Spanish Students Share Original Stories with Children at Perry Development Center

Spanish teacher Elaine Moffat read the situation perfectly: She saw how the Spanish books that her Spanish 2 students had created in class would make a great community outreach project.  

And so, on March 4, 36 Greenhills Spanish students set off for the Perry Child Development Center (PCDC) in Ypsilanti, bringing with them the Spanish books they had written and illustrated, as well as elaborately decorated Spanish cards. Once at the center the students met and spent time with their four- to six-year-old buddies, introducing themselves in Spanish and conversing with the native Spanish speakers, reading their cards and the books they and previous Spanish students had created.

The results were fairy tale-like for all involved. Said two Greenhills students after the experience:

“I really enjoyed seeing the excitement on their faces as they picked out a new book.”

“Going to the Perry Development Center was just another way to the Greenhills language program encourages us to really master and appreciate the skills learned in class.”

After saying good-bye to their buddies and leaving them with Greenhills pencils, Greenhills students lunched at Ypsilanti restaurant La Fiesta Mexicana.

“It was a very happy ending to a very magical day,” says Moffat.

So magical, in fact, that there’s talk of a sequel visit in May.

“I am just very happy that we can establish a relationship with Greenhills and PCDC to benefit both schools and students in a positive way,” says Carlos Calderon, an ESL teacher at PCDC. “It’s something different for the kids to experience and I know that both parties look forward to doing it again.”

Click here to see a  photo gallery of the event. (All photos courtesy of parent Rosie Ceballo.)