Shore Road shows its appreciation for Latin America

To help students at Shore Road Elementary School in Bellmore better understand the U.S.’s southern neighbors in the Western Hemisphere, their teachers recently welcomed the children’s parents and community members to the building for Latin American Appreciation Day.

Fifth-graders in Jennifer Eicholz, Linda Lebowitz, Jody Leibowitz and Gina Paino’s classes hosted an assembly and luncheon on May 20 following a unit on Latin America and its cultures. Working with music teacher Laura Laude and librarian Mary Willis, foreign language teacher Angelita Piche developed the interdisciplinary program.

Students used the World Book Online Encyclopedia to research several Latin American countries. At the same time, Laude chose songs and dances from each nation for the students to learn in Spanish.

Latin American Appreciation Day was a party to celebrate what the students had learned. The fifth-graders entertained the crowd by singing and dancing. 

Musical selections included José-Luis Orozco’s children’s song “Que Llueva.” The students also performed a Mexican folk dance called “Los Machetes.” After the performances, the children and audience members sampled Latin cuisine.