October at the Long Beach Island Elementary School included a celebration combining Hispanic Heritage Month and
Farm-to-School Month, with students from prekindergarten through sixth grade enjoying a festive day of flavor, language and music.

The garden-based learning event, on Oct. 13, began with “a bilingual ping-pong dialogue” with Principal Frank Birney and Spanish teacher Señora Senos Rosa, according to school nurse and garden guru Bianca Aniski. As Birney explained, in English, “Today we are celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month. Hispanic means a country that speaks Spanish. If you take a look at this banner you will see there are many Spanish-speaking countries: Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America and South America. This assembly will be presented in both English and Spanish.”

Senos then shared the Spanish translation: “Hoy celebramos el Mes de la Herencia Hispana. El término «hispano» se refiere a los países donde se habla español. Si observan este cartel, verán que hay muchos países de habla hispana: España, México, el Caribe, Centroamérica y Sudamérica. Esta presentación se realizará tanto en inglés como en español.”

Music teacher Tim Cotov joined in the merriment with an original tune titled “A Song of Salsa,” which allowed students to participate in its echoing lyrics. Fifth-grade student Ivy Zheng then played a Spanish classic, “Malagueña,” on the keyboard.

Also on the musical docket for the day was a bilingual musical performance by Musiquita, comprised of husband and wife duo Blanca Cecilia González and Jesse Elder – the former on violin, ukelele and vocals and the latter on piano, melodica, percussion and vocals. As González and Elder explained, “Our program offers an immersive and interactive bilingual music experience for elementary school students.

“Through captivating performances, students embark on a musical journey that blends English and Spanish languages, fostering cultural appreciation and language development.”

Bringing flavor to the event, farmer Luz Maria Diaz, from Fairgrown Farm in Hopewell, displayed a bounty of salsa ingredients, which were introduced to the students in both English and Spanish by Diaz and special guest Emily Ramon Aquino – who graduated from the LBI School in 2020 and is now attending college.

Aquino’s family made red and green salsas at their restaurant Mi Pueblito, in West Creek, and school employee Maria Rivera, from Maschio’s Food Services, created a tropical orange salsa, all three of which students could taste, and rate, during lunch. Teacher Matthew Brady tallied the students’ votes and the winner was salsa verde, a tangy green sauce made from tomatillos and other fresh ingredients.

LBI Elementary thanked all the many hands that dug in the garden, played instruments and otherwise took part to make the event possible.