Kirkmere students mark Hispanic Heritage Month

YOUNGSTOWN — Charialys Rivera, Gloriangelis Sanchez and Hector Irizarry, fourth-graders at Discovery at Kirkmere, learned population, native wildlife, food and dress of Panama for the school’s Hispanic Heritage Month.

“Nov. 28 is their Independence Day,” Charialys said.

“The men wear fancy hats,” Hector added.

Gloriangelis listed whales and birds as some of Panama’s native wildlife.

All Kirkmere students participated in the project today, creating posters for many Hispanic countries. Teachers and administrators judged the posters, scoring them for content, accuracy, attractiveness and grammar.

Sixth-graders Michael Hobbs, 11, Savon Valentin, 12, and Alyssa White, 11, worked on their poster on Mexico.

“I always thought it was like Puerto Rico,” Alyssa said.

It isn’t.

“It’s a lot spicier,” Alyssa said, adding that she likes spicy food.

Their teacher cooked saffron rice and pulled pork, or carnitas, representing popular Mexican food.

“They use rice more for things than we do,” Savon said.

The class created a brochure, listing facts about the country – which is officially named United Mexican States.

The students also learned about the country’s history. It was under Spanish rule for about 300 years.

For the complete story, read Friday's Vindicator and Vindy.com