On Monday, September 29th Bixby North Elementary hosted a group of local dancers to perform a Ballet Folklorico and Mariachi piece for students and staff to watch and enjoy as a celebration of Hispanic History month. This event was organized in part by Ms. Gracie Edens, one of two English Language (EL) teachers at Bixby North Elementary, the other being Mrs. Beth Shaw. These teachers are instrumental in helping students who speak other languages at home build their skills in reading, writing, listening, and speaking English. They also help students and families navigate their transition to American schools. EL District Coordinator Alex Echevarria helps teachers such as Ms. Edens and Mrs. Shaw to do so by ensuring they have the resources they need and oversees the department from a district level. All three of these incredible staff members love to see Hispanic culture celebrated, both during this month and beyond.
When asked what Hispanic Heritage month meant to her, especially in the context of working with multilingual students, Mrs. Shaw said that herself and Ms. Edens “love getting to know the families and learn about their culture.” She spoke to a student after the performance who recalled seeing ones like it in Mexico, where even some of their cousins took part. Ms. Edens notes that students often feel very different when they move here and Hispanic students “seeing…themselves or…part of their culture here at their school…is super important.” “It makes them feel more comfortable in their everyday lives,” says Mr. Echevarria.
Mrs. Shaw and Ms. Edens have been integrating Hispanic heritage into their instruction during this month in many ways apart from the aforementioned performance. One way that Ms. Edens did so was by speaking with her students about Mexican Independence Day, which was September 16th. She showed a video of Mexico’s first female president leading a celebration of El Grito de Dolores, which is on September 15th and marks the beginning of the Mexican War of Independence. Ms. Edens says that they spoke Spanish in the video, so many of her students could understand what they were saying and were so excited.
Mrs. Shaw says that she loves to see Hispanic students empowered in their classrooms when a Spanish word comes up that they can show their classmates how to pronounce. This is one example of the many ways Mrs. Shaw and Mrs. Edens see Hispanic heritage celebrated beyond this month. Another example is Holiday’s Around the World, where “teachers…let kids share about various holidays that they celebrate,” and teach students about different family traditions and beliefs associated with the different holidays, Mrs. Shaw says. Hispanic heritage, as well as all 25 cultures/languages represented at BNE are celebrated and recognized throughout the year by all of their staff members. Mr. Echevarria notes his appreciation for BNE principal Ms. Rachel Chinsethagid, who “wants to be in front of whatever is coming next” for her students.
Mr. Echevarria, Mrs. Shaw, and Ms. Edens all believe in the importance of keeping language alive, and one way that this is done is through The State Seal of Biliteracy. This award is given to high school students who demonstrate proficiency in speaking, reading, and writing two or more languages by earning qualifying test scores. This achievement recognizes a student as a true bilingual and can serve as a valuable addition to a resume.
The performance which took place on Monday, September 29th at Bixby North Elementary was a valuable representation of Hispanic heritage in an academic environment. It was just one display of the wonderful ways EL staff honor the importance of celebrating culture. Mrs. Shaw and Ms. Edens, along with EL teachers across the district, with the help of Mr. Echevarria, welcome multilingual students and their families to Bixby by diligently building relationships and empowering students to embrace their identities.