Hispanic Week

Carver Middle High School’s First Hispanic Week was a Success

Oct.12.21

By: Carly Cretinon

Last week, Sept. 27- Oct.1 Maria Calvo, Spanish teacher at Carver Middle High School (CMHS), the Spanish National Honors Society (SFNHS) and the allied arts department hosted the first ever Hispanic week and it appeared to be a success.

“I think we achieved the goal of spreading the concept that a language is cultural as well-- I think people are a little more aware of the culture behind it,” said Calvo.

Calvo hopes that students got the main message “it is not just about the language” through the various activities throughout the week. For example when students entered the building in the morning they were greeted with a knick knack and a list of cultural facts for them to read.

Each day students put their names on those lists of facts and entered themselves into a raffle for Fiesta Charra gift cards. Four lucky students took those home on Friday Oct. 1.

“I got a cool sombrero and I felt like I learned some Spanish,” 6th grader CJ Dineen stated. On Thu Sept. 30 the 6th graders had a party celebrating Hispanic week. Students got to enjoy empanadas, hispanic music, games, and photoshoots. All the students wore sombreros and at the end they took home a goodie bag full of Hispanic trinkets.

In the future Calvo hopes to see more of a turnout; around 45 out of 108 6th graders went. She also wants to work with the SFNHS in order to improve the invitation process.

Calvo is excited for the future of Hispanic week and she looks forward to French week in the 2nd semester.

Hispanic Week : “It is not Just About the Language”

By: Carly Cretinon

Sept.28.2021

Monday Sept. 27-Friday Oct. 1 Carver Middle High School (CMHS) Spanish Teacher Maria Calvo, the Spanish French National Honors Society (SFNHS), and the Allied Arts Department will be hosting Hispanic week at CMHS.

“One of the missions of the SFNHS is to promote culture. I want people to start talking about it. We [the Spanish class] are not just one additional subject that you take it and that is it. It is not only about learning the language, it is also about the culture” Calvo said in an interview.

Since most middle school students will be in their first year of a language next year, Calvo wants to teach them Spanish is not only a subject or a language, there is an amazing culture that goes along with it. Hispanic week will be a fun and engaging way for students to get excited about taking a language next year.

Calvo, along with the officers of the SFNHS, have been planning Hispanic week for over a year. The SFNHS and the Allied Arts department (Foreign Language, Art, Music, Culinary Arts) have full support from other departments and administration and they will all equally be contributing to the expected success of Hispanic week.

Sixth graders will be having a party, students will be making Hispanic dishes, Hispanic music will be played in the morning, and there will be multiple giveaways in the mornings. In the library there will be a Hispanic Heritage display of reading materials. On Oct. 1 the cafeteria will have a Hispanic dish on the menu.

It is going to be a fun week for everyone especially middle schoolers because they are either in their first year of a language or are about to go into their first year of language, and these engaging activities will spread the message that it is not just about the language, said 11th grade SFNHS officer Amahra Reiss.

Many SFNHS students will be coming to school Sunday Sept. 26 to help decorate the school, and in the mornings during Hispanic week several SFNHS members will be at school earlier in order to commence giveaways.

There has never been anything like this before at CMHS and Calvo is expecting a really fun week for the students.