Hispanic Heritage Night was held recently at Spring Creek Elementary School, sponsored by the Dual Language Program at the school.
Open to the entire school and their families, it featured five Hispanic country tables — representing Venezuela, Peru, El Salvador, Mexico and Colombia. There were also food vendors, face painting and a coloring station.
The 50/50 English/Spanish program was launched in 2019. The only district school to offer it, Spring Creek Elementary has the largest number of Spanish-speaking students out of all the other schools in the county.
The pilot class is now in sixth grade, attending Spring Creek Middle.
Luzbeth Ponce, second grade Dual Language teacher, has witnessed the benefits since being hired five years ago, in the second year it was offered.
“Research says that these students are supposed to be testing better in (End-Of-Grade tests) and on state tests,” Ponce said. “It’s taken a couple years to get there, but we’re definitely seeing that now.”
Other bonus outcomes are also being seen, such as a cultural awareness through events like the Hispanic Heritage Night.
“The objective of this event was for them to be exposed to being culturally aware and diversity, as well as them become fully bilingual and fully biliterate,” she said. “I know there are many misconceptions out there. I’ve had questions like, ‘Why do you have students whose native language is Spanish. Why are they taking that?’
“This is supposed to benefit native speakers and non-native speakers. We want these students to have that exposure.”
One challenge has come from the fact that there are two languages, but multiple dialects, Ponce said, which potentially translates to students mastering three languages.
“They’re coming here from their native country with a dialect and then they’re learning English and learning Spanish,” she explained. “So at this point (the program) is not just producing bilingual, we’re producing tri-lingual.”
Ponce works alongside Joanna James, second grade co-teacher on the English-speaking side. In her second year at the school, she called the program a “wonderful opportunity” for students and their families.
“For me, like education-wise, it’s obviously easier for children to pick up a second language, so obviously now (at this age) is really the time,” she said, adding, “The Hispanic population is larger than probably most schools.
“It’s super embracing of different cultural aspects, and I think it’s a great thing for the community around here.”
Another by-product is how it connects the students, she said.
“I see them go back and forth between the languages a lot, a lot of them can converse with me comfortably, and then they jump right back into the other language when they’re working in groups,” she said. “I think it’s really good oral practice because lots of them can flip-flop from one language to the next.
“And they also help their classmates. They understand that some friends aren’t quite there with the English, and they are very ready to like help a friend.”
Such a lesson in compassion has been a bonus, she said.
“(We’re) seeing English native-speakers struggling in Spanish at the beginning and seeing that compassion from the Hispanic student helping them,” Ponce said. “I feel like they’re able to empathize more because they’re like, well, now I understand what you’re going through.
“So then they help that way.”
Moving to another country can be daunting at best, but coupled with a language barrier and not being able to understand a teacher in the classroom, Ponce said, brings great satisfaction when she’s in a position to bridge some of the gap.
“When they come into this program, sometimes we’re able to see the confidence, like I feel familiarity with Spanish, and that gives them some type of understanding instead of just being thrown into English and having no idea what the standards are,” she said.
Now that the program has continued into the middle school, students will take Dual Language as an elective, Ponce said. The intention is to broaden it into high school, with its graduates earning two diplomas.
The school’s recent Heritage Night was open to the entire school and its students’ families.