Spanish summer camp in Taylor County provides cultural immersion to students & families

GRAFTON, W.Va. (WBOY) — Even if you’re unable to travel abroad, a summer camp in Taylor County is allowing you and your family to immerse yourselves in different cultures right here in West Virginia.

Over the course of three days, Blanca Skaggs—a Spanish teacher with more than 20 years of experience—provided 10 students and their families with an experience they will always remember.

“Oh, we’ve already been making homemade tortillas, so yeah, and the empanadas and all that, it’ll be coming, yeah for sure, ‘cause they loved it,” said father Peter Clay.

On the last day of camp, students got to show their families what they learned, like Spanish greetings, cuisine from different countries like making tortillas and arepas from scratch, and traditional dances like merengue and salsa.

“All four of our kids are homeschooled…We always want to introduce them to different cultures and different languages,” added Clay.

And for parents like Jennifer Wolfe and Wayne Parker, who drove an hour and a half every day to take their daughter Lilly to a camp not typically found in rural areas, this was all worth it.

“I just always felt like if we’re traveling somewhere, then we need to be able to speak the language, and be respectful of where we’re going and not just assume that because English is a dominant language, that they should be able to communicate with us when we’re guests in their country,” said Wolfe.

Wolfe said she and Parker made the conscious decision early on when expecting their daughter they wanted her to have vast cultural experiences.

“We wanted to give experiences over material items and felt that it was very important for us to be fluent in at least two other languages besides English, hopefully more,” said Wolfe.

“I was really excited to see that she [Skaggs] not only teaches them just basic words but also different cultural aspects like the cooking and the dancing and all of those items, it’s a great opportunity for kids in the area,” said Parker.

Skaggs, who is originally from Venezuela and has taught hundreds of Taylor County students, said she has a passion for sharing Latin culture.

”It makes me feel really happy, and makes me feel that I’m making a difference in those children to look different stuff, and trying stuff that they haven’t tried here in West Virginia,” said Skaggs.

Helping her throughout the camp were also former students of Skaggs, including Nathan Castle, who was a student of Skaggs for six years and said he was able to get the stamp of biliteracy thanks to her classes.

Castle will be going to WVU in the fall and told 12 News that he would like to become a veterinarian said he’s counting on his Spanish skills. “It can be kind of scary to go into like an English-speaking environment regarding something so like important like your pet’s health. So I just want to make everybody comfortable,” he said.

Parents and students alike said they want this camp to continue, and Skaggs said she hopes to make it a week-long event as well as perhaps have a winter camp in the future.

To learn more about Skaggs and the programs she offers, you can go here .

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WBOY.com.