hearing the students say, “You changed my life.” That’s the heart of what we do at Hope of a Billion Foundation – empowering lives, one dream at a time.