Central Catholic Celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month

The United States observes National Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15 to October 15, and students in Central Catholic’s Spanish classes have taken the opportunity to do so as well.  Each day this month, students have been celebrating the histories, cultures, and contributions of people who came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America.

The Spanish teachers are introducing a person of the day each day, and they began with Jorge Mario Bergoglio, who we know more commonly as Pope Francis.  Students have been researching and writing about historical people of Hispanic origin who have positively influenced and enriched our country, such as Lin-Manuel Miranda, Rita Moreno, Jennifer Lopez, Roberto Clemente, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.  They also watched the movies Selena, a biographical drama about Mexican-American singer Selena Quintanilla, and McFarland USA, about a novice cross country team from a predominantly Latino high school in an economically challenged California town.

During the last week of Hispanic Heritage Month, 1st-year Spanish teacher Dawn Scotland taught students the cumbia, a Latin American traditional folk dance.

Observing Hispanic heritage began in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week under President Lyndon Johnson, and President Ronald Reagan expanded it to a month-long celebration in 1988, when it was enacted into law.  The observation begins on September 15 rather than at the beginning of the month because that is the anniversary of independence for Latin American countries Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua.  In addition, Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence days on September 16 and September 18, respectively.

Central Catholic celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month to recognize the achievements and contributions of Hispanic Americans and to inspire others to achieve success.