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E-mail This StoryD. H. Brent Intermediate School students learned a bit of history before watching a few of their fellow students perform folk dances, songs and trumpet music from Mexico on Monday.
It was all in honor of Cinco de Mayo.
Three students read the history of Cinco de Mayo. Mexico fought a civil war in the late 1850s that left the country in financial ruin. Mexico borrowed money from other countries. France wasn’t happy with the vouchers Mexico gave other countries so the French invaded Mexico. Eventually the United States helped Mexico with that battle, one of the major ones happening on May 5, 1862.
Mexico has been grateful for the help ever since. After Pearl Harbor was bombed, thousands of Mexicans joined the U.S. Armed Forces.
Brent Interim Principal Elisa Carter asked Bess Amaral to put together a Cinco de Mayo program for something different for the students after taking the TAKS tests.
Amaral is the LEISD bilingual teacher for grades five and six. She had a short time to prepare the program. The students had only three rehearsals to learn the dances, but Amaral said the students worked hard on the program.
“This highlights the pride we all have in Mexican culture and the things we share,” Amaral said. “There is tremendous cooperation between the two countries.”
She praised the very dedicated students for being so dedicated in learning the dances and the rest of the program.
“The best thing about this,” she said, “is the positive feelings you come away with. Fiestas are fun. They like to put on their sombreros and stomp away.”
“These programs make students aware of the history behind the date,” Carter said. “It develops curiosity about other cultures.” She also likes the fact that the whole student body gets involved.
The school choir also performed. One of the songs they sang was “La Bamba.”
