From September 15 to October 15, Poly celebrated Hispanic and Latinx/e Heritage Month with school-wide events. The heritage month recognizes the critical contributions of the Hispanic and Latinx/e community in regard to history, culture, and leadership.
Family affinity group Estamos Unidos hosted an all-school event, which included comments from Dr. Edgar Rivera Colón on the significance of Hispanic and Latinx Heritage Month, salsa dancing lessons for the whole family, open-floor dancing, and thematic refreshments. Upper School Affinity Groups Latines Unides and Las Monarcas hosted a heritage celebration with moving speeches, cultural booths that featured activities and foods from throughout Latin America, and a mariachi band. The Middle School welcomed the month with a kickoff presentation, a series of workshops in the sixth grade, and short student presentations on notable contributions made by Latinx/Hispanic people during morning meetings. The Lower School also shared a series of Community Meeting presentations that centered music and culture, and classes were encouraged to create their own playlists to share. Check out
Hernán Serruya’s video showcasing some of our Lower School students and their learning from this month. Our libraries shared book resources at every grade level, including some favorites such as
Loteria and
The Piñata.
Read on for reflections from Lower School Spanish Teacher Hernán Serruya:
I want to reflect on the passing of Hispanic Latino/a/e/x Heritage Month. I have been inspired by the excitement and engagement of students to learn more and actively participate in the celebrations, dances, and activities organized for this month. This year, I have observed with great satisfaction and pride the deep and genuine admiration for the culture we are celebrating, which my kindergarten to fifth-grade students have demonstrated. Their open and restless curiosity for deeper topics has been evident, and it has been a joy to see them embrace different aspects of Hispanic Latin culture, including current issues such as politics and art. Between September 15 and October 15, we had the wonderful opportunity to "expand" the Spanish classroom to all corners of the school. The Hispanic Latino/a/e/x culture was felt in the community meetings, the library, each classroom, the hallways, and even during lunch and recess. The unity and enthusiasm shown by the students, their families, and the entire community have been truly inspiring. This year, we have been able to delve much deeper into Hispanic culture, which has become an integral part of everyday life at Poly. Let's continue to celebrate the new, the old, the familiar, and the lesser-known.
We’re thrilled to share the celebration of another heritage month at all levels at Poly.