By: Luke Tripoli and Wilson Zhang
You most likely already know it’s Hispanic Heritage month (Sept 15-Oct 15). You probably saw some of the projects in the hallway. We happened to notice some very fascinating projects , and we wanted to gain more insight on them, so we interviewed the classes about their work.
Ms. Ferrara’s Class
Ms. Ferrara’s class really caught our eye. The way they presented their Hispanic idols was extremely outstanding. We interviewed some of the students in the class to learn more.
The students seemed to choose based on something close to them. For example, the group of girls we interviewed chose El Santo, who was a wrestler, because their brother has a similar passion. The group of boys we interviewed chose Pele because they were both soccer fans and loved the sport.
Based on hearing about their interests, most of the students recognized the names Lionel Messi and Pele, so a lot of them must have a love and passion for soccer!
Ms. Dittert’s Class
Now Ms. Dittert’s class has something you’re going to want to hear. One of their students' dad is from Chile, and he came to class and taught them all about Chile!
First, we asked them about the food they learned about. One of the most popular answers was the Completo. It is a Chilean hot dog with onions, guacamole, and many other toppings. Another food that a lot of kids answered was oranges. One kid said, “Chile is very famous for their oranges,” and the entire class agreed. Other delectable foods we heard about were grapes and Empanadas.
We also asked them about some Chilean traditions. One thing that really stood out was a top with a rope. You pull the rope and drop the top on the floor. It sounded sensational! Another tradition we heard about was Fiestas Patrias. This is Chile's Independence Day.
Thank you Ms. Dittert’s class for this spectacular information about Chile! Adiós!
Ms. Cancila’s Class
Ms. Cancila’s class grabbed our attention (Ms. Cancila, not Mrs. Cancila). We interviewed them before and after their presentation, which wasn’t really a project, but instead a party!
Before the Fiesta:
Hola de nuevo! That’s Spanish for “Hello again.” When we went to Ms. Cancila’s class we discovered they were doing one of the most outstanding celebrations we’ve ever seen! They are having a food fiesta!
Many of the students in Miss Cancila’s room have some sort of Hispanic heritage, so they helped put the fiesta together. The fiesta was well attended by parents and took place Friday, October 13th.
Decorations are very important in Hispanic culture. To decorate their classrooms, they created large flower-like paper decorations, “It is like a paper snowflake,” one student explained. They had also decorated outside of their classroom with silly and incredible pictures of students wearing a sombrero hat. The entire room was decorated with Papel picado! (name of paper flowers).
It’s not just all about decorations though! They plan on doing other fun activities like watching a movie and doing a craft. They will also do fun Hispanic dances like the Tango, the Cha Cha, and the Rumba. They also wrote about several Hispanic idols such as Pele, Frida, and Kahlo.
It sounds like some fun. Now let’s see what actually happened.
After the Fiesta:
Hola de nuevo! We just interviewed Ms. Cancila’s class after they had their fiesta!
One of the things they did during their fiesta was that they watched a movie called Coco. They made Mexican folk art which were metal plates with art on them. Most of the students’ parents came during the food fiesta. They played many different games, and they did many diverse crafts. Also, they mentioned that they had many kinds of food.
Tacos were one of the many foods in the fiesta, there were chips, and dips. Three types of dips, guacamole, Pico de gallo, and of course, queso dip. We asked what was in the tacos, they replied, “Meat, lettuce, and cheese,” Classic!
Last but not least, we asked if it was fun. And the answer is, you guessed it! Extremely fun! We surveyed the students about their favorite things that happened, the majority said it was the movie and the food.
Each class had very different projects and ideas to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, and every class did a fantastic job. Credits to Ms. Dittert, Ms. Ferrara, and Ms. Cancila for sharing their celebrations!
