More than 60 students are currently enrolled in three English-as-a-second-language courses and one citizenship course. A number of the ESL students are also participating in our conversation circles program as a way to practice their English and connect with members of the Salem community. Classes end on December 14, and will be followed by an end-of-year holiday celebration for students and teachers. The party provides an opportunity to recognize the hard work of the students and allows the Settlement program community to interact outside of classes.
Funding for the fall 2021 session was provided by a Sustaining the Humanities grant from Mass Humanities’ SHARP program. Funding from Mass Humanities has been made possible by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) through the American Rescue Plan, legislated by Congress to support the response and recovery of the cultural sector from the ongoing impacts of the coronavirus. We are grateful to have received additional support from the Salem Education Fund.
The Settlement program is central to our mission here at The House of the Seven Gables. Caroline Emmerton, founder of The House of the Seven Gables Settlement Association, once said, “If, as is generally conceded, the settlements do the best Americanization work, should not this settlement excel whose home is the ancient House of Seven Gables, the foundations of which were laid by the first immigrants who came here long ago, strangers in a strange land?” Her dedication to preservation and service in Salem is the institutional foundation that we continue to build from over 100 years later.
After the holiday break, classes will resume on January 25, 2021. Registration will be both online and in person at the Peabody Essex Museum on January 18 and 20. Details will be up on our website presently.