'We were the guinea pigs': Delaware dual-language high school to graduate first seniors

Jorey Ayala is used to being the guinea pig.

His parents immigrated to Delaware, setting out on a plan for his schooling while still speaking mostly Spanish between them. By the time their son was in second grade, however, they'd learn of a budding, public elementary school near Newark. It was small, basically in a converted warehouse. And it promised to be the first dual-language charter school in Delaware.

"I was always the first," the now-senior recalled, other classmates nodding along beside him in a small library conference room. "And from there, we grew up in the school, still were the first in everything."

Ayala is set to graduate with ASPIRA Charter High School's first senior class. These students saw the first organized sports, the first prom, now, the first commencement. They grew with their school, tracing its earliest days on a sister campus of Las Américas ASPIRA Academy, to today's full high school. Some 300 K-5 students grew to more than 1,400 across both campuses, from a partial warehouse, to two schools with a cafeteria and gym.

ASPIRA of Delaware, following more than 50 years of vision from its national affiliate, began trying to answer a need for more support of Latino youth in the area. Founder Gus Rivera, wife Carmen and a growing board started with enrichment and college-readiness courses near Newark, before recruiting and opening the first doors to a school in 2011.

"I feel a high sense of gratitude for those students and those families that first year because they truly did believe in the vision that we were sharing with them," said Margie Lopez-Waite, coming on early to help form the charter school vision. Lopez-Waite has taught in the school; she's cleaned bathrooms in the school; she's been the first principal — and today, she is the CEO.

The school grew a family. It looked to offer bilingual education and a life-changing option for many Spanish-speaking parents to connect with their children's education, which would later fuel a waitlist some 1,000 students deep. And this Thursday, the first graduating class will be celebrated, with hopes they're ready for chapters ahead.

"Honestly, I still see them in their kindergarten pictures," Lopez-Waite said, blinking at tears.

"And then I look at this young adult in front of me, and sometimes it's hard for me. ... And whether they're going into careers, whether they're going to college, the military, whatever their next step is, in the next phase of their lives — I hope and pray that we've given them everything possible."

Growing, growing, growing, gone

Nico Tamar remembers kindergarten in a concrete warehouse.

"We would go out for recess, and they would be like, 'All right, don't hurt yourselves!'" the senior said, met with giggles throughout the room. "And then we would just, I remember kids would bring stuff from their homes we would play with, somebody would bring in these little like firework things you would hit the ground with."

He remembers having to eat lunch in the classroom, watching active construction workers work on a middle school portion, seeing a new gym just this year. As nearly every year or two years progressed, his class would see a new addition.

"The fact that they stayed all of those years is really commendable because they definitely did not have all the bells and whistles day one," Lopez-Waite recalled. "They truly lived in a school and went to school in a building that was constantly transforming and constantly under construction and construction and construction."

ASPIRA was built as funds were available. For Tamar and many of his classmates, elementary and middle school came with ribbon cuttings. High school marked yet another at 750 Otts Chapel Road. The school is still saving for new athletic fields, one ribbon these seniors didn't get to clip.

They still know they've built up school athletic teams, though.

"Eighth grade, we were the first to win a championship for soccer, and this year — our first varsity year — we were very close to going to states," said fellow student Brian Medina. "We helped them put one step in the ladder. So hopefully next year, they have a better chance because we were the guinea pigs. We help them get our name out."

Throughout this time, core of the school was already growing sound. Community.

"It was more of like, 'We built it,'" said Jacelyn Perez, fellow senior. Perez moved from New York when she was young, and felt shocked to be the only Latina in her first Delaware school until transferring to ASPIRA. Then, "Everybody became like this big family, like even like all of us here. I feel like I got so close to them since being with them since second grade."

Before ASPIRA, Tamar remembers early daycares and summer camps just feeling isolating.

"My only memories from that is like, 'Oh wow, none of these kids look anything like me' or we haven't lived the same lives, like our childhoods are very different," said the to-be University of Delaware freshman. "It's like coming here, it's the first time I've ever actually gotten to be around other people like me."

Then that was put to the test.

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COVID-19 swallowed their first two years of high school in shutdown and virtual instruction.

"Everything just kind of kicked back up, and it was 'Alright, let's get it going here, you're already two years in, already almost a junior," Perez remembered, looking between seats at the table. She got busy in basketball, while they all learned how to be students again. Every event, from prom to this graduation come with heightened notes.

Just to her right, Jailine Sanchez said she joined volleyball and cheer, growing more confident and outgoing with peers than ever before. Jorey Ayala started working a job outside of school, setting more goals for the future. He's excited to celebrate it.

"It was pretty unfortunate that we didn't graduate in eighth grade," Ayala said. "But now we have the new opportunity to be in the Class of 2024. We're going to graduate high school with a proper ceremony."

After that, Ayala wants to work his way up to being a general manager. Perez will play basketball in Maryland. Tamar is going to study veterinary science. Sanchez is leaning toward sports management but still deciding. The senior is excited to celebrate with her community, but she's also nervous for what's next.

"I'm honestly scared to go to college just because we did have that gap year," Sanchez said. "And when I went to go do like college camps, it was a whole different environment. It was like 10-times bigger. And I was mostly the only Hispanic there."

CEO Lopez-Waite feels a similar tug.

"I'm going to be happy. I'm going to be emotional. But I'm also going to have this worry in my heart, just like I worry for my own children," she said. "And I hope that we truly have prepared them to go out there and really navigate life successfully."

She's confident they've got more to build, even if it's no longer on her campus.

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Got a story? Kelly Powers covers race, culture and equity for Delaware Online/The News Journal and USA TODAY Network Northeast, with a focus on education. Contact her at kepowers@gannett.com or (231) 622-2191, and follow her on X @kpowers01.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: ASPIRA Charter High School near Newark to graduate first senior class