The Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp. is preparing to launch its dual-language immersion pathway in August for about 60 pre-kindergarten or kindergarten students.
The Legado Spanish Immersion Academy, to be hosted at Clifty Creek Elementary School, will give students an opportunity to study in both Spanish and English. The Spanish word legado is translated as leaving a legacy in English.
The Legado program will be taught by three native Spanish speakers, two of which have Columbus connections.
Students will be taught under an 80/20 model, allowing them to be immersed in Spanish for 80 percent of the day, while the remaining 20 percent will be in English. Half of the classroom will be Spanish-speaking students, while the other half will be non-Spanish-speaking individuals.
Cecilia Renteria Estrada, a native of Chihuahua, Mexico, who has lived in Columbus for the past eight years, will be leading the pre-K classroom at Clifty Creek. She got her start in the district working as an English as a Second Language (ESL) teaching assistant at Smith Elementary School, where she supported pre-K to sixth grade students for three years.
Renteria Estrada, 34, has worked at McDowell Education Center for the past four years as an English teacher. She said she intends to bring the Latino culture in her classroom, helping students develop a better understanding that will allow them to have fun as well.
For more on this story, see Thursday’s Republic.
