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Dual-language group stays in school Mail Tribune photo by Bob Pennell Some of the original dual-language students show off their class picture. All 21 have stayed in school, and most are now sophomores at Phoenix High School. Phoenix Elementary's 21 original English-Spanish students are 10th graders, an achievement in itself By DAMIAN MANN PHOENIX - More than just another 10-year reunion, a recent informal gathering of 10th-grade students represents a milestone for Rogue Valley education. Part of Jackson County's first dual-language immersion program, 21 students, 11 of whom are Hispanic, first met about 10 years ago. Most attend Phoenix High School, although two go to South Medford and one is in school in Japan. Dual-language classes serve dual purpose PHOENIX - In 1991, teachers at Phoenix Elementary School figured there must be a better way to teach English to Spanish speakers, and vice versa. They came up with the idea of putting English and Spanish speakers in the same class, a program that some educators believe is one of the best ways of learning another language. During a typical class, students learn mathematics, science or some other subject in either language. They might read a book in English one day and in Spanish the next. The goal is to teach a second language while giving students a chance to experience another culture. At Phoenix Elementary School, dual-language classes are offered from kindergarten to fifth grade. They also are taught at Talent Elementary School in kindergarten to fourth grade and at Talent Middle School in sixth and seventh grades. The Medford School District also offers some dual-language classes. Other school districts offer mainly English as a second language or bilingual classes to help Spanish-speakers. The teenagers have managed to stay friends and do something considered statistically impossible - they have all stayed in school. The students, who were recently applauded by the Phoenix-Talent School District because not one of them has dropped out, are also bucking a Jackson County trend. The Oregon Department of Education reports that 24.52 percent of students leave school in ninth through 12th grades. While four-year statistics were not available by ethnic group, 13.3 percent of the Hispanic population drops out annually compared to the overall state average of 6.3 percent. Some of the 11 Hispanic students in the program have come a long way since they first started school. Martin Gonzales, 15, of Phoenix was a little reluctant at first to explain the feelings he had in kindergarten at Phoenix Elementary, when he knew barely a word of English. "To tell the truth, I don't even remember," he began. But his friend Sonia Pacheco did. "He was crying," said the 15-year-old Phoenix girl. "He wouldn't let go of his dad." Martin then said, "I couldn't leave my mom. I kept crying - 'don't leave me here.' I couldn't even stop crying." Now a self-confident high school teenager who speaks English fluently, Martin added, "That's all I remember on the first day of school." English as a second language coordinator Sherry Watson said it was only when Martin entered first grade that the dual language program began. "When these kids were in kindergarten, we said, 'Whoa, we can do better than this,'" she said. "By the time they got into first grade, we were ready for them. In kindergarten, they were not as well supported as they could be." Martin said school is traumatic for people from other cultures, particularly those who speak another language. Watson said, "As these kids came up through the grades together, they began to feel a sense of community - it's almost like a family." Some of the students Watson helped in second grade now come back to her class at Phoenix Elementary to help out as aides. Charles Bauer, dual-language teacher at Phoenix Elementary, said that when the school district recently asked him to gather statistics for this group of 10th-graders, he approached it with "fear and trepidation." When the results showed they were all still in school, he said, "I was completely surprised and completely happy." Many of the students agreed they still liked to joke with each other and hang out together, talking back and forth in English or Spanish, or even "Spanglish," a combination of the two. Jamie Kammel, 15, who lives in Medford, said other students used to make fun of her in second grade: "They called me brick head." Now they feel differently. Kile Gillette, 16, of Phoenix, joked, "It's always a contest between the guys over Jamie and Kim (Tiger)." Asked why each of the students have stayed in school, Kim responded simply, "My mom." This give and take between the students is part of what the dual language program hopes to engender in students, giving people from different cultures and different walks of life a chance to understand each other. But it is not an easy road for all the kids. "They still need support as they come up through the grades," said Watson. Yadira Alcauter, 15, said she had a particularly difficult time last year and remembers learning English: "It was hard." Now she plans to become a bilingual teacher. Reach reporter Damian Mann at 776-4476, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.