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GREENSBORO — Firsts are common for immigrant students learning English at the Newcomers School: first time holding a book, typing on a computer keyboard, finding countries on a map, drawing a picture.

Seeing students from around the globe learning at the same tables never grows old for principal Jake Henry.

"It sometimes takes my breath away to walk into the cafeteria and to walk into a classroom, and the reality of what I'm looking at sets in," said Henry, a former French teacher and assistant principal at Jones Elementary.

The Newcomers School, approved by the Board of Education in March at a cost of $2.4 million, has the task of teaching English to the district's most novice speakers to improve their odds of graduating high school and boost lagging state test scores.

For several years, Guilford County Schools has failed to make federal testing goals among students with limited English proficiency.

For example, 20 percent of reading tests among 10th-grade students with limited speaking ability had passing grades in 2006-07, compared with 58.5 percent districtwide.

"We're hoping to see results as quickly as possible," Henry said.

Administrators have designed a special curriculum to help students catch up before they are placed in a traditional school after one year.

The Newcomers School provides English immersion, class sizes of 15 students per teacher and support services for families, such as an adult literacy class on Saturday.

Students and staff come from 33 countries, including Bahrain, China, El Salvador and Sudan. Most students speak Burmese, Spanish or Vietnamese.

Henry said 160 students in fifth through 12th grades have enrolled so far, compared with the anticipated 110.

The campus, located at the former Guilford Primary, has room for 324 students.

Fifth-grade teacher Fernando Solano said the unique setting helps students develop a stronger foundation in English in a shorter period of time. Solano formerly worked at Cone Elementary, where he taught students English for an hour per day.

"There are so many advantages for students," Solano said.

"The students are more capable of being directed and taught into the language."

In one class Tuesday, high school students in Jemima Kempster's social studies class practiced listing words under "main ideas," such as sports, animals and places.

In the back of the room, papier-mâché globes finished last week hung from the ceiling. Handprints on a bulletin board listed the names of students — Blut, Edwin, Jesus, Danli, Yu Nay and Frandeline.

Kempster said some students have come to the school already knowing some geography concepts; others couldn't locate continents.

"It's not a matter of them not knowing anything about social studies," said Kempster, a visiting teacher from Australia. "It's about them being able to express themselves in English."

Students Cindy Pagan Santiago and Clement Oyinwola said they like their new school.

"I really think that I was nervous because I don't know if I can speak English," said Santiago, a 10th-grader who moved with her family to Greensboro this year from Puerto Rico. "But when I come to classes ... I think it's very easy."

Oyinwola, a ninth-grader from Niger, said he appreciates his contact with classmates from other countries.

His family's native languages are Yoruba and French.

"The reason why I like to have some friends is I like to learn some other languages too," Oyinwola said.

Contact Morgan Josey Glover at 373-7078 or mjosey@news-record.com