Bilingual program at Monte Vista Elementary School teaches Spanish and the culture behind it

As a bilingual person, Erick Quiroz is aware of the benefits of speaking two languages.

“My first language was Spanish and when I went to school, we couldn't speak Spanish. It was pure English”, Quiroz said. “Now, years later, I have seen the benefits of speaking Spanish in my own work.”

Those are benefits that Quiroz noticed when speaking two languages. He also wants to see them reflected in his young children. He has enrolled them at Monte Vista Elementary School, in West Covina, so that they ca learn the language and be exposed to the culture.

“Not only do they learn the language, they learn the culture, the customs, how to interact,” said Damián Kessler, principal of Monte Vista Elementary School. “They learn that we are all the same, that we just speak another language.”

The Dual Immersion Program teaches students to speak both languages fluently. The objective of it is that Spanish also prevails for future generations.

Learning that both at home and at school is essential in the educational process that her daughter has gone through, said Mayra Diaz.

“She speaks very well with my parents in Spanish,” Diaz said. "And I'm glad to see her communicate in that language with them."

Spanish is considered one of the most popular languages in the world. According to a study, people who are bilingual understand mathematical concepts more easily.

This is the case of Lindsey Cruz, for whom numbers are her favorite subject and she learned Spanish with her parents. She dreams of going to Harvard one day.

“They tell me that she should continue studying and that she get good grades so she can enter,” Cruz said.

According to data from the Hispanic Council, the U.S. will be the country with the second most Spanish speakers, after Mexico by 2060. Around 27% of Americans will also be of Hispanic origin.

For more information about the immersion program at Monte Vista Elementary School, click here.