Fronteras Spanish Immersion School Prepares Students for a Diverse Society
by georgina arias ávila
Sol de Medianoche spoke with Jennifer Hutchins, director of Fronteras Spanish Immersion in Wasilla. Fronteras opened its doors in 2005 and offers academic instruction half in English and half in Spanish.
Who had the original idea to create Fronteras Spanish Immersion? Fronteras’ charter was written by a few teachers and several parents who wanted to create a Spanish immersion school.
Are there more of this type of school in Alaska? There are numerous language immersion schools in Alaska; however, Fronteras is the only language immersion school in the Matanuska Susitna Borough School District.
What is the goal to learn Spanish as a second language? The goal is for our students to exit eighth grade with the ability to work and successfully live in a Spanish speaking country.
What percentage of Spanish is used in the classrooms? Half of our students’ academics is instructed in English and the other half is instructed in the target language, Spanish.
What are the advantages of learning a second language for students? The benefits of learning a second language provide advantages as our students develop into citizens of the global community. The process of language acquisition promotes cognitive growth, helps to build, and maintain cultural identity, and encourages personal development and intercultural understanding.
Do you have native Spanish tutors or teachers? In classrooms, we have 10 native speakers, two bilingual speakers, and five English only speakers. We have four tutor advisors. Three that are native speaking and one English only.
Do you have students of Hispanic origin? We have only one family that is Spanish only: no English spoken in the home. Less than 12% of our enrollment is Hispanic. Those families speak both English and Spanish in the home.
What are the successful results from the creation of the school until now? We are very proud of being named a 2023 National Blue Ribbon School for Exemplary High Performing. It means a lot to us to earn this award, as our students learn their academics in two languages and still perform so well nationally. Other successes include being the first and only charter school to date, to secure a USDA loan to construct our new building in 2015, growing our enrollment from 207 to 344, and being named a five time Capturing Kids’ Hearts National Showcase School.
