Last year Ellis Middle School started providing all students at Ellis Middle School the opportunity to participate in the Spanish Culture Club. In this club students learn about Spanish-speaking cultures, including the language, food, music and dance of each country.

Students meet twice a month after school. At the first gathering of the month, students get cultural information through a PowerPoint presentation of one Spanish-speaking country. In the second gathering they get to cook an authentic dish from the country they are studying, and sometimes they get to dance a typical dance of the same country.

Last year students were able to learn about Mexico, Spain and Colombia. This year they will learn about those countries, plus Costa Rica and Chile.

Since students are learning about Spanish-speaking cultures, this strengthens their respect for cultural differences and acceptance of others. Moreover, this club has encouraged more Hispanic students to participate in after-school programs. The club is always very well attended. They currently have 26 kids who have joined the club and are attending on a regular basis.

Jessica Torres, a seventh grade student who has been part of this club since it started, said, ”I think its fun. It’s a good time to be with your friends and meet more people from other cultures. We also get to learn about Mexico and many other countries.”

The Spanish Culture Club at Ellis is made possible by a grant from the Austin-Southland-Hayfield Integration Collaborative. The mission of the collaborative is to empower all students to become lifelong learners who are contributing members of a diverse society, in collaboration with family and community.