San Juan Hills to Feature More Spanish Classes

The popular Spanish immersion program is expanding at San Juan Hills High.

The Capistrano Unified School District’s school board on Wednesday unanimously agreed to add two new classes for the so-called “Two-Way Immersion” students.

The move allows “a full continuum of this program at San Juan Hills,” said Julie Hatchel, assistant superintendent of education services.

A group of students who pioneered the Two-Way program at San Juan Elementary nine years ago are ready to move up to high school, Hatchel said.

When they arrive next year, about 35 of them, they’ll be able to take a world history class in Spanish, the board decided. The district will spend about $25,000 on new textbooks.

Current Two-Way students at the high school only have one class in Spanish their freshman year. In addition, the school currently runs out of advanced Spanish curriculum for these students after 11th grade.

But the board also decided Wednesday to partner with Saddleback College to offer a college-level history class – either on Spanish or Latin American history – in Spanish.

Hatchel said if the students want college credit, they’ll have to pay for the class. Otherwise, they can take it for free for CUSD credit.

Trustees Lynn Hatton and Gary Pritchard asked district officials to lean on Saddleback College so that the class can be offered for free and still give students college credit.

“I think it’s doable with that partnership to cover the fees,” Pritchard said.

President John Alpay added that when the Two-Way kids at Viejo Elementary make their way up the educational ladder, they'll probably attend San Juan Hills, too.

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