On Thursday, Oct. 10, the Upper School community celebrated Latinx and Hispanic cultures with an assembly hosted by Latines Unides, Las Monarcas, and the World Languages program. The assembly fell during National Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs from Sept. 15-Oct. 15, and is sometimes referred to Latinx or Latine Heritage Month; the different names reflect the multitude of identities and cultures that make up this heritage.
The event began with the entire Upper School gathered on McWilliams Courtyard, where students and faculty members listened to a speech from senior Alyssa Cobian about commemorating Latinx and Hispanic voices and emphasizing their many contributions. Following her speech, junior Anastasia Arrieta introduced a mariachi band that performed lively songs for the students and faculty.
“I was very happy to be given this role because I grew up listening to mariachis when I’d ride to Mexico every year with my family,” shared Arrieta. “I felt very honored to be able to introduce them because they were a wonderful group.”
After the mariachi performance, the students moved to Arden Lawn to explore a multitude of cultural booths run by students in Latines Unides, an affinity group open to any Latinx/Hispanic identifying students, and Las Monarcas, open to non-male identifying Latinx/Hispanic students. Students flowed between making papier-mâché flowers, getting airbrush tattoos, playing games like Basta and sampling many types of cultural dishes from nations across Latin America, all while listening to the band’s live mariachi music.
Upper School mathematics teacher and Latines Unides advisor Celeste Gonzalez, who helped organize the event, shared, “One of the biggest things we were hoping to gain from the Latinx/Hispanic Heritage Month celebration is for the students to be able to celebrate their own identity with others that perhaps don’t identify as Latinx or Hispanic students.”
Sophomore Kelland Hong shared, “I really enjoyed the food and crafts, as well as interacting with and learning from the students that provided them.”
To continue sharing Latinx/Hispanic culture with the Poly community, the affinity groups plan to show “Coco,” a film honoring Día de los Muertos, at the Back to the Big Screen event on Friday, Nov. 1.
