Empanadas and Explanations: Saint Mary's Students Give Language A Try

Early Thursday morning, Saint Mary’s School students rushed to the seventh annual Language Expo. The excitement had been building up for about a month while students researched the origin of the languages that interested them.

Around the room, students’ poster-boards displayed the names of countries highlighted in glitter -- Puerto Rico, Argentina, Mexico, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Spain, Panama, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic were among some of the places that sparked students’ interest.

Grades five through eight researched and presented their findings to their younger peers, Kindergarten through fourth-grade. Pre-school aged children were also welcome to pop in during the expo.

“It’s all about the culture of French speaking and Spanish speaking countries, Principal, Anna O’Rourke said. “The whole school gets to participate, and the younger kids get to see what they will be doing [when they reach fifth grade].”

To prepare for the expo, students used the computer lab and Cloud Technology to research their topics. Cloud Technology allows students to share information with each other. In order to participate in the expo, students were expected to create a three-dimensional project, food, and present the factual background of their research.

“We learned a lot about rain forests and animals that live in it,” fifth-grader, Elizabeth Spahn said.

Spahn and her fellow fifth grader, Julia Meenan presented information on Costa Rica.

“Me and my Mom made tortillas,” Meenan said.

Children were encouraged to bring in food that related to the countries that they were presenting. Empanadas, churros, fruit skewers, and flan were offered to students and parents.

“Puerto Ricans love coconut and they usually put it in their desserts,” seventh-grader, Mellissa Murphy said.

Children of the K-4 demographic scurried around the room with clipboards in hand. Instead of having the kids wander around eating food for the entirety of the expo, teachers expected the younger students to record the information they had learned and bring it back to the classroom.

“The older kids will ask the younger kids if they have any questions,” O’Rourke said. “It is a good system for mentoring.”

French teacher, Julie Buttrick and Spanish teacher, Liz Manno oversaw the event. They were impressed with the work that their students took from the classroom, and applied to the school-wide event.

“We have Spanish for K-8, and the French is for a few Middle School people,” O’Rourke said. “My favorite thing about the expo is the kids get to share what they’ve learned with the other kids; it gives them diversity and shows them culture,” O’Rourke said.

“We love watching their excitement as they learn about countries that are pretty obsure,” Manno said. “Some students choose to work by themselves, and I think that shows maturity,” she added.

“I think it sets Saint Mary’s apart, that we have a language expo in the elementary school,” Buttrick stated.

Kindergartners from Joanne Seavy’s class rushed in, as the fourth graders went back to their classroom. Assistant Kindergarten teacher, Martie Gramlich spoke with the older students before they were bombarded with questions from the younger crowd. 

“The atmosphere is very comfortable for the kids and parents,” O’Rourke said. “Everyone is constantly interacting.”

Mary Bridget-Kager has experienced the welcoming atmosphere as well as the excitement of the Language Expo., several times. Being the parent of an eighth-grader, sixth-grader, and fourth-grader, she enjoys seeing her children learn from the hands-on experience.

“They do it every year and the most wonderful thing is seeing the children’s expo,” Kager said.

Her son, Desmond Kager worked with his partners, Michael Piniella and Devin Meenan to research Ecuador.

“Establishments in Ecuador go back to 5,000 B.C.,” Kager explained.

“I liked the instruments and music they had,” Piniella stated. “Their choice of instruments consisted of a lot of wood. There were pan flutes, harps, and guitars.”

Fellow parent, Gwen Thaxter has two boys, one seventh-grader, and one fifth-grader.

“It’s wonderful to learn about the different countries,” Thaxter said. “The kids really learn a lot.”

Her son, Matthew Thaxter presented his finding on Peru. His research paid off, because he was able to explain information without a hitch.

“Peru is the second largest country in South America; it is three times the size of California and it’ president is Alan Garcia Pérez,” he announced confidently.

As students arrived at his table, he spoke about the Incan civilization, Machu Picchu. His peers learned some interesting trivia as well. Sixth-grader, Burke Depuy enjoyed learning about the clothing worn in Mexico. She learned that Mexican boys and girls often wear red and brown, two of her favorite colors. Her partner Rosie Staudt, also a sixth-grader, was pleased with the fact that Mexico’s weather remains in the eighties between June and September.

The Dominican Republic was researched by fifth-graders, Luke Gomez, Andrew Chiodi, and Colin Vecchiariello.  One of the most interesting facts they had learned was that there is an underwater park in the Domincan Republic. The three students presented information on an I-Pad as parents and students visited their table.

Matthew Giorgi, a fifth-grader was surprised to learn that some actors and baseball players he is familiar with are from Cuba, his topic of choice.

“I learned a lot of famous people today are from Cuba,” he stated. “I didn’t realize how many people from Cuba are professional athletes, actresses, and actors”

O’Rourke has seen firsthand, the benefits of interactive projects like the Language Expo.

“We’ve had an alumni do a semester in a Spanish speaking country,” she stated. “She came back and shared her experience with the students.”

Students appeared proud of the hard work they had done, and parents left smiling. Younger children went back to their classrooms ready to speak about the information that the older students had provided them with. O’Rourke, Buttrick, and Manno plan to provide the Language Expo for next year’s students and don’t plan on removing it from the curriculum anytime soon.