A South Florida school’s revolutionary bilingual immersion program is equipping students with the tools to succeed in an increasingly multilingual world.
Our Lady of the Holy Rosary-St. Richard Catholic School (HRSR) is the first of its kind in Florida to offer a dual language curriculum with the Two-Way Immersion Network for Catholic Schools (TWIN-CS).
The program, designed by Boston College, compels student bilingualism by making English and Spanish consistent aspects of their daily scholastics —from language arts and math to social studies, religion and science.
“The goal is to expose students to the academic vocabulary in both languages,” said HRSR principal Ilma Ninnette Lozano, EdS. “Human beings are multilingual by nature, and we just need to be exposed to languages to learn them.”
The TWIN-CS program, which was first introduced at the school to pre-kindergarten students during the 2015-16 school year, currently runs from pre-K to second grade. One grade level is added every year to the program, which will eventually run through the entire school.
“I think the bilingual program is awesome,” wrote first grader Preston France. “I love to speak different languages so I can teach myself, talk to people and make more friends.”
Mercedes Cruz, whose grandson, Eduardo, attended first grade last year, said his experience at HRSR was transformative.
“The bilingual program has been incredibly good for him,” she wrote. “The first time he read to me [in Spanish], I was in awe.”
Bilingualism has myriad benefits. According to a 2015 California State University study, students enrolled in a dual language immersion (DLI) program outperform non-DLI students in science and mathematics. They also exhibit better English reading skills, a four-year study supported by the U.S. Department of Education determined in 2016.
Additionally, they exhibit better temperaments. Students proficient in multiple languages have higher attention spans, a 2011 study published in the Journal of Educational Psychology found.
Developing an early affinity for language also can instill a lifelong love of books, said Patricia Solares, a kindergarten and first grade teacher at HRSR.
“The love for reading involves language, and this bilingual program has taught students a real love of words,” she said. “They read stories in Spanish, they read in English, and since they know what a story is about in one language, they get into it in the other.”
HRSR classrooms with TWIN-CS programming are spacious, colorful and educationally conducive. Objects throughout are labeled in both Spanish and English to reinforce lesson — desks are labeled “escritorio,” doors are labeled “puerta,” and students asking for help learn to do so in English and by saying, “ayudame.”
Pre-kindergarten classes, which last half the length of regular school days, alternate Spanish and English daily. Classes, kindergarten and up, split days between the languages but include lessons about the same subject to create a linguistic relationship through shared topics.
“That’s how they learn to understand things,” Solares said. “Maybe they originally understood it in English, but once Spanish is included, they have a point of reference because they already learned about it in their native language.”
Spelling and vocabulary tests are administered weekly, and students keep daily journals and participate in regular exercises to help teachers monitor their progress, ensuring no one falls behind.
Solares said many parents have told her how much their child’s bilingual and bi-literate skills have improved.
“They’re very happy,” said Ada Silva, who teaches pre-kindergarten. “The way we’re teaching here, combining Spanish and English, for those kids’ future, when they go to middle school, they have better opportunities.”
Founded in 1959, HRSR is fully accredited by the Florida Catholic Conference and staffed with state-certified administrators and teachers dedicated to balancing traditional faith and modern education techniques.
Student curriculums include daily prayer and weekly liturgies, as well as technologies like iPads and Edline, a Web-based interactive portal connecting students with teachers in a virtual educational environment.
The TWIN-CS program is an extension of the school’s Catholic focus — a convergence of English and Spanish-speaking cultures that fosters and strengthens faith.
“We don’t just teach literacy in our dual language program,” Lozano said. “We teach the culture of both languages and the Catholic identity found in the traditions of both cultures.”
Our Lady of the Holy Rosary-St. Richard Catholic School is located at 18455 Franjo Rd. in Cutler Bay. For more information, call 305-235-5442 or visit HRSRSchool.org.
