by Brett Melnick ’12

While they may be slight-looking in physical stature and are unassuming in their personalities, juniors Dereje Alemu and Robel Kebede, two ESOL students at Sherwood, are more than meets the eye. They are two of the fastest runners at Sherwood, and have only been living in the United States for three years.

Born on opposite sides of Ethiopia, Alemu and Kebede have been friends ever since they met in 9th grade through Sherwood’s ESOL program. Before coming to this country, neither knew English very well. “I knew no English when I came here. [The ESOL program] has really helped me learn,” said Kebede. Alemu and Kebede’s friendship has only grown stronger over the years, sharing a love for track and cross country.

This love for running came from the inspiration of Sherwood graduate, Solomon Haile (’09). Haile, a former high school national cross country champion, also came to Sherwood from Ethiopia and was in the ESOL program. “Solomon really inspired me to run. I remember being in P.E. class, Solomon and some other kids told me I was fast and kept trying to [recruit] me to run,” said Alemu. Haile now runs for University of Arkansas and checks in with Alemu occasionally.

While the ESOL program at Sherwood provides the education experience that Amelu and Kebede need in order to excel, there is one downside. They have to take a 30 to 40 minute bus ride every morning just to get to school while their home school, Paint Branch, is only five minutes away from their homes. Also, after cross-country and track practice, they take a metro bus back to their house.

Regardless, Alemu and Kebede have both shown a great fondness for Sherwood and have already decided to stay here after completing the ESOL program. “I want to stay. I really don’t want to leave my cross-country team and all my friends here,” said Alemu.