The Norwin High School Spanish Club went to Willow Winds Alpacas in Irwin on November 25 to learn about and play with alpacas. Ran by retired Norwin teacher Sharon Polovina and her husband Tom Polovina, Willow Winds Alpacas allowed Norwin students to learn about the fluffy and unusual animals as well as just have fun petting and playing with them.
The Spanish club started by learning about where alpacas came from and their importance in Peruvian culture as well as learning about and eating Quinoa and drinking Peruvian soda. Spanish teacher as well as Spanish Club and Global Scholars advisor Mrs. Danielle Llerena prepared the food and taught the lesson to the Spanish Club along with Spanish teacher Mrs. Pamela Kissel.
“Alpacas have been a part of the Andean culture since the pre-Incan empire,” Llerena said. “They were used for many purposes, mainly to transport goods and for their warm fur, to provide warmth in the cold mountain temperatures. Their fur was also used to make quipus, which was a counting/inventory system the Incans made to keep the number of all their goods in society. Today, alpacas, llamas, guanacos, and vicuñas are all used for the same reasons and even for a photo opt for the tourists visiting Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, and parts of Chile.”
Then, the Spanish Club headed to Willow Winds Alpacas where they stayed for over an hour to pet and learn about young and adult alpacas in an immersive experience. Sharon and Tom Polovina bought the farm when they were sophomores at Norwin High School, and are now retired. They now hold tours and informational sessions about alpacas at their farm.
“My favorite part was learning that they are pack animals and cannot live alone and are very curious animals,” Llerena said. “Their fur is so soft and hypoallergenic. I also loved watching all the students interact with them, hugging and even kissing them!”
Senior Braden Rose attended the trip with fellow Spanish Club members and seniors Grace Fleckenstein and Theo Summers. The group stuck together, hugging and petting the alpacas as well as heading to the Willow Winds Alpacas shop.
“My favorite part of the trip was definitely seeing all of the different alpacas,” Rose said. “There were at least 20 different alpacas there, and it was so much fun to see how they live and are taken care of on a day to day basis. All of the alpacas were super friendly and let you touch them and take pictures with them, and it was something I never experienced before, so I’m very grateful that I got the opportunity to.”
In the future of Spanish Club, they will be heading to the University of Pittsburgh Nationality Rooms in the Cathedral of Learning in December to further their knowledge of different cultures and countries. They have many meetings and activities planned this year for Spanish Club and the Global Scholars Program, including language teaching at Hillcrest and the Elementary schools as well as Candy Cane Castle participation.
