¡Hola! Sharon Center School’s Spanish Club

SHARON — ¡Hola!, or “hello” in English, was the greeting Sharon Center School’s (SCS) Spanish Club members heartily gave to Spanish-speaking students from The Hotchkiss School when they arrived. The high school students visited Sharon Center each Friday afternoon in January and February to help the younger students perfect their Spanish language skills and learn about the cultures, customs and food of many Spanish-speaking countries.Spanish is the only foreign language taught at SCS. For students in kindergarten to fourth-grade, Spanish is mostly an enrichment program. For grades five to eight, it is a graded subject. Seventh- and eighth-graders study Spanish for 45 minutes each school day.Kerry O’Toole is the SCS Spanish teacher. In addition to teaching Spanish to all grades at the school, O’Toole organized the Spanish Club to give students in grades three to six an opportunity to learn more than just language about Spanish-speaking countries. Thirteen SCS students are enrolled in the club.The volunteers from Hotchkiss who visit each week are high-level Spanish speakers, either through study or because it is their native language. One volunteer said the Hotchkiss Spanish Club has 20 members.The SCS students spend some of their club time on language practice. O’Toole said her students really enjoy the Hotchkiss volunteers because their accents are so authentic. The SCS students also look up to their older tutors.Language practice is not the only appeal of the club for SCS students. O’Toole said participants also are eager to learn how cultures in Spanish-speaking countries are different from one another. The students also love learning about the different foods in each country, she said.“While there are some similarities in foods, there are also local specialties usually found only within a particular country.”O’Toole said the students sample snacks from different nations.When asked what she liked about Spanish Club, student Aliza Luminati said, “It’s cool because we learn about other languages, where people live and how people live.”Student Livia Fallon said, “We get to experience other cultures and languages and learn new words.”Club member John Purdy said, “I like learning about different Spanish-speaking cultures.”

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