A few dozen local students have been on a whirlwind tour of nine different countries, from Argentina to Spain to Venezuela, all without leaving Slidell.

The students are taking part in “Campamento Espanõl,” a two-week foreign language camp hosted at Honey Island Elementary School. Hosted by the St. Tammany Parish School Board, the program invited students in kindergarten through sixth-grade from a number of private and public schools in the area to participate.

Students created their own passport, and checked in at “Customs & Immigration” to visit a different Spanish-speaking country each day. They chose their own Spanish name, and were instructed to call each other by that name for the duration of the camp.

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In the first week, the focus was on Spain, Argentina, Panama, Puerto Rico and Mexico, and in the second week the countries of Peru, Ecuador, Chile, Venezuela and Mexico were highlighted.

Teacher Deanna Cantin led the campers through language lessons, teaching them the names of shapes, colors, the alphabet and much more. Cantin said many of the campers had never studied a foreign language.

“I’ve given them a list of Websites where they can practice online,” said Cantin. “Maybe this will help whet their appetites, and if a Spanish-speaking child moves into their neighborhood, they can at least break the ice, too.”

In addition to language, the campers learned about the geography and history of the different countries, and participated in a number of different crafts, such as making sombreros. On Friday they celebrated with a fiesta, learning Latin dance moves from a pair of professional dancers and taking turns at a piñata.

School board member Mary K. Bellisario said she hopes the program can continue into the future, with a different language highlighted each year. She was pleased to see how well the students got along, considering the different age groups and schools involved.

“By the second day, the kids didn’t want to leave when their parents came to pick them up,” said Bellisario. “That tells me we’ve done something good here.”