Vamos a Wyland School! For the third year in a row, Upper School Spanish Teacher Robin Begley’s Spanish 450 classes, 26 students in all, recently spent the morning with the students and teachers of Wyland School, a diverse and welcoming elementary school in the Ritenour School district. Señora Begley shared, “My students have no idea how geographically close this lovely school is to ours. One of my goals for my students is to get out into our community and be of service. The more they know, the more they can do.”
The MICDS students, along with Sra. Begley and Technology Support Specialist Khristian Ortega, joined Dr. Lisa Greenstein, principal of Wyland, on a sunny morning in October. Dr. Greenstein introduced the group to the school’s unique culture and then rolled out the classroom assignments where students were transformed into teacher aides. They worked with all primary grades, including Spanish-speaking students and children from other cultures, and even spent time outside playing tag and climbing on the jungle gym. “It was so great to see the Wyland students walking hand in hand with our students, so quickly developing relationships,” said Sra. Begley. The experience allowed the Spanish 450 students to use their language skills in a fun, conversational setting.
“We love having MICDS students here,” said one Wyland teacher. “They are so helpful and respectful. They truly feel like part of our community.”
After the adventure at Wyland, MICDS students reflected on the visit.
“I really enjoyed how happy it made the kids for me and my partner to spend time with them. They were so sweet, and I also enjoyed talking in Spanish with the kids who could. It was such an inclusive and supportive environment.” – Hannah VanValkenburg ’25
“Something I found really meaningful was when I was working with a kindergartener who knew very little English. His teacher had asked me to help him with the alphabet, and we sang together and talked in Spanish about how to do it. It was super meaningful to me to be able to help this student with something he will use forever.” – Emily Leyland ’25
“The most meaningful aspect of my community service experience at Wyland was connecting with the students who spoke Spanish. Although a significant proportion of the school is of Hispanic descent, a few students in each class recently immigrated to the United States from a Spanish-speaking nation, and the transition to learning a new language can be very difficult. It was very gratifying to see the students’ excitement when they could converse in Spanish with us, and the English-speaking students also did their best to help out their Spanish-speaking peers during class activities. It was a one-of-a-kind experience that I’m very grateful to have been a part of.” – Arjun Puri ’25
“I was able to engage with all the kids because they were so welcoming. As soon as I arrived, I pulled out a red chair, and several told me red was their favorite color. Some were more shy, but after talking to them, I feel we really bonded.” – Sam Matisziw ’25
“It was surprisingly easy how much vocabulary came out when I needed to speak in Spanish. I didn’t even know I could do small talk. And the kids were super understanding.” – Kriya Doshi ’25
After the morning at Wyland, the group headed to Durango Taquería for lunch to enjoy the experience of sobremesa, a cultural and community time to share a meal together.
Sra. Begley said, “It is essential to get out of one’s comfort zone and embrace the MICDS mission statement to truly live other languages and cultures.”