Hawkins Street School, Newark NJ – Students publish book on their Portuguese/Brazilian heritage

This year the students of Hawkins Street School in Newark enlisted the help of their teachers for another book published in this school.

This is the third book dedicated to the countries of origin of families and students, which in this edition makes reference to Portugal and Brazil. Past editions have been devoted to African-American and Latino origins.

Ana L. Couto, a bilingual 4th grade Spanish teacher, pioneered this idea and started her trilogy in 2018 with the publication of the first book The Hispanic American Dreamers of Hawkins Street School followed by the second book The African American Dreamers of Hawkins Street School.

The journey of these books began when the bilingual 5th grade community shared personal stories through a landmark presentation during Hispanic Heritage Month at this school.

Stories of joy, some of sadness, but, above all, stories full of dreams for which several families come to the United States in a constant search to fulfill them.

Touched by the courage that students, parents, teachers and the administration showed in sharing these stories, Ana L. Couto, for this third edition, decided to join forces with her co-worker Cynthia Sousa, a bilingual Portuguese teacher in the 7th and 8th grade, who gathered from their students several interviews, drawings and moving stories in Portuguese and English.

For those interested in purchasing the book, you can contact the teachers at their emails [email protected] [email protected]