Hispanic Heritage Month took on notes of celebration and tradition Friday at Harker Heights High School with 19 students dressed for quinceanera parading through the hallways.
Mostly it was girls dressed in frilly frocks, some with bouquets and tiaras. There were a few young men dressed in Latino style serving as escorts.
Principal Jorge Soldevila dressed in Puerto Rico style with a hat band representing that nation’s flag as he walked alongside the proud students.
Those awaiting the parade heard the cheers, followed by the sound of Spanish music signaling the procession of dressed-up students as they walked through the downstairs hallway, then upstairs and back down, finishing in the cafeteria.
School lead counselor Wendy Perry said she saw the idea elsewhere a year ago and wanted to give it a try since one-third of Harker Heights High School’s population is Hispanic.
Hispanic Heritage Month is September 15 to October 15 in the United States. Many KISD schools host assemblies, and family visitation evenings and conduct classroom activities during the month.
Peebles Elementary hosted a Hispanic Heritage Month family night Thursday, with activities, music and snacks celebrating countries like Puerto Rico, Honduras, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Spain and many other Spanish-speaking nations.
“I saw the idea last year and we haven’t seen it in KISD. We really wanted to represent our culture during this month,” Perry said.
“It was amazing the way everyone in the halls embraced the kids and lit up when they went by. It was a great opportunity – the girls have been smiling and giggling about it all week.”
“We want to celebrate all cultures and make our school an inclusive environment,” the counselor said.
Nevaya Sealey, a junior about to turn 17 years old, was excited to break out her quinceanera dress and crown she first used more than two years ago to bring to school.
“This tradition was so important for me today to show my school my heritage as a proud Afro-Latina,” she said. “I’m proud to introduce more students to our culture and to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month and to really let our culture be shown.”
“It felt beautiful, and it was nostalgic to be back in my dress,” Sealey said. “To share that with my classmates was truly a beautiful experience. I really appreciated it.”
Laylah Fernandez, a freshman not yet 15, said she hopes to have a quinceanera and was excited to join her peers in the school event.
“I really wanted to share my Dominican culture and thought it would be fun,” she said, wearing a traditional dress.
“It was fun. I liked seeing my friends and my friends seeing me. I thought it was fun to see all the other girls, and they looked so pretty in their dresses,” Fernandez said.
Lila Valmores, also a freshman, was excited to hear the support from her peers.
“To me, it was important because we were showing a tradition that happens in a lot places,” she said. “The cheers were amazing. I felt really supported. I felt really confident. I felt like a princess.”
Photo gallery: https://www.flickr.com/photos/killeenisd/albums/72177720329131120