Posters, door decorations and flags representing Latinx culture decorated the halls as the National Hispanic Honor Society (NHHS) planned various activities to engage the student body for Hispanic Heritage Month.

     From Sept. 18 through the 22, Spanish and Latin American Club member, senior Eitan Beraja presented facts about Hispanic Heritage in the morning announcements. 

      “The daily announcements for Hispanic Heritage Month promote the cultural diversity that exists in our school,” Beraja said.   

     With the help of Spanish teacher Cesar Cuenca’s AP classes and the Spanish and Latin American Club, NHHS assembled a lunch event on Oct. 6. During both lunches, students representing different Hispanic countries set up tables in front of the cafeteria and gave out samples of some of their country’s typical food and beverages. The goal was to offer all students a unique opportunity to savor the diverse flavors of these cultures.

     That same day, students participated in a free Dress Down Day, wearing clothing that represented their Hispanic country. A door decorating contest also took place, with multiple teachers participating. English teacher Thisa Tynes’s door, for example, used paper and ribbons to illustrate a woman surrounded by flags from various Hispanic countries. 

     “We do many activities for our culture since our school is very diverse with a large Hispanic population,” senior and NHHS Co-President Valerie Bautista said. “We’d like to teach them about their culture as well as everybody else’s.”

     Walking through the school halls, you’ll likely encounter various representations of Hispanic culture. These posters representing Hispanic countries and prominent figures were crafted by Cuenca’s AP Spanish Language and AP Spanish Literature classes.  

     “It helps students feel like their culture is important and recognized,” Cuenca said. 

     Students served a popular Spanish dish, paella, and Cuban pastries to participating faculty members during a luncheon on Oct. 6. Psychology teacher Arturo Tenacio made and helped serve paella to the staff.

    “Paella is probably the most universal plate from Spain and people love it. I learned by seeing my mom make it and the people in Spain,” Tenacio said. “The Hispanic presence in this school is big and it’s important that we display our culture and heritage.”