Kindergarten through fifth-grade students at North Side School, part of the East Williston School District, joined in singing songs and practicing basic greetings during their very first Spanish classes with teacher Katie Conboy.

The introduction of Spanish is part of the newly implemented World Languages in the Elementary School program. The initiative, launched this year, is the result of extensive research by a committee of administrators, teachers and parents. The committee explored successful language programs in neighboring Long Island districts, attended workshop presentations at local and national conferences and conducted in-depth research before recommending the Spanish WLES program to introduce students to world languages at an early age.