SOUTH JORDAN, Utah — Monte Vista Elementary in South Jordan is FOX 13's Cool School of the Week, and it's easy to see why! The school is a Chinese Dual Language Immersion school, offering students the opportunity to learn Chinese alongside their core curriculum.
"DLI [Dual Language Immersion] is an amazing opportunity for these kids," said school Principal Natalie Gleave. "There's a lot of research that says kids who know two languages have better memory skills, they have better executive functioning skills."
Teachers at the school say the immersive environment makes learning engaging for students both academically and culturally.
Students are exposed to Chinese culture through hands-on activities, including art and performance.
One popular activity is Chinese yo-yo.
"The Chinese yoyo is an art that was discovered a really long time ago, and it's a really fun activity for everybody to do," said one Monte Vista student.
Each year, Monte Vista students also put on a large Chinese New Year program at Bingham High School, providing them with an opportunity to showcase what they've learned.
According to students, being part of a dual language program makes the school more exciting and meaningful. "It is a good different feel," one student said. "You just get to do two different things in one day, and I've really loved learning about a different culture."
Monte Vista is also a National Unified Champion School, focusing on inclusion and belonging for students of all abilities.
The program, which works in collaboration with the Special Olympics, offers students tools and training to create sports, classroom, and school climates of acceptance. The group says the program isn't meant to be given to students but rather to allow them to be architects of lasting change within their communities.
"I have children myself who have special needs, and I saw them going through elementary school and the difficulty they somehow had making friends and just feeling like they are part of the school," said Miss Lisa, one of the coordinators of the Unified Sports program. "It's very much a passion project for me to just help everyone come to school and feel like this is their school."
At the end of our morning at Monte Vista, Granite Credit Union surprised Miss Lisa and the teachers behind the Unified Sports Program with a donation. "This will help us grow the program," Miss Lisa said. "We're thinking about recess ambassadors now, and how we can take this mindset and put it on the playground, so everyone has someone to play with."
If you know a Cool School, send an email to GoodDayUtah@Fox13Now.com or fill out the nomination form on our website.
