Fort Collins school's dual-language immersion program certified by French government

Students danced and sang songs in French on Monday to celebrate official recognition by the French government of the language immersion program at Axis International Academy, a Fort Collins charter school.

The recognition, through the awarding of the Label of FrancEducation, is the first for a school in Northern Colorado, said Dimitri Demianenko, deputy counsel general of the French Consulate in Los Angeles.

The certification through the French Ministry of Education and Youth is a recognition of the school’s alignment in its dual-immersion program for students in French and English with the required curriculum at the appropriate grade levels with those necessary to earn a French Baccalaureate, an internationally recognized high school diploma, according to an informational link on the website of the Cultural Services of the French Embassy in the United States.

Students should be able to seamlessly transfer to schools in France or elsewhere in the world with the Label of FrancEducation. Teachers will have access to that network as well, enabling them to participate in exchange programs among schools throughout the world, Demianenko said. There are more than 580 schools in 139 countries with the certification, including two others in Colorado — Global Village Academy at its locations in Aurora and Parker and the Denver branch of Alliance Francais.

“This label is a testament to the success of the administration and teachers, all of whom are dedicated to the importance of offering immersion education to students who benefit from a true dual-language education in English and French,” Demianenko said. “… And after all the efforts from your school administration and community, it is only natural that the French government would wish to formally recognize the quality of your program by rewarding you the FrancEducation Label.”

Demianenko was one of a handful of dignitaries on hand for the ceremony at Axis, a tuition-free public charter school for students in preschool through sixth grade authorized through the statewide Charter School Institute. Terry Croy Lewis, executive director of the Colorado Charter School Institute, and Angelika Schroeder, the Colorado State Board of Education member representing the 2nd Congressional District, each gave brief congratulatory speeches in person, while Fort Collins Mayor Jeni Arndt, Colorado State Rep. Andrew Boesenecker and Colorado Gov. Jared Polis recorded video versions that were shared with the 50 or so parents and community members in attendance.

Axis leases space for its school on the southeast corner of Drake Road and Lemay Avenue from Clearwater Church, which announced Monday it was selling the building it has been in for 42 years to Mill City Church. Jenny Whitaker, a co-founder and headmaster of Axis International Academy, said the sale would not impact the school, only change its landlord.

Axis opened in the fall of 2019. The school offers dual-language instruction in French, Spanish or Mandarin Chinese and has 283 students this year, according to the Colorado Department of Education's annual enrollment count. Classes are taught in English for half of each day and in the foreign language for the other half.

Axis was recently recognized for Performance with Distinction from the Charter School Institute and received the Governor's Distinguished Improvement Award, according to a news release.

There were 47 students from Axis’ four French classes — preschool/kindergarten, first/second grade, third/fourth grade and fifth/sixth grade — represented at the ceremony, each performing one or two songs from French-speaking countries with their class, then coming together for a finale.

“I know many of you came to Axis not knowing any French, and here you are speaking in French and thinking in French, and, when you go back to your classrooms, you’re learning to read and write in cursive in French,” Whitaker told the students.

“It’s really amazing. Being bilingual is a superpower. It opens doors to new opportunities, new friendships and new perspectives.”

Reporter Kelly Lyell covers education, breaking news, some sports and other topics of interest for the Coloradoan. Contact him at kellylyell@coloradoan.com, x.com/KellyLyell and  facebook.com/KellyLyell.news. 

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: French government certifies Axis International's dual-language program