On May 15th, 16th, 22nd and 23rd at 7:00pm, Jennifer Lompart’s students will take the stage at the Northfield Arts Guild as a part of the annual Latino Play Festival. Inspired by one student five years ago, the Latino Players perform original work, using material based on their personal experiences. The Latino Players consist of a group of high school students from Ms. Lompart’s English Language Arts class at Northfield High School.This year, four Carleton students had the opportunity to work with the Latino Players and witness first-hand their creativity and effort.
This winter term, an upper level Educational Studies ACE course, “Schooling and Opportunity,” examined how societal structures, family life, and community in the United States can influence a student’s education. Brandon Carrillo ’18, one of the Carleton students, is grateful for the opportunity to work with Ms. Lompart’s students on the Latino Play Festival. “It was a rewarding experience; we found that in the way Ms. Lompart structured her class, her students gained much more than just language development.” Brandon, who took Drama in high school himself, was interested in comparing his experience with the experience of the Players. He expressed an appreciation for Ms. Lompart’s method of engaging her students, which gave them more autonomy and creative license than he had in high school. As a final project, Brandon and his classmates produced a report that reviewed relevant literature on the benefits of an arts education, analyzed their observations within Ms. Lompart’s classroom, and presented survey data from students. Through their project, students explored the importance of the arts in developing language skills and building community both academically and in practice.
While half the class worked with the Latino Players, the other half worked on early childhood development in Northfield, talking with parents about the barriers to accessing early childhood educational experiences. They presented their findings to the Ready for K Action Team in Northfield. Both projects blended research with direct service learning, as students took on the responsibility to investigate issues on an academic level, while applying their research to their interactions with the community. The group who worked with the Ready for K Action Team compiled a literature review of access to early childhood development in Northfield, and presented their findings from interactions with the Early Childhood Services director and focus discussion groups with parents.
Professor Chikkatur’s goals in the course were to empower her students to be civically engaged, while also respecting the dynamics of the Northfield community. She hopes too that next winter, EDUC 353 will be able to build on the work from this year. Additionally, one student from the class is working this spring to write up the Latino Players program as a model for a new website that is being developed on creating welcoming environments for immigrants in rural communities. With patience, flexibility, and persistence, Chikkatur and her students were able to complete projects that will continue to build Carleton’s relationship with the education community in Northfield.