“This is My Story” Project

By: The ELLs of Hampton Bays High School

This is My Story was created by the students in our English as a New Language (ENL) classes during the 2021-2022 school year. It is a collaborative project between our ENL, Social Work, and Art departments. This project continues to expand and is now in its third year since its inception.

This is My Story has received a federal "Assistance in Arts Education" grant for the past two years from the United States Department of Education and awarded through the Patchogue Arts Council. This grant, titled The PEACE Project, was created to increase College, Career, and Civic Readiness (CCCR) and Culturally-Responsive Sustaining Education (CR-S) in underrepresented populations through the arts. You can read more about this grant here.

This project tells the story of students from Hampton Bays High School who traveled for miles in search of a better future. It holds their fears and their heartbreak, and at the same time, their hope about what lies ahead. This project is dedicated to all of the children who are currently on their way to our classrooms. May you find strength in their stories.