On Friday, Oct. 11, a special guest visited the New Directions ESL School in downtown Langley. Lieutenant-Governor Judith Guichon was the guest of faculty and students at one of Langley’s first ESL schools.
On hand to welcome her were Langley City Acting Mayor Ted Schaffer, Langley Community Services executive director Bill Dartnell and the students and faculty of the school.
The Lieutenant Governor was accompanied by her aide-de-camp Major Brent Purcell and was escorted by RCMP Const. Lenin Cruz. She spoke to the students about her role as the Queen’s representative in British Columbia.
Following her address, she received a handmade quilt from retired New Directions teacher Inta Schorcht.
Schorcht is the 2011 winner of the Champion of Diversity Award at the Fraser Valley Cultural Diversity Award ceremony . She was also given a Karen dress and bag as a gift from the students.
New Directions provides language instruction for newcomers to Canada from Pre-Lit to Level 7 within the BC ELSA (English Langley Services for Adults) program.
To ensure that Langley is an inclusive community, the school develops and participates in partnerships with federal, provincial and municipal governments, non-profit societies, community organizations, employers and individuals.
“New Direction’s mandate is to provide services that enable all people to contribute to the society, cultural and economic well-being of British Columbia. We strive to assist our clients attain their goals that lead to independence and community integration”, said Annemieke Vrijmoed. a teacher and event coordinator at New Directions.
New Directions was established in 1989 by the current president Yvonne Hopp and has delivered ELSA services for over 20 years. The school currently serves 240 clients daily at two different locations in morning, afternoon and evening classes. New Directions was nominated in 2013 for the Inclusive Environment Award. Newcomers who are interested in an ESL program may contact the school at 604-530-0535, or in person at 5566 - 204 Street.