- CCS News
- Homepage
Sesame Street’s Sonia Manzano Speaks to Indianola Students for Summer Experience
July 1, 2022 -- Students and staff at Indianola Informal K-8 lined up to get their special signed copy of “No Dogs Allowed,” written by Sesame Street actress Sonia Manzano.
Manzano, who recently spoke to students as part of Columbus City Schools’ Summer Experience program, played Maria on Sesame Street from 1971 - 2015. She also has written several books, including “No Dogs Allowed,” which has been turned into a children’s musical.
Additionally, Manzano has won 15 Emmys for writing television scripts and received honors, including the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Award and the Hispanic Heritage Award for Education.
“It’s nice to meet you in real life,” one of the students said as Manzano signed her book.
Manzano took time with students and staff, talking to them about their love of Sesame Street, giving high fives, and snapping photos. She brought hands-on elements to her speech, leading kids through various exercises, including counting in English and Spanish and stretch/dance breaks. She also brought one of the students to the stage to sing “Tu Me Gustas.”
“It’s great to be here in Columbus with kids because usually, I give speeches to adults,” Manzano said. “I haven’t given a kid-centered show for a very long time, and this brought me back to it. The school was involved in cultural crossovers and studying languages, so that is right up Sesame Street’s alley.”
Andre Jones, Summer Experience administrator for Indianola, said one unique aspect of the school site’s program is its focus on foreign language. Students are learning French, Spanish, Japanese, and American Sign Language this summer.
“This was a great opportunity for our students,” Jones said. “Our parents even knew about it and were excited that kids would get to see a famous author and character on a show we all watched.”
Sarah Pubal, part of the extended learning team planning Summer Experience, said one goal of the program is to create hands-on, fun, and memorable experiences for students.
“When we heard Sonia could come, I thought that fits right in with our world languages and cultures schools,” Pubal said. “Also, we were just so excited to have her visit.”
In her speech, Manzano shared pictures of her life and clips from her time on Sesame Street. She shared her journey to becoming a writer for the show and her focus on teaching Spanish through Sesame Street. She also read her book, “No Dogs Allowed” to students.
Some students eagerly raised their hands during Manzano’s speech and shared details they remembered of Maria on Sesame Street and Manzano’s new show, “Alma’s Way.”
“I was tickled by how much they knew about Sesame Street and the details of the show, and I was also thrilled that they were watching Alma’s Way,” Manzano said.
Manzano recently created the new show for PBS Kids. The animated series, produced by Fred Rogers Productions, is about 6-year-old Alma Rivera, a Puerto Rican girl who lives in the Bronx with her family.
Jude Bailey, a rising third-grader attending Indianola’s Summer Experience program, said he saw Manzano in Sesame Street and also enjoyed her book.
“It was really cool,” Bailey said. “I never actually got to meet someone famous before.”
Overall, Jones said he hopes students gained a memorable experience.
“Hopefully, they are able to tell their parents that they had an opportunity to meet someone famous, and when parents hear the name and see the book, it may bring back memories to when they were younger and watching Sesame Street too,” Jones said.
Manzano said she hoped students had fun and got a spark of inspiration.
“I put in some messages about taking summers as an opportunity to meet new friends and make new connections. I also told them a story about a summer experience I had that, in reality, wasn’t a lot of fun, but I wrote the story and turned it into something fun,” Manzano said. “I’m hoping to inspire little writers out there who may do the same thing.”