Hispanic Heritage Month, celebrated nationally from September 15th through October 15th, is an opportunity to honor and recognize the history, culture, and contributions of Hispanic Americans. The holiday first started as Hispanic Heritage Week in 1968, under President Lyndon Johnson, and was later expanded to a month-long event by President Ronald Reagan in 1988. This year, Señora García-Levitas’s first and second grade students observed this holiday by exploring the twenty-one countries where Spanish is the official language.
In the first grade, students were introduced to Spanish and Hispanic cultures by learning about where these countries are located across four continents and completing map-related activities. They also surveyed each country’s flag and colored their own versions. In the second grade, students delved deeper into their cultural studies and replicated a flag for each Spanish-speaking country. Their beautiful flags are currently being displayed in the Lower School Lobby calendar display for October, honoring Hispanic Heritage Month.
Students learned about famous Spanish and Hispanic celebrations, such as La tomatina, the world’s largest food fight, in Buñol, Spain, and about the lives of children their age in Spanish-speaking countries, such as Spain, Peru, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic. They also learned about some famous Hispanic Americans and observed how various Hispanic American children feel about their heritage and what makes them proud of it. The classes also had the opportunity to learn about different foods eaten in a variety of Spanish-speaking countries, and to listen to different styles of music in Spanish, along with practicing some dance moves. It was quite a celebration, and the first and second grade did a wonderful job in completing their assignments and in comparing their cultures with those of the children in Spanish-speaking countries that they learned about. They look forward to visiting these countries in the future, to learn more about these cultures firsthand and to put all of the Spanish they are learning into practice. The holiday not only gave students a learning opportunity, but a chance to build connections and to embrace creativity. ¡Viva el español!
