MUNCIE — Walk into a classroom at Westview Elementary School in Muncie on any given day and you'll hear students speaking both English and Spanish.
It's a key to the Muncie school system's future as it works to retain and attract families. The Westview Dual Language Immersion Program runs from kindergarten through fourth grade with a new grade added each year.
It's vital in an environment where people have many choices as to where their children will attend class.
"By the time they are done with elementary school, middle school and high school, they will not only be bilingual but also biliterate, making them twice as marketable for any position," said Eric Ambler, principal at Westview Elementary School.
Behind the scenes, there are talks about how to expand the program when this group of students heads to middle and high school.
The district in partnership with Ball State University is also working on making sure they have and will have plenty of teachers to get the job done.
"It enhances the chances of us being able to get a high quality candidate and but also a concerted effort educators who are bilingual and bi-literate," Ambler said. "When we use that lens of opportunity for families, it's something that didn't exist previously. Its something we are building upon through this partnership."
