St. Joseph School

The St. Joseph High School Interact Club and Spanish teacher Christen Reyes recently collaborated on a project to showcase Mexican-American culture. Club members, some of whom  are also learning Spanish, worked to create a mural displayed in the school that represented  themes in Mexican-American art and literature. In so doing, the Interact members fulfilled a requirement of its parent Conway Rotary Club to spend time promoting international understanding.  The students viewed different murals painted throughout the U.S. and focused on various cultural themes specific to that art form. "These included love of family, balancing two cultures, pride in indigenous heritage, and appreciation of laborers," Ms. Reyes said. A poem entitled "Children of the Fieldworkers" by Cynthia Ozuna that shared these themes was also read. The classes then broke into groups to illustrate stanzas of the poem while also tying in other ideas fundamental to Chicano muralism.