The Amistad Way

Our Mission

At Amistad, we center and commit to joy, belonging, and academic excellence for all students and families. As a Spanish–English Two-Way Dual Language Immersion program, we celebrate our community's linguistic and cultural diversity with an intentional commitment to honoring Black, Brown, and Indigenous students' experiences. We nurture bilingual, biliterate, and multicultural students who use their unique gifts to create positive change in their communities, families, and lives.

Our Vision

Seattle Amistad School envisions a world where all students confidently navigate and celebrate their own cultural identities and those of others. By nurturing students' cultural and linguistic assets, we empower them to bridge divides and become compassionate leaders who create positive change in our communities and interconnected world.

Our Values

The Whole Child

We believe that children learn and grow best in an environment that respects and nurtures all aspects of their lives — their cultural and linguistic contexts, their academic interests and strengths, and their roles as dynamic participants in their families and communities. Art, music, food, play, and movement are essential to who we are, and should never be separated from a child's education.

Bilingualism, Biliteracy & Multiculturalism

We believe that children have a right to nurture and strengthen the cultural and linguistic connections to their families and communities, and to use those strengths as the foundation for a rigorous academic experience. We believe that all children need the linguistic and cultural skills to navigate and influence the complex global society of the future, in order to bring about greater peace and justice for our communities and our world.

Academics

Real power comes from knowledge. Children need a solid, well-rounded academic base. Amistad is designed to exceed the academic standards set by the State of Washington and to realize them in two languages. We are committed to 100% grade-level proficiency in Spanish literacy, English literacy, math, science, and social studies.

Cooperation, Collective Empowerment & Social Justice

We believe in the power of collaboration and collective empowerment. By working together and supporting every member of our community, we achieve greater success, recognizing that our well-being is interconnected with the well-being of those around us. Education is also a tool for social justice — students forge their own paths while contributing to their communities, locally and globally.

Cultural Democracy / Anti-Bias

Every member of our school community has the right and responsibility to have an equal voice in the life of the community. Within this dialogue, students, staff, and families challenge themselves to address and reject larger societal dynamics of oppression, ethnocentrism, and marginalization.

Centrality of Family & Community

Healthy families and communities are both the ends and the means to meaningful education. Particularly for students of color, culture and language are fundamental aspects of personal and community identity — and rather than being sacrificed through schooling, they should serve as its foundation.