Throughout Hispanic Heritage Month, grade 2 students at St. Margaret’s engaged in an immersive, month-long exploration of the cultures, traditions, and histories of Latin America, appreciating the culture’s offering of music, art, food, geography, and storytelling.

Led by Salamasina Toughey, Lower School grade 2 co-teacher, this multi-tiered unit was written by grade 2 educators as a summer innovation grant for their Influential People Unit and included weekly activities spanning virtual tours, read-a-louds and guest speakers. In collaboration with Lower School grade 2 educators, the interdisciplinary unit immersed students in the cultures, traditions, and histories celebrated during Hispanic Heritage Month through a series of interactive, hands-on experiences. Students explored maps of Latin American countries, listened to traditional mariachi music, learned about folk dances, toured historic sites virtually, played Lotería, and discovered influential figures such as renowned Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. 

The learning extended beyond the classroom to La Novia Farm, where students explored the connections between food, agriculture, and cultural traditions during a visit led by Pamela Conti, St. Margaret’s garden and plant science educator. Ms. Conti introduced students to the hibiscus plant, highlighting their significance in family traditions and culinary practices across Latin America. Students traced the journey of flor de jamaica (hibiscus) from field to table, learning how the plant’s vibrant red calyces—the fleshy structures surrounding the flower—are harvested and steeped to make agua de jamaica, a refreshing traditional hibiscus drink. Through hands-on participation, students experienced the harvesting process and helped prepare the drink, gaining a tangible understanding of how food connects generations and helps preserve cultural traditions.

The unit was designed to do more than celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month. According to Ms. Toughey, it also supported the development of essential academic skills, including reading, listening comprehension, speaking, research, and geography. The lessons introduced students to the grade 2 Influential Person research unit, encouraging them to learn about leaders, artists, authors, and innovators from a range of backgrounds.

The month-long experience concluded in a visit to the St. Margaret’s Commons, where members of the Tartan Inclusivity and Diversity Education (TIDE) Upper School leadership group welcomed grade 2 students to the Film Room. Victor Cota, St. Margaret’s director of equity and inclusion, introduced two TIDE speakers–Upper School students Michell Pelayo-Ayala and Alex Rojas–who shared a few words about Hispanic Heritage Month. Through this connection with Upper School students, grade 2 students had the opportunity to learn across divisions and engage with perspectives beyond their own classroom. An introduction to salsa dancing and the art of papel picado, the colorful paper-cutting tradition associated with Mexican celebrations, brought the unit to a lively close.

For Ms. Toughey, the visit represented not an endpoint, but the beginning of a broader opportunity to connect Lower School students across the school community. She hopes the experience will lead to more collaborations between grade 2 and Upper School TIDE group, particularly during Hispanic Heritage month. “This learning will encourage younger students to explore the Commons along with their older peers and experience its innovative, state-of-the-art facilities as a space for learning, connection, and discovery,” she said.