CONWAY — When the three Deerfield Academy students walked into Jeremy Brunaccioni’s kindergarten class Wednesday morning, they were greeted by a wave of “Holas!” from their newest amigos.

The visit was part of a continuing partnership between Deerfield Academy and the Conway Grammar School. Twelve Deerfield Academy students hop on a bus to the elementary school every other week to provide Spanish lessons to students in kindergarten through fourth grade in hopes of building a relationship between the schools, while also inspiring a love of language in the community’s youngest members.

Through dances, drawing and the occasional worksheet — or, in the spirit of the language, bailes, dibujos and tareas — the Conway kids are getting their first taste of Spanish in a school that no longer offers it, while the high school students are getting a chance to give back to the community and experience the role of an early educator.

“I think the way they’re teaching us Spanish is a very good way,” said third grader Aria Spiegel, who was working with her class on learning terms for their favorite activities, such as dancing or playing sports. “It’s like ice cream; learning and fun get blended into one crazy flavor.”

While the partnership between the two schools began in the 2022-2023 school year with the hope it continues for years to come, Deerfield Academy Dean of Students Sam Bicknell said his school has done similar work in the past with other schools prior to the pandemic, including Deerfield Elementary School.

“I think it’s great for our students and I think it’s great for the Conway Grammar School community,” Bicknell said as he watched three Deerfield Academy students skillfully guide kindergartners through their lesson. “Really, the goal is to get them interested in learning another language.”

Observing the action, Brunaccioni said the partnership between the schools has been a strong one and he commended the Deerfield Academy students for working so well with the kindergartners, despite having no official training as early education teachers.

Sawyer Johnson, a junior at Deerfield Academy, said he had learned some Spanish in his elementary school years in Connecticut and taking some time every couple weeks to teach the Conway kids presented a wonderful opportunity, describing it as both “fun and impactful” work.

“It’s definitely a path I’m looking into; this is a great way to get into it,” Johnson said of pursuing teaching after high school. “The best part is seeing them have fun and improve. … You can see the improvement, which is great. It’s a great opportunity and I’m happy I took the class.”

Aria, who was working with Johnson on a worksheet Wednesday, said she loved learning the language in the form of activities, with “Simon Says” topping her list, and it’s important to learn the language, so if she does go to a place where people speak Spanish, she can fully communicate with them. This sentiment was echoed by kindergartner Chipper Hogue.

Learning Spanish is important, he said, “so you can go to another country and speak the language.”

Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com.