Southwest Middle students get real-life civics lesson in naturalization

Southwest Middle School students witnessed 75 people becoming United States citizens during three naturalization ceremonies on campus.

By Danielle Hendrix
| 2:28 p.m. April 20, 2016

Student Council members Jordan Kocarek (left), Woody Omega and Mary Sosebee each played a role during the naturalization ceremonies held at the school.

Southwest Orange
News

DR. PHILLIPS As 75 candidates from more than 20 countries stood and took an oath of allegiance during a naturalization ceremony, students at Southwest Middle School had the privilege of watching it all unfold.

Naturalization — the process of immigrants and other non-U.S. citizens becoming U.S. citizens — is a 10-step process that culminates in a naturalization ceremony, when applicants who have satisfied all requirements take an oath of allegiance and officially become citizens.

Can You Pass?

Each person who applies to become a United States citizen is required to take a naturalization test, which consists of 100 civics questions. According to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, applicants will be asked up to 10 questions in English and must answer correctly six of them to pass.

Here are some examples of questions that could appear on the test. (Answers at bottom of page.)

1. The House of Representatives has how many voting members?

2. What are the two major political parties in the United States?

3. What is one right or freedom from the First Amendment?

4. When was the Declaration of Independence adopted?

5. What is the capital of the United States?

6. Why does the flag have 13 stripes?

7. What is the economic system in the United States?

8. Who makes federal laws?

9. How many justices are on the Supreme Court?

10. What ocean is on the East Coast of the United States?

Southwest Middle got to host three of these ceremonies on campus after Timothy Haugh, an eighth-grade parent and regional director of community relations for the Department of Homeland Security, helped provide the opportunity. Prior to the ceremonies, students got to attend educational seminars during their civics classes that allowed them to learn about the naturalization process.

“We’re always looking for ways to make social studies come alive for our students and have it jump out of the pages and make it real,” said Richard Myers, assistant principal of Southwest Middle. “We hope they understand other cultures and what we have in our own backyards, and how important it is for them to see that there are people all around this world who want to be fellow Americans and have the same rights and freedoms that our students have.”

Man On The Street

Woody Omega, seventh grade

Why is it important for people to know about the country in which they live?

If they know how good our country is, then it proves that as a whole, we can be a great nation. It can make things better for everyone here, and it also makes everyone realize we are similar and equal as people.

Jordan Kocarek, eighth grade

What stood out to you at the ceremonies?

One thing I really took back was right before they said the oath, they called the countries of each person. As they called the countries, each person (from that country) rose, and it was really cool to see that there were so many countries. You hear the term that our country is a melting pot, but you don’t think about how it really is.

Mary Sosebee, eighth grade

What were your thoughts on the ceremony?

It was really eye-opening, because we see every day at school the same people. Going there, I saw a lot of different cultures coming together, and that was a really good experience for me.

Special guests included Leon Ramirez, a teacher at Dr. Phillips High School who previously went through the naturalization process; Dr. Barbara Jenkins, superintendent of Orange County Public Schools; and Bill and Cara Elder, grandparents of an eighth-grader, who reprised their roles as George and Martha Washington for the ceremony. Additionally, students from the chorus, band and orchestra performed patriotic pieces such as the national anthem and “America the Beautiful.”

Mary Sosebee and Jordan Kocarek, eighth-graders and co-presidents of the Student Council, had the honor of leading the Pledge of Allegiance at the ceremonies.

“It was honestly the coolest thing I’ve done, because this was their first time saying the Pledge as a citizen, and we got to experience that with them,” Jordan said.

Mary agreed, adding that having the opportunity to witness such a momentous event in the candidates’ lives gave students a better appreciation for their lives as U.S. citizens.

“Some of the things you take for granted, and you don’t realize others don’t have those things,” she said. “You hear that it’s one of the most exciting days of (the candidates’) lives, but you don’t really get to picture how happy they actually are until you’re there and seeing them starting to cry and waving their American flags.”