[StBernard] Alejandro Escarabajal Completes Student Teaching in Chalmette High School

[Westley Annis]

ALEJANDRO ESCARABAJAL COMPLETES STUDENT TEACHING IN CHALMETTE HIGH SCHOOL

Tenerife native Alejandro Escarabajal presented gifts for use and display in
Los Islenos Museum during his "going-away dinner" hosted by Los Islenos
Heritage and Cultural Society January 30th, 2014 in Los Islenos Center, 1357
A Bayou Road, St. Bernard Village.  Escarabajal is a native of the Canary
Islands, an autonomous region of Spain.  Colonists from the Canaries,
particularly the islands of Tenerife and Gran Canaria, founded St. Bernard
Civil Parish between 1779 and 1783.
Alejandro Escarabajal was recently graduated from the Universidad de La
Laguna in Tenerife with a masters degree in Education, specializing in
history and historic geography. He also is certified in Spain to teach
English as a second language to students.  St. Bernard Parish Government and
Los Islenos Heritage and Cultural Society arranged for Escarabajal to
perform his student teaching abroad at Chalmette High School in St. Bernard
Parish. At the end of his three month tenure, Chalmette High School students
became conversant with the basic history and geography of the Canaries.
Escarabajal also taught English as a second language to Spanish speaking
students.

"Alejandro made himself indispensible to the faculty and students at
Chalmette High School" said William Hyland, St. Bernard Parish Historian and
manager of Los Islenos Museum Complex.  "The students were particularly
enriched by the opportunity to work with Mr. Escarabajal" said Hyland.  "It
has been an objective of Los Islenos Society to bring the history, culture
and Spanish dialect of the Canaries to the youth of St. Bernard Parish.
What better way to accomplish that objective than to have a teacher from the
Canary Islands teaching at Chalmette High School" said Lloyd "Wimpy"
Serigne, President of Los Islenos Society.   "The Society thanks
Superintendent Doris Voitier and Chalmette High School Principal Wayne
Warner for making it possible for Alejandro to teach in the St. Bernard
Parish Public School System" said Serigne.   The expenses involved in
travel, housing and transportation were borne by Escarabajal and Los Islenos
Society volunteers, so that no public funds were expended to subsidize this
cultural exchange.

St. Bernard Parish Government owns Los Islenos Museum Complex and works with
Los Islenos Society to manage, develop and maintain the museum complex.  Los
Islenos Society will continue to work with Dr. Ulises Martin, Universidad de
La Laguna, to bring Canarian teachers to St. Bernard Parish in the future.