Bay Haven Celebrates Latin Culture

All Bay Haven students have been working hard to transform their classrooms into different regions from six Spanish-speaking countries: Spain, Peru, Mexico, Colombia, Honduras and the Dominican Republic. On Thursday during the country tours, students visited the “countries” of other students and act as tour guides when students visit them. All students carried a passport and visited “customs” upon arrival at each country.

Sarasota Patch stopped by Thursday and was given a tour of "Honduras" by Bay Haven fourth graders. The students talked about various topics including, Honduras food, clothing, homes and sports. 

At 2:30 p.m., students at each grade level performed a dance, song, or percussion piece unique to the country they have studied. The school-wide performance also included several guest performers, including Bay Haven parent Cherie DiNoia and a local Flamenco dance group, as well as Bay Haven parents Betsy and Fernando Traba, principal musicians in the Sarasota Orchestra. The performance will end with a school wide performance of the Mexican Folk Song, “De Colores,” signifying the importance of accepting all peoples, all cultures and all colors.

“This event connects language acquisition with cultural awareness to help Bay Haven students gain a greater understanding of our diverse world,” said Jaime Vieira, Spanish teacher.