By Johanna Calderon
The Spanish Club’s purpose is to help students retain their first spoken language.
Students speak the entire meeting in Spanish. It helps because when they started school, teachers required students to speak English when they came to the U.S. for the first time.
Club member Fatima Alvarado Platero is from El Salvador and knew some English when she attended school in El Salvador, but she didn’t speak it at home, only at school.
Things changed once she moved to California, and English was a new language for her.
It was difficult for her when she started ninth grade, but was surprised how quickly she learned English.
“We know how to speak Spanish, but we do not study Spanish,” Platero said.
In a way, some students know Spanish, but don’t know how to use proper Spanish, especially when they are writing to others.
When they write in Spanish they don’t put accent marks because they forget or they don’t know how. Platero is majoring in social services and believes that being in the club will help her successfully help others.
Fatima said she wants to bring Salvadorian culture to the club, like pupusas, pan con pollo and others.
“We’d like to have a cultural event and create an environment for Spanish speakers where they can practice,” Spanish Club Vice President Jessie De La Torre said.
Practice writing and reading gives them the opportunity to explore two different languages.
It would help the Spanish community be bilingual, and the members could get a really good job opportunity.
When some students come to the U.S., they can forget the Spanish language because some of their parents stop speaking it or they brought them really young and never spoke Spanish to them.
Some students have parents who speak Spanish, but don’t teach their children.
The club had an open house on September 22 for members interested in the club to get to know each other.
The Spanish Club plans to have a presentation on cultures and hopes to visit Guillermo del Toro’s “At Home with Monsters” exhibit at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in the future.
In addition, the club wants to fundraise for the trips. They are planning to sell tortas and aguas frescas.
Supplies for the tortas will be donated by the members of the club because of the small amount of money the club has saved.