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How the Utah Jazz and Mark Miller Subaru Are Supporting English Language Learners at West Lake Jr. High

Mark Miller Subaru and the Utah Jazz are long-term business partners, and the two organizations started a joint philanthropic initiative to support learning in our community. West Lake STEM Jr. High was selected as the first beneficiary.

Students in yellow hard hats hold shovels at a West Lake STEM groundbreaking ceremony

A School That Needed the Help

While all schools have struggled in recent years, West Lake STEM Jr. High faced greater challenges because of irreparable damage caused by the 2020 earthquake in Utah. The original West Lake Jr. High had to be demolished, and students were bussed to a previously decommissioned elementary school in Taylorsville.

Twenty-Five Languages in One Building

West Lake STEM is a vibrant and diverse middle school that uses creative, engaging, hands-on teaching to meet the needs of a highly impacted student body. Twenty-five different languages are spoken within its halls, and for 70 percent of students English is not their first language.

Many students at West Lake STEM recently moved to America. Entering school for the first time in a new country is a significant challenge for Multi-Language Learner students. Most are learning about a new community and looking for a place to belong. They walk on campus without friends, without knowing their teachers, and without being sure what middle school is all about. For some, it is their first experience in an educational setting, and many find that their teachers do not speak their language.

A Combined $30,000 for a New Language Lab

To help West Lake STEM support these English Language Learners, Mark Miller Subaru and the Utah Jazz jointly donated a combined $30,000 for a new language lab inside the school.

What the Lab Changes

Research shows that language acquisition improves through consistent practice. The lab increases practice opportunities and engagement in language learning, and it supports students socially and emotionally by giving them more ways to communicate with each other and with a wider range of classmates. Students build connections while practicing English at the same time.

The language lab was officially unveiled during a school-wide celebration on Friday, November 11, 2022.

Visit Mark Miller Subaru

Mark Miller Subaru serves Salt Lake City from our Midtown retailer at 3535 S. State St. and Sandy from our South Towne retailer at 10920 S. State St. Built For Wherever You're Headed.

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