Teens Teach Their Hispanic Culture To Children

By THOMAS ROSENBERGER, Special To The Bulletin

Published: November 20, 2003

ROSWELL—Children from Queen of Angels School learned about Hispanic culture firsthand from members of the Spanish for Native Speakers class at Blessed Trinity High School on Oct. 14 during Hispanic Heritage Month.

The seven students in the Spanish class come from countries including the Dominican Republic, Colombia, Cuba, Peru, Argentina and Spain, and found the event a good opportunity to share their cultures with the children at Queen of Angels. In cooperation with Blessed Trinity’s assistant principal Jenny Norris, the class was able to come up with a sampling of foods that represented Hispanic cultures of Spain and Latin America. They included arroz con leche, empanadas, pan de yucca, arroz con pollo, flan and alfajores. These typical foods made for a broad menu.

Students also brought in children’s books and flags from their homelands, and played Hispanic music, including salsa queen Celia Cruz and Juan Luiz Guerra. As the children filed in to get their food, it was funny to see how every single one went for the chips that had been provided for the avocado dip. That was a favorite, along with “sweet cookies,” or alfajores, and empanadas. Before the meal a prayer was said in Spanish, which, to the high schoolers’ surprise, the children, who study Spanish at Queen of Angels, knew and said along with the native speakers. Then everyone dug in, and some came for seconds.

The Spanish for Native Speakers class was happy to have been able to help in such a fun project. And the children were very thankful for their treat. The Hispanic culture day at Blessed Trinity was a success in that they were able to experience the diverse cultures of Hispanics, the nation’s largest minority.

In the class taught by Rosemarie Gentile, students vote to help determine the course of study in the class. This class is unique because it gives students the opportunity to do things and learn through unconventional methods. The class has chosen to read books or short stories in Spanish, such as “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings” by Gabriel García Márquez. Class can’t always be fun though, so students also improve their skills by studying grammar and a lot of vocabulary.

Rosenberger, of Peruvian descent, is a senior at Blessed Trinity High School. He was assisted by junior Danny Guigou, who is of Colombian and Cuban descent.