Falls Church, D.C. Schools Come Together
Bilingual Masonites Write Books,
Share with Fourth Graders

By Margaret Lipman (June 13, 2005)

Nearly 50 Mason students visited the Samuel F. Oyster Bilingual Elementary School last Friday to spend the day with the school’s fourth-graders, practice their Spanish, and experience a language-immersion program for themselves. The high school students, all finishing up Spanish III, had written and illustrated children’s books (written completely in Spanish, of course) in the months before the trip with the goal of sharing them with the Oyster students. 

Spanish III students David Deleon, Christian Trasmonte, Andrew Walden and Ben Greenberg take a break from getting to know their "niños" to pose for a quick photo.	Lauren Factor reads her children's book to a pair of interested Oyster students while classmates Eddie Huber, Elena Martinez and Jason Benn look equally enthralled.

Located in Washington, D.C.  the Samuel F. Oyster Bilingual Elementary School (or Oyster) is the second-oldest bilingual school in the nation.  The students at the school come from a variety of backgrounds; some speak predominantly Spanish at home, while others are only exposed to the language at school.   It is a “highly touted, highly successful program,” according to GM Spanish teacher Suzanne Planas.  Before coming to Mason, Mrs. Planas taught fourth grade at Oyster for two years. Along with fellow Spanish teacher Kristen Albert, Mrs. Planas was instrumental in organizing the Masonites’ trips to Oyster both this year and last. 

Before heading off to Oyster, the Mason students vowed to speak in Spanish for the entire day. Mrs. Planas was especially pleased with the students’ efforts to speak only in Spanish around the Oyster fourth graders, although she did admit to hearing some English spoken on the bus. 

The Mason students divided themselves up into groups to socialize with the Oyster students and share their children’s books. The real challenge was figuring out how to get to know the Oyster students while having conversations only in Spanish. But eventually, it appeared, all the students relaxed and were able to converse using their knowledge of the language.

The Oyster students also presented several songs in Spanish, which the Masonites joined in on. A particular favorite was “Juanito Cuando Baila.” Several Masonites also presented an off-beat puppet show (Colombian singer Juanes and an octopus were among the cast) about the importance of recycling. 

Mrs. Planas is hopeful about visiting Oyster again next spring, and is also trying to arrange a visit this coming fall to Mason for the Oyster fourth, fifth, and sixth graders.  Thanks to a grant from the PTSA, many of the Masonites’ children’s books (or “libros para niños”) will be photocopied and bound.  The books from Mrs. Planas’s class will be donated to the Oyster library, while the books from Mrs. Albert’s class will be e-mailed to children in Paraguay. Students in the high school French classes also participated in a similar exchange within the past few weeks.