Newport News Now

CNU Captains Take Spanish into the Community

Bringing español to Storytime at the Newport News libraries is part of the charge for Christopher Newport University’s (CNU) Spanish in the Community (SPAN 330) class. Enhancing the story hour with Spanish books and conversation helps both the toddlers and the students.

The idea is to expose the children to a different culture and language in hopes of igniting an early interest in Spanish. It also provides an ideal arena in which the college students can perfect their Spanish by taking it out of the classroom and into the community.

The library experience spotlighted the purpose of the Spanish in the Community class, which was designed as a place where learning a language intersects with the idea of using it to break down cultural and communication barriers and establish productive relationships in Newport News.

The class requires students to complete 15 hours of volunteer work in the community. Currently, CNU students assist World Language teachers in Newport News Public Schools (NNPS) and also tutor in English as a Second Language (ESL) classes and Spanish General Education Diploma (GED) courses at an adult learning center in the community.

Spanish is the second most spoken language in the United States. More than 43.4 million people aged 5 years or older speak Spanish at home (13.7%). Spanish is also the most learned language other than English, with about eight million students. In Hampton Roads, approximately 7 percent of the population identifies as Hispanic/Latino.