Rick Stiebel/B次元官网网址 Gazette staff
Two languages take you further than one.
The number of students learning French in this school district is increasing in leaps and bounds, said Cendra Beaton, president of the Sooke School District chapter of Canadian Parents for French B.C. & Yukon.
B次元官网网址淲hen French immersion was first introduced in 1991, we only had two teachers and about 30 students at John Stubbs and Saseenos elementary schools involved in the program,B次元官网网址� she noted. B次元官网网址淭wenty-seven years later, we have 1,278 students. That represents more than 11 per cent of the districtB次元官网网址檚 total student population.B次元官网网址�
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Ecole John Stubbs (now an elementary and middle school) Poirier Elementary, Millstream Elementary, Journey Middle School and Belmont and Edward Milne secondary schools offer French immersion programs on the West Shore and in Sooke.
Program options include Kindergarten, Grade One, Grade Six and late immersion. B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檝e been growing at a steady rate,B次元官网网址� Beaton said. B次元官网网址淚n fact, enrolment has been breaking records for the past six or seven years. We hope the school district continues to maintain the support required even more.B次元官网网址�
Beaton believes there are many reasons for the programs dramatic increase in popularity with parents. B次元官网网址淭here are so many benefits, including travel and employment opportunities, not just with local government, but in countries around the world.B次元官网网址�
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Demand for bilingual employees is increasing in the airline and hospitality industries, as well as in public service and with call centres, she noted. Demand for French immersion teachers in B.C. is another area of increasing demand, she added.
Learning a second language has numerous health benefits, including promoting more development of the social and cognitive parts of the brain, Beaton explained. B次元官网网址淏eing immersed in multiple cultures simultaneously also develops social tolerance and cultural acceptance,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 like a cardio workout for your brain. It helps make the world a better place one student at a time. And the younger you are the easier it is to learn.B次元官网网址�
Beaton cited Andrea Brown, a former Sooke School District French immersion student who works as a teacher on the Lower Mainland, as a shining example of what the program can do to help people achieve their goals. Brown is one of two teachers who recently earned a $2,000 grant from Canadian Parents for French B.C. &Yukon that will go towards French immersion education.
B次元官网网址淎s a chapter president, itB次元官网网址檚 a really proud moment to see one of our students receive the award,B次元官网网址� Beaton said. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a testament to the quality of our program and the support it receives from the district, teachers and parents.B次元官网网址�
For information on how to register for the French immersion program, visit .
Find all of the stories that were in the fall West Shore Family publication .
