Oakland School to Present ‘Día de los Muertos’ Altar for Victims of Earthquake in Perú

Oakland, CA, October 28, 2007 -- This Sunday, Escuela Bilingüe Internacional, a bilingual school in Oakland, will present an altar honoring the victims of a deadly earthquake in Perú. The altar, which will include handmade art and messages written by the children as well as actual Peruvian artifacts from the school’s teachers, will be on display at the EBI booth at the Día de los Muertos Festival in the Fruitvale section of Oakland.

The festival (http://www.unitycouncil.org/ddlm/index.htm) will take place on International Boulevard between Fruitvale Avenue and 40th Avenue and in the Fruitvale Village Plaza. EBI’s booth will be located on International Boulevard, cross street 38th. Parents and children from the school will be at the booth between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m.. Generally, the event attracts about 100,000 people.

"As concerned citizens of the world, Escuela Bilingüe Internacional will join in solidarity with Perú this Día de los Muertos to forge a bond with the people and show them we care," said Berta Ortega-Plate, EBI’s preschool director who spearheaded the project. "Many families in Perú are suffering the losses of loved ones, homes and entire communities. Through their flowers, art and messages, the children at EBI want to share with Perú and the world their compassion for those who lost their homes and schools in the earthquake."

The children had many questions about the disaster and even made cards, which EBI will mail to a school in Canete, Perú.

"The feeling expressed by the children when they heard about what happened in Perú was that we needed to help them," Ortega-Plate said. "We needed to build them new houses, new schools and make sure that the children there are not afraid. What we want to say is that here in EBI in the city of Oakland, California, the children and teachers are thinking of them."

EBI (www.ebinternacional.org) is the first independent Spanish-English dual-immersion program in the state of California. EBI's nonprofit mission is to provide an excellent Spanish-English bilingual education based on the highest international academic standards in an environment that thrives on diversity, fosters global citizenship, and develops the character necessary to recognize that cultural uniqueness is the touchstone of our common humanity.

There are 112 students enrolled in pre-primary, kindergarten and first grade at the school, which is in its second year of operation. The school plans to add an additional grade each year until it reaches 8th grade.

In a dual immersion setting, the children are in a Spanish-only environment in the pre-primary grades. They receive one hour of English instruction in Kindergarten and 1st grade, and two hours in 2nd grade, after, which they will be taught half their subjects in Spanish and the rest in English. The program ensures that children gain native fluency in both languages by the 8th grade.

For more information, please contact Elisa Batista at ebatista at ebinternacional.org or (415) 305-6217.   

Escuela Bilingüe Internacional welcomes seasoned educator Dr. Carol Per Lee as Interim Head
As Escuela Bilingüe Internacional enters its second year, this ground-breaking school will be lead by an educator with decades of experience running schools with project- and inquiry-based education.

Oakland, CA, June 16, 2007 – Escuela Bilingüe Internacional (EBI) is extremely pleased to announce that it has appointed Carol Per Lee as Interim School Head.

Carol has spent a lifetime as an educator, with more than 30 years experience in the classroom and as an administrator.

Carol's experience as Head of School is vast and impressive. She has spent 20 years as Head at three different independent schools. For 7 years, she led The Seven Hills School (K-8) in Walnut Creek. Following Seven Hills, she was appointed Director of the Walden School (pre-K - 6) in Pasadena, where she served for 12 years. Most recently, she was selected as Interim Head of School at the Alcuin Montessori School (pre-K - 6) in Oak Park, IL. Most recently, this past year Carol has been utilizing resources at the University of Chicago to finish a manuscript exploring the pedagogical value of narrative storytelling.

In her remarkable teaching career, Carol taught Spanish, English, French, Italian, Social Studies and Elementary Education in both public and independent schools.

Says EBI Board Chair Liza Sánchez, "Carol brings truly extraordinary skills and an immense wealth of knowledge to EBI, and we are delighted to welcome her into our community. Her decades of leadership experience in schools with both project- and inquiry-based education will be an asset to EBI with our International Baccalaureate Organization curriculum."

Carol's academic and teaching credentials are as impressive as her experience. She earned her BA in Spanish, French and Italian from UC Berkeley, an MA in Educational Psychology from University of Washington, Seattle and an Ed.D. from the University of San Francisco. She has also led countless workshops and presentations over the years.

Carol speaks to her excitement at joining EBI, "During my career, I have had the privilege of working in excellent schools, but Escuela Bilingüe Internacional is truly unique. Many schools teach Spanish, but often do so as an addition to the traditional subjects. At EBI children's conversations and lessons are in Spanish, and learning a second language is experienced as a natural part of living in a diverse world."

Perhaps most exciting, however, are the words her colleagues, peers and employees use to depict her. They describe her as an "extraordinary educational and administrative leader" who has tremendous "insight into the needs of children" and an intuitive "ability to understand parent-child relationships." She knows how to "balance well her role and responsibilities as Director while supporting parents" and brings "vision, energy, insight, compassion and integrity to all that she does."

"Carol is as enthusiastic about joining EBI and furthering the school's mission as we are about having her on board," continues Liza Sanchez. As the former President of the Pasadena Interracial Women's Club, she has an abiding, and proven, commitment to issues of diversity and equity. As a former teacher of Spanish, she brings tremendous respect for the Spanish-speaking world, and believes deeply in our motto "Two Languages, Many Cultures, One World." And as a fifth-generation Berkeley native, she will be right at home in the East Bay. Carol joins EBI in early July.

EBI began the search for an Interim Head when its Founding Head Graciela Lopez decided in March, at the urging of her physician, to step down from her role at the end of this school year.

About EBI (www.ebinternacional.org) EBI is the first independent Spanish-English dual-immersion program in northern California and the first of its kind in Oakland. EBI's nonprofit mission is to provide an excellent Spanish-English bilingual education based on the highest international academic standards in an environment that thrives on diversity, fosters global citizenship, and develops the character necessary to recognize that cultural uniqueness is the touchstone of our common humanity.

In a dual immersion setting, the children are in a Spanish-only environment in preschool. They receive one hour of English instruction in Kindergarten and 1st grade, and two hours in 2nd grade, after, which they will be taught half their subjects in Spanish and the rest in English. The program ensures that children gain native fluency in both languages by the 8th grade.