MCS Pre-School Teacher, Beth Gazo, decided a few weeks ago that Cinco de Mayo would be a fun and exciting opportunity to help teach and reinforce several curriculum skills. Beth told the students about her plans, and they began a Cinco de Mayo daily countdown.

Students not only learned the three new Spanish words, Cinco de Mayo, plus their meanings, but also a few others including sombrero and piñata. The children decorated sombreros, donated by their teacher, with flowers which they had made out of coffee filters. They learned several greetings, animals and colors in Spanish as well as counted to 10. On Cinco de Mayo, the high points proved to be smashing the piñata, which was filled with treasure, and making their cheese quesadillas.

Students looked forward to the big day when they could wear the colorful sombreros. Since, in some cases, the hats were almost as big as the kids wearing them, the children removed them for important events during the day, such as library time and recess!

Cinco de Mayo (Spanish for “fifth of May”) is a celebration held in the United States and in Mexico. The date is observed to commemorate the Mexican army’s unlikely victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. Mexican Americans also often see the day as a source of pride; one way they can honor their ethnicity is to celebrate this day.

Sister Joanne LaFreniere, RSM
Director of Public Relations and Spiritual Life