“Solo en español” is most definitely not an uncommon phrase to hear in a Spanish class. Most often met with the exasperated groans or furrowed brows of middle and high school students, it is difficult to imagine how a kindergartener might receive this request. For many, navigating the first year of school feels like translating a foreign language, and for Spanish Immersion students, it is exactly that.
With talks beginning in 2006, the SFSD Spanish Immersion program has grown from a class of 25 students to a current 690. From the elementary to high school level, it offers students the opportunity to fully immerse themselves in the Spanish language, with an end goal of complete fluency. Enrolled students receive the same education and are taught the same public school curriculum as other students, just entirely in Spanish. Having been thoroughly involved with the coordination of the program in its early stages, Shannon Graber has watched the program take off.
“It’s the time to learn a second language,” said Graber. “Learning a second language is so great to just understand [that] our world is not just one little city—it’s the world.”
Because she previously worked as a French immersion teacher in Minneapolis, Graber was invited to participate in discussions focused on increasing district involvement in world language. She felt an immersion program might be the right fit. Dr. Pam Homan, the superintendent at the time, was familiar with the success in Minneapolis and opted in.
“It just kind of blossomed,” said Graber. “I talked to everybody I could talk to and was able to find help [and] gather enough parents. It just started rolling.”
Once the idea had been proposed, the school district took two years to gather students, parents and teachers and form the first section at Rosa Parks Elementary School. The program later expanded to another class of Spanish Immersion students at Robert Frost Elementary School. In 2016, Sonia Sotomayor Elementary School was opened to bring together students from both schools and house the future of the Spanish Immersion program. Another leading figure in the creation of the program, Dr. Tracy Vik, was appointed as principal.
“We truly have students from all around the community, including six other school districts as well,” said Vik.
Since its opening, Sonia Sotomayor Elementary has prioritized creating the best possible environment to ensure students are fully immersed in the Spanish language. With teachers from 14 different countries, they are pushed to perceive the world through a hands-on approach.
“You’re learning about a whole other culture through example,” said Graber.
In 2022, Sonia Sotomayor was recognized as a National Blue Ribbon School. With efforts like Project Warm Up, diaper drives, soup collections and sock collections, it focuses on emphasizing the importance of service to others.
“[We are] teaching our kids that no matter how young or how old you are, you have the power to positively impact others by your actions and kindness,” said Vik.
The ability to speak, read and write fluently in another language also promises opportunities after graduation. Following the program from Sonia Sotomayor Elementary School to Edison Middle School and LHS, Spanish Immersion students will—hopefully—come out the other end with a working comprehension of the language and an ability to apply it to external endeavors.
“We need bilingual people right here in Sioux Falls: in our schools, in our medical professions, in our labor professions and in food service,” said Dr. Vik. “Being bilingual opens up your world to [a whole new] population.”
The unique constraints that characterize a school like this one also foster a unique community of students, parents and teachers.
Having been 4th graders when Sonia Sotomayor Elementary opened, the 2025 Spanish Immersion seniors represent the 5th graduating class since the program began. There is also something to be said for the relationships formed within and around the program. Having passed through schools, navigated teachers and grown into adults together, Spanish Immersion students often maintain close, uniquely sustained relationships.
“Those aspects or those limits help provide an opportunity for children to have this special community and [for] families to really have strong relationships,” said Vik.
Though sections have gotten bigger as the program continues to grow and develop, these relationships continue to be one of the most appealing and important aspects of the Spanish Immersion program.
“From my experience and from my child’s experience, it’s invaluable. Immersion programs begin with small children. And that is to me the very best time to learn a language. Not that it can’t be learned later, but it’s a really great time to learn,” said Graber. “So why not?”
