On Wednesday, December 3, ESL parents met at Westerville Central High School to learn about local resources. The meeting’s theme was “Community Connections,” and representatives from the Delaware Area Career Center, Otterbein University, the Westerville Public Library, and WARM attended to share information about their programs. Lisa-Marie Reinhart, enrollment coordinator of the Delaware Area Career Center, showed parents available courses of study for high school students, as well as free adult ESL and GED classes. Dr. Kristin Reninger of Otterbein University discussed the COELEC Summer Academy, a program where students attend an intensive literacy camp at Otterbein. The academy offers small-group, hands-on instruction in a project-based approach. Otterbein provides transportation and lunch during the three-week course. Westerville Public Library representative Katie Ross entertained ESL children with books about world travel, while the parents learned how to get library cards from Linda Uhler. Claire Rockwell of WARM spoke about the food pantry and summer lunch program. The meeting closed with raffle prize awards for attending. All prizes were items from the Westerville Community, including handmade Buckeye necklaces crafted by students in Sandie Trask-Tyler’s classroom. Other items included a Westerville T-Shirt made and sold in uptown Westerville. For more information about programs discussed in the meeting, please contact Kelly Blum at 614/797-5719 or blumk@wcsoh.org. The next meeting will be held on March 12, 2015.