Both Concord Elementary School and Denny Middle School celebrated their diverse student bodies and new international curriculum at Concord this morning.

At 10 a.m. first grade students, both native Spanish-speakers and those new to the language, took a math class entirely taught in Spanish, as a part of the school’s dual-language immersion program. Meanwhile, upstairs in Concord’s media center elementary students enjoyed watching Denny Middle School’s steel drum band and saw their own class mates perform a native Cuban dance.

Superintendent Maria Goodloe-Johnson and West Seattle School Board director Steve Sundquist were on hand to offer their congratulations to both Denny and Concord.

“We are committed to making ‘Excellence for All’ the standard across the district,” said Goodloe-Johnson. “It is important to understand cultural diversity so that our students might graduate to be competitive globally.”

Denny and Concord will both see changes in their curriculum this fall.

Denny Middle School will begin offering a dual-language program. Spanish will be Denny’s target language which they will teach in three ways: one format for students new to the language, another for native speakers that may not be able to read and write in Spanish and a third for bilingual students. The school will also continue to offer Mandarin language classes and may offer Arabic in the future.

Concord Elementary already has a successful dual immersion Spanish program for Kindergarten and first grade. Dr. Norma Zavala, a native Spanish speaker was appointed as Concord principal for the fall of 2009 and will expand Scott’s popular program.

Clark has repeatedly commended Scott and Concord for developing an excellent foreign language program that his own son participates in.

Both schools will integrate a global perspective into each class, offering courses such as multicultural literature, world economics, global health and arts, music, dance and drama from around the world.

Scott says the program will provide additional resources to Concord as well.

“The world is getting smaller so having the students ready to participate in a global economy is essential,” said Sandra Scott, principal of Concord Elementary School.

“It will be a great fit for all of our kids,” said Jeff Clark, principal at Denny Middle School. “Every child can benefit from a global perspective.”

Both schools have exceptionally diverse student populations that the district believes will be well served through the new globally-conscious curriculum. Concord’s 315 students currently speak fifteen different languages, while Denny’s student body of 625 students speaking more than 22 languages.

The two schools will also be working with Chief Sealth High School, which offers the prestigious International Baccalaureate program, a demanding college prep series of international courses and exams.

Seattle Public Schools developed the standards for international education between 1998 and 2000. The district now has five designated international schools with a goal of eleven total.

“This is a significant expansion of an invaluable program: educating our students to become global citizens,” said Superintendent Maria Goodloe-Johnson, Ph. D. “ Students with a global perspective have a better understanding of the world around them, the language skills to communicate across cultural boundaries, and a deeper knowledge of the connections that link our community to those of the world at large.”