During Thursday Clubs time Alison Trujillo and Mallory Powers lead Grupo Amapola. This group is comprised of Middle School students who work together to help bring Spanish to life in the Middle School. Grupo Amapola is named after the Californian poppy flower. Our Hamlin chapter is part of a national organization called “Sociedad Hispánica de Amistad.” or “Hispanic Friendship Society.” This organization is directed by AATSP, the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese.
The AATSP brochure states:
“AATSP is a language-specific professional association founded in 1917 in New York City. It is dedicated to providing teachers and students with the necessary support to promote and maintain successful world language programs. It has now grown to more than 10,000 members in 60 chapters across the United States and Canada.”
The purpose of the Sociedad Hispánica de Amistad is to promote cross-cultural celebration and understanding in K-8 students of Spanish and Portuguese and to encourage service to school and community. With this in mind, Alison and Mallory’s Grupo Amapola have enjoyed fun, engaging activities this year. For example, students wrote secret letters in Spanish to some of their favorite teachers. They also recently hosted a bake sale to raise money for Holy Family Day Home in San Francisco’s Mission District. Holy Day Home supports many Spanish-speaking families in the city. The funds will go towards the mission of the non-profit, helping to provide high quality, early childhood education, and family support services.
Two of the members said, “we get to share things about the Spanish culture and language with Hamlin that helps bring our learning alive.”
In all, we are excited to be a part of a national organization doing great work to build community through the celebration of language and culture.
To learn more about the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese, please visit: http://www.aatsp.org/?SHA
To learn more about the Holy Family Day Home, please visit: https://holyfamilydayhome.org