Search

Riverdale Heights students experience Latin culture at festival

Font Size:
Default font size
Larger font size

By Janet Hill | Friday, June 01, 2007 |

Contributed photo Students in Jennifer Krier’s kindergarten class at Riverdale Heights Elementary School include (front row, from left): Max Yates, Alysia Hanson, Haileigh Johnson, Jeanelle Cho, Alex Spay, Jacob Solis, Fatima Diop, Justin Sehlin; (middle row): Joey Murray, Maya Spinosa, Josh DelCorso, Ryan Sperry, Alec Johnson, Julia Hillman, Katie Bullock, Ayden Gullion, Tyrone Johnson; (back row): Joslyn Schafer, Christine Lyon, Danielle Waldron, Sylvia Freidhof.



The vibrant culture of Latin America sprang to life last week in one of Riverdale Heights’ classrooms.

Kindergarten parent Melissa Freidhof-Rodgers volunteered in Jennifer Krier’s class all school year. During the spring quarter, she taught the children some Spanish.  The idea came from the students’ interest in other countries, she said.

“I have studied abroad in Latin America and was happy to share my language skills and love of Latin culture with them,” she said.

The classes culminated in a fiesta that Freidhof-Rodgers organized. International students from Scott Community College’s Cooperative Association of States for Scholarships, or CASS, program shared music and dance from their cultures of Haiti, Guatemala, Dominican Republic and El Salvador.

“(The children) also had the opportunity to learn about the countries and even practice the conversational Spanish they had learned this year,” Freidhof-Rodgers said.

The children ate food donated from Azteca 3 restaurant in Cumberland Square.

“It was so fun to see the children dancing the Merengue with the older students, who enjoyed it as much as the little ones,” she said.


Contact the Bettendorf News at (563) 383-2396 or bettnews@qctimes.com. Comment on this story at www.qctimes.com.

Previous Next
Share
Email
Print
 

More Stories By Janet Hill

Most Commented in Bettendorf * past 7 days

    (0) Comments Posted Today

    Technology News Articles
    Computers, MP3, Phones & More. See Product Pics, Specs & Reviews.
    www.NexTag.com
    2008 Diet Of The Year:
    Finally, A Diet That Really Works! Seen On CNN, NBC, CBS & Fox News.
    www.Wu-YiSource.com
    Cheap Airfare
    Compare multiple travel sites. Discount web fares made easy.
    www.LowFares.com
    Ads by Yahoo!

    Weather

    Quad Cities Weather
    30°F View Forecast
    sponsored by:
    River Levels | Closings | Flight Information
    What did you do on Black Friday?
    Out shopping as soon as the stores opened.
    Waited until the early rush crowds thinned out and then went shopping.
    Took my time and went shopping later in the day.
    Did all my shopping online.
    Spent the day doing anything BUT shopping.
    View Results

    Marketplace

    Free Time