Similar to its North End counterpart, The Beacon Hill International School will feature a choice of three programs: Spanish and English dual language immersion, Chinese Mandarin and English partial language immersion and an English language international program.
"We're treating it as new," noted principal Susie Murphy, a career educator and Seattle native who has been at the helm of Beacon Hill Elementary for the past seven years. "It's a focused and intentional curricular and programatic shift, but it's building on the things we have already been doing. It builds on the school's diversity from the community."
Murphy noted that her kindergarten through fifth-grade school is composed of more than 80 percent children of color who, when combined, speak 14 languages.
During the Tuesday morning ceremony celebrating the school's new focus on global education, new Seattle Public School Superintendent Maria L. Goodloe-Johnson and Seattle School Board President Cheryl Chow spoke about the transformation alongside former Washington Governor Gary Locke and Consul of Mexico Patricia Garduno.
For more information about the school's change in programing, and how to get your child on the waiting list, visit www.seattleschools.org.
Erik Hansen may be reached via editor@sdistrictjournal.com.
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