Staff goodbyes: Olga Saldarriaga

Mercury Staff

How long have you worked at BFA?

8 years.

Can you briefly list your teaching duties and other activities you have been a part of?

I started teaching Spanish in 2005. I have taught all four levels of Spanish at BFA for 8 years. I like promoting the Spanish culture in different ways, my favorite being performance projects. My favorite experience is the multidisciplinary project about Day of the Dead, in which the Spanish students from all 4 levels work on a week [long] project. Today, after eight editions this cultural celebration has become a school tradition. The last example of a real-life performance is the community service the Spanish III students did to ̈Voices Against Violence. ̈ The students translated documents into Spanish, that will help victims of violence and migrants to learn about their services. I collaborated with Alexis Kamitses on teaching Latin dances to her dance students who performed in their dances recitals. I chaperoned several of her dance field trips to New York and Lyndon State College. I have been the International Club adviser for 4 years. BFA students and teachers are part of a club in which they can learn about the people and the cultures of the world. As a tour leader, I took BFA students on Educational trips to Europe, Costa Rica, Peru, Montreal and Quebec City.

What would you like to leave behind?

The students authentic interest to learn a language to interact as global citizens with other cultures of the world.

What do you like best about BFA?

I like how we can embed the curriculum with our personal teaching style. I like the way we are encouraged to build strong relationships with our students.

Where are you going next and what are your plans there?

I am moving out to live in Chile where I have friends and to open a new chapter of my life waiting to be written.