Students at Jones Elementary laugh and enjoy performances celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month. Students enjoyed puppetry, storytelling and cultural dances that gave them an insight of hispanic culture and Spanish vocabulary knowledge. 

With the help of Young Audiences of Northeast Texas, Tyler ISD’s Jones Elementary recently hosted Señorita Margarita’s Fiesta, an event to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month.

Storyteller, Margaret Clauder, entertained the students through the story of “Martina the Beautiful Cockroach,” along with cultural dances, puppetry and experiences that taught students Spanish vocabulary.

Jones Elementary Music Teacher Hadassah Cooper said that each year she attempts to bring one or two cultural performances to the campus.

“It is important for our students to celebrate who they are and the things that make theirs and others’ cultures uniquely beautiful. The more exposure students have to other cultures, the less likely they are to judge or hate another’s way of life or background,” said Cooper. “Celebrating diversity matters significantly here at Jones.”

Cooper said she hopes events like these allow students to feel appreciation for culture.

“For our non-Hispanic students, I hope they learned a few new tidbits about a culture outside of their own and that they learn to appreciate and celebrate the differences between themselves and their classmates, and for our Hispanic students, I hope felt comfortable celebrating their culture and where they come from and had tons of fun doing it,” she said.

Jones Elementary Principal NaTasha Crain mentioned that preserving cultural reality helps the students achieve academic success.

“Culturally Relevant Teaching is essential to the success of ethnically diverse learners and has made a difference in overall progress at Jones Elementary,” said Crain.