Spreading new languages with the hope of promoting the appreciation of other cultures is what spurred the Millard West Spanish Honors Society (SHS) to start and run a Spanish Club for third graders at Black Elk Elementary and Willowdale Elementary.

During Willowdale’s weekly meeting and Black Elk’s monthly meeting, the SHS students run different stations that focus on more than just the linguistic aspect of the region. These activities include watching videos, dancing, singing, drawing, chanting/repetition of words, conversational skills/role play and even having a chance to eat ethnic Spanish foods/dishes. At each one station, SHS members typically start by reviewing the vocab words the students are learning including: numbers, days of the week, verbs, food, etc. The vocabulary review is followed by a game like Pictionary, charades or sparkle and the meetings are sometimes finished by playing a song everyone can sing along with.

“I am hoping that our Spanish students enjoy the experience,” Spanish Honors Society sponsor Alexander Jameson said. “It gives them the opportunity to see what it is like to teach little ones. For the third graders, I hope for them to have fun and learn Spanish. It is the goal each time that they can tell their parents something that they learned, whether that be the weather, how they are doing, months or days of the week or numbers.”

Jameson reached out to the schools a couple of years prior hoping to connect members within the Spanish learning community. With the Spanish Honors Society working hand-in-hand with the elementary school Spanish Clubs, the impacts of the program have already been felt by those involved.

“Our world is ever-growing and ever-changing; it is such a unique and diverse melting pot,” Willowdale English Learners Teacher Cynthia Wallace said. “It is critical that we expose younger students to other cultures, languages and backgrounds so that they can have a deeper appreciation for all of the rich heritage that they are surrounded by.”

Although the opportunity provides countless benefits for the elementary students, the SHS members are also rewarded with an opportunity to better comprehend and remember the lessons they had previously been taught. The experience provides a unique way for students to interact within their community by sharing and exploring a different language. It also allows younger students to reap the benefits of learning another language earlier than their peers.

“I think it’s important to expose kids to other languages when they are younger because it’s a lot easier to learn the earlier you start, and they all seem really enthusiastic to learn, too,” junior and SHS member Riya Kulkarni said. “I feel like teaching the kids helps me refresh my memory of my own Spanish skills because I’m not currently in a Spanish class this semester, and their excitement always makes the experience more fun.”

Willowdale English Learners Teacher Michelle Seeba has seen the impact this opportunity has had on her students while also understanding the many advantages this experience will give them.

“Our third-grade students have absolutely loved participating in the Spanish club opportunity, and multiple parents have also told us that their students have returned home excited to share what they have learned,” Seeba said. “When younger students have experience with language learning, it does two things: creates a foundation for appreciation of cultural and linguistic differences that they may encounter in other places and also lays the foundation for second language acquisition, which can help them later in school and beyond.” 

This opportunity has created valuable skills SHS members and elementary school students are able to utilize in the future. With the hope of helping both sets of students explore the unique and enriching Spanish language and culture, the goal of gaining an appreciation and enthusiasm for learning about different languages is sure to be felt for years to come.

This story was originally published on The Catalyst on December 2, 2021.