West Coulee Station Elementary School is officially an International Spanish Academy School.
Yesterday (Oct 15), at a special ceremony in Calgary at the Spanish embassy, West Coulee became the first ISA school south of Calgary. This year also marks the 10th year off the Spanish bilingual program in Lethbridge School Division.
ISA schools offer bilingual education in English and Spanish with the support and recognition of Spain's Ministry of Education, connecting students through language and culture.
West Coulee principal, Hawkins, and Grade 5 Spanish Bilingual Program teacher Ana Rebolone Morrison represented the school at this special celebration with the Spanish Embassy.
"It was a really special moment," said Rebolone Morrison, who added West Coulee was fortunate to have the deputy minister of education of Spain (Gonzalo González de Lara, official title Secretary General of the Education Office of Spain in USA and Canada) Alberta for meetings, who also signed the documents with Hawkins. "This is the first designation he has done in Alberta, and he did it for our school! There were also several other delegates present from around North America."
Officials from the Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Sports, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (European Union and Cooperation) and Alberta Education and Childcare also attended the event.
A special thank you goes to West Coulee's Spanish teachers, whose dedication, creativity and hard work keep the program growing.
West Coulee also recognizes the school's visiting teachers, who have crossed an ocean to teach Spanish, sharing their language, cultures and passion with students. Thank you for bringing a little piece of home into the West Coulee classrooms and helping students discover a wider world.
To all our staff and community, thank you for supporting our bilingual program, embracing our school's cultures and celebrating every step forward together. This achievement belongs to our whole community!
Together, we learn, grow and celebrate.
To our students and families, thank you for being part of this journey!
¡Gracias por hacerlo posible!
