Walsh Middle School Designated as an International Spanish Academy

Staff and students associated with Walsh Middle School's Two-Way Bilingual Program visited the Consulate of Spain in Boston to receive the school's official designation as an International Spanish Academy.

International Spanish Academies are educational centers encompassing all grade levels, known for their academic prestige, explained Walsh Middle School Principal Teresa Carney.

The teaching model is based on a shared curriculum of both languages with a vision and mission that encourage students’ academic success in all subjects of the curriculum, educates students in the values of multicultural education to foster international communication and respect among different cultures, trains students to express themselves and effectively communicate in English and Spanish in their personal relationships and in an academic setting, promotes the access of students to prestigious centers of higher education throughout the U.S., Spain/Europe and Latin America and prepares students for their professional development in an international context.

These Academies sign an agreement with the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport. 

"This is an extreme honor and gives our students and teachers in the program many advantages," said Carney.

Advantages to being designated, Carney explained, include:

• Spanish Visiting Teachers
• Language and Culture Assistants
• Continuing education summer courses in Spain for teachers and administrators
• Pedagogical support
• Twinning with Spanish schools
• Resources