New Tartan Language Class Targets Students Who Know Spanish

A new student group at is stepping up the school’s celebration of Cinco de Mayo this year.

And educators say a new class created for the same group of students will take their test scores and cultural knowledge to a higher level, too.

Tartan started a new Spanish class for students who grew up speaking the language at home, in the second trimester this school year.

Students in the class now make up a club called Alianza Latina, which aims to share every aspect of Latino culture including food, dance and sports.

Leading up to Cinco de Mayo, they’ve been busy planning a soccer tournament, arranging for an Aztec dancer to perform at the school and even giving teachers lessons in Latin dance styles like cumbia, bachata and salsa.

“While we grow up, we see our family dancing, and then it passes on to everybody,” said student Diana Rodriguez. “That’s how the Hispanic culture is. We’re full of life, color, music and enjoyment and it goes on through the generations.”

The class that the club grew out of focuses on reading and writing skills, and the heritage of Spanish-speaking countries, said teacher Ginni Hildebrandt. The class is better tailored to a group that learned the language growing up than a conventional high school Spanish class, Hildebrandt said.

Aside from regular Spanish class being “boring” for a someone who already speaks the language, it’s often taught in a different dialect from what the students are used to, said Tartan student Evelyn Romero.

“It just seems awkward to us because we know what we were taught,” Romero said. “Here they teach it out of a book.”

Reasearch shows that the new class's focus on reading and writing skills in Spanish should also improve the students' English literacy skills, said District 622 English Learner Supervisor Brian Koland.

Aside from academic benefits, Koland said that often participation in a class like Tartan’s results in students feeling more connected to their school because their heritage is being honored.

The students got the chance to think about their role in passing on their heritage and cultural traditions during a class field trip to see a play called “Minnecanos” at the Mixed Blood Theatre, Hildebrandt said.

“I think the play kind of brought out that this is a pivotal time, and you guys are that generation,” she said to the class.

The club has only been around a short time, but the students have already shared their culture beyond the school’s walls by serving meals including traditional dishes at a homeless shelter and a shelter for battered women after school.

At one of the sites, student Leslie Rodriguez remembered a man that came to them and thanked them in Spanish for being there.

“It touched our hearts,” she said.

The students in the class say they’re not only classmates and fellow club members, but they’ve become like family, working together and exploring their traditions together.

“We know our culture, and yet we don’t know the depths of it,” Romero said. “We know certain things that our parents have taught us, but there’s just certain things behind that that we haven’t figured out yet. It’s a good time to explore it.”

To participate:

Alianza Latina is looking for participants in its May 4 soccer tournament. Co-ed teams with six to eight players are invited to sign up. The cost is $15. To sign up, email teacher Ginni Hildebrandt at ghildebrandt@isd622.org.