Thursday, March 20, 2025
In a vibrant celebration of culture and diversity, Walnut Street Elementary School dedicated Hispanic Heritage Month, Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, to a schoolwide interactive project. Students in all grades honored the rich variety of Hispanic cultures represented in the student body, and to create a “Passport to Hispanic Heritage.”
The project gave students an opportunity to connect with their heritage, and to learn about the larger Hispanic community.
“Our Hispanic celebration was all month long,” Ana Tolentino, a fourth-grade bilingual teacher, explained. “We chose the countries because they are countries that are represented in our building.”
Students were assigned to study the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico and Panama, as well as the ancient Aztecs and Mayans. Each grade, from pre-kindergarten to fifth grade, focused on a country, immersing themselves in the exploration of famous landmarks, influential figures and cultural contributions such as art and food.
“We want to celebrate the rich diversity that makes our school community so vibrant,” Walnut Street Principal Kevin Bracht said.
The theme of the project, “The Culture Lives in Me,” was showcased throughout the school, on everything from bulletin board displays to staff T-shirts. Daily trivia about Hispanic history and culture, announced over the P.A. system each day, added another element of fun and enhanced the students’ learning experience.
Tolentino’s fourth-graders learned about Panama, using iPads to conduct research on the country throughout the month. While the class focused on Panama’s best-known landmarks, they learned about all facets of the country.
“We selected and looked at famous landmarks, famous people, and we talked about what made them interesting,” she said, “and what were some of the things that were similar to our country as well.”
Fifth-graders explored ancient civilizations, specifically the Aztecs and the Mayans. Student Allison Rodriguez shared her favorite fact about the two cultures.
“They were both polytheistic and believed in many gods,” she said, adding that both civilizations were known for their architecture and agriculture.
The students’ work — including paragraphs about landmarks, sketches of famous dishes and coloring projects focusing on national flags — was displayed on bulletin boards and in classrooms throughout the building when the project was completed, showcasing their creativity.
“We just figured it’d be a nice representation of them and who they are,” Tolentino said, “but also make it interactive and give them a bit of knowledge on the Hispanic countries that we are representing in our building.”
The project serves not only as an educational tool, but also as an annual tradition at Walnut Street, which marked its fifth year of the celebration. Students presented their work to the Board of Education at its Oct. 15 meeting.
The theme for the presentation was “Passport to Hispanic Heritage” through the “Walnut Street Travel Agency.” Representatives of each grade level spoke to the board and the crowd, detailing their most interesting findings about their countries.
“In the board meeting, we were just talking about (the Mayans’) structures and how they were really good at building,” Allison Rodriguez, one of the fifth-graders who were selected to represent their peers, said. “They were really great architects.”
“I felt pretty honored,” she said of taking part in the presentation. “I was excited and nervous.”
The project’s culminating event will take place on Oct. 30 at the school, where students will perform skits and recite poems related to the cultures they studied.
“As a diverse school, we try to really not only embrace and show our students that we care about where they come from,” Assistant Principal Frantz Dorsainvil said, “(but) also appreciate their contribution to our school culture.”
