Hingham Public School's K-5 Spanish Immersion Program in Exploratory Stage

By Carol Britton Meyer

An exploratory committee was recently created -- in alignment with the School
Committee's mission and the goals outlined in the Hingham Public Schools strategic plan --to consider the possibility of offering a Spanish elementary structured immersion program for K-5 students.

This is part of Supt. of Schools Margaret Adams' efforts, with the committee's support, to actively pursue more opportunities to prepare students for active participation in the global community.

"I'm excited about Dr. Adams' plan to create a committee to explore this possibility,"
School Committee Chair Nes Correnti said. "The positive response to this year's pre-K Spanish pilot program has already been evident. I appreciate her innovative thinking in finding ways to encourage families to remain within our public schools and to possibly attract new families to our district."

According to HPS World Language Department Director Erica Pollard, research into
immersion programs consistently shows that participating students develop higher levels of proficiency in the second language, gain an improved ability to focus, and can easily switch between tasks, in addition to other benefits. Such programs are also known to promote cross-cultural understanding and tolerance.

The School Committee will hear an update on findings from the exploratory committee this winter. "If the recommendation at that time is to move forward with a K-5 immersion program, the School Committee would vote on the proposal at that time," Correnti said.