Saint Vincent students enjoy end-of-the-year fiesta

Intermountain Catholic

+ Enlarge

SALT LAKE CITY — Saint Vincent de Paul students enjoyed a fiesta with Spanish teacher Ana Facelli to celebrate their end-of-the-year accomplishments in Spanish.

The school has a room in the Holy Family Hall basement that is dedicated to Spanish. The walls are hung with flags from Spanish-speaking countries and colorful "papel picado" decorations, helping to bring out the culture and traditions of Mexico. Spanish flashcards on all objects help the students increase their vocabulary.

Every Saint Vincent de Paul student from pre-K (4) to 8th grade takes Spanish twice a week. In the lower grades students learn Spanish through songs, vocabulary and verb cards. Starting in 5th grade students have a textbook and workbook and enhance each lesson with conversations, songs, skits and reading elementary level books.

Some highlights from this year included students recording the song "Silent Night" in Spanish and emailing it to parents during Christmas vacation. Another highlight for the middle school was having students from the John Kennedy school in Guadalajara visit for a day, do a performance and then interact with local students to practice Spanish and learn more about Mexican culture.

Ana Facelli, Saint Vincent de Paul's Spanish teacher, is originally from Argentina. She has been teaching for 15 years, 10 at Saint Vincent. "I am very blessed to be teaching here, and especially blessed to have this great room designated to Spanish. It helps my students immerse themselves in the language and its traditions," she said.