The Carlos Rosario School is enthusiastically looking to the future and toward an opportunity to expand Workforce Development programs thanks to a grant through The Community Foundation’s Walmart Washington@Work Initiative. This $1.25 million multi-year initiative aims to support organizations like Carlos Rosario School that are providing Washington, DC residents with the skills and training needed to secure employment in these tough economic times.

Grant funds will be used to increase enrollment numbers, enhance the culinary arts training program to include more basic math and technology, expand ServSafe certification courses, and create a retail career training program.

“We are excited to be awarded this grant and to be part of Walmart’s investment in Washington, D.C.,” noted Allison R. Kokkoros, Chief Academic Officer of the Carlos Rosario International Public Charter School. “This award enables us to take 250 students off of our waiting list of over 1,000 applicants and equip them with the job skills, certifications, and support necessary to enter into careers in the Retail and Hospitality industries.”

With students and staff representing more than 70 countries around the world, the Carlos Rosario School is immersed in diversity. In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, September 15th through October 15th, students participated in workshops, an art exhibition, a cultural festival and a culinary tasting event.

Throughout the month cultural consultants paired with evening classes to present workshops on Afro Venezuelan, Afro Colombian, and Puerto Rican dance and music while a traveling art exhibit displayed throughout the school celebrated the lives and works of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera.

The culminating event, the Hispanic Heritage Festival held on October 14th, featured various student-led performances. Following inspirational messages from school administrators, Chief Operating Officer Candy Hernandez and Assistant Principal Dr. Jorge Delgado, the festival was guided by the hosts: vocabulary student, Marvin Reyes, and ESL Teacher, Hugh Beshers. Hugh played a love-struck man eager to learn about Latin American cultures with Marvin serving as his teacher.

The show, organized by Coordinator Tara Villanueva and Stage Manager Maria Veliz, consisted of thirteen acts choreographed led by Latino student volunteers: Jesus Montiel, Rosa Esmeralda Velis, and Angela Morales. Head choreographer, Janett Arandia, oversaw three dances: Puerto Rican Salsa, Bolivian Cueca, and Dominican Merengue. Other acts included a Honduran poem and rap, both written by students – Romelia Berthoy and Edgar Velis; a Chilean dance, Brazilian capoeira, a commercial by Supportive Services Department, and an original skit written by Orientation B teacher Amante Fajardo.

After the festival students were treated to a traditional Latin American food tasting prepared by the culinary arts class in the festively decorated cafeteria, eating and socializing to Latin rhythms.

This Hispanic Heritage Month celebration was a shining example of how Carlos Rosario School embraces the rich cultural diversity that makes the school so unique.

Carlos Rosario Alumna and Ritz-Carlton Employee of the Year

Throughout the year, the Carlos Rosario School introduces you to its Shining Stars. These distinguished students and alumni have a passion for learning. They have achieved success through hard work and a commitment to excellence, exemplifying the School’s values.

June’s Shining Star is Carlos Rosario School alumna Sonia Ramirez.

When Sonia first came to the United States in the late 1990s, everything was new to her: the language, the culture, the food. Now, almost 20 years later, Sonia is an award-winning pantry chef at the prestigious Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Georgetown.

In 1998, Sonia’s husband brought her to the Carlos Rosario School and encouraged her to take ESL classes to build on her limited English knowledge. “I knew the numbers, the alphabet, salutations, and my name,” she confesses. As Sonia’s English improved, so did her employment opportunities. In 2003, Sonia began washing dishes at the Ritz-Carlton in Georgetown.

When the hotel’s managers saw Sonia’s dedication to her studies, she was promoted to work in the employee cafeteria, where she stayed for three years. This diligent Carlos Rosario student was then promoted to a prep cook position at the hotel’s Fahrenheit Restaurant.

It was around this time that Sonia decided to enroll in the culinary arts career training course at Rosario. At the end of her intensive, yearlong training course, she received a raise and a promotion to the position of pantry chef at Fahrenheit Restaurant. Through the culinary arts course, Sonia gained confidence in her cooking skills and security in her knowledge of the kitchen.

In 2007, Sonia was named Employee of the Year at Ritz-Carlton after having been nominated for the title three years in a row. Sonia attended the special awards ceremony with her daughter, who was even more excited about the award than Sonia. “She was jumping up and down yelling, ‘That’s my mom! That’s my mom!’” Sonia said she felt great about receiving the award, and that it was a real accomplishment for her. But this hardworking Carlos Rosario alumna says the award wasn’t just for her; it was for her whole family.

Looking ahead to the future, Sonia would like to learn more about pastries and eventually hopes to open her own catering business. Reflecting on the role Carlos Rosario School has played in her life, Sonia explains, “I know why people love this school so much because I feel the same way. Without Carlos Rosario, I don’t know how my life in the U.S. would be today.”