As communities across North Texas celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, one North Texas school district is finding ways to embrace its diverse student body while preparing them for the future.
The Lewisville Independent School District is using two unique ways to embrace its students and their different cultures, while helping them prepare for the future.
Kids at Wellington Elementary School, in Flower Mound, begin speaking Spanish in kindergarten.
"It seems like more of a charter school type thing or a private school," said Amy Gray, who has two daughters in the district's dual language program.
"There's going be so many opportunities if you're bilingual. almost regardless of the language, but especially Spanish here in Texas," Gray added.
"Every year we have a waiting list," said Principal Robin Macke.
Macke launched the program four years ago.
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"The ability to have bilingualism, bi-literacy, bi-cultural is huge, " said Macke. "That's a gift we're giving these children."
Students go to school five days a week -- two of those days are only in Spanish, two are only in English and Friday's are split half and half.
The Hispanic population in Flower Mound is estimated at 8.3 percent.
Just a few miles down the road, in Lewisville, census records show the Latino population is nearly 30 percent. But 25 years ago, the Hispanic population was just 8.7 percent -- not much more than Flower Mound's today.
"My parents didn't go to college, my sister didn't go to college, so I feel like its an obligation for me to go to college," said Anthony Carreon, a senior at Lewisville High School.
Carreon is part of the district's AVID program, that's short for Advancement Via Individual Determination.
"We look at those kids who have the potential to be better and they just haven't had that push from a teacher or a parent that says hey, you can go to college, you can be smart and you can fulfill the dreams that you want to have," said Grant Wilhite, LHS' AVID coordinator.
AVID is a voluntary program, roughly 60 percent of the students are Hispanic.
They're identified by teachers, counselors or can sign up on their own.
It's designed to get kids into college.
"I decided to give it a shot," said Araceli Castillo, who is now a freshman a Texas State University.
She was the first in her family to attend middle school, but she fit right in with her peers in AVID at LHS.
"Because you know that people were going through the same struggle that you were," Castillo said.
Now she credits AVID with helping her get a four-year, tuition-free scholarship.
Which brings us back to Flower Mound, and the district's dual language program.
"Based on the area that we live in and the culture that we live in, it can't hurt you," said parent, Scot Gray.
"This district is very good about being forward thinking, with what are children going to need. not just right now, but what are they going to need 10, 15 years down the road," Macke said.
