Hispanics make up 22.4% of the student body, making them the largest minority group on campus. Hispanic Heritage Month has been celebrated at the school previously, but this year was the first student-led celebration. The celebration was put on by Latinos in Action, a new leadership class and club on campus.
“The Latinos in Action took the initiative, I think they’re doing a wonderful job making sure we can share our culture with everyone,” Spanish teacher and club sponsor Nitza Ariza said.
Hispanic Heritage Month takes place from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15. Latinos in action started off the festivities Monday, Sept. 16 with an opening ceremony performed during both lunches by seniors Adrian Davila-Guzman (piano), Leticia Carrasco (guitar), and junior Juliana Alvarez (vocals) who also performed songs like “La Bicicleta” by Shakira, “Como La Flor” by Selena, and “Vivir Mi Vida” by Marc Anthony.
“Once I got into it, it was very fun, especially considering that I got to sing songs that I grew up with,” Alvarez said. “Selena is one of the biggest Hispanic icons, being able to perform that in front of everyone and share that culture was just a very fun experience.”
To prepare for the ceremony the student musicians rehearsed during their fifth period Latinos in Action class. The Sunday before the performance a final rehearsal was organized to run through all of the songs.
“Honestly, I was pretty nervous, but once I was performing and got into the groove I was feeling a lot better. I was just playing the notes I needed to play and I felt like we did a really good job,” Davilla, who has been playing piano for nine years, said.
Executing a celebration on the scale of Hispanic Heritage Month can be difficult especially for a first-year program like Latinos in Action. One of the main challenges is communication, the program is a class as well as a club so information needs to be coordinated between the two groups, club sponsors, student leadership, and administration.
“You don’t really understand the amount of work that goes into any kind of event,” Latinos in Action President Greta Carrasco said. “I’m slowly understanding that there’s so much stuff, there’s so many laws, so many safety precautions. It was something that would have been better to plan a few months ahead.”
For example Latinos in Action suggested a spicy food challenge for teachers, but to do this the club would have to go through risk management and get it cleared with the county.“It would take months, teachers would’ve liked to participate because BSU did do the chili cookoff last year, but we just didn’t have enough time.” Carrasco said.
Latinos in Action were not alone when setting up and decorating around campus. The Black Student Union and Art Society were also a big part of the preparations. Flags, posters, and artwork put up by various student groups can be seen hanging from railings, taped to walls, and drawn on walkways.
“I was really excited that they gave us the opportunity because we were able to promote cultural diversity for Hispanic Heritage Month and it was exciting to use a lot of vibrant colors,” National Art Honor Society president Macy Drewry said.
Assistant principal Reggie Miller was also involved in the planning for the month. Miller has helped with set up, planning and tech as well providing decorations.
“I’m so thankful, especially for Mr. Miller, he’s come to the class so many times to help us figure out the logistics. Mr. Miller has been so
helpful,” Latinos in Action teacher Casey Corrigan said.
While help from and communication with administrators is always necessary for all school events, Hispanic Heritage Month has been a chance for student-led organizations to take the front seat and showcase their leadership on campus.
“This year, I’ve been involved by attending meetings regarding the activities and functions for Hispanic Heritage Month,” Miller said. “However, I have chosen to step back from leadership roles, entrusting Latinos in Action, the Spanish Honor Society, the Black Student Union, and the Student Government Association to take the lead in celebrating this special month.”
Carrasco, being new to running a club, contacted Misa Gibbs, president of the Black Student Union, who helped organize decorations and make posters.
“I was unsure and uncertain on how much support we would get, but everyone was so happy and so excited to help, we did this as a community and as students,” Carrasco said. “I think the biggest and most important part of the school celebration was seeing that people are here to celebrate each other.”
More challenges arose Hurricane Helene, which made landfall Sept. 26, resulting in the postponing of the movie day scheduled for Wednesday Sept. 25 after school. The movie day was moved to Oct. 3 after school in Mrs. Ariza’s room, where “The book of Life,” a movie about the Mexican Day of the Dead tradition, will be shown.
“We understood that the inclement weather might cause parents to question the safety of their students, especially since the weather was expected to worsen during the time the movie was scheduled,” Miller said.
Getting the movie approved by the county also proved to be a challenge. It took around a month for Latinos in Action to hear back from the county and get it approved. Despite these setbacks Latinos in Action have adapted and continued their campus wide celebration.
Perhaps the most meaningful part of the on campus celebration is that it gives Hispanic students the opportunity to have their culture appreciated and to feel more connected to their culture no matter how far away it may be.
“I’m very proud of where I’m from and how I grew up, how I went back to my roots of my original family,” Davilla said. “I look at the lives that they have and then I look at how blessed I am in my life.”
Hispanic Heritage Month is an opportunity for Hispanic students to not just appreciate and celebrate their culture, but to share it with students of all ethnic and racial backgrounds, Latinos in Action are promoting diversity through unity.
“Hispanic culture is so vibrant and so beautiful and people need to see that and appreciate that. Now, especially in the United States, we’re such a global community, we have people from all around the world,” Carrasco said. “I want people to see that when there’s effort and when there’s things getting done we can celebrate each other.”
