In his sophomore year, Brunswick High School graduate Marco Venegas noticed students who speak English as a second language and native speaking students frequented different circles at school.

Determined to fix the disconnect, Venegas and some peers started offering their study halls and free periods to tutor ESOL, or English for speakers of other languages, students.

The program — called Dragon PALS (partners in academic language support) — has helped to change the culture at BHS, said Sammie Francis-Taylor, Venegas’ AP literature teacher, by getting students out of their bubbles and fostering peer-to-peer learning.

“There’s something about a peer working with someone their own age where they can say things or ask questions that, as soon as a teacher is present, many of them will just clam up,” Francis-Taylor said.

Venegas is one of 173 BHS seniors who will walk to their next chapters at graduation on June 12. He’ll also be speaking at the ceremony, as the class of 2026 valedictorian.

Francis-Taylor, who has known Venegas since he was a freshman, said his success is motivated less by grades and more by a love of learning.

“(Marco is) definitely the type of student who inspires me to be the best teacher that I can,” she said.

Venegas’ drive for knowledge led him to start the Old English club, a group Francis-Taylor advises.

The goal was to revive a dead language with his classmates. Latin, Venegas said, would’ve been too predictable.

The club meets once a week for fun activities and games that test members’ knowledge of Old English. Recently, they put on a “Beowulf”-reciting tournament, where the winner was chosen based on who had the best pronunciation.

There’s not a wealth of resources available about Old English, but that’s part of the fun, Venegas said.

“There’s a certain investigative quality behind every meeting or lesson we put together,” he said.

When he wasn’t reciting Old English, helping peers with their math homework or serving as the senior class treasurer, Venegas was taking important life lessons from his other high school extracurriculars. From swimming, he learned how hard work yields results. From choir, the importance of collaboration to make something beautiful.

In class, Venegas has proven to be capable of deep thinking and analysis, Francis-Taylor said. Whatever he pursues after high school, she’s sure he’ll continue to teach others what he learns.

But first, Venegas heads to Princeton in the fall. He doesn’t know what he’ll study yet, but “the sky’s the limit,” he said.

BRUNSWICK HIGH SCHOOOL GRADUATION DETAILS

WHEN: June 12 at 7 p.m.
WHERE: Watson Arena at Bowdoin College
GOOD TO KNOW: Tickets are not required for graduation.

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