ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, Md. — Tyler Heights Elementary School has made incredible strides in the last few years, including becoming a community school and teaching Spanish and English in the classroom.
The school, which first opened in 1961, has also become a Title One school. It went from being a two-star school to a four-star school with one of the highest attendance rates in Anne Arundel County.
In recent years, Tyler Heights has become a community school, allowing it to help shape students beyond just their education. The school is able to help with family needs like clothing, diapers, and connecting them with other resources.
Tyler Heights Elementary School sees major growth with dual language program and community resources
"So through the concentration of poverty or blueprint for Maryland's future we receive additional funding and that provides a lot of additional support for our students and their families," Community School Program Manager Sarah Daniels Larson said.
Some parents even volunteer at the school.
"We know the families the families feel welcome and comfortable coming here and expressing their situations at the moment and we also provide them with resources in here in our school and also outside of our school in the community at large," parent volunteer Lorena Cabrera-Torres said.
Lemuel Taylor is a student at Tyler Heights and likes to volunteer in the community room.
"I can help around in the community room and give flowers to the volunteers and to the teachers. The clothes that don't fit me I can donate here and then have other kids use them," Taylor said.
Tyler Heights is also the first school in Anne Arundel County to have its curriculum in two languages.
"We became a dual language school three years ago and there are a lot of wellness benefits to dual language. Cognitive academic and social benefits that we see benefiting our kids," Principal Julia Walsh said.
Right now, the school has a Spanish curriculum up to third grade, but Walsh says the next two school years they will offer Spanish up to fifth grade.
"By the time students exit us in the dual language program in fifth grade they are not only bilingual but also bi-literate that will give them skills for success for the future," Walsh said.
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