The preschool classroom at the new APS Escuela Bilingüe Betty Benavidez School in northwest Aurora. PHOTO COURTESY OF AURORA PUBLIC SCHOOLS 
Instructional materials used at the new APS Escuela Bilingüe Betty Benavidez School in northwest Aurora. PHOTO COURTESY OF AURORA PUBLIC SCHOOLS 
Inside the new APS Escuela Bilingüe Betty Benavidez School in northwest Aurora. PHOTO COURTESY OF AURORA PUBLIC SCHOOLS 
A photo from the playground at the new APS Escuela Bilingüe Betty Benavidez School in northwest Aurora. PHOTO COURTESY OF AURORA PUBLIC SCHOOLS 
A photo from the first day of school at the new APS Escuela Bilingüe Betty Benavidez School in northwest Aurora. PHOTO COURTESY OF AURORA PUBLIC SCHOOLS
AURORA | ¡Que chido! Aurora Public Schools will honor Colorado Hispanic trailblazer Betty Benavidez and the district’s first dual-language magnet program tonight at the school’s grand-opening and dedication.
“Benavidez’s tireless work is now honored by having her name emblazoned on this new dual language school,” school district officials said in a statement. “Escuela Bilingüe Betty Benavidez is a magnet school so students from anywhere in the district can attend.”
For those yet to learn Spanish at the school, it’s pronounced, “Escuela (es-SKWAY-luh) Bilingüe (buh-LEEN-gway) Betty Benavidez,” according to APS spokesperson Corey Christiansen.
The new magnet school was named after the late Benavidez, who was the first Hispanic woman elected to the state Legislature in 1971.
Benavidez died in 2013.
Among the Denver lawmaker’s many accolades, she sponsored the state’s first bilingual bill, the “Bilingual Bicultural Act,” which proponents say structurally changed the educational landscape by promoting bilingual and bicultural learning for all students.
The school is based on a “90/10 model,” where instruction will be given in 90% Spanish and 10% English in preschool, then gradually increase to a 50/50 balance in the upper grades, officials said.
The school was formerly Sixth Avenue Elementary School, which has been renovated.
The APS event also welcomes “Los Colibries” to the district family of schools. The school’s mascot is the hummingbird, “colibries” in Spanish.
The P-5 program will serve students across the district in grades preschool through fifth-grade, starting with the pre-school, kindergarten and first grade this year and then adding an upper grade each year, until it reaches grade five, according to school officials.
The ribbon cutting and grand opening is slated for 5:30 p.m. at the school, 560 Vaughn St.
An Hispanic Heritage Month celebration will also feature food, games and entertainment at the event. Local students from nearby schools are slated to perform cultural dances and songs, according to school district officials. The event will feature a bounce house, a food truck and a taco bar.