Seventh graders at Bunker Hill Middle School get a taste of Spanish culture
WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP - Take away the Book Fair packages lining the back wall and the bank of computers off to one side of the room, and the Bunker Hill Middle School Instructional Media Center looked like the host of an authentic Spanish "tablao" on April 22. A tablao is a traditional Spanish restaurant -- or even just a community square -- that features a tapas-style meal and Flamenco dancing.
With the smell of fresh, Spanish food catered by a Delaware restaurant wafting through the room, the Instructional Media Center was decorated in red, gold and black with Spanish flags, and Spanish music filled the air. In the center was a wooden stage, perfect for Flamenco dancing. Students from Clarissa Marin-Mojica's, Belinda Murray's and Frank Cabrera's seventh-grade classes were in for a treat at their Spanish luncheon, entitled "Flamenco Ole: A bite of Tapas and Dance."
A huge portion of paella is in the foreground as Bunker Hill seventh-grader Rachel Beatty (left) receives a version of montadito from Ole Tapas Lounge representative Jack Reardon. The program started with representatives from Ole Tapas Lounge in Newark, Delaware, talking to the students about Spanish culture. Jack Reardon and Ben Kirby then explained what was included in all the food they prepared. There were four kinds of "montadito" - open-faced crostini sliders topped with chicken, chorizo, beef or vegetables - a "Spanish omelette" made of potatoes and egg with a spicy aioli topping, heaping portions of paella, and even churros for dessert.
While the students ate, they were entertained by Marin-Mojica, who performs as a Flamenco dancer at Ole Tapas when she isn't teaching at BHMS. She even had some of the students come up to the stage to learn and perform the dance with her.
The luncheon was sponsored by the BHMS PTO, which picked up a portion of the cost for the food.