For the fourth year, Chautauqua Elementary School is hosting Spanish-speaking interns from Amity International to give elementary students exposure to Spanish language and culture.

The interns come for a school year and live with host families during their time on the island. Joining the program this year are four interns, including Maria Renedo Bahillo and Carla Villace from Spain, and Cristian Segovia and Laura Ruiz from El Salvador.

This year, in addition to teaching Spanish in several grade levels and providing reading and math support, the interns will lead a new Spanish literacy club for students in grades 3 to 5.

The prerequisite for the club is to have highly proficient conversational ability in Spanish. Thirteen students have been coming regularly one day a week after school and have been enjoying learning about cuisine, heritage and geography of the interns’ home countries, as well as participating in games and activities designed for the purpose of learning Spanish grammar, phonics and vocabulary.

The club, known as Chispa (Spark) was awarded a PIE grant to purchase book sets in Spanish, which will be housed in the Chautauqua library for families and students to use. Blending the talents of these interns and the enthusiasm of the students has made this a highly successful endeavor, educators say.

For more information about Club Chispa, the intern program or to host an intern in a home stay, contact Rebecca Goertzel, Sally Adam or Anne Van Holde at Chautauqua Elementary.

— Anne Van Holde