With the help of the Awesome Foundation, Jennifer Siviter and her eighth-grade students at Harmony Science Academy North Austin are embarking on a dual-language project with a dual mission. Over the course of the year, her students will collaborate to write, illustrate, translate, and publish books in a variety of genres. These books will then be distributed to children in local immigrant holding centers who crossed the border seeking refuge in the United States.

“Many of these children have nothing, and I would like for my students to create books that will act as companions for them in their difficult times,” Siviter says. “Not only will this be a beautiful thing to do for others, but it will empower my English-language learners. They will be actively involved in translating and maintaining the bilingual story-making process.”