While July can bring a lot of summer heat and humidity to Houston, our ESL students enjoyed two new social activities this month to spend some time with their classmates outside the classroom. July 4 is Independence Day in the United States, and the first social activity focused on just that: a Fourth of July celebration.
Fourth of July festivities this year were extra-special for another reason. 2026 marks the 250th year since the United States became a country. The party began with pizza and drinks, all served with red, white and blue plates, cups, and napkins. Students and teachers savored this delicious lunch and took the opportunity to practice their English and chat with classmates.
After lunch, students formed groups and played table games like Jenga, Operation, and more. In some games, a round of rock, paper, scissors was needed to determine the winner between the students.
The party was a great way to come together as a group and enjoy this American holiday. After a quick group picture at the end, students made their ways home, ready to enjoy the long weekend.
A few weeks later, after the excitement of the World Cup had ended, students enjoyed an evening out watching the Houston Dynamo. The Dynamo’s season was paused because of the World Cup, so this was the first game back for the team. It’s an exciting time for new fans to watch and cheer for our local team!
The evening began with a ride on the Metro Rail, which took students through the Museum District, Midtown, and Downtown before arriving at Shell Energy Stadium. This gave them a great opportunity for a group photo walking among the tall Downtown skyscrapers. Even though the sun was setting, the temperature was still very hot, so each student received a Dynamo-themed hand fan when they arrived at the stadium. It was a great way to keep cool, although the stadium also has big ceiling fans to help cool supporters down.
Students arrived at the stadium with plenty of time to explore, get a bite to eat for dinner, and even shop for Dynamo souvenirs at the team store. At 7:30, the group found their seats and watched as the game began.
Toward the end of the first half, the Dynamo opened the scoring with one of the team’s legendary players, Hector Herrera. Lights flashed and cheers echoed as the stadium erupted to celebrate the goal. The students all celebrated with the crowd as the game went into halftime with the Dynamo ahead.
In the second half, however, the opposing team, DC United, scored a goal as well to tie the game 1-1. At the end of the evening, the game ended in a tie. Even though the result was not a win, the students and teachers had a great time cheering on the team and enjoying snacks and drinks at the stadium.
Thank you for reading this entry in our blog. We’ll have more announcements and recaps to come with more social activities in the near future. Be sure to check our Instagram and Facebook pages for updates!
By Hadrian Barbosa