Nearly 24% of the 748 students enrolled in the Sedona-Oak Creek School District are English Language Learners with 78 of those students at West Sedona School with another 101 at Sedona Red Rock Jr./Sr. High School.

Typically those students’ native tongue is Spanish, however volunteer Sam Blom can frequently be heard in Theresa Zaun’s second grade classroom counting out loudly to ten in his native Dutch: “Één, twee, drie, vier, vijf, zes, zeven, acht, negen, tien,” Blom said to the class.

“The number eight or ‘acht’ is always the kid’s favorite to say,” Zaun said about her classroom of 24 that has 10 ELL students. “Because it uses so much of the back of the throat to say so these kids will be saying ‘acht’ to each other for probably the next hour.”

“In here, the hard part [oftentimes with ELL students] is they’re below reading level, so getting them up quickly is a challenge,” Zaun said. “[Because] you’re trying to gain a couple of years worth of reading in one year, which is very challenging. If they come in with some kind of educational background it’s a little bit easier, when they come in with no educational background it’s a little bit more challenging. Then this is [oftentimes] the only place they practice their English, a lot of times they go home and it’s full Spanish. So it’s just getting them talking a lot.”

Blom typically works with three of the ELL students when he comes into the classroom.

“Because [Blom] learned English when he came to this country he understands learning a new language and the struggles, and he’s very patient with them,” Zaun said.”

“Because English is a Germanic language because it originated from Germany, the words are very similar,” Blom later said. “So it was easy for me and my family to learn English. Because we already had the basics, like when you say you say ‘bread’ in English in Dutch it’s ‘brood’. … There’s so many words that are similar, so it was easier for me, I think, to learn the language than it was for someone that might have Spanish as their first language.”

Blom spent the morning in Zaun’s classroom, where he’s been sharing his Dutch heritage along with clogs.

“No we don’t wear [the clogs] for soccer [but] when I was a child we used to play soccer with them on,” Blom said, holding the shoes up for the classroom. “But it’s better to wear shoes right? I would wear these when I worked out in the garden. … Does somebody want to try them on?”

He had several eager volunteers walk a few feet in his shoes. Blom was born in Den Helder, Netherlands, in 1950 and immigrated with his family to New Jersey in 1957.

Two months out of high school he was hired by a utility company where he worked for nearly 37 years as an office manager. He’s married with two sons who reside in Pima County and has been a resident of Arizona for the last 19 years.

Blom describes his connection to his heritage as remaining strong and is fluent in his native Dutch. Returning on numerous occasions, most recently in June with 20 of his family members who are currently living in Arizona, and plans on returning this May with his wife for a few weeks.

“In the Netherlands, [my father] had his own butcher shop, and the store was in the front and we lived in the back,” Blom said. “He had a slaughterhouse, so he also raised cattle, with the ranchers in our area.

“He and my mom basically ran the store and then my sister, and my brother and I lived there till 1957. When he came to the United States, and then he started working for his brother. Then about a year later, he worked for … [the] A&P.”

Blom cited the economic condition of the Netherlands following World War II being one of the reasons the family uprooted to the United States. Along with his father falling in love with the climate of New Jersey and the thrill of the idea of his family starting a new life in a new land.

Blom’s interest in soccer comes from his father taking him to games when they were in the Netherlands along with taking in games played at Randall’s Island Park in New York City.

“My dad and my uncle used to pretend they were reporters from the Netherlands,” Blom said. “They had cameras that they brought with them, and would show up and when the police or security said, ‘Hey, what are you doing?’ In their broken English, they would say ‘We’re reporters from Holland, and we’re here to report the games that we’re watching.’ I would be sitting up in the stands and watching this going on and I’d see my dad and uncle taking movies and photos of the players and then I’d just be by myself watching this going on. … That’s part of what started my interest in soccer.”

The soccer coaching experiences have prepared him well for Zaun’s classroom, she noted especially his ability to get active young boys to focus on a task. “When I moved to Cottonwood, I had a few ideas of what I wanted to do,” Blom said. “I wanted to do some acting, I wanted to coach some high school soccer. I went to Mingus [Union] High School and I asked if they needed an assistant soccer coach. I was there from 2005 through 2007.

“Then a few years later, I started coaching my nephew, who was 6 or 8 at the time, I coached him for a few years, and then I stopped coaching. [But] then I had an opportunity to coach at Sedona Red Rock High School in 2018 then I just finished this last October coaching the varsity team.”

“There’s some fantastic young talent out there on the field,” Blom noted, while coaching the middle-schoolers from the sidelines of the soccer field at Sedona Red Rock High School on the afternoon of Tuesday, Feb. 13. “I enjoy the sport so much, and I like working with young adults … but it’s time for somebody else to take over.”

Blom’s time heading up the soccer program is coming to a close once the middle school soccer season ends in late April. However, residents can expect to still see him involved in the district either volunteering in the classroom or on their November ballots.

Blom stated that he will be running for the SOCSD Governing Board in November and will be getting a candidate packet from the Yavapai County Education Service Agency once those become available on Monday, March, 4.

In 2024 there are three seats with four year terms on the SOCSD Governing Board that will be decided in the November election.

Board members David Price and April Payne have stated they’re seeking reelection, Governing Board President Randy Hawley’s seat is also up for election this year however as of Wednesday, Feb. 14 he’s undecided if he will seek another term.

For more information about how to run for a school governing board in Yavapai County visit ycesa.com/election- services or contact Education Elections Coordinator Jenn Nelson at (928) 442-5138 or at jenn.nelson@yavapaiaz.gov.