Escuela Bilingüe Internacional welcomes students new to Spanish

Escuela Bilingüe Internacional (EBI), with campuses on Alcatraz Avenue and San Pablo Avenue, is a Pre-K to Grade 8 international school with instruction in both Spanish and English.  While many students start during elementary school, EBI also admits students — whether they already speak Spanish or not — to the middle school.

The Accelerated Spanish Program serves students with limited or no background in Spanish, supporting them with an engaging curriculum that builds their language skills. 

EBI is the only school on the West Coast that offers the Primary Years Programme and Middle Years Programme of the International Baccalaureate (IB) program in both Spanish and English.

EBI students in Middle School, JR (Grade 7), Amaya (Grade 8), and Aven (Grade 7), moved from the Lower School into the bilingual program. Henry, a Grade 8 student, joined EBI in Grade 6 in the Accelerated Spanish Program. They shared their thoughts, in writing, about the school:

Why did you choose EBI for your middle school?
Henry: I chose EBI because it was a really welcoming community from the visits and events I came to, and the whole idea of having a bilingual education is and was really compelling.

Aven: EBI is a great community. I learn the best here because the teachers make sure everyone feels heard and seen.

JR: My family is half Mexican and one of my moms is fluent in Spanish. My parents cared about me, my brother, and sister learning Spanish, and we were in a Spanish immersion school in San Francisco when I was in elementary school. We moved to the East Bay in 2021, and EBI seemed like a really good fit for all of us because we could keep speaking Spanish and connect to a new community. I joined EBI in Grade 4 and after Grade 5, decided to stay because of the rich and diverse community and all the opportunities that my family and I knew would help me in the future.

Amaya: I chose EBI for my middle school because I had been going to this school since I was in preschool. I wanted to continue learning Spanish.

What part of the middle school curriculum do you find the most interesting and why?
Aven: Spanish is pretty awesome to learn. I have become bilingual. For example, we are writing a play in Spanish. 

Amaya: Our school has a special class called Individuals and Societies which is a mix of history and social studies. We learn about historical events from a modern viewpoint. I also find the English curriculum very interesting. In class, our learning is very hands-on. We have class discussions about the books we’re reading, we share our ideas with each other, and the class lectures are never boring.

JR: I like how EBI structures their summative projects because all of the teachers find cool and interesting ways to incorporate fun aspects with learning about interesting topics as a class. Recently, my English teacher assigned a project to write an essay about what it means to be a hero. This was very fun for me because I really love writing and I was able to take aspects of what interest me and incorporate them into my essay.

What extracurricular activities do you enjoy?
JR: For the past three years, my friends and I have been participating in World Scholars. This competition takes class debating to a whole new level with fun topics and thrilling arguments. We have weekly practices to learn about the material for four months and then we go to a school somewhere in Northern California for the competition around April.

What have you worked on recently that you’re proud of?
Henry: Right now, what we are working on is a unit involving Design, English, Individuals and Societies and Math, where we make a medieval-themed board game with mathematical elements. It is really fun.

Amaya: Recently, we had a project in Individuals and Societies where we had to make a poster about how diaspora has affected our family. We had to investigate about our family’s history, find photos and reflect on our findings. It was very interesting learning about my family’s heritage. 

What would you tell a student who is thinking about EBI as their middle school?
Henry: I would tell them that if they were scared of having to learn a new language, it would be fine, since everyone is really nice and helps you pick up a lot quickly. 

Amaya: I would tell them that the community is really great, especially the teachers. One of my favorite things that we do at EBI are our biweekly assemblies with all of the middle school students. They are led by students and centered around a  celebration or event coming up. They are such a fun experience, whether you’re leading them or just participating. 

Aven: You should join the EBI community because EBI focuses on each individual student and makes sure everyone excels. In Spanish, we are collaborating with Art and making a shadow play. We are talking about dialogue, making silhouettes and sets, and learning how the outline of drawings makes shadows on the screen. It is very fun.

Describe how the middle school students are involved with mentoring the students in the lower grades.
JR: Once I went to the lower campus with some of my friends to observe some of their classes and help them out. We were able to create PE classes for them and have fun activities in both English and Spanish.

Amaya: Just last week our grade had a project in design class where we presented a gender-inclusive toy design to the Grade 2 students. My favorite activity that we’ve done was leading the second graders around the Hispanic Heritage fair that the middle school led a couple years ago. 

Henry: One way is presenting projects to lower school students. It really lets you get good feedback and also inspires them to think about what they’d do in that project.

What do you think are the benefits of a bilingual education?
JR: My family and I went to Mexico City to visit relatives in January. None of my relatives in Mexico spoke any English, so I spoke with them in Spanish. I realize that EBI has given me the chance to study abroad in a Spanish-speaking country, and overall just opens a whole new window of opportunities for me as a student and as an adult. 

Aven: I know two languages. I have been lucky enough to visit other Spanish-speaking countries and experience their culture in a more meaningful way.