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Omaha's South HS wins award for dual language program

South High School’s Dual Language Program was recently awarded the 2017 High School level School of the Year Award from the Spanish Embassy and the International Spanish Academy.

Mary Espinosa, the Dual Language Instructional Facilitator, represented South High at the awards ceremony. 

Espinosa says they received the award because of their dual language program.  She says key elements of the program include bilingual instruction, community outreach and parental involvement. 

Espinosa says they work hard to keep parents connected to their children’s education regardless of their language backgrounds.

"When we reach out to parents, either I myself or the liaison will call the parents and we speak to them in their language because we are all bilingual.  It’s much more personal.  It makes the parents comfortable and makes them more willing to have these conversations with the school about whatever is going on with their students.”

Espinosa says these conversations make parents comfortable enough to come into the school buildings because they know there’s someone they can communicate with. 

She says some of the prizes included teacher and student scholarships to study abroad, classroom books and online/virtual programs of study for the Omaha South High Dual Language Program.