Hispanic Heritage month started in 1968 under President Lyndon B. Johnson later expanded to a month-long celebration in 1988 by President Ronald Reagan. September 15th was chosen to be the dedicated start of Hispanic Heritage month, because multiple Latin American countries, including Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua have their independence day on September 15th.
Typically people around the world celebrate with festivals, parades, movies, food fairs, history and traditions, and here at One School we go all out with a week that shows all of this. Art by our art classes, food by our culinary classes, music by our band and orchastra, and traditions and dances shown through our open mic.
Our food was made delicately to make sure everyone took some sort of delight in the latin culture. The menu changes every year, this year we had a new Chef to give us a better taste of the culture.
“I think it’s different, but in a good way. It’s a lot more rooted in Hispanic culture because of Chef Yessi” Wyatt Bonos said, 12th grade.
“It brings me joy to share my culture with the scholars. We made food that is from my family and where I come from,” said Chef Yesi.
Each year the band and orchestra classes learn a unique piece for us to enjoy. Representing the Latino culture in an exciting way, Mr. Snurr chose to represent South Spain. “We’re very excited. We’re going to be playing a piece called Andalucia, which represents the area of southern Spain.” Mr. Snurr, Orchestra teacher continued,
“First, we looked on a sheet music website, and we picked out a few Spanish songs before we came up with this one, Andalusia. And then since the beginning of the school year, we’ve been rehearsing”
They practiced every class to bring their best performance to this open mic.
For Hispanic Heritage Month, The high school art class is creating art inspired by famous Hispanic artists. They would pick between different well-known artists such as Salvador Dalí, Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, and others. These figures are recognized for their artistic contributions, distinctive styles, and influence on global art.
“I chose Jean Michel Basquiat because I find his art meaningful in that every single one of his artworks is a self portrait even if it isn’t an actual artwork of his face and it’s something about him” Alyissa Bates, 11th grade.
Scholars are studying their techniques, cultural impact, and the way their work reflects history and identity. They are examining how these artists used color, form, and symbolism in their creations. They are producing artwork that demonstrates an understanding of Hispanic heritage while practicing important artistic skills.
While there were multiple people who presented, we had a new addition to our Hispanic heritage open mic. We had a showcase of different latino countries and territories, from Puerto Rico to Nicaragua. Little did we know not only different traditions would be represented but we had different age groups, from five year olds to 12th graders.
“I really loved getting to experience Cuban culture, especially in the way they dress. I loved planning my outfit out and finding all the pieces to make it whole. It’s really fun,” said Josiah Giles.
The scholars prepared and used their time wisely to share a small piece of beautiful countries. Hispanic heritage isn’t just about remembering history, it’s about celebrating the people, creativity, and culture that continues to grow.
