The Seattle Public Schools announced on April 8 that Chief Sealth High School, located in West Seattle, will become the district's first international high school. It will join Concord Elementary and Denny Middle School -- also West Seattle schools -- in promoting language proficiency and "global perspectives" in every class.
“Adding Chief Sealth to the international program pathway gives us a predictable feeder pattern in West Seattle that ensures students can be immersed in international education from kindergarten through their senior year of high school,” Superintendent Maria Goodloe-Johnson said in the press release.
Students in the international education program will take classes that focus on world economics, multicultural literature, and global arts. An international social studies curriculum will examine issues faced worldwide.
Sealth High School will be returning to its original building starting in the 2010-11 school year, and will be renamed the Chief Sealth International High School. A $125 million-dollar renovation project will reflect the change, and includes language labs, an area for community events, and space for teachers.
Sealth will become the sixth international program in the Seattle Public School District, joining John Stanford, Hamilton, Beacon Hill, Concord and Denny. According to Goodloe-Johnson, “Research shows that language immersion and other world language programs promote academic achievement for English Language Learners as well as English-speaking students."
