LAMS students immersed in Latin culture at 2nd annual fair

As each class was briefed on what they would see upon entering Linden Avenue Middle School’s Innovation Lab, the same words elicited a reaction without fail:

“There are live animals in there.”

Many knew the “live animals” were simply axolotls in two small tanks, but that didn’t detract from the anticipation of entering the room, which had been converted into an immersive experience of black light, neon, candles and art to honor Mexico and its Dia de Muertos, or Day of the Dead, holiday.

The room was a highlight of LAMS’ second annual Latin Culture Fair March 27, which exposed students to a wide variety of Latino traditions and history through authentic foods and art, themed rooms, and guest speakers sharing first-person experiences.

“The building has an energy during this event. I think that’s what learning looks like; learning is hands-on and it’s sensory,” said Liz Lowney, sixth-grade Spanish teacher and adviser for the International Club, which spearheaded the event. “It supplements a lot of what we do in a lot of classes. It was very cross-curricular this year. I was excited at how many people got to be a part of it to make it everything we wanted it to be.”

In addition to many building staff members who contributed, the Better World Club and art clubs and classes helped put the fair together and create the art pieces featured.

As it was last year, the fair was broken up into three parts and the grade levels rotated through them. In the cafeteria, students sampled a variety of foods and could visit guests at tables to learn more about specific countries or cultural elements. In the gym, students listened to professional storyteller David Gonzalez, who grew up in the Bronx with a Cuban father and Puerto Rican mother, tell tales from his childhood and family while teaching Spanish words.

The biggest change this year was in the third element. Whereas last year students toured classrooms filled with student-created tri-fold presentations detailing Latin history and culture, this year students rotated through six experiential classrooms with additional guest speakers and two immersive classrooms.

Lowney said students last year called the poster presentations “a little bland.” This year, the classrooms may have been the highlight.

In addition to the Dia de Muertos room – which took about a week to put together under the direction of art teachers Ana O’Keefe and Claudia Brehse, with other help – there was a room filled with plants and ambiance to teach students about the rainforest of Puerto Rico, a room in which speaker Alessandra Gonzalez talked about Puerto Rico with audio aides, a room in which ENL teacher and professional artists Mari Keeler Cornwell displayed her work, and others.

Seventh grade students Ceili Craft and Ben Nickerson were among the students who put hours of work into setting up the Dia de Muertos room, creating art and neon pathways with dots on the floor. The axolotls, native to Mexico, bookended a large neon axolotls created by the students.

“It’s like the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but it’s so worth it to share this with everyone else,” Craft said. “It’s just so cool to see your classmates’ reactions. Everybody was so amazed to see it for the first time.”

Of course, the food was again a highlight, as well. This year, Lowney said she was able to obtain additional funding to order twice as much food from each vendor and give every student the chance to sample every dish, rather than picking and choosing.

The options ranged from Arango Caafe’s flautas to Misto’s pão de queijo and Sabrosso’s Mexican street corn. A complete list of the 11 tables is available below.

Informational tables were likewise varied, with groups like the Red Hook Community Center and the high school’s International Club sharing information, as well as individual speakers discussing their home countries of Spain, Venezuela, Colombia, Paraguay and Cuba. Many gave out authentic candies.

Culture Connect operated a popular table at which students could make a “sikuli,” a common craft in which a square of yarn is layers in various colors. Alice Coleman, who said the not-for-profit group’s mission is to “empower the youth of our community to be more engaged in ways that are outside of their own culture,” noted while many people have seen examples of sikulis, few are aware of its indigenous roots in western Mexico. In addition to helping students make their own, Culture Connect featured a handout on its history.

“There’s some spiritual symbolism behind it,” Coleman said. “It’s another way to look at the things that are in our current culture that we recognize but we don’t necessarily know the origins of them.”

Vincente de Jesús de la Vega, an interpreter who has worked with such figures as President Obama, Kevin Hart and the Pope, operated a table in which he discussed Cuba. He said students mostly had questions about the country’s buildings, infrastructure and cars.

“I think it’s very important to be culturally aware of the world,” he said. “It’s really a small world. We’re all six degrees apart from each other. The more they know, the better they’re going to be in their lifetime.”

Of the fair, Nickerson said “It was also nice to learn more and see other people learn more about cultures I know about or other people know about and are teaching about. It was a wonderful experience.”

Lowney said she was pleased with the addition of the immersive rooms this year, and teased what the third annual fair may bring.

“One of the goals of the event is to bring the experience of being in Latin America here; this experience of living in another country. You’re in the Puerto Rican jungle without leaving the school,” she said. “I’m hoping next year we can do more like that.”

Food vendors, foods

Sabroso: Mexican Street Corn, Churros

Misto: Pão de queijo (Sausage or Dulce de Leche)

Alma's Tacos: Tacos (Chicken)

Debbie Perez and Bibina Córdova: Arroz con gandules (Rice & Peas) and Flan

Casa Latina Pupusas y más: Pupusas, Quesadillas

Casa Vallarta: Fajitas (Chicken or Steak)

Arango Café: Flautas (Chicken or Cheese)

Cancun's: Quesadillas (Chicken or Chorizo/Sausage)

Skyview: Tacos Dorados (Potato or Cheese)

Mi Rancho Alegre: Nachos, Rice and Salad

La Ruta del Sol: Empanadas