Jefferson students all get Spanish – and a global view

These kids are learning languages and will be citizens of the world, able to converse in at least two languages. DP

By Sherry Saavedra, UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

Signonsandiego.com: CARLSBAD – Five-year-old Ian Hackett has learned an unexpected lesson in kindergarten: Learning more Spanish translates into more friends.

At Jefferson Elementary, about two-thirds of the students are Latino, and nearly half are Spanish speakers struggling to master the English language.

Ian, who is Caucasian, transferred to Jefferson in the fall when the school became an International Baccalaureate magnet program offering students a global perspective.

The Spanish lessons are part of the program, and every student in school receives them starting in kindergarten. Ian tries out his newfound language skills on the playground and outside of school.

“When he sees his Spanish-speaking friends off campus, and I hear him address them, he uses a good accent – good rolling r's,” said Joanne Hackett, his mother.

The magnet program was designed to draw students from crowded campuses to Jefferson, where enrollment had plummeted from 850 students in 2000 to 500 last year. Enrollment would have shrunk to 450 this year, but the magnet attracted 100 new students. Half are kindergarteners.
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