Manzanita Bilingual School

Manzanita Bilingual School is a program founded on the principle that bilingualism is a strength and that children are intelligent. The program is described as an oasis where childhood is a joyful endeavor and is based on the idea that nature has many lessons to teach that are best learned outdoors. Its approach emphasizes that learners do best when they are given independence and allowed to take responsibility for their own learning.

Lena, a mother who founded Manzanita Bilingual School, leads the program. The school’s mission states that it is tailor made so that children feel part of a global society and that it partners with parents and families as they work to develop creative, independent, curious members of a multicultural society. The mission also describes Manzanita as a place of rest where children can learn about what inspires them while being supported throughout their learning process so that learning is an active process of discovery of the world and of self. The school name and imagery are tied to the Manzanita plant, which is native to western North America from Mexico to Canada and is used to represent the variety of cultures the school embraces, the varied skin tones of the children, the unique and twisting growth of its branches compared to the students, the developmental nature of childhood through its range in size, and the resiliency the school aspires for children to develop through the plant’s strong, enduring hardwood. The program notes that registration is now closed for the 2024–25 school year. The school’s materials indicate © 2019 by Manzanita Bilingual School, updated 8/25/2021.

Last updated December 29, 2025.