Hi-Line Living - Learning Spanish language and culture in Havre ... and beyond

Editor's Note: This is second in a series of features about local groups, clubs and activities for youth

Havre may not be close to many centers of Spanish language and culture, but that doesn't stop Havre High School students from learning the language and about the culture - even on-site.

The Havre High School Spanish Club is gearing up for a trip in the summer of 2020, with the club working now on organizing fundraisers and picking a location for the trip.

Havre High Spanish teacher club advisor Jill Cammon said Spanish Club is a travel club, which provides opportunity for students to use the Spanish language in real-world scenarios by visiting different cultures to discover the things they can't learn in the classroom.

"So to take what you know to a country and experience it there is different and, in some cases, it's life-changing," she said.

The trips are special because they give the students the chance to see how other people in other parts of the world live and be able to make an impact, Cammon said.

She said next year's trip will be the first year the students' trip will include a service element. Students will be able to see different culture and enjoy their summer vacation but also set asside a portion of that vacation to complete projects like coastal restoration in the Dominican Republic.

During their meeting last week, the students voted on trips they would be interested in taking, Cammon said. The students were given six options, two different options in each of three different countries, and the students have to narrow it down to two before having a final vote, she said.

The top two were trips to the Dominican Republic and Peru.

The trip to the Dominican Republic would involve students getting hands-on marine training and learn techniques for marinelife conservation. The trip to Peru would include planting trees in the rainforest.

Spanish teacher and club co-advisor Diana Coy said that sometimes even when students learn about other countries, they never think about certain aspects of the culture. She said she went on a trip to Peru, and - even though it was beautiful - she experienced culture shock from even the simplest things, such as going for a morning jog. She said that while she was there she wanted to go for a run, but her guide told her that women don't do that there and strongly encouraged her to change her mind.

"As an American, I think, we take all our freedoms for granted," she said.

Cammon said that for many of the students these trips are eye-opening moments that show them a different world from what they are used to.

Being a Spanish teacher, she said, she enjoys seeing students who are interested in experiencing the culture and improving their language skills. These trips, as short as they are, jump the students' language to a different level.

Coy said she enjoys the club because when she was growing up she traveled all around the country and the world. She said it is important for students to get out and explore the world. The experience opens students' eyes, giving them a different perspective and makes them more respectful, knowledgeable and worldly, she said.

"There is a whole world out there that you have no idea, and you think that everybody thinks like us but it's not true," Coy said.

Coy said while she was hiking in Peru she asked her guide about venomous snakes. The guide replied that they were no big deal, and told her an easy way to avoid being bitten. She said she told him she thought that was absurd. The guide told her he was worried about how Montanans deal with grizzly bears. She said he thought they were exotic.

Cammon said when she went on a trip with her students to Costa Rica the students meet the local children. She said it was uncomfortable on both sides until they brought out a soccer ball and kids went and played. That simple action broke down barriers for the children on both sides, she said, the local children learned some English and her students had the opportunity to use the Spanish that they had learned.

Club member Audrina Williams, 15, said this is her first year in the Spanish Club, but she wanted to get involved because she wanted to travel and experience another countries' culture.

Nina Flores, 16, said she likes these trips because they were able to use their Spanish outside of the classrooms.

Many other students at the club meeting agreed that having a realworld application for what they learned is good, and they enjoyed getting close with the other kids in the group.

The idea of introducing a work aspect to these trips was teacher-driven, Cammon said, but when it was presented to the students they supported the idea.

Spanish Club has 12 students interested this year, Cammon said, although that number usually drops after fundraising begins and students have to put in money for the trip. She added that on last year's trip they took five students to Costa Rica.

Spanish Club takes the trips every two years, and the year that they don't go they spend raising money for the trip.

Cammon said the fundraisers are a team effort with students and teachers selecting what kind of fundraisers they would like to do. She said the adults need to do their part to organize the fundraisers, but students are expected to show up and work. The money raised while the students are working is divided among the students for the trip according to the hours that each student worked, she said.

"It's how committed they are," she said.

Spanish Club will be holding its first fundraiser March 21 at Taco John's from 5 to 7 p.m. Students will be at Taco John's between those times and can provide more information about the club. When purchasing a meal if a person says they would like to donate to Spanish Club, 50 percent of the cost of the meal will go to the students organization.