UTRGV’s Center for Bilingual Studies, in partnership with PUEDE (Parents United for Excellent Dual Education) and UTRGV’s B3 Institute, will celebrate the graduation of the first cohort of Dual-Language students from fifth grade in McAllen ISD.
The event will be held at 6 p.m., May 22, in the Student Union on the UTRGV Edinburg Campus,
These bilingual, biliterate students are from Andrew Jackson Elementary and Blanca E. Sanchez Elementary, and for most, it will be their first visit to a university campus.
This is a historic moment for UTRGV, which supports the goal of graduating students who are fully bilingual, bicultural and biliterate.
It is also an important milestone for the McAllen school district, which has announced that these fifth-graders will have the opportunity to continue in the Dual-Language program at Fossum Middle School. Until now, PSJA was the only school district in the Valley to offer a Dual-Language education beyond elementary school.
UTRGV’s Center for Bilingual Studies and the B3 Institute are hosting the celebration to support McAllen ISD’s commitment to Dual-Language Education, in the hope that many of the children will return to UTRGV in eight years as incoming students.
Organizers say a Dual-Language education provides more than just linguistic or economic advantages. Learning both Spanish and English in school helps students be proud of where they come from and empowers them to take better care of others in the community.
PUEDE has been organizing Valley parents interested in Dual-Language education since 2016. Parents from RGV PUEDE and McAllen PUEDE are co-hosting the celebration to support Dual-Language instruction because they say bilingualism goes hand in hand with the joy and pride of being bicultural and biliterate.
The event is free and open to the community.
