Back To School Already for Some
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Updated: 10:28 AM Aug 14, 2008
Back To School Already for Some
Bay County's Public Schools are opening in less than a week. But some local students are already back in class.
Posted: 4:48 PM Aug 13, 2008
Reporter: Kristina Hamilton
Email Address: Kristina.Hamilton@wjhg.com

Panama City Renaissance School
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Bay County's Public Schools are opening in less than a week. But some local students are already back in class.

Wednesday was the opening day for the four-year-old Panama City Renaissance School. The youngsters are learning in not one, or two, but three different languages.

After a long summer vacation the students at the Panama City Renaissance School weren't missing a beat on their first day back in class.

An elementary institution,teaching both Spanish and Mandarin Chinese to kids as young as three and four-years-old.

That's extremely important to Laura Stahl and her husband.

They discovered the Panama City renaissance school, while in the process of adopting their daughter from China.

Laura Stahl says, "We thought it was important to have her understand the culture and speak the language. So it's great to find a place like this in Panama City."

From the time you're born to about 18-years-old they say you lose about 30 percent of your language capacity in your brain, but by teaching kids Chinese and Spanish at such young ages they are hoping these kids will be able to hold onto that part of their brain for the rest of their lives."

The kids seem to prove those statistics, as they speak Chinese almost effortlessly.

We asked, "do you find the language difficult to learn or easy?"

Students answer:

"They're pretty easy."

"I think it's easy"

"It was kind of easy."

"I think this is a great opportunity at a young age kids to try and get them into that language early and I think they'll retain it longer in their lifetime," says Laura Stahl.

Stahl and her husband are in the process of adopting another Chinese child.

They say, now that they know about the the Renaissance School, their new daughter's transition should be even easier.

And thanks to the school, they say the child will have a big sister to converse with in Chinese.

The school is currently teaching pre-k to 3rd grade.

The plan is to add another grade each fall, until the school will turn-out high school graduates.

For more information on the panama city renaissance school log onto their website at www.pcrschool.org.

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