ROHNERT PARK - The 11th annual Jack London Award for Educational Excellence was awarded to the Cali Calmecac Immersion School in Windsor, which was commended for its Student Exchange Program.
Cali Calmecac Immersion School is a K-8 Spanish immersion school with 750 students. When students are in eighth grade, they have the opportunity to live with Mexican families and attend a Mexican middle school in Acambaro, Mexico for a three week period. The Mexican host brothers and sisters also have the opportunity to come to study in at Cali Calmecac. Both sets of students quickly become bilingual and learn cross-cultural attitudes and behaviors.
According to Ginger Dale, program coordinator at Cali Calmecac, the exchange program extends the students' learning beyond the classroom to the world. For those Mexican American students living in the U.S., the advantage lies in discovering their rich cultural heritage. Many of these students have never been to Mexico and know little of its history. The exchange program promotes the Spanish language and culture. "This is important for their positive self-concept because as a member of an ethnic minority in the U.S., they often have to confront low status in American society. Our graduates show very positive attitudes toward their own cultural background and toward others," Dale said.
Students not from Latino homes in the U.S. benefit by gaining a high degree of bilingualism and understanding of a different culture. The parents of the students have reported that their children come home with appreciation for what they have but are also less materialistic because they have seen how generous were the relatively poorer families in Mexico.
The Jack London Excellence in Education Award is given annually to classroom teachers coordinating exemplary educational programs in Sonoma County public schools. Programs coordinated by school administrators or community representatives are eligible for the Jack London Special Award for Community-School Cooperation.
Other runners up in the competition were: Casa Grande High School, Mario Carrillo High School, Petaluma High School, Rancho Cotati High School, Santa Rosa City School District and Piner-Olivet Union School District, and Sheppard Accelerated Elementary School.
Sponsors of the Jack London Awards include Sonoma State University, the California Faculty Association, the California Teachers Association, the Variable Annuity Life Insurance Company, and the Sonoma County Office of Education.
For more information:
http://www.sonoma.edu/Education/JL_Description.html
