Barksdale Elementary Spanish Immersion Program Now Accepting Applications

Montgomery County, TN – The Clarksville-Montgomery County School System (CMCSS) is now accepting applications for 2018-2019 kindergarten students interested in attending the district’s new Spanish Immersion program at Barksdale Elementary School.

A language immersion program is a proven method of educating children by immersing them in a second language so they become bilingual.

In a language immersion program, the classroom environment becomes the setting for language acquisition through traditional subject instruction, educational conversations, and social interactions.

“Students who learn another language, improve their cultural awareness, cognition, and overall achievement,” stated Emily Vaughn, CMCSS Director of Curriculum and Instruction. “Research shows that language learning is more cognitive than linguistic. When acquiring a new language, students also improve problem-solving and critical-thinking skills, improve creativity, demonstrate enhanced memory, and have better multi-tasking abilities.”

Applications for the Spanish immersion program are due February 20th, 2018 and can be found on the CMCSS website. Parents who are interested and would like more information can attend one of the upcoming parent interest meetings. However, attendance at a parent interest meeting is not required to apply for the program.

Parent Interest Meetings

• January 29th – 6:00pm at Barkers Mill Elementary School
• January 29th – 6:00pm at Sango Elementary School
• February 5th – 6:00pm at Kenwood Elementary School
• February 5th – 6:00pm at Glenellen Elementary School
• February 12th – 6:00pm at Central Services South (1312 Highway 48)

“Personally, I wish my son would have had the opportunity to be involved in the immersion program when he was younger,” Vaughn said. “This program has enlightened me and created an urgency in my own home to the value of exposing my child to a foreign language. As our students mature and enter the workforce, the ability to speak a foreign language will make them much more competitive in a global job market.”

For more information, visit www.cmcss.net/immersion