Event Spotlight: Las Posadas with Gilbert's Dual Language Immersion Program

Kindergarten students in the Dual Language Immersion program at Gilbert Elementary School wear homemade crowns and carry goodie bags as they process around the school from station to station, giggling with anticipation and clinging to one another's hands. Called Las Posadas, this event embodies the heart of socio-cultural learning. Las Posadas, a Latin American tradition that combines European and Mesoamerican practices, is about the journey for shelter, and it has developed into a festival that celebrates the journey we take together as a community. For the students, this particular journey is marked by eight stops. Each stop is themed with a word that captures a broader universal value for the students to explore, and each includes a goodie for their goodie bags. Maestra Caroline Jimenez teaches each of these eight mini lessons entirely in Spanish, and over the course of the afternoon, the students add eight words to their core vocabulary and eight goodies to their goodie bags.

The station Amistad (friendship) includes a sheet of stickers for students to share with their friends. At the Paz (peace) station, students receive LED lights to turn on when they would like a moment of calm. Every word – Alegría (joy), Comunidad (community), Compartir (sharing), Amor (love), Perdón (forgiveness), and Gratitud (gratitude) – brings students to another station around the school, with another activity or lesson connected to that theme. When the students reach the final stop on this journey, their happy squeals at the sight of a piñata lead passers-by to smile and stop to watch the proceedings. The piñata, too, carries its own vocabulary lesson, as the traditional seven-pointed star represents challenges that each community tries to overcome and break together, such as Envidia (pride), Ira (anger), and Avaricia (greed).