KNIGHTS HEADLINES

To promote global awareness and empathy, our world language classes participated in Hispanic Heritage Month which is celebrated nationally every year in the fall. While our Spanish classes recognize Spanish speakers and Hispanic countries all year long, special projects and presentations were shared to honor the month.

In our lower school Spanish enrichment classes, Señor Abarca taught his students about the contributions and achievements of Hispanic Americans in the United States and shared pieces of literature from famous Hispanic authors to learn about different countries and cultures. Third grade students researched famous people of Hispanic descent and dressed up in costumes to share what they learned with their classmates. “I enjoyed Hispanic Heritage Month because I thought it was cool to honor the Spanish individuals who accomplished great things,” said Graham Bengel, third grader who presented about Lionel Messi, an Argentinian soccer player. “Learning about Ellen Ochoa taught me to always reach for the moon,” said Isabel Mavico, third grader, who shared about the astronaut.

In middle school our world language teachers highlighted different Hispanic people who have contributed to our country in a special way. Señora Ferrari taught her students about “El Mate”, a typical Argentinian tea that builds friendship and community. “It is so ‘me’ that I love to share about it with the students as it is very authentic and far from stereotypical,” said Señora Ferrari.

Eighth grade students in Spanish classes created an exhibit for Hispanic Heritage Month that they shared with fellow students about notable Hispanic Americans and culture, music, dance, art, food and games.

“When we celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month, I really enjoyed the dances. I’m a dancer and I thought it was interesting how all the dances were created. I think it’s also a really great opportunity to learn about other cultures and to not just focus on American dances,” said Savannah Parker, grade 6.

Upper school students in Spanish classes created a collaborative poster of famous Hispanics and their quotes in addition to learning about the culture through music and activities around Dia De La Raza which is celebrated in Spanish-speaking countries. CCS Director of Diversity and Belonging Jozi Walker was a guest speaker in Honors Spanish and shared about intercultural communications.

“I enjoyed Hispanic Heritage Month and the exhibit project because it gave me the opportunity to expand my views of the Hispanic culture and learn more about Hispanic people and their important role in the world.” Addison Rohm, grade 8

Innovation in the digital arts at Charlotte Christian began nearly a decade ago with a few isolated electives in film production and digital music. The course offerings and digital classroom studios have blossomed in the past few years to include everything from digital photography and audio production to animation and graphic design. “Our media production curriculum provides students with a variety of options to explore as they seek to discover talents they have been blessed with,” said Mr. Don Humphries, digital music teacher. “The goal for students is to gain knowledge and excitement for the world of digital media that can be taken far beyond the walls of the classroom and into real-world application.”

This year the digital music studio was equipped with three new workstations that truly bring music composition, film production, audio engineering and graphic design together in one hightech playground. Scan the code to the right to look at how this new resource has created an atmosphere of curiosity, discovery and creativity in a new way on our campus.

Scan the QR code to experience the digital arts at CCS

Mrs. Allison Reeves has been teaching Spanish 1, Spanish 2 and Spanish 2 Honors in the upper school at Charlotte Christian for six years and prior to that spent 12 years teaching in the CMS system. She earned her Master of Arts in Spanish from Winthrop University and is Nationally Board Certified. She is passionate not only about teaching Spanish, but also about building relationships with her students and colleagues, and supporting teachers and teacher development. in October 2021. Her chapter analyzes the role of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in education during the COVID-19 pandemic and the role that teachers have when reinventing their pedagogical practice to meet the needs of the 21st century.

She is currently working on a doctorate in education with UMECIT, an International University in Panama and plans to graduate in November 2022. The entire program is in Spanish and has included professors from Panama, Spain, Cuba, Colombia, Chile and other Spanish-speaking countries. As part of her doctorate program, Mrs. Reeves coauthored a chapter in Spanish of the book called “Gestión del Conocimiento: Perspectiva Multidisciplinaria Volumen 37 - COLECCIÓN UNIÓN GLOBAL” that was published “God has put so much joy in my heart for teaching Spanish and for being a lifelong learner,” shared Mrs. Reeves. “Through the doctorate program, I am challenged not only with the coursework, but also with improving my language skills. Through my research the need for active learning and games-based activities in class has been reaffirmed. I have learned so much and have had such great conversations with professors and other educators about what it means to be an educator in today’s world.”