A New School Year and New LeadershipDear Immersion Parents,
I am pleased to introduce myself, Dr. Liza Speece, as the new Coordinator for World Languages and Dual Language Immersion. While I am new to this role, I am not new to Lexington One, or immersion. I began my Lexington One career as a third grade Spanish immersion teacher at Pleasant Hill Elementary. Then I became the World Language Teacher Support Specialist for the district, and I worked alongside our previous coordinator, Dawn Samples for several years. My son is also an immersion student, which means I understand this program from every possible angle. Before coming to Lexington One I taught Elementary Spanish in a different district, at the University of SC, and at Columbia College and I teach as an adjunct professor for USC and College of Charleston. I am also proud to introduce our new World Language Teacher Support Specialist, Amanda Hajji. Amanda taught French at LHS for 8 years, as well as Yearbook; she has also served on a variety of boards and professional organizations in the World Languages community. I am so glad to have her on board! You might have heard that we hosted our very first district wide Immersion Summer Camp in July: Passport to Adventure. We had 209 students studying all four immersion languages (Chinese, French, German, and Spanish) under one roof. There were 5 Spanish classes, 3 German, 2 French, and 2 Chinese. It was such a great success, we are already planning for next year! We'd especially like to see more involvement from MS and HS immersion students as classroom helpers. Check out pictures and performances here. Immersion is such an incredible experience both for children and parents, but at times, it can also be confusing and challenging. I understand that, and it is my goal to keep you informed and make sure that you and your children have the best, most enriching experience possible. Thank you for trusting us with your children, and for believing that languages open doors. Please check back here monthly for immersion updates and classroom highlights. You can also reach me at [email protected], or in my office at 803-821-3812. I look forward to hearing from you. Sincerely, Liza Speece |