Affirmation of Cultural Identity:
A Pilot Program with Coile Middle School Hispanic Students
In 2008, the University of Georgia's Latin American & Caribbean Studies Institute (LACSI) developed a University Alliance proposal focused on partnering with ESOL teachers at W.R. Coile Middle School to coordinate an innovative pilot program for Hispanic students grade 6 - 8 that explores the affirmation of cultural identity to facilitate academic achievement and parental involvement. LACSI is uniquely placed among units at the University of Georgia to provide high quality, academically sound instruction related to cultures of the region by drawing from a pool of over 30, core faculty with significant professional knowledge of Latin America. Teachers selected a cohort of 25 students to participate in all the activities, while a larger cohort of approximately 40 students participated in one or more of the activities. The students were selected from among ESOL and Spanish classes.
The program began with a mix of classroom presentations provided by invited speakers. Speakers were chosen for their content knowledge related to bicultural identity and because they served as top-tier Hispanic role models for the children or otherwise had significant interaction with and knowledge of the local Hispanic community. Activities also included the Soy Hispano photography project, a field trip to the UGA campus, and a reception for parents, teachers and the student participants, who displayed their work at Coile and later, during the month of May, in the Georgia Center for Continuing Education atrium.
Sergio Quesada, LACSI curriculum coordinator and professor of anthropology at Coile Middle School, Athens, GA, giving presentation to Hispanic students, entitled, What is my identity here and now? February 26, 2009.
Coile Middle School students start their UGA field trip with a visit to LACSI, April 2, 2009. Here students toured LACSI, learned about the LACS undergraduate major, and were made aware of the breadth of faculty across UGA's 16 colleges and professional schools carrying out Latin America-related instruction and research.
Coile Middle School students were given a tour of LACSI's Latin American Ethnobotanical Garden during their visit to UGA, April 2, 2009. Here they learned about the important role plants played historically in the development of great Latin American civilizations as well as an understanding of the academic disciplines involved in ethnobotanical research.
Latin America and Iberia bibliographer Laura Shedenhelm provides Coile students with a tour of UGA Main Library Latin America-related resources, April 2, 2009.
Hispanic students from Coile Middle School sit with UGA undergraduates, attending their first college lecture in Dr. Quesada's Latin American Studies Proseminar class, April 2, 2009.
Cali-N-Tito's restaurant owner Bruno Rubio and employees meets with Coile students at LACSI to discuss the value of education and how he started his own successful business, April 2, 2009.
A panel of Hispanic UGA undergraduate students discuss their own paths to college and strategies they employ to ensure academic success. Panelists later met with smaller groups of Coile students to answer their questions about college life.
The Soy Hispano Coile Middle School student photo exhibit was on display for public viewing during the entire month of May 2009, in the Georgia Center for Continuing Education atrium.
