We are from a place called home.
Where soft, green fields of corn roll away to tired little towns, and rivers splash over mossy tractor wheels, left there long ago.
We are from a land of golden opportunity.
Where skyscrapers tower over you and crystal clear waterfalls flow freely.
Nous sommes d’un petit village où on connaît tout le monde et où on tient nos jeunes à cœur.
We are from a maple syrup festival.
A small town where the locals meet at the drive-in, where a single tower has risen above the old, war-time homes.
We are from a place where people can be seen skating down the canal in the middle of the city. Where streets are filled with colourful language and libraries are overflowing with withering books.
We are from a place called home, whose car engines roar like lions on the prowl. Where laughter, the scent of kettle corn and fresh flowers brighten each passing day.
We are from a community where food fills the bellies and music fills the schools. A community whose youth want to make a change. A community that welcomes diversity and heritage with open arms.
Nous sommes d’un endroit où l’art fleurit des âmes des élèves. Un endroit qui captive l’esprit canadien où on peut célébrer le Ramadan et la journée du Canada.
We are from a place where the Great lakes touch, where the stars are invisible and the suburban environment meets urban. We are from a place where the wait time on the bridge takes hours, where very few live and where wildlife is prominent.
We are from a place of knowledge and acceptance. A place we want to be a part of.  A place where we live freely, and we are close to nature. We are from a place where corn is celebrated and a place that shares the stories of Canada each evening.
We are from a town with a sculpture of a musky, a small town hidden in a valley, from a place that is falling apart, from a place where many people roam the streets alone.  We are from a place where BBQs are prevalent.
We are from a home where two mixed backgrounds create a symphony of flavours and spice. Where jalebis swirl in the streets, where we eat mooncakes with green tea and pick raspberries from the patch in the backyard. We are from a home where the authentic Arabic language sounds like poem verses.
We are from steak and potatoes, Finn pancakes and bannock, fresh dumplings and sticky rice. We are from a place where fried food smells float through the air and notes of music dance in the breeze.
Nous somme d’une demeure de joyeuses raclettes en famille, de shawarma, de spaghetti et de Poutine avec le fromage de St-Albert.
We are from a history of Italian and Greek, Pow-wows on sacred mountains and home grown veggies and locally raised beef.  We are from a history of watching football games together, attending fall fairs in our community, Italian dances on Saturdays and church on Sunday mornings.
We are from food with spices that entertain your tongue, from the smell of Turkish coffee and fresh dough baking and from sushi and shawarma alike.  We are from Indian taco nights, pierogis and Grandma’s favorite stuffing. 
We are from the call of prayer that fills the skies five times a day. We are from a mixture of English, French and Tibetan. We are from a place of happiness mixed with anxiety where you can hide in the dark or shine in the light.
Nous sommes d’une communauté fière qui célèbre sa diversité.  Une communauté qui permet aux religions de se marier, aux cultures de se toucher et aux citoyens de s’aimer.
We are from a school where the attendance is small but the passion is great. Where there is a fight for the always meager budget and there is sometimes bullying and a lot of drama.
We are from a school where there are teacher-student volleyball games, a trip to New York and a painted Sturgeon Falls mural. We are a school that has moments of laughter, sorrow, tears and who usesthe LGBTQ terms. We are from a school whose body is covered by a grey coat but that only masks the colour that lies within.
We are from a school of minorities, discrimination and cliques. A school with a very first graduating class. A school that is still learning about the students within.
Nous sommes d’une école qui est isolée de sa patrie, isolée de sa culture et de son histoire. Une école avec des moments d’inclusions et d’exclusions, de diversités et d’inégalités.
We are from a school of sports championships, academic awards and special leaders that are yet to learn that not every family is economically privileged.  We are from a school where there is cyber bullying and bad behaviour, where students are trying to find out who they are and where they want to be.
We are from a school where I am the cool kid that everyone comes to see, where I learn about my learning disability and self-advocacy and the use of technology.
We are from a school that is a sea of uniforms where acceptance, inclusion and a warm welcome greet us every day. A place whose academic-driven climate will produce tomorrow’s leaders.
We are from a place where each voice is respected and has a chance to be heard loud and clear.  We are from a place where students are looking to make a positive change, to raise our voices and speak up.
We are from a place we call our own. We are from a place called home.

