Oakwood commemorates Latinx/a/o/e and Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15th to October 15th through a series of festive events and activities designed to honor the cultural diversity and impactful contributions of Latinx communities.
October 6, 2023
Highlighting Latinx/a/o/e and Hispanic Heritage Month at Oakwood
“We need to help students and parents cherish and preserve the ethnic and cultural diversity that nourishes and strengthens this community – and this nation.”—César Chávez
Elementary Campus Assembly
The elementary campus celebrated Latinx/a/o/e and Hispanic Heritage Month with colorful dance performances, including Colombia Cumbia and Puya and the Brazilian Samba. Hispanic/Latinx-identifying sixth-grade students shared what they appreciated about their cultures, and Jaime and our Spanish teacher, José, represented our faculty/staff. The afternoon assembly culminated with rousing student conga lines.
Our awesome Latinx Affinity Group, Somos Unidos, organized a lively and delicious celebration for the secondary campus students, faculty, and staff in honor of Latinx/a/o/e Heritage Month featuring food, music, and dancing. This vibrant gathering promoted education, appreciation, and unity among our Oakwood community.
Award-winning author and arts activist, Aida Salazar, whose writings explore issues of identity and social justice, visited the secondary campus library for a book signing event.
Together with the College Counseling Group and OSPR, Oakwood’s SOMOS Unidos Latinx Affinity group hosted a special event at the secondary campus designed to give students a chance to learn from and be inspired by accomplished Latinx professionals in our community. The event featured four of Oakwood’s Latinx faculty members: Stacie Muñoz, Director of Education Innovation & Technology Services, Zachary Ramirez, Social Studies Teacher, Javier Rivera, Theatre Teacher, and Lluvia Higuera, Photography Teacher.
Our Latinx affinity group, Somos Unidos hosted a private screening of their short film Union De Reyes by Oakwood parents Lilly and Danny Pino. It was a wonderful evening that included deep, thought-provoking questions from the Oakwood community. Danny shares that “nights like these are why we made this film. So that we see ourselves in this film, no matter where we come from, and we ask ourselves how to bridge the gap between people.”
Secondary campus librarian Alejandra visited 5th-grade Humanities students in celebration of Latinx/Hispanic Heritage Month. She shares that during her visit, “students learned about some of the important aspects of Mexican culture, including our major celebrations, regional cuisine, and notable people. Students were also given book recommendations to help them learn more about Mexico. Lastly, we ended my visit on a sweet note, with the students sampling a traditional Mexican pastry called a concha.”
Ana Cordova and Thelma Preza visited the 5th-grade during explorations to celebrate Latinx Heritage Month. They instructed students on crafting paper flowers and generously shared pupusas as part of the celebration.
