AASD
APPLETON, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — A new charter school in the Appleton Area School District will offer students the opportunity to learn another culture and language.
Through a $1.5 million grant from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, the Appleton Area School District will launch the Hmong American Immersion School (HAIS).
The 4K-5th grade charter school will focus on academics while incorporating Hmong culture, history and language for the next generation.
While most classes will be conducted in English, the school will also offer daily Hmong language classes to encourage students to speak, read, and write in Hmong while learning about Hmong culture.
MaiKou Heu, principal of Johnston Elementary School and co-founder of HAIS, says this focus of education is important for young Hmong students.
“What we’re noticing, being in education, I’m noticing that many of our students are losing the Hmong identity; their language, their culture, because they are assimilating so well into the Western culture,” Heu said.
Heu’s family came to the United States from Laos when she was under the age of two. While she grew up in a duo lingo household, she says for her children’s generation, it’s been primarily English and it’s been difficult for the younger generation to communicate with their elders who primarily speak Hmong.
HAIS plans to open in the fall of 2025. The location will be confirmed later this fall.
Heu encourages students of all backgrounds to consider enrolling in the school. She says non-Hmong students would also benefit from the curriculum by learning another culture and language.
Any student in the Appleton Area School District can apply to enroll in HAIS using the district’s lottery charter application that opens in December. Students living outside the Appleton Area School District must apply for Open Enrollment through the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) and complete the charter application.
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