Video: Vardaman Businesses Learn Spanish

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VARDAMAN, Miss. (WCBI) — Calhoun County has earned state and national recognition with its work in schools with Hispanic children. Now a new program is helping adults and especially business owners better connect with a growing segment of the population. A little classroom work is paying off for the community.

Spanish courses being taught in Calhoun City and at a Family Life Center on Main Street in Vardaman are helping business owners and others open doors to new customers and workers.

“This program was created because of a need of one of our business owners. They were requesting some ways to communicate with their clients, with their customers,” said Danna Johnson/Spanish Teacher.

Being able to communicate with them just in a small way does help, to be able to understand what they are saying,” said Melissa Edmondson of Topashaw Farms.

In the middle of sweet potato harvest time, managers at Topashaw Farms are able to make their expectations known to their workers, 122 of whom are Mexican. For Edmondson the basic courses have been easy.

“It’s not difficult its just being able to think about what you are trying to say and main thing is to practice that. Because if you don’t practice that you loose the information that you have retained,” said Melissa Edmondson/Topashaw Farms.

Of Calhoun County’s 14,000 residents, more than 3 percent are Hispanic. That number grows during the fall harvest. That’s a big chunk of the population adding to the community, schools and local businesses. Closing the communication can make a big difference in both directions.

“These communities are full of Hispanics. And if we never consider them as part of our business the schools or whatever, so we are never going to be able to communicate with them,” said Danna Johnson.

Those Spanish classes for students, teachers, and business professionals began February 2013.

Categories: Local News

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