This Coastal Connection is sponsored by Baths by Spicer Bros.
LEWES, Del. - Inside her classroom at Lewes Elementary School, Señora Verónica DeBartolo is teaching more than Spanish vocabulary through music, storytelling and culture while helping students connect to a broader world beyond their own.
DeBartolo blends traditional language instruction with creativity, using songs and stories to spark imagination and deepen understanding. The approach, she said, allows children to experience language as more than memorization.
"They inspire imagination," DeBartolo said.
Her passion for bilingual education extends beyond the classroom through a children’s music project called Mairim: Enchanted Songs. She says the bilingual project brings stories to life through music, introducing young listeners to Spanish and English while celebrating culture and the arts.
Teaching Spanish through music gives children a deeper and more meaningful connection to the language, DeBartolo said.
"We don’t feel this kind of quality music online for little kids is there," she said. "There are always simple songs. No, we need to expose our kids to higher-level words. So Mairim was a way to channel three things: language learning, music and the arts."
Students can be heard practicing Spanish phrases and singing along.
As a featured vocalist on the project, DeBartolo also sees Mairim as a platform to share her lived experience as a Hispanic woman and educator. She said representation and cultural exposure are critical in early childhood education.
"For me to be able to share my culture, my language and my knowledge and now my passion for the arts as well, brings me joy," she said. "I know I am helping them, and I’m exposing them to more quality things and diversified instruction as well."
In the classroom, students can be heard practicing Spanish phrases and singing along, reinforcing language skills while building confidence. DeBartolo said the goal is not just fluency, but connection to culture, to storytelling and to one another.
DeBartolo says the bilingual project brings stories to life through music.
For the Lewes school community, her work is a reminder that teaching does not end when the school bell rings. Through projects like Mairim: Enchanted Songs, DeBartolo says she hopes to continue to inspire children both locally and beyond.