Did you know that it’s Hispanic Heritage Month right now? In the Lower School, during Spanish class, our Beasley students have been celebrating the contributions and influence of Hispanic Americans on our nation’s culture, history, and achievements—including important advocacy work, science, art, popular foods, and much more. Hispanic Heritage Week was established in 1968 by President Lyndon B. Johnson. Later, President Ronald Reagan expanded it to Hispanic Heritage Month, which was enacted into law in 1988. Since then, the celebration has taken place from September 15 through October 15 each year.
„When learning about Hispanic Heritage Month, we explore the 21 Hispanic countries and their locations on the map,“ said Señora Soledad Villagómez, Lower School Spanish Teacher. „We also highlight influential people such as Sonia Sotomayor, the first Hispanic American woman to serve as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, Ellen Ochoa, the first Hispanic woman to travel to space, and Frida Kahlo, a renowned artist who spent many years living in the United States.“
On Friday, October 4, Lower School took its celebrations one step further by holding a Hispanic Heritage Month assembly as a full Junior Kindergarten through fourth-grade community. To help bring the culture and language to life, students sang ¡Hola! Canciones Infantiles y Más and Países de Habla Hispana. Some students clearly had these songs memorized! Señora Soledad also shared other exciting information pertaining to the month. Did you know that Spanish is the third most widely spoken language in the world? Also, did you know that there are more than 64 Hispanic Americans in the United States? These are just a few of the fun facts our Lower Schoolers learned last Friday.
A highlight of assembly was getting to watch second grader Natalia W. ’35, whose mother is from México, perform a traditional dance from one of the regions in México. Natalia, who had planned to share the stage with her sister, bravely presented about Sinaloa ballet folklórico—its history and cultural significance—before demonstrating this style of dance in front of her peers. She also wore a bright, traditional ballet folklórico skirt that flowed beautifully as she danced, and she wore her hair in a bun and adorned with flowers. Once she finished her presentation and dance, she received many hugs and Beasley-style applause from the full Lower School community. (Natalia’s sister was ill that day, unfortunately, but Natalia persevered! ¡Olé!)
Señora Villagómez said, „We have around 13 students at Beasley whose parents have a Hispanic background, and they are very proud of their heritage. Natalia and her sister’s mom is from Mexico, and both girls are very proud to be part of a Mexican dance group where they learn about the traditional dances from different regions of the country.“
How special it was to have Natalia share her Hispanic culture this way during Hispanic Heritage Month! ¡Gracias, Natalia!