Community Spotlight is on:

Curtis High School

Who They Are:

Curtis is a public high school in Staten Island in one of the five boroughs of New York City. It is the oldest high school on Staten Island and will be celebrating its centennial in February 2004. The school is the most racially and ethnically diverse school on Staten Island, with close to 3,000 students. Many of the teachers graduated from Curtis high school. The teachers are concerned, conscientious, and dedicated. The student population gets along quite well, and there are relatively few problems concerning different races and cultures.

What They Do:

Curtis high school teaches Spanish to English- and Spanish- dominant children. There are also other ethnically diverse students who are learning Spanish. English as a Second Language (ESL) teachers have students from many different cultures and teachers try to instill pride in being Hispanic in today’s world, and try to focus on the positive aspects of Latino pride.

A Teacher’s Motivation

As a first-generation American, having European parents who came to this country as immigrants, I feel that I can relate to the students who are new to our country, language, and culture. Instead of being embarrassed at coming from a culture other than American, I want my students to feel proud of where they come from, as this is what makes us what we are—unique individuals who should see themselves in a positive light, at knowing other languages and having other cultures. Where I was taught to quickly assimilate to our society and to forget the language I heard at home, I want my students to use their bilingual, bicultural skills to their advantage. Reading, in Spanish, for example, can help the student to read better in English. These days, students should retain both languages and cultures, with a great amount of pride in each.

How ¡Soy Unica! ¡Soy Latina! Helped

Aside from being bilingual, innovative, and motivational, ¡Soy Unica! ¡Soy Latina! materials foster a sense of pride and joy in being Hispanic. The Rainbow Road poster, for example, points out the advantages of being bilingual, such as knowing twice the amount of words. These products definitely foster pride in being Hispanic. This is what our Latino youth need.

Contact Information:

Mr. Marc S. Roth
Curtis High School
105 Hamilton Avenue
Staten Island, NY 10301
1-718-273-7380
Email: calvo1950@yahoo.com

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