Mike Wolanin | The Republic Clifty Creek faculty member Greicy Patino is the recipient Indiana Foreign Language Teacher’s Association 2024 Walter Bartz Distinguished World Language Administrator award. She received the award for her work in BCSC’s Legado program. She is pictured in the library at Clifty Creek Elementary School in Columbus, Ind., Friday, Nov. 15, 2024.
An educator highly influential in BCSC’s Legado Spanish Immersion Academy was recently recognized for her devotion to furthering the success of its students.
Greicy Patiño was named the Indiana Foreign Language Teacher’s Association (IFLTA) 2024 Walter Bartz Distinguished Language Administrator.
The Dual Language Instructional Coach, now in her eighth year Clifty Creek Elementary School, was honored with the award during a ceremony in Indianapolis on Nov. 8.
The award is intended to recognize an administrator who has supported the expansion, teaching and creation of programs in a school or district. Patiño’s efforts have gone towards Legado, which she has been on the ground-floor of since the program began seven years ago.
“I truly believe that being bilingual is a superpower,” Patiño said.
Patiño arrived in Columbus as a second-grader from California and attended BCSC schools with stops at CSA Fodrea, Southside, Central Middle School and then Columbus North High School.
A Mexican-American, Patiño grew up speaking Spanish and English which provided her the ability to communicate with family back home, but also to connect with students at BCSC in her current role.
“That strong ethnicity, that culture, the traditions behind the Spanish language have always been present,” she said.
After finishing up at BCSC as a student, she decided to pursue higher education at IU Columbus.
Patiño completed her field experience at BCSC schools. And with an English as a New Language (ENL) licensure, she student taught Spanish-speaking students and non-Spanish speaking students as well.
She went abroad to Spain for her senior year of college to wrap up student-teaching requirements when a position opened up at Clifty Creek. Legado was still a year away from coming into formation so Patiño spent her first year teaching kindergarten.
Legado, translated as legacy in English, hopes to provide the 300-plus students in the program, aged pre-K to sixth-grade “with a gift of global opportunities,” Patiño said. Students in the program strive to become bilingual, biliterate, and bicultural. There are typically two classes of Legado students per grade, with the exception of pre-K and sixth grade.
“It’s the legacy that we’re allowing our students to be part of and to continue on in the future,” Patiño said.
The first of cohort of Legado students are finishing up their time in the program and will go on to Central Middle School where they’ll use the bilingual model.
“We are very grateful that we have curriculum in Spanish and English and the students are as well,” Patiño said. “That really helps them with creating that sense of belonging in the classroom.”
As Dual Language Instruction Coach, Patiño does a little bit of everything.
“I have the pleasure of working with students, with teachers and with families,” Patiño said. “You have so many cultures and traditions that you take part in within your family. I think what I do is build that sense of pride, making sure students are proud of who they are and ready to embrace it.”
Patiño provides a hand to teachers and serves as a resource. She also helps onboard first-year teachers and educators coming from abroad. This year, she is working with seven new teachers.
Oftentimes, a lot of that help comes in the form of professional learning communities (PLCs) where Patiño brings teachers together to talk about standards, state assessments and other information. In addition, Patiño assists with lesson planning and helping new teachers learn the curriculum.
“Since we have many new teachers, it’s a lot of getting to know them, but also explaining what dual language is and how we roll at Clifty Creek with Legado.”
Patiño also serves as an ambassador for Legado, spreading word of the program through events including Fiesta Latina and visits student ambassadors make to other schools to talk about the program.
“I could talk about Legado all day every day, but when you hear it firsthand from the students who are in the program, it’s so much more valuable,” she said.
“We’re all culturally diverse and we have our own cultural identify growing up,” Patiño said. “Growing up, I would hear some of my classmates saying, well I’m not from Spanish-speaking country or a different language speaking country I don’t have any cultural identity— I’m like, but you do.”
On receiving the award from the IFLTA, Patiño said “the award was not only for me, it was for Legado.”
“It was picture-perfect. It was all in one. I had support from my community of professionals and mentors, but also that support from my family members. Receiving that is just a reflection of the hard work that we do every day in all schools for our students.”
