Upper School (US) World Language Faculty recently organized field trips that allowed our students to explore different cultures and traditions. During a workshop on Afro-Latino music, dance, and history at the Julia De Burgos Latino Cultural Center in New York City, the nonprofit arts and community organization Los Pleneros de la 21 guided both students and faculty through Bomba and Plena Afro-Puerto Rican music and dance. “The field trip was part of the curriculum for a new Spanish elective class, Afro-Latinidad: Language & Culture, I designed and am teaching for the first time this semester,” said US Spanish Teacher Dra. Collado, who collaborated closely with Sra. Levin’s Spanish 6: Language & Culture class and Dean Tuc’s Dance class. “This is one of the most fun and engaging field trips I’ve been on so far,” said Kenneth Seymour ’26. “I felt immersed in the activity as opposed to just observing, and it connected beautifully to the Afro-Latino history we’ve studied in class. It was very special to me to learn and play music deeply rooted in rich cultural tradition.”
On another day, students from Mr. Burke’s Sixth Grade Latin and Ms. Brandow’s US Latin classes took a trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to observe examples of ancient texts they’d been learning about. “My Latin students have been studying how to translate ancient Roman gravestones—a tricky skill because it involves more than just understanding the Latin grammar, but also recognizing common abbreviations,” explained Mr. Burke. “Despite the difficulty, studying this material is rewarding because it gives us a small glimpse into the lives of ordinary Romans.” While at the Met, students also examined other Roman art and artifacts. Here’s to bringing language and history to life, one field trip at a time!
