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Two Sandia Prep seniors will add a unique accomplishment to their academic resumes when they graduate in May: They are the first students to have participated in the school’s Heritage Language Program (HLP) all seven years they’ve been on campus.

Lauren Staples ’24 and Cedar McCall ’24 began taking Heritage Language as sixth graders and have seen the program evolve and expand over the years.

Prep Spanish instructor Claudio Pérez launched the HLP nearly eight years ago for sixth and seventh graders who had participated in dual language programs in elementary school, whose parents spoke Spanish with them, or who had lived or traveled to a Latin American country.

The idea also was to further students’ knowledge about Spanish language and culture.

Only six students were initially enrolled in HLP.

Over the years, Pérez added Heritage Spanish 2 for eighth and ninth graders who had completed the first level. Finally, he introduced Heritage Language 3-5 for 10th, 11th, and 12th graders who wanted to advance their language skills.

Pérez initially taught all the classes, which was complicated because he had to create different curriculum plans for each level. With the addition of instructors Dr. Juliana Todescan and Nadia Garcia, HLP has expanded to give students a comprehensive understanding of various subjects, including immigration, hybridity, literature, Spanish Model United Nations (UN), journalism, and many others.

Finding appropriate books for the different levels, having students of various grades in the same class, and catering to every student’s needs can be challenging, Pérez says. Despite that, “the program has been highly successful in helping students become better speakers, writers, and global citizens,” he explains.

“Our students have had the opportunity to participate in various competitions and events, with some of them having achieved remarkable success—winning the best delegate at the Spanish Model UN and short story competitions, among others.”

Through HLP, students have not only honed their language skills but gained a deeper understanding of different cultures, Pérez says. “The HLP has been a thriving community that has provided a supportive and inclusive environment for students to learn and grow,” he explains.

One of the accomplishments of which Pérez is most proud is helping students become global citizens. “It’s super important because it helps them appreciate different cultures, get better at solving problems, create fair and peaceful communities, and find international job opportunities,” he says. “When students develop empathy and respect for other perspectives, they learn how to deal with complex issues and become better equipped to handle the challenges of our interconnected world.”

Lauren Staples ’24 enrolled in HLP as a sixth grader because she attended a dual language elementary school and was excited to continue studying Spanish at a higher level with other students who had a foundation in the language.

One of her biggest successes over the years was winning the Cuentistas Short Stories competition, a statewide contest hosted by the New Mexico Hispanic Cultural Center. “We got to attend a ceremony, where two other Prep students received awards in different categories,” she says. “It was a great experience and showed my hard work and development of writing skills in Spanish.”

Staples says she appreciates that the HLP encompasses so much more than speaking Spanish, grammar, and vocabulary. “Over my seven years in the program, I have participated in several different trips and experiences that have changed my perspective of the world as well as given me an inside view into different cultures,” she explains.

For instance, earlier this year, HLP students visited the U.S./Mexico border in El Paso. “We were able to talk to several people who shared their stories about immigration with me, and the stories that we heard were life-changing,” she says. “The trip changed my perspective of just how lucky we are to be able to attend Prep, as well as opened my eyes to the realities of what other people’s lives look like and what we can do to help people in need.”

Other highlights have been Spanish Model UN, and performing a short play entirely in Spanish for the middle school with her Heritage class.

Spanish Model UN “taught me how to discuss and debate world topics in a formal setting with other students, as well as how to research and defend difficult topics,” she says. 

Cedar McCall ’24 also cites the border trip as being among the most impactful experiences of her seven years in the program. Being able to have conversations in Spanish with native Spanish speakers on the border and even at her Ace Hardware job has given her confidence, she explained.

Learning abstract and advanced ideas by studying Latin American literature also has been profound, she says. “We analyzed stories for their hidden meanings and cultural perspectives,” she explains.”I am more aware of the world around me thanks to that class.”

The program’s emphasis on creating global citizens has resonated with both seniors.

McCall says, “It is one of my core values. I think that meaningful collaboration and progress are only possible if an individual is aware of the contrasts and differences of the many global identities. Trying to understand someone or something that is different from yourself is the root of human connection.” 

Staples says that working to understand other cultures “allows you to better empathize with others and helps you to come up with new ideas based on those experiences. I believe that with leaders who understand each other and our different cultures, we can make big changes in the future that will benefit those in need.”

Staples plans to major in engineering in college and minor in Spanish. Being fluent “will be a huge asset going forward in both my personal life and in professional work environments,” she says. “Being bilingual will help me to connect and communicate with a much larger group of people, something for which I am very grateful.”

McCall wants to major in international relations or law. “I don’t know what I’m going to do with my life or career, but Heritage Spanish has given me passion and ambition to change the world in whatever small way I can,” she says.

Both seniors expressed profound admiration of and appreciation for Pérez.

“His passion for exposing us to the cultures of the world and events of other countries has helped me learn so much about the art, literature, and experiences of others, which has been essential to my well-rounded education at Prep,” Staples says. 

Adds McCall, “Pérez is truly an inventive, risk-taking and encouraging teacher. He continues to surprise us with challenging and abstract projects that only a super-involved teacher can make work.”