From left, Joaquin Mariscal and Nancy Martinez show handmade masks.

Donna Gonzalez, 4, sports a white cotton outfit with a straw hat at Saturday's summer cultural art program at St. John Catholic School, 1208 Ky.

For the last four years, Joaquin Gerardo Dorado Mariscal has absorbed a lot about American culture and the English language.

This summer, the 10-year-old focused on his Latin American roots and his native tongue.

“I’ve made new friends,” he said. “I learned more things about other (Latin American) countries.”

Joaquin, who was born in Bolivia, was among the 50 young people who completed a summer cultural art program organized by the Centro Hispano Resource Center.

The students and their parents gathered at St. John Catholic School, 1208 Ky., Saturday for a recital marking the end of the program.

One by one, the children, who range in age from 5 to 13, piled on the school’s stage. They sang songs in Spanish, danced and displayed their artwork.

Lydia Leon, director of Centro Hispano, said the program was a response to parents’ concerns that their children were not retaining the Spanish language and their cultural heritage.

“We decided to start a program that would give the children a chance to have an environment that encourages their bilingual reality and their bicultural reality,” Leon said.

The program, which completed its second run, was open to both Spanish speakers and those whose first language is English.

The children spoke Spanish throughout the program. They learned traditional dances and songs. Some created a large mural recognizing their cultural roots.

“They are really getting to explore where they come from or where their parents or grandparents come from,” Leon said.

Joaquin said he personally didn’t worry about losing his Spanish language skills.

While he speaks English at school, his family speaks Spanish at home. And he’s ready to add more languages, such as Italian and French, to his repertoire.

“I’ve been doing a pretty good job keeping my language,” he said. “My mom, she wants me to learn more languages so I can help my brain work better.”