With October marking yet another month in the school year, it’s important to remember the various events the MRHS community has already celebrated. One of these events is Hispanic Heritage Month, a month dedicated to commemorating Hispanic culture and heritage.
Designated as the start of the celebration, September 15th stands as a crucial day for Hispanic history being the anniversary of independence for Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. Important days continue with September 16th being Mexico’s independence day, September 18th being Chile’s, and October 12th being Columbus Day.
On a national level, Hispanic Heritage month is a time to celebrate the various ways that Latina/Latino/Latinx people have contributed to American culture. From highlighting movies and tv shows made by Hispanic creators on streaming platforms to dedicating various social media posts to famous Hispanic figures throughout history, various people and groups have celebrated the month in different ways. Locally, MRHS also has its own activities designed to honor Hispanic heritage.
“The Spanish Honor Society made announcements 2-3 times a week sharing Hispanic heritage facts,” Spanish Honor Society sponsor and Spanish teacher Mrs. Bonner said.
The MRHS Spanish Honor Society is dedicating a lot of its work to honoring Hispanic heritage throughout the duration of the month. By educating the school body about various facts from Spanish-speaking countries and Hispanic culture, the Spanish Honor Society is doing its part in celebrating the splendid month.
Like with all the other celebrations taking place this year, the obstacle of the global pandemic is standing in the way of properly celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month— in MRHS specifically, the digital learning format of last year has left teachers rushing to readjust their schedules and panicked about having to properly reteach curriculum to their current students.
“I usually try to incorporate National Hispanic Heritage Month material into my agenda, but this year because everyone is so behind due to Covid, I am not. I’d rather catch my students up, so they can be prepared for next year,” said Spanish teacher Mrs. Rhodeside.
“I’d really love to incorporate some activities about Hispanic heritage month, but with a busy schedule and various classes to take care of, I’m not sure if I’ll be able to,” Spanish and Italian teacher Mrs. Gado said.
Even if currently the mention of the month can’t be included in the classroom setting, people are still trying their best to find ways to do so. It’s crucial for students to learn about various cultures and heritage in the classroom, and with the way that National Hispanic Heritage Month falls into place in the beginning of the school year, many believe changes should be made so that curriculum could be centered around Hispanic heritage throughout its duration.
“I think it is important to share Hispanic culture and heritage at MRHS, because it helps create awareness for Hispanic people at our school. We only make up 5 percent of the MRHS population, so it often feels like other than in Spanish class we aren’t really represented,” said senior and SHS member Alanna Hennessy-Loyo.
​”I think Hispanic Heritage is extremely important! It is just so tricky as a teacher to balance fitting all of the curriculum and the cultural tidbits into one. I think it should be built into the curriculum at the county level personally, so that the topic would fall during Hispanic Heritage month,” Mrs. Rhodeside said.
National Hispanic Heritage Month is essentially an opportunity for people to celebrate the Hispanic heritage that makes up many aspects of American history and culture. In trying to celebrate in its own way, the MRHS community has provided various ways for people to learn more about the countries, cultures, and languages that make up Hispanic heritage. Though the current conditions have made it difficult to honor this month to the full extent, the MRHS efforts made to contribute to its cause is enough to make the MRHS community grateful and proud.