FRISCO, Texas — Katya and her family arrived from Russia to Frisco in July. Her mother, Polina, was nervous for her children as they immerse themselves into American schools.
English is not their first language and so there was certain to be challenges going into the school year.
"She just rolls with it. She's so flexible. She's so easy-going," said her third grade teacher Annie Isom at Pink Elementary in Frisco.
With the help of Google Translate, teachers and students can work through assignments in the classroom. Isom speaks into her phone in English and the application repeats it back in Russian.
The application has been a life-saver in the classroom. But her parents were also concerned Katya would not be able to immediately connect with her classmates.
"I told them there will be no Russian people. So be prepared," said Polina.
But what ended up happening on the first day of school was a surprise to just about everyone. It was a connection Katya made at recess at the bottom of the slide.
"They just found each other and they just started talking Russian. Their faces just lit up," said Isom.
Katya found Elisabeth. She is another third grader from a different class and she speaks Russian and English.
"I said 'Hi, I'm Russian too,'" said Elisabeth.
Since that moment on the playground Katya and Elisabeth are inseparable and are now in the same class. Polina tells WFAA that the two families are now connected. The two families also have older boys who are also friends.
"Elizabeth is a very kind girl and they are friends," said Polina.
And for any parent hoping their child can just connect, that means everything.
It is a connection that needs no translation and this is something we can all understand.
"It's about those two little girls who found each other," said Isom.
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