Immersion program brings students from two schools together

Fox Hollow Elementary School opened its doors this past fall, becoming the first French immersion program for Jordan District elementary students. First graders who participate in the program are taught the first half of their day completely in French by a native speaking teacher, and the second half of the day is taught by an English speaking teacher. To add another level of immersion, Copper Hills High School senior Shyanne Williams and five of her classmates spend every Monday afternoon with the students.

“It’s important for students to hear different accents, and learn to understand the language in different ways,” Shyanne said. “On Mondays, I get to teach them songs, play games and read them stories. I talk with them about what they are learning and we have a good time doing it.”

The students seem to like working with the high school students as well.

“I love reading the library books in French,” 1st grader Madeleine Petersen said.

“I like doing the computer games in French,” 1st grader Bella Conforto said.

The immersion program will grow with these students, adding grades as they move through the education system. The hope is once these students have been immersed in a foreign language for nine years, they will be fluent in French.

“I didn’t start taking French until 8th grade,” Shyanne said. “I fell in love with it from the start. I can only imagine how easy it will be for these 1st graders when they are in high school.”

Copper Hills French teacher Charlotte Van Wagenen calls the relationship between the two schools a win-win situation for everyone.

“One of the main goals of learning a foreign language is the sense of community that comes about,” Van Wagenen said. “This project allows for that sense of community to occur, and encourages the students to continue learning French.” 

The French program at Copper Hills High School is one of the best in the state. Each year,Van Wagenen creates opportunities outside of the classroom for her French students to learn.

“It’s not very often that you walk down the street and hear people in Utah talking in French,” Shyanne said. “So Ms. Van Wagenen helps us take advantage of every opportunity there is to be part of the culture through movies, service projects and bringing people in for us to talk to.”

The relationship between Copper Hills and Fox Hollow was born out of both teachers’ desires to expose their students to others speaking French.

“The project at Fox Hollow has been such a good experience for my high school students,” Van Wagenen said. “My students get to see the value of learning French starting at the elementary level. And the Fox Hollow students get to practice what they are currently learning with the big kids, and everybody gets to have fun. “