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Collingswood Hispanic population 1990: 393 2000: 812 Change: +106.62% Source:U.S. Census Bureau Collingswood Black population 1990: 465 2000: 955 Change: +105.38% Source:U.S. Census Bureau Collingswood Asian population 1990: 263 2000: 395 Change: +67.37% Source:U.S. Census Bureau |
By AHAN KIM
Courier-Post Staff
While many teachers at Collingswood schools have seen their class sizes shrink over the past decade, the number of students in Alyce DelCastillo's classes has doubled in the last five years.
DelCastillo teaches English as a Second Language classes for 25 Collingswood elementary school children.
"The number of children has definitely grown," DelCastillo said.
This increase is due to the overall rise in the number of minorities moving to Collingswood and nearby areas that share part of Collingswood's school system.
Although the overall population of Collingswood has dipped 6 percent from 1990 to 2000, the number of minority students has shot up during the same period. "Our minority population has been growing among African-American, Latinos and Asians," said James H. Bathurst, superintendent of Collingswood schools. "As a result, we've had to expand our ESL program."
According to the 2000 U.S. Census figures, the overall number of minorities in the town has increased as much as 100 percent, at least among black people and Hispanics and Latinos. The number of Asians has increased about 67 percent.
However, with a total population of 14,326 - according to the 2000 Census - the percentage of minorities in the community still is below the county average in all categories. Blacks, the largest minority in the borough, comprise 6.67 percent of the population compared with a county average of 18 percent among 508,932 residents. Hispanics or Latinos account for 5.67 percent of Collingswood's population compared with 9.66 percent countywide and Asians number 2.76 percent in Collingswood, compared to 3.71 percent countywide.
While it is difficult to say what has caused more minorities to migrate into Collingswood, one Latino family said it was due to a job transfer. Lilian Moratalla, 30, and her husband, Carlos Campos, 35, moved to Collingswood three years ago to follow Carlos' job in Philadelphia as the head waiter at the Prime Rib restaurant.
They moved from Silver Spring, Md., where Carlos worked at the Prime Rib in nearby Washington, D.C.
The couple said they did not want to live in the city, and after looking at several other towns, were sold on Collingswood for its school system and convenient location near the PATCO Hi-Speedline.
Moratalla said she is quite happy with her decision. She has found the school system to be extremely responsive to her 7-year-old daughter Dallana Campos' language needs.
"She learned her letters, she knows how to read," Moratalla said. "Now she speaks more English than she does Spanish."
In response to the increase in the minority population, the Collingswood school board implemented an evening program for parents of students needing assistance in learning English. Once a week for two hours, parents are able to take advantage of free English language classes.
"One of the problems we were dealing with was that at home, the language wasn't being spoken," said Bathurst. This will help the communication gap that exists between the parents of ESL students and educators, he said.
Bathurst estimates that at least 29 languages are represented in Collingswood schools.
While the school system has not made any changes in curriculum in response to the rise in minority students, it has added several programs.
One such program, a human relations club, was developed in 1995 after a small incident occurred between several white and black students, Bathurst said. The club of about 40 to 50 high school students and several teachers meets on a monthly basis to brainstorm how to resolve any issues that may occur between students of different backgrounds.
"They've not had to be active in the last year or two," Bathurst said. "They act to promote cultural diversity and understanding together."
Bathurst cannot say if he expects to see a steady climb in the number of minorities moving to Collingswood other than expecting the younger siblings of current students.
"I think diversity is important in a community," Bathurst said. "I think there'll be some slow growth."
Today and Tomorrow stories:- Profile: Collingswood
- Collingswood: Blending its past, present
Incorporated in 1888, the borough of Collingswood has managed to hold on to its past while meeting the challenges of the present and looking forward to those of the future. - English as a Second Language classes double in size
While many teachers at Collingswood schools have seen their class sizes shrink over the past decade, the number of students in Alyce DelCastillo's classes has doubled in the last five years. - Collingswood booms with robust business districts
There's no doubt about it - business in Collingswood is booming. - Slowly, but surely, town's population is becoming younger
Joan Ferrara can easily recall three neighbors on her street - all of whom were well into their sunset years - who have passed away in the past few years. - Library stays connected to town's changing ethnic patterns
Like other institutions in this all-American inner-ring suburb, the Collingswood Public Library has found itself changing to meet the changing needs of the borough's citizenry. - Single-family homes in, duplexes out
Collingswood Mayor M. James Maley Jr. said just about every neighborhood in his borough has a problem duplex property. - Night life: The Living Room is the place to be
On the corner of Collings and Haddon avenues is a building that shines in the evening like a welcoming beacon on a mostly darkened street. It's The Living Room, a coffee house where locals and people from out of town gather to hear live music and have a good time. - What do you think will be different in Collingswood in 2010?
Donna Herbster, 31, owns Halo, a boutique on Haddon Avenueand lives above the store.