***Aundrea Serna is a participant of The Kewanee Voice Student Journalism Program, funded by the Harry Anderson Memorial Trust.
Students in Sayde Tapia’s life skills class at Wethersfield school have been celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month through books, foods, crafts and lessons about Hispanic culture and traditions.
Hispanic Heritage Month is an annual celebration from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, to honor the history and culture of those with Hispanic descent.
Tapia, who is Hispanic and a member of the Kewanee Hispanic Heritage Committee, said Hispanic culture is meaningful to her because it is what she grew up knowing and learning. As a teacher, she enjoys sharing that part of her background with her students so they can enjoy and appreciate the culture.
Throughout this month, students have participated in a variety of activities. They began creating a hallway bulletin board that includes influential Hispanic people. The class has also read several books that talk about Hispanic culture and heritage, so that the students can learn. In addition, they have enjoyed treats from Hispanic culture, such as churros and water-based and milk-based paletas. According to Tapia, throughout these experiences, students have been very eager to learn.
Another hands-on activity for their classroom was making pinatas. The students created their own pinatas, which will be displayed at the Hispanic Heritage celebration on Sept. 26. The supplies for the pinata were donated by elementary teacher Tonya Vincent. Tapia said the donation was especially meaningful because Vincent had remembered that her class celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month and went out of her way to provide the kids with someone they could use to make the celebration more special.
The class will continue its celebrations during the final week of the month. Later this week, a special guest will visit to read a story about a tortilla, and then the students will learn how to make homemade corn tortillas and quesadillas.
Tapia hopes these activities allow her students to understand there are many cultures, traditions, foods, languages and stories to learn about and appreciate, but more than anything, she enjoys the students’ reactions.
“My favorite part has been seeing how excited the students are to learn and participate. Whether they are learning Spanish words, trying new foods, reading a story or creating something, they are always curious and excited. It has been really special to share my culture with them and see them enjoy it as much as I do.” Tapia said.
By sharing a culture that she has grown up with, Tapia said she is helping her students learn that differences are not something to overlook, but something worth taking the time to understand and celebrate.
