Teachers from Mexico, lessons in Spanish and pinatas flavor summer culture school.
By ADRIENNE P. SAMUELS
Published August 4, 2003
[Times photo: Kathleen Flynn]
Miguel Angel Anaya Perez gets a hug from Brenda Perez, 6, of Clearwater, while they put together a pinata during summer school at the Hispanic Outreach Center.
CLEARWATER - It's no easy feat to hold the attention of a classroom of kids ranging from squirming kindergarteners on up to "I don't need to know this" sixth-graders. Things get a little more difficult when class is taught in Spanish and not all the children speak the language.
But that's the beauty of summer culture school.
For nine weeks, Mexican and Mexican-American children in Clearwater learned about themselves, their parents and their homeland in a summer program sponsored jointly by Clearwater, the YWCA, the Mexican Consulate in Orlando and the Consejo Mexicano de Bahia Tampa, a local business group.
From 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. each weekday, the kids sang traditional Mexican songs, learned about things such as Day of the Dead and played the games their grandparents played while living in Mexico.
For some of the children, the Summer Education Program in the United States was a real eye-opener.
"I know a lot about Mexico now," said Diana Cruz, 7, of Clearwater. "I know they speak Spanish in Mexico and that there are kindergarteners in Mexico. I know how to color the Mexican flag."
For Elias Lezama, it was a chance to be around people like him.
"I really liked it because it really encouraged Elias to speak Spanish," said Elias' mother, Aeisha Perez, 22, of Clearwater.
"His father is Mexican," said Perez, who hails from the Dominican Republic. "I guess he identified with the children who were here. This helps a lot because he is influenced by the Mexican community. It's good for him to be able to relate."
Two teachers were flown in from Mexico to educate the children. (The Mexican Consulate footed that part of the bill.) Teachers Miguel Angel Anaya Perez and Victor Hugo Castelan Zacatenco said they were excited to be chosen this year to participate in the international program, which also runs in Texas.
Both men are from Hidalgo, the state in Mexico that is home to a majority of Mexicans living in Clearwater.
Anaya and Castelan stayed with host families and took trips to places such as Busch Gardens as part of their stay. But first things first: The children were taught how school is conducted in Mexico. And that means no more "mister" or "missus."
"Class is all in Spanish," said Castelan. "When little children call upon their teachers, they are to say maestro or maestra. When they get a little older, they say professor."
Other lessons included identifying the months of the year in Spanish and writing short essays about the history of the Aztecs. The children also spent a fair amount of time coloring in Mexican flags, learning how to make a pinata from scratch and chasing each other - and their teachers - around the city's Hispanic Outreach Center at 612 Franklin St.
The children who didn't know Spanish benefited from being in an all-Spanish environment, said Anaya. Holding conversations in Spanish and learning about history in Spanish is a part of the culture.
"The program is for them to know Mexican culture, the history and the traditions," he said. "They learned about the pyramids and the Aztecs."
The 3-year-old program was brought to the Tampa Bay area by the Consejo Mexicano. The Consejo is a group of Mexican business owners who get together to offer resources to Mexicans living in the area. The Consejo also serves as a more direct liaison between the consulate in Orlando and local places such as Clearwater.
Maxi Sanchez heard about the program through the Consejo and enrolled her daughter, Elizabeth.
"I liked it because I like her to learn about the culture," said Maxi Sanchez on Wednesday, while picking up her daughter from the program. "I like that she learned to write in Spanish. It's very important, for the future, for her to know both languages."
Elizabeth Sanchez, 11, at the time was more preoccupied with making her multicolored pinata, which had several horns sticking out of it that represent the seven mortal sins, according to Catholicism. The children learned that Mexican pinatas are different from those in other parts of the world because the Mexican pinata is a religious tool.
As the children break open each horn and get candy and fruit, the action signifies that sin can be broken by sacrifice and thus turned into a good thing.
Of course, Elizabeth simply thinks it's cool to be able to make her own pinatas at home.
"I never knew how to make them before," said Elizabeth. "You blow up a balloon and put papier-mache over it. You let it dry. It'll take a week or two to make it. This program? It makes me feel like I know more stuff."
Said her mom, Maxi Sanchez: "In Mexico, everybody knows how to make pinatas. I've been here for 15 years and I didn't see any program like this. She'll be back next year."
The program culminated with a two-hour finale on Thursday night. There, the children showed off their ability to sing the Mexican national anthem and to dance a traditional dance called the huapango. Afterward, a feast began as parents brought in bowl after bowl of food to celebrate the end of culture school and the beginning of cultural pride.
More than 100 people showed up for the two-hour program, conducted mostly in Spanish and featuring the children singing songs, playing popular games and performing traditional dances.
In the days leading up to the program, everyone bristled with excitement.
Mothers hurried to make the bright blue, yellow and green satin skirts their girls would wear while performing the huapango, a couples dance that originated in Hidalgo. Parents created a fuss over who would bring the tamales and who would cook the enchiladas pollo.
Several Spanish magazines from across the Tampa Bay area, such as Guia del Golfo and Mi Barrio Latino, covered the event. The consul in Orlando, Luz Elena Bueno, came as well. She danced the huapango with little Elias Lezama. Fathers lined the floor of the gym at Joe DiMaggio Sports Complex to get the best view of the show for their camcorders.
Parents of the program participants paid $15 a week. That money paid for most meals and activities for the children. The parents also each chipped in a dollar or two to buy tickets for Anaya and Castelan to go to Busch Gardens. The night of the final program, the teachers got hugs and kisses from all.
The teachers left on Saturday.
Anaya, 24, was eager to return home to his wife of two months and to his school, Ignacio Manuel Altamirano, in Real del Monte. Castelan, 23, was eager to go home as well.
Patricia Benitez, 37, is a local mom who spent a lot of time working with the program. Benitez enrolled four of her children in the classes.
"It's a lot of work for not a lot of money," Benitez said. "But the children understand the Mexican culture."
Ana Guerrero, 14, also volunteered.
"It was pretty good because some of the kids have teachers who don't talk about Mexico," said the Tarpon Springs High School student. "I think it's really important because it's part of you, because you are Mexican."
