St. Louis, Mo. (October 7, 2025) Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, and St. Louis Language Immersion School (SLLIS) continues to immerse its students in not just the Spanish language but also Hispanic cultures from around the world.
SLLIS middle school teacher Aura Zuleta is from Colombia and said learning a language isn’t just about understanding words and sentences but also about music, dancing, food, geography, theatre and everything that influences culture. While learning vocabulary is important, lessons about dances and music keep students engaged in the classroom while also teaching them more words.
“This month-long celebration of culture is important for everyone at SLLIS,” Zuleta said. “The kids have been waiting for this time of the year because they get to show off the cultural dances they learned to their families and friends. My eighth graders usually take the lead with other students on selecting music, along with what steps to take during the dances. The students learn even more words by learning the dances and songs, which really adds to the richness of their immersion in Spanish. Language without culture would be empty.”
SLLIS boasts Spanish-speaking teachers from all corners of the globe. This gives students a well-rounded, culturally diverse and responsible education. A person from Mexico might refer to something in one way, while a person in Spain has another way of saying the same thing. Different Spanish speakers have different accents depending on where they are from and use different slang, too.
“I love that my students hear different words from places like Puerto Rico, Colombia, Panama, Ecuador, Mexico, Spain and more,” Zuleta said. “Just like people from other countries use different words or phrases, they also eat different foods and have different traditions. It’s crucial for our Spanish students to learn all of these cultures so they can go on to use their language skills in places across the world and connect with Spanish speakers of all backgrounds.”
About St. Louis Language Immersion School
St. Louis Language Immersion School was founded in 2009 and is a charter school serving Pre-K through 8th grade to the City of St. Louis. The school provides students with a world-class, global, dual language immersion education in French, Spanish or Chinese, taught by native speakers. The one of a kind school was named the 2024 Best Public Charter School in Missouri and plays an essential role in the fabric of the St. Louis community. For more information, go to www.sllis.org.