What ingredients make a friendship? Some might say that trust, mutual respect, kindness, and empathy are essential for a connection to stick. Others add that honesty, vulnerability, loyalty, shared interests, and effective communication are equally important. All of these qualities foster a foundation where friends feel safe, understood, and valued, creating deep, lasting bonds. And, how do our views of friendship in the United States differ from those in other countries?
Students in Robin Begley’s Upper School Spanish 450 class got to work answering that and an essential question in the unit: “¿Cómo nos influyen las personas de nuestro alrededor?” [How do the people around us influence us?], which leads to the concepts of “la amistad” [friendship], what makes a good friend, and how people support one another.
In small groups, they brainstormed the key elements of healthy and happy friendships by exploring their own values and cultural norms. Armed with the MICDS Mission Statement, students then formed their own personal mission statements about what friendship means to them.
Branching out beyond their personal and small-group “familias,” they then chose a Spanish-speaking country to research and understand that country’s culture and customs related to friendships and community. Some cultures have separate social circles for different age groups or activities, and others maintain closer familial bonds or express physical affection in various ways.
This research culminated in small-group presentations under the title “Un dia de la Amistad” [A Day of Friendship], where students shared their opinions and research on friendships and community. At the end of each presentation, the presenters conducted an activity for the whole class, whether it was writing friendly notes of encouragement to someone else in the class or making friendship bracelets. One group brought in dulce de leche cake to model how connections in other countries are cultivated around food and shared meals with friends and family.
Justin Karam ’27 enjoyed the thoughtfully crafted and thought-provoking topic. “Personally, this whole unit was quite different from anything I’ve ever really done in Spanish class at MICDS. Instead of the usual format, where we learn Spanish, we instead learned in Spanish. Finding one thing that I really enjoyed is a bit difficult, but the friendship presentation was probably the most interesting, specifically the activity at the end. After we finished presenting, we were tasked to give the class an activity to participate in that related to friendship. My group chose a puzzle where each person would draw on their own piece, and we would all build it together, encouraging friendship. However, the restrictions on this activity were pretty minimal, so you could get creative! It was a joy to participate in.”
“My group’s friendship activity was sharing a cake,” said Amey Parwal ’27. “In Cuba, it is a tradition to share cake with those close to you, and doing so is a symbol of community. We decided that it would be a unique and enjoyable experience for the class, adding a fun twist to the presentation. I enjoyed sharing ideas the most because we were invited to think about ideas that would seem rather irregular for a presentation. We were constantly thinking about our presentation, and it was a really great way to connect with my peers as well.”
Isadora Yokoo ’28 said, “My group and I researched Colombia, which is really famous, as eight out of every ten people celebrate Un dia de la Amistad. Our group friendship activity for the class was an exchange of letters and friendship bracelets. We also prepared little bags of candy to give away to our classmates. We recreated the traditions that occur in Colombia, where friends exchange letters and friendship bracelets, as well as ‘La Endulzada,’ [The Sweetened], in which friends prepare and give candy to each other.”
To continue building community within the class in the long term, Begley plans to rearrange the students into new small groups for their next unit on communication, which will enhance friendships, community, and interconnectedness.