Group Of Saxe Middle School's 8th Graders Take Class Trip

From the New Canaan Public Schools:

November 28 2019

Field trip translates classroom studies into real world experience

Eighth grade Spanish students at Saxe Middle School recently took part in a field trip that put their language studies to good use.

Organized by Saxe Spanish teachers Amy McGurk, Josephine McMahon, Katherine Milositz and Alison Vavricka, the field trip began with students travelling to Tarrytown, New York. There, they attended a cultural dance performance by the Hispanic Flamenco Ballet at the Tarrytown Music Hall. The dance troupe is recognized nationally for its cultural education programs, and Saxe students witnessed a variety of traditional Latin American and Spanish dance styles and music productions. These included the tango, merengue, and the salsa, to name a few.

Following the morning performance in Tarrytown, the students returned to Connecticut, and their next stop was lunch at Pesca restaurant, a newly opened Peruvian bistro located at 70 Main Street, in downtown New Canaan. Owners Wilson Rodriguez and José Draganac were gracious hosts and made the visit a special and meaningful experience.

Students listened to descriptions of each traditional Peruvian dish - described in Spanish - before digging into a buffet filled with authentic food prepared by head chef José Draganac and his team. Students and teachers alike thoroughly enjoyed native cuisine such as empanadas, vegetarian and meat chaufa (a fried rice dish), and lomo saltado (wok sauteed sliced beef with vegetables). Desserts included churros (a fried dough pastry) with dipping sauce, and, when students asked for seconds, they did so in Spanish, using the skills they learned in class.

Returning to Saxe Middle School that afternoon, students shared the fun and excitement of the day’s adventures and realized how Spanish language studies could help them to understand and appreciate cultural dimensions that extend beyond the classroom.

This press release was produced by the New Canaan Public Schools. The views expressed here are the author’s own.