Cave Creek Unified School District Governing Board members recently met 14 new international teachers and interns that teach Spanish, French or Mandarin Chinese to preschool through 12th grade students.

The recently arrived teachers introduced themselves, shared where they were from and their reflection on American students, according to a press release.

“My fourth graders at Horseshoe Trails Elementary School just amaze me every single day,” Wei Liffick, a teacher at Horseshoe Trials said in a prepared statement.

Ms. Liffick, a teacher originally from China, teaches math and science in Chinese as well as Chinese language arts as part of the Chinese immersion program.

The three interns from France shared their initial experiences as they start their one year stay at Desert Sun Academy supporting the French immersion program and promoting French language and culture school wide.

While international teachers come through different pathways that authorize working in the USA, interns come through the Embassy of France and Spain as competitive awards given to exemplary schools, a release states.

CCUSD claims leaving 12th grade with a bilingual/biliterate skillset will open doors for its students regardless of whether they work locally or on the global stage.

A recent study of 1,200 U.S. based employers confirmed this by noting “56% of U.S. employers state that the need for bilingual workers in their field will increase,” according to leadwithlanguages.org.

CCUSD Director of World Languages Cristina Ladas said she appreciates that “international teachers bring a little piece of their world to Cave Creek so that our students are better prepared for the future.”