Ecuadorian cultural educational visit at C.J. Hooker

GOSHEN - Spanish students at the C.J. Hooker Middle School recently put their language skills to the test when they were visited by students from Ludoteca High School in Quito, Ecuador. The students visit the U.S. each year as a cultural educational visit for junior and senior students. Gaby Ackert, Spanish teacher at the C. J. Hooker Middle School, worked for Ludoteca Elementary School 10 years ago, teaching English as a Second Language. Over the years, she kept in touch with the school’s principal, Dr. Amparo Alban, and worked with him in order to make the visit possible. During their visit, the students presented artwork and traditional dances from different Ecuadorian ethnic groups, such as “otavalos y salasacas,” to the entire school. The students met with seventh and eighth grade foreign language classes where they spoke in their native language to students. In addition, they toured the school and ate lunch with select seventh and eighth graders. “It was a terrific cultural exchange experience for both groups,” said Ackert. “It took months of planning to put the schedule and activities together, but the students enjoyed this cultural experience a lot.”