Read the poem. (English Only)

We are from a place called home.

We are from a place called home.
Where soft, green fields of corn roll away to tired little towns, and rivers splash over mossy tractor wheels, left there long ago.
We are from a land of golden opportunity.
Where skyscrapers tower over you and crystal clear waterfalls flow freely.
We are from a small village where everyone knows each other and where our children are close to our hearts. 
We are from a maple syrup festival.
A small town where the locals meet at the drive-in, where a single tower has risen above the old, war-time homes.
We are from a place where people can be seen skating down the canal in the middle of the city. Where streets are filled with colourful language and libraries are overflowing with withering books.
We are from a place called home, whose car engines roar like lions on the prowl. Where laughter, the scent of kettle corn and fresh flowers brighten each passing day.
We are from a community where food fills the bellies and music fills the schools. A community whose youth want to make a change. A community that welcomes diversity and heritage with open arms.
We are from a place where art blossoms in the souls of students. It is a place that captures the Canadian spirit and where we can celebrate Ramadan and Canada Day.
We are from a place where the Great lakes touch, where the stars are invisible and the suburban environment meets urban. We are from a place where the wait time on the bridge takes hours, where very few live and where wildlife is prominent.
We are from a place of knowledge and acceptance. A place we want to be a part of. A place where we live freely, and we are close to nature. We are from a place where corn is celebrated and a place that shares the stories of Canada each evening.
We are from a town with a sculpture of a musky, a small town hidden in a valley, from a place that is falling apart, from a place where many people roam the streets alone. We are from a place where BBQs are prevalent.
We are from a home where two mixed backgrounds create a symphony of flavours and spice. Where jalebis swirl in the streets, where we eat mooncakes with green tea and pick raspberries from the patch in the backyard. We are from a home where the authentic Arabic language sounds like poem verses.
We are from steak and potatoes, Finn pancakes and bannock, fresh dumplings and sticky rice. We are from a place where fried food smells float through the air and notes of music dance in the breeze.
We are from a home of joyous family raclettes, shawarma, spaghetti and poutine made with St-Albert cheese.
We are from a history of Italian and Greek, Pow-wows on sacred mountains and home grown veggies and locally raised beef. We are from a history of watching football games together, attending fall fairs in our community, Italian dances on Saturdays and church on Sunday mornings.
We are from food with spices that entertain your tongue, from the smell of Turkish coffee and fresh dough baking and from sushi and shawarma alike. We are from Indian taco nights, pierogis and Grandma’s favorite stuffing.
We are from the call of prayer that fills the skies five times a day. We are from a mixture of English, French and Tibetan. We are from a place of happiness mixed with anxiety where you can hide in the dark or shine in the light.
We are from a proud community that celebrates its diversity. It is a community that allows religions to marry, cultures to touch and people to love one another.
We are from a school where the attendance is small but the passion is great. Where there is a fight for the always meager budget and there is sometimes bullying and a lot of drama.
We are from a school where there are teacher-student volleyball games, a trip to New York and a painted Sturgeon Falls mural. We are a school that has moments of laughter, sorrow, tears and who uses the LGBTQ terms. We are from a school whose body is covered by a grey coat but that only masks the colour that lies within.
We are from a school of minorities, discrimination and cliques. A school with a very first graduating class. A school that is still learning about the students within.
We are from a school that is isolated from its homeland, isolated from its culture and history. It is a school that has moments of inclusion and exclusion, diversity and inequality.
We are from a school of sports championships, academic awards and special leaders that are yet to learn that not every family is economically privileged. We are from a school where there is cyber bullying and bad behaviour, where students are trying to find out who they are and where they want to be.
We are from a school where I am the cool kid that everyone comes to see, where I learn about my learning disability and self-advocacy and the use of technology.
We are from a school that is a sea of uniforms where acceptance, inclusion and a warm welcome greet us every day. A place whose academic-driven climate will produce tomorrow’s leaders.
We are from a place where each voice is respected and has a chance to be heard loud and clear. We are from a place where students are looking to make a positive change, to raise our voices and speak up.
We are from a place we call our own. We are from a place called home.

The videos below look at how libraries can better serve the ELL community.