Walking into one of the many Omaha South High School dual-language classrooms, it's hard to tell what the class is learning.
But for the more than 100 students, the important thing isn't what they're learning - it's how they're learning it.
Ana Barbosa, 17, has been in the program for three years and just took her last available class, math.
Omaha South is the only high school in Nebraska, and one of a few in the Midwest, offering a full immersion dual-language program where instruction is given 50 percent in English and 50 percent in Spanish, with the language alternating daily.
``This is why I'm doing dual language, so I can be strong in both English and Spanish,'' Barbosa said.
The best part of the program, the senior said, is if you don't know something in Spanish, you can learn it in English. Plus, it's giving her a head start and preparing her for college.
Barbosa, who has been accepted to the University of Nebraska at Kearney and is a recipient of a multicultural community scholarship, said she wants to major in business and minor in Spanish. And she plans to incorporate what she's learned in the dual-language program with those studies.
The dual-language curriculum is an honors program with about 100 students. Some of the classes offered include math, social studies, science, Spanish and information technology.
Mary Ann Tietjen, the dual-language coordinator at South High, said the students are accepted into the program depending on their proficiency in Spanish and English.
``A student can speak two languages,'' Tietjen said, ``but it doesn't mean they're a `biliterate' student. A student always needs to be on their toes and be ready to communicate in any language.''
Many of the students in the program are constantly learning new words in both languages, no matter what their native tongue is. And the program teaches the idioms of a language that are often lost in a single-language classroom.
Omaha Public Schools started the dual-language program seven years ago at a handful of elementary and middle schools, but a grant was written to get the program started at South High.
Tietjen said the program was designed to recognize students who were academically sound but lacked English language skills. At the same time, these students also had to learn English.
Last year the program saw its first graduates, and next year they will begin offering classes for all grade levels.
While both teachers and students have hailed the program a success, it has been hard to staff the classes and find qualified teachers - let alone bilingual teachers. Plus, living in the Midwest makes finding staff, especially a science teacher, even more difficult, Tietjen said.
``We've recruited teachers from Spain and the Southwest,'' she said. ``But you need to be endorsed in the subject you teach and be bilingual. We're asking our teachers to wear two hats ... to teach a subject and a language.''
Teachers not only have to prepare themselves, but they have to force students out of their comfort zones, requiring the students to speak English on English days and Spanish on Spanish days.
Doing so allows students to deal with difficult subject matters in both languages and build a thorough understanding through the instructional approach.
With the use of visual aids, reviewing and previewing both languages daily and making comparisons across languages, the students are able to use both Spanish and English without relying too heavily on one or the other.
Tietjen said it's important to remember the lesson is built daily and not just repeated the next day in a different language. This forces the students to learn in either language, helping achieve ultimate fluency.
Daisy Campos, 17, has also taken all of the class offered in the program. The program has helped prepare her for the future, especially because there is a high demand for bilingual job applicants.
Campos said even though Spanish is the language her family has always spoken, the program has helped enhance her Spanish skills. And she hopes to build on those skills in college by minoring in Spanish.
Campos applied and was accepted to Creighton University, College of St. Mary, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the University of Nebraska at Omaha and the University of Nebraska at Kearney.
Leticia Rojas-Larios, the dual-language facilitator at South High, said recent graduates of the program who continue on to college have been minoring in Spanish or pursing some of the many available translating jobs.
But one of the more noteworthy features of the program is the individual connection between teachers and the students because of the small class sizes.
``I try to have a one-on-one relationship (with the student),'' Rojas-Larios said. ``So that they always have someone to rely on.''
She continues this outside of the classroom by keeping the parents knowledgeable about what and how their child is doing in school.
Rojas-Larios said she makes it a point to have at least two or three meetings with the parents and is sure to call the parents as often as possible.
Tietjen said the school hopes to offer dual-language electives, such as art classes, in the future. But money is always an issue, as is enrollment in the program.
An immediate goal is to recruit students from outside of the Omaha South area.
She said South High's vision is to see students from all over Omaha come to South High and be a part of the international experience.
Unfortunately, administrators know it takes a truly special student to get on a bus and leave their comfort zone and do the extra work required of bilingual students.
``The dual-language program at South is a well-kept secret,'' Tietjen said. ``And the kids recognize it has a marketable skill.
``I just wish I had the opportunity when I was in high school.''
