Steele Middle School in Muskegon
MUSKEGON, Mich. (WZZM) - A bilingual program in the Muskegon school district is growing so much, it had to be moved to a new school.
The two-way immersion program moved from Moon Elementary to Steele Middle School this summer. The program develops students' skills in English and Spanish at the same time.
The program has 140 students in grades kindergarten to fifth and is becoming a popular choice for parents.
"Parents are recognizing the need for their children to become bi-lingual," said Kristina Martinez-Precious of the Muskegon Public Schools. "The most natural way to learn a language is to be immersed in it early on, as early as possible."
By developing two languages at the same time, English and Spanish speaking students can help each other learn to be fluent in both languages. Backers of the program say students who can speak two languages are more likely to be hired when they enter the workforce.
Jon Mills