North Kitsap School District offers a language learner program for students who wish to learn Spanish as a second language.

The Spanish Dual Language Program at Vinland Elementary School is available for kindergartners through fifth-graders.

“They generally start at kindergarten and roll all the way through,” Heather Ben-Judah, office manager at Vinland Elementary, said.

Ben-Judah’s own son is a participant of the program, which currently can only accommodate 24 students per grade level.

“It’s in pretty high demand,” Ben-Judah said. “We have to do a lottery every year for the dual language program.”

The program is formatted with both Spanish and English experts, according to Ben-Judah. She said that kindergartners through second graders only get two days of Spanish instruction, which is increased as they get older.

The first group of student participants went to middle school this year, Ben-Judah said. She said the middle school offers a Spanish class for those students.

“(The program) does two things: It teaches children a skill … and also, the diversity aspect,” Ben-Judah said. “I think that’s really great for students to all feel like part of a family, even though we’re not all the same.”