With a flourish of frills and colors, Early College High School presented a full force of Hispanic Heritage with song, dance, video and skits, prompting waves of cheers, dance and fun.
The school’s second-year Sociedad Honoraria Hispanica – the National Spanish Honor Society – planned and orchestrated the showcase of Hispanic heritage.
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The celebration began Friday with a Quinceanera parade, with girls in their formal dresses and their escorts filing through the hallways of the Early College High School hallways, culminating in the gym for the festive showcase.
Spanish teacher Mari Cardenas praised her students, who she said planned and carried out the major project on their own.
National Spanish Honor Society President Zurisadai Rodriguez Caraballo and Vice President Adriana Lopez, both juniors, were thrilled at the society’s first Hispanic celebration.
Presentations ranged from Spanish dances like the Merengue and Huapango to poems, skits based on Spanish literature, a soccer demonstration and lots of audience participation.
“This event is very important not just for Latina and Hispanic kids, but to show that having pride in your culture is important and you should never feel ashamed of your features, your accent, your dialect,” said Caraballo. “You shouldn’t have to feel excluded from any community at all.”
“I really liked how everyone who performed put so much passion in how they presented and how everyone in the crowd was participating and cheering on their classmates. It just shows all that support and love across the cultures.”
“The program was an outreach about Hispanic Heritage Month,” said Lopez, explaining how the honor society works to reach all communities with a message of inclusion.
“Maybe someone will feel inspired to learn more about Spanish and investigate other cultures,” she said.
Early College High School requires all students complete at least two years of Spanish. The school offers five levels of foreign language study and students can earn as many as 16 hours of college credit in Spanish.
“This is the very first time we have had a Hispanic Heritage celebration, so it is a big deal,” said Caraballo. Students planned the performances and organized and conducted rehearsals to pull off the event.
The Spanish teacher spoke with emotion about the students’ commitment, explaining that she was born in Mexico and grew up in Michigan in a small town where there were few Hispanic people and almost no cultural activities.
“It is a big deal for me. I love ECHS because the kids greet you in Spanish. All the kids were dancing, even those who are not Hispanic. That is precious. We promote embracing each other’s culture. It is amazing.”
The honor society promotes education and understanding of the Hispanic culture. The group plans to tutor peers in Spanish, conduct fundraisers and service projects and has taken over planning for the school’s annual Multicultural Celebration in the spring.