Germantown Academy celebrated National Hispanic Heritage Month these last couple of weeks to recognize the Hispanic culture through fun events and activities.
Germantown Academy celebrated National Hispanic Heritage Month these last couple of weeks to recognize the Hispanic culture through fun events and activities. The National Hispanic Heritage Month website defines the month as a time to “recognize the achievements and contributions of Hispanic American champions who have inspired others to achieve success.” The website also describes that Hispanic Heritage Month started as Hispanic Heritage Week in 1968 until it was changed to 31 days in 1988. The celebration now takes place from September 15th to October 15th. Furthermore, the dates within the month are significant because many of them are days of independence for Latin American countries.
Teachers at Germantown Academy hosted multiple events throughout these last couple of weeks. For example, salsa dancing, cultural presentations, and trivia activities were open to all students during flex or after school. The first activity was a presentation on the Spanish history of mayonnaise by Upper School Spanish teacher Carlos Chubb. His enthusiastic and delicious presentation was a great start to the festivities. The salsa social was run by Spanish teachers Carol Ayers ‘1760 and Juan Leon, along with members of the LatinX club, and it featured salsa dancing, salsa eating, and music. When Mr. Leon was interviewed about why salsa dancing was chosen as an activity, he said, “Where I grew up, people would dance. Here, people don’t dance enough.” One attendee of the event said, “It was a fun, lighthearted experience.” Following the salsa social was Spanish teacher Yvette Marquez’s presentation about her life and experiences in Venezuela. Her personal experiences during her time in Venezuela are important and inspiring to students and faculty alike. Later that day, Nicholas Wynia, the Upper School photography teacher, hosted an online presentation about his work in Latin America. The event showcased beautiful photographs that he took on his travels. According to the organization that hosted Mr. Wynia’s presentation, his “photographs explore the themes of conquest, colonization, and modernity in Latin America.” Axel Galeano, Upper School Spanish teacher, ran a trivia event to inspire students to continue learning about the Hispanic culture through an exciting and fast-paced activity. In response to the event, an attendee said, “It was really interesting to learn about even as a student who does not take Spanish as their language class and has no Hispanic background.” Another anonymous freshman said, “It was cool to see that our school recognizes these months of celebration for different cultures.”
These important cultural events help educate students, faculty, and staff about the significance of keeping traditions alive in a fun, easy-going way. By experiencing different cultures and traditions, the Germantown Academy community can grow and become better people. Through successful events such as Hispanic Heritage Month, Germantown Academy helps students, faculty, and staff become more culturally accepting. Thank you to all the hosts for making these events possible, and thank you to all the students who took time to attend the events.