Delicious foods, elegant dances, and colorful clothing all representations of the hispanic culture.
Hispanic Heritage month is from September 15th to October 15th; for the first week, it was celebrated with diverse food from the cafe, performances at the Hispanic Heritage open mic, morning announcements done in Spanish by scholars, and also a chapel service by Mrs. Torres and Mrs. Waisenan.
The Story Time Cafe played a large role in representing the hispanic culture all week by serving traditional hispanic foods. Tacos, Empanadas, and other traditional foods were prepared by the cafe team.
“The food brought back memories of food my grandparents and family used to make in Puerto Rico,” Said Emma Vega, 12th grade.
Every day of the week hispanic scholars shared a message over the intercoms during the morning announcements, speaking in both Spanish and English. They told a little about themselves and what country they came from.
Lexi Willams and Aj Font, 11th grade, hosted Hispanic Heritage open mic, welcoming performers to the stage to display there artistic gifts expressing the hispanic culture. The show opened with the band followed by a song from the middle school Alma Chorale. Following that was the middle school dance department, with different dances by each grade, who hyped up the audience by dancing to fun hispanic music. With long beautiful red skirts, the high school dance department rose to the occasion with fun traditional moves exhibiting confidence and mastery.
“Dancing on stage was a lot of fun, especially because I was able to learn more about the hispanic culture through dance.” Said Sam Lazcko, 11th grade.
Mrs. Sheiner and other teachers danced salsa and encouraged the audience to dance along with them. The team spent the weeks leading up to the event practicing the intricate moves. Emma Febres, 10th grade, Sadie Marquette, and Melodie Chavez, 11th grade, led by Ms. Daisy also performed a graceful ribbon dance.
“The dance symbolized how we should worship God no matter what because he and the Holy Spirit are always with us,” said Melodie Chavez.
On Thursday, chapel was opened by Alondra Pagan and Amanda Hernandez, 11th grade, who sang worship songs in Spanish and English. The service was led my Mrs. Torres, who shared a message in Spanish, and Mrs. Waisennan, who translated the message for the audience. By preaching in two languages, they showed no matter the language or culture, everyone can be included.
“Being able to lead others in worship was such a blessing and seeing their hands raised worshiping with us even in a different language was an unforgettable moment,“ said Alondra Pagan, 10th grade.
With this cultural celebration and others like it, we take time to understand different cultures and what makes them unique to create a more inclusive community for everyone.
