Shkolla Shqipe "Mëso Shqip" (Staten Island)

Shkolla Shqipe "Mëso Shqip" is a supplementary Albanian-language weekend school for children of the diaspora in Staten Island, New York. It opened in April 2022 and operates under the joint care of three Albanian community associations: Shoqata Kraja, Shoqata Ana e Malit, and Shoqata Ulqini.

The school teaches Albanian reading and writing, national history, geography, and elements of Albanian culture, including folk songs and traditional dances. Classes meet on weekends, outside regular American school hours, and student work is showcased through recitals, Flag Day programs, and commemorations such as the anniversary of Kosovo's independence.

Growth has been steady. The first semester opened with roughly 50 students; Shoqata Kraja later reported more than 150 registered, and diaspora media coverage in Bota Sot, Illyria, Gazeta Dielli, and Diaspora Shqiptare has since described enrollment of 200 to 240+ students, making it one of the largest Albanian supplementary schools in the United States.

Founding figures named in community press include Samih Kanaqi from Kraja, Xhemo (Gjemal) Lanica from Ulqini, and Safet Llolla and Albert Salaj from Ana e Malit. Arlinda (Linda) Sukaliqi is frequently cited among the teachers and as a public voice for the school.

The school primarily serves Albanian-American families on Staten Island and across the wider New York tri-state area, and functions as a meeting point for the Kraja, Ulqini, and Ana e Malit communities around a shared project of language and identity.