During the spring of 2023 and spring of 2024, LACIS partnered with Oconomowoc High School Spanish teacher, Danielle Chaussee, and her advanced Spanish classes on a long-standing program she had in place with the Guatemala Service Projects.
Through this enhanced partnership, LACIS’ Assistant Director, Sarah Ripp, recruited a bilingual children’s author (Alexandra Diaz), to work with Ms. Chaussee’s students in their efforts to write and illustrate books in Spanish in a culturally-sensitive and relevant way. In 2023, the meetings and workshops took place virtually; however, in April 2024, Ms. Diaz traveled to Oconomowoc from her home in New Mexico to spend a half-day with the students in a workshop format.
Upon her return to New Mexico, Ms. Diaz met with students virtually to review their books and provide constructive feedback.
From here, LACIS sponsored the printing and binding of students’ books which were then delivered, in person, to school children in rural villages in Guatemala by Jennifer Demar, Founder and President of the Guatemala Service Projects.
This collaboration has been so successful for all parties involved, and a perfect embodiment of the Wisconsin Idea, that we intend to continue it annually. In addition, Sarah Ripp and Danielle Chaussee have submitted a proposal (“Connect Your Students to the Community and Beyond — Collaborate!”) to present the model at the Wisconsin Association for Foreign Language Teachers’ (WAFLT) fall 2024 conference so that other educators may develop something similar.