On Friday, September 19, Hispanic Heritage Month will be celebrated on the ERHS campus. This will be coordinated by the Spanish Honors Society. During both lunches, students can listen to live music, dance, visit the Spanish Honors Society’s Booth, play games like loteria, get their faces painted, and have the opportunity to learn more about the different Hispanic cultures.
Miley Trujillo, a student of The Spanish Honors Society, shared the significance of celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month.
“The significance is to bring recognition to the Mes de Herencia Hispana [Hispanic Heritage Month] that isn’t talked about, I would say, as much around the school,” Trujillo says. “It’s just to bring awareness to the culture and the month we celebrate our independence and culture.”
The Spanish Honors Society is a club that focuses on Hispanic culture. They offer community service hours, help with events revolving around Hispanic traditions and culture, and allow anyone from any background to join the club. The celebration on September 19 is their first event of this school year on the ERHS campus.
As the Spanish Honors Society prepares for its first event, many students on campus are excited. Jimena Lagunas, a student at ERHS, shares her opinion on the event and on Hispanic Heritage Month.
“I think it’s a really good way to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month and to represent our culture and the way other students view it and understand it,” Lagunas says. “Hispanics have done a lot for this country and not a lot of people recognize it, so I’m happy that Hispanic Heritage Month can help with that.”
Hispanic Heritage Month is observed from September 15 to October 15. During this time, the cultures, contributions, influence, and history of many Hispanic and Latino Americans to the U.S are recognized and celebrated. What started as a week-long celebration in 1968 under Lyndon B. Johnson’s presidency was later expanded to a month by former President Reagan in 1988. The reason Hispanic Heritage Month starts on September 15 and not September 1 is that many Central American countries celebrate their independence during these dates. For more information on Hispanic Heritage Month, visit the National Museum of the American Latino.
