Rock Hill children speak French, Spanish, shovel dirt at groundbreaking

French and Spanish rolled effortlessly off their little tongues as they greeted a packed crowd in the library.

After the “wows” and thunderous applause, the elementary school kids hopped off the pedestal in front of the microphone and grabbed a shovel.

One boy hunkered down and dug out the biggest pile of dirt he could handle and turned it over at the groundbreaking ceremony of a new school — The Language Immersion Academy.

School district officials, Rock Hill school board members, educators and parents joined the kids who are in immersion programs at three local schools.

The $18 million academy consolidates the Spanish immersion programs at Ebinport and Richmond Drive elementary schools and the French immersion program at Rosewood.

Kindergarten through fifth-graders will attend the academy, which will connect to Sullivan Middle School. School officials said the district is planning to expand the program to middle and high schools and could add a college component. The academy is expected to open in the fall of 2018.

Tracy Kimball: 803-329-4084

This story was originally published August 31, 2017 at 4:12 PM with the headline "Rock Hill children speak French, Spanish, shovel dirt at groundbreaking."