Our goal is to open the eyes and minds of the students to other important cultures. We want our students to learn Spanish well and use it in the community to help form a sense of unity in our society.

Come learn about the Center for Spanish Immersion at the following specialty fairs:

• Thomas Dale High School on Tuesday Oct 1, 2024 from 6:30-7:30 p.m.

• Clover Hill High School on Wednesday Oct. 9, 2024 from 6:30-7:30 p.m.

Nuestra casa es su casa. Venga a la fiesta. La CASA ABIERTA será el 17 de octubre.

We will host an open house on Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024 6:30-8 p.m.  

Aún hay tiempo para solicitar al centro de inmersión. Submit your application today using the SchoolMint application https://ccpsopportunities.com/login by Dec. 6.

The research is clear: Immersion programs, in which students spend at least 50 percent of their time learning in a second language, work amazingly well in developing students’ fluency and skills.

Please email Alexsis Booher if you have any questions (Alexsis_Booher@ccpsnet.net).

@MHSinmersion

When you enter into the Spanish Immersion Center, doors will open. It is up to you to step in! Every year there are many chances to learn outside of the classroom and visit many exciting places where you can use your Spanish.

Spanish Immersion students have the opportunity to experience a variety of cultural events both in and outside of the classroom. Spanish speaking guest speakers are invited to speak with our students on a variety of topics. Students also attend a yearly trip to Washington D.C. They attended a bilingual play at the Gala Hispanic Theatre and visited the Mexican Cultural Institute during Dia de los Muertos.

Spanish Immersion students are also granted the opportunity to study abroad over the summer. Students are fully immersed in a Spanish speaking country for 2-3 weeks. They live with a vetted host family, attend classes, and participate in daily guided excursions. The summer of 2025 Spanish Immersion students will be traveling to Heredia and Samara Costa Rica.

The Center for Spanish Immersion is committed to being a strong presence within the community. Over the past few years the program has worked with the Virginia Hispanic Foundation, VMFA, El Librotazo, the Christmas Mother Foundation, Feedmore, Chesterfield County Foodbank, Chalkley Elementary, Falling Creek Elementary, Beulah Elementary, Elizabeth Scott Elementary, Alberta Smith Elementary, Spring Run Elementary and Clover Hill Elementary.

Spanish Immersion seniors visit local elementary schools to help English language learners thrive in their classrooms and offer additional support to CCPS teachers.

Students also help with kindergarten registration days around the county. The students help interpret when needed and provide teachers with assistance when completing the Kindergarten Readiness Check.

The Center for Spanish Immersion has recently developed a working relationship with the Virginia Hispanic Foundation. The Virginia Hispanic Foundation has also provided the program several community opportunities through volunteering within the community and also through their Leadership Club offered at Falling Creek Elementary and Elizabeth Scott Elementary.

These events truly add to the experience of the program because the students gain confidence in using their Spanish in the real world while also helping their community.

Another way that our students benefit from the Spanish Immersion program is by creating strong bonds with other highly motivated students. We offer peer tutoring during school hours where our upperclassmen assist any younger student that may need a little help with Immersion classes. We also extend this mentoring beyond academics through our “Hermanos, hermanitos” program where the upperclassmen “adopt” a freshman in the program. We have events where the mentors and their mentees can get to know each other. We also have a special “reveal week” in October where the mentors leave clues via notes and small gifts to help their mentee guess their identity! At the end of that week, the mentors reveal their identity to the freshmen and usually by that time, a bond has started to form. This allows our freshmen to feel more comfortable with the program and ensures that they have at least one mentor in the program who can help answer any questions they might have during the transition to high school.