The International School of Tucson ("IST") is considering open a Russian-immersion elementary class this August. The initial group is aimed at students aged 5 – 7 who already have conversational levels of both English and Russian.
Students would follow a dual-immersion programme with Russian for half a day and English for half a day. The proposed Russian programme would follow the same format and meet the same expectations as the school's existing programmes in French, German and Spanish.
IST's elementary programme, or "Junior School", emphasises reading and writing. Prospective students would need to have a conversational level of spoken Russian, said Head of School Mr Robert Young. Most IST students enter IST's preschool at age three or four where the focus is on speaking, so to skip this stage students will probably be speaking Russian at home he said.
Teacher Ms Veronika Williams taught in Siberia before coming to Tucson to take her MA at the University of Arizona. IST's programme has the support of UA's Department of Russian and Slavic Studies.
Founded five years ago, IST counts 21 nationalities and its 14 faculty represent ten countries. International enquiries for information on the School are increasing noticeably, as are enquiries from elsewhere in the US such as Chicago, Boston, New York and Washington suggesting an increasing national and international interest in the Old Pueblo.
Families interested in knowing more should visit www.InternationalSchoolofTucson.org.
